Fili Gran Coupé
BMW i4 xDrive40: The surprise of the highway
What makes this BMW i4 so elegant? Is it the subtle purple color? The redesigned kidney grille? Or is it the new, delicately designed rear lights of the so-called Gran Coupé? Stephan Schätzl drove the facelift model with its new drive configuration for the video driving report. And was seriously surprised.
"Mora" is the name of the almost 5,000 euro custom paint finish. It's Italian and could refer to a dark-haired or dark-skinned woman, but in this case it probably means blackberry. And indeed, the BMW i4 xDrive40 Gran Coupé is quite a fruit. In the sense of: It literally has it thick as a fist behind the ears.
Because what I didn't expect was what a pleasant touring car it is. It drives extremely smoothly and remains very quiet even at high speeds, making it a real pleasure to be pampered by the optional Harman Kardon sound system. This slows you down immensely, which has a positive effect on the range. For more details, please see the video (here at the top of the page), but I'll say this much at this point: how far I got with this car without recharging is truly astonishing.
And it's not even the version with the longest range. In addition to the rear engine, there is another electric motor on the front axle, which adds up to a total output of 295 kW/401 hp and leads to a WLTP consumption of up to 19.8 kWh/100 km - 1.2 kWh above that of the single-motor rear-wheel drive model.
600 Nm of torque from a standing start make you forget the kerb weight of 2185 kg according to the type certificate. In 5.1 seconds, the Munich model sprints from a standstill to 100 km/h at speeds of up to 200 km/h.
However, if you go for it, don't be surprised if you don't get anywhere near the range shown in the video. On the highway, you can feel every kilometer per hour you drive above 130. The usual speed of 130 plus 10 km/h for many people therefore inevitably leads to extra charging stops to feed the battery, which has a net storage capacity of 81 kilowatt hours. 10-80 percent takes 30 minutes.
If you don't want to drive that far and can perhaps simply charge at home, you will of course be delighted with the relaxed power delivery and the adaptive M sports suspension, which comes as standard on the xDrive40 (as well as the M50) and is not only firm but also supple. The variable sports steering is also a pleasure to drive.
Details make life even more pleasant
It's the little things that often decide whether life in a car is enjoyable. In the i4, this starts with the feel of the interior, with materials that are a pleasure to touch. When traveling, there is space for a large PET bottle in each door panel - some other manufacturers can't even manage that in an SUV.
Then there's the charging port: instead of two plastic plugs dangling from a plastic cord, there are two flaps. And next to them a button that ends the charging process. You can tell that BMW is trying to understand the customer.
Facelift details in the interior ...
Part of the facelift version is that the gear selector lever has been replaced by a small toggle switch that is easy to operate. And the new automatic climate control lever is now better and more elegant than in the 7 and 5 Series: elegant, easy-to-grip levers instead of rubber bulges as in the two more expensive model series. However, the update has only been implemented on the dashboard; the climate control unit for row two has remained unchanged. Too expensive? Forgotten? Hm ...
The operating system has been updated to version 8.5, which is particularly noticeable in the actually perfect home screen. The navigation system is still one of the best in the electric car sector. Many functions are not available elsewhere and the operation has been further improved. For example, on a route with automatically inserted charging stops, you can now also directly access additional stations that are located before the first planned stop. This allows you to satisfy urgent needs for food intake or delivery in a more time-saving manner.
... and outside
From the outside, you have to invest to really get something out of the facelift. Sure, the kidney grille and LED headlights have been redesigned. But the highlight is the laser rear lights with the thin light guides inside. They come with the 1700 euro adaptive matrix headlights, which don't dazzle anyone even on the highway. If you save on these, you get the pre-facelift rear lights.
The prices ...
... start at 52,992 euros for the i4 eDrive with 210 kW/286 and the 67 kWh battery. The eDrive40 from 61,656 euros then already has the large battery and 250 kW/340 hp. The xDrive40 costs at least €64,908, which in the case of the test car was pushed up to a good €95,000 with extras. The top model M50 xDrive is listed at 73,308 euros.
Driving citation:
Not cheap fun. On paper, you get more for your money with Tesla or Chinese manufacturers, for example. But if you are really interested in vehicles, if you care about how something feels, how it handles and how it drives (and if you can afford it), you are more likely to end up with the BMW i4. It is a car with classic qualities, but also with current features that are not to be found everywhere in this quality.
Why?
Great handling
Fine operating system
Why not?
A little cramped in the back seat
Or maybe ...
... Tesla Model 3, BYD Seal
This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.
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