BMW may not call it as much, but strip away the marketing lingo and branding, and the 2022 i4 is just the first all-electric 3 Series. After all, the i4 is basically just an EV version of the 4 Series Gran Coupe, which is just a four-door fastback version of the 4 Series coupe…which in turn is just the two-door version of the 3 Series. (Hell, up until 10 years ago, back in that halcyon age when “BMW M3” managed to cover every version of the sporty sensation, all the 3er variations still went by “3 Series.”)
Why, you might wonder, does that matter? Well, because the 3 Series is, effectively, the car that defined BMW as we know it. From its debut in 1975 on, it’s been the archetype of a very appealing blend of luxury, sportiness and driving involvement, all at a fairly accessible price point. While crossovers like the X3 and X5 may have become the new standard-bearers and volume models for the carmaker — the fact that BMW M’s first standalone model since the M1 is an SUV is all the proof you need of that — the fact still remains that as the 3 Series goes, so does BMW.
So even if it bears what can only be described as the unfortunate mug of the 4 Series rather than the more restrained face of the 3 Series, the i4 is ultimately BMW’s first attempt at making an electric version of its icon. How does that play out in the real world? I spent a week with the i4 M50i variant to find out.
The i4 M50i drives like a modern Bimmer EV should
Will Sabel CourtneyWith 536 horsepower and 582 lb-ft instantly accessible with every press of the right pedal, it shouldn’t be any surprise that the i4 M50i is quick. 0-60 mph takes just 3.2 seconds, as Car and Driver found; the more real-world-typical 5-60-mph dash takes just 3.5 — the same as a Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet — while darting from 50-70 takes just two seconds flat.
While it may be able to keep up with an M3 Competition from naught to 60, odds are good the gas-powered car would dominate it on track. That’s because the i4’s battery makes it a good bit bulkier; the EV weighs in at just over two and a half tons, versus the comparable M-car’s roughly 3,850 pounds. Still, all that weight has the decency to be mounted low and evenly across the middle of the car, so the i4 maintains the planted, neutral handling that’s long been a defining character trait of the Bavarian Motor Werks’s best cars. And as with all too many modern Bimmers, steering feel is basically nonexistent, but at least the rack has the decency to be direct and linear; it may feel like a gaming rig at time, but at least it’s a good gaming rig.
