BMW has taken the covers off of its first-ever EV sedan as it is on a target to start selling it later this year. So, before you make up your mind about the Tesla Model 3, here are the top 10 things there are to know about –
- Design – For obvious reasons, the i4 is based mostly on its ICE-powered 4 Series model, but let me tell you, the controversial front-end looks way better on the i4 than it ever did on the standard 4 Series. You get plenty of bright blue accents throughout the vehicle to tell you it’s electric. Once you see the i4 from the side, you’ll get to know that it is longer than the 4 Series, and with the sloping roofline, it looks just like a Beamer should.
- Aerodynamics – The aero on the i4 is dynamic in a sense that in order for it to cut the air, clever aero devices have been fitted to the car meaning the overall drag is now reduced, which further means that you can drive for longer distances between the charges. I trust BMW to take advantage of those heavy batteries to lower the center of gravity.
- Interior – There isn’t any specific information about the interior, but if the i4 Concept and the flagship iX SUV are anything to go by, one can only expect BMW’s iDrive 8 infotainment unit to be fitted onto the car. As far as the space goes, it will be spacious, although due to the sloping roofline, there could be some headroom issues for the rear passengers.
- Platform – To reduce costs, the i4 is based on BMW’s CLAR platform, a modular architecture responsible for underpinning everything from a 3 Series to a 7 Series. This tells us how god and stable the car should be. Highway drives won’t be an issue if the range is good.
- Power and Range – Talking of range, a single electric motor is responsible for making 523bhp with a maximum range of 367 miles, as per WLTP. However, important to note is that the aforementioned figures can be achieved only in the top-spec i4.
- Charging tech – Much like the Audi e-tron, the BMW i4 can support rapid charging up to 150kW meaning 0-80% in just 35 minutes.
- With great power, comes weight as well – Put simply, the battery-pack in the i4 weighs in just short of 600kgs and so, to tackle the massive weight, BMW has decided to store the pack in the boot floor which will help lower the car’s center of gravity.
- Competition – The i4, once available, will go against the likes of Audi e-tron GT, Tesla Model 3 and Volvo’s Polestar 2.
- The M car – If you can already make it out, BMW has also confirmed that an even-hotter, M Performance version of the i4 will arrive. And who knows maybe a full blown M version of the i4 too? We didn’t tell you!
- Price – Cutting it short, expect the base-spec i4 to begin from $50,000. Compared to a Model 3, that’s expensive but well, proper German levels of fit and finish is also expensive which is missing in the tesla.
