[Trimark]

     Featured on BIMMERPOST.com

Great summary on the pros and cons

[spool twice]

He's definitely a true petrol head so the review isn't surprising. I think overall he liked it for what it was, but like other BEVs, it wasn't for him

[Encanto]

Another so called "reviewer" comparing an M Performance car with an M car. Either BMW is not doing a good job selling the idea of an M Performance car from an M car, or this game of complaining about not getting an M car in an M Performance car is beyond idiotic.

[Rich9600]

Originally Posted by Encanto

Another so called "reviewer" comparing an M Performance car with an M car. Either BMW is not doing a good job selling the idea of an M Performance car from an M car, or this game of complaining about not getting an M car in an M Performance car is beyond idiotic.

I think BMW's marketing has deliberately muddied the waters here. I do not expect an M-Car and ordered a M50 last month to replace my 340i.

I watched this video yesterday and noted the anti BEV bias and constant comparison to a 'his' M3…

Also, when will reviewers get the official range right. Euro official range of his tested configuration is not 360 or 315 miles. It's more like ~260 with all those options! So, his estimate of ~250 miles range is excellent news! I was hoping for a real life 250 from an M50 on 19" wheels.

But, his back seat review was the most informative yet.

[finn123]

Originally Posted by Rich9600

I think BMW's marketing has deliberately muddied the waters here. I do not expect an M-Car and ordered a M50 last month to replace my 340i.

I watched this video yesterday and noted the anti BEV bias and constant comparison to a 'his' M3…

Also, when will reviewers get the official range right. Euro official range of his tested configuration is not 360 or 315 miles. It's more like ~260 with all those options! So, his estimate of ~250 miles range is excellent news! I was hoping for a real life 250 from an M50 on 19" wheels.

But, his back seat review was the most informative yet.

Don’t forget his height is 195cm.

[Rich9600]

Originally Posted by electric2021

Don’t forget his height is 195cm.

I was more looking at the door opening. My 5 year old will have plenty of head room… Even in his child seat. But, we still need to reach over him to fasten his seat belt.

[Tim Callahan]

I don’t mind about the backseat at all, it is totally irrelevant in our buying criteria. Most of the time the car will have 1-2 persons and very rarely we need backseat.

i4 is not meant to be a people hauler, anyone looking for a car that seats comfortably 4-5 195cm tall passengers (like the tester) will be looking for big SUVs or sedans.

[finn123]

Originally Posted by Tim Callahan

….comfortably 4-5 195cm tall passengers (like the tester) will be looking for big SUVs or sedans.

Or a VW transporter

[bavarianride]

Wow Joe's comment of the M50 "jiggles its weight down the road" esp. at corners shows that 4840lb still matters.

That echoed my test drive experience with 330i vs. 330e, the extra 400lb of 330e over 330i was felt in every curve/cloverleaf/connector.

I will have to keep waiting for a 3500lb 50/50 RWD BEV(preferably the size of G20) that can go 500+ miles and 0-60 in 5-ish seconds and 15 yrs/150k miles battery warranty.

[techwhiz1]

Originally Posted by bavarianride

Wow Joe's comment of the M50 "jiggles its weight down the road" esp. at corners shows that 4840lb still matters.

That echoed my test drive experience with 330i vs. 330e, the extra 400lb of 330e over 330i was felt in every curve/cloverleaf/connector.

I will have to keep waiting for a 3500lb 50/50 RWD BEV(preferably the size of G20) that can go 500+ miles and 0-60 in 5-ish seconds and 15 yrs/150k miles battery warranty.

That weight requirement along with your other requirements means you are going to be waiting a long time.

My E90 335i weighed about that.

[bavarianride]

Originally Posted by techwhiz1

That weight requirement along with your other requirements means you are going to be waiting a long time.

My E90 335i weighed about that.

Yeah that is correct, hopefully in the meantime my B46 engine can last that long.

I would say a 5x improvement in energy density, and safe battery chemistry(such that battery protection cage can be eliminated), plus dedicated platform, can reduce 1000-1200lb for the same range + capacity.

[Ken7]

Originally Posted by bavarianride

Wow Joe's comment of the M50 "jiggles its weight down the road" esp. at corners shows that 4840lb still matters.

That echoed my test drive experience with 330i vs. 330e, the extra 400lb of 330e over 330i was felt in every curve/cloverleaf/connector.

I will have to keep waiting for a 3500lb 50/50 RWD BEV(preferably the size of G20) that can go 500+ miles and 0-60 in 5-ish seconds and 15 yrs/150k miles battery warranty.

See ya in about 5 years or more.

[madpistol]

Manufacturers have gotten so good at hiding the weight of modern ICE cars that electric cars just can't compete... at the moment. They're quick, sure, but everything this side of a Taycan can't handle.

[bavarianride]

Originally Posted by Ken7

See ya in about 5 years or more.

5 years would be good case scenario.

[techwhiz1]

Originally Posted by bavarianride

5 years would be good case scenario.

Yes, five would be remarkable.
We are not doubling battery capacity every two years or even five years.

We are chasing the holy grail of sold state battery tech and that isn't 5x the density of current batteries

We are talking 80kwh in a 200lb package. There is currently no path to get there from here. Not even in the next decade.

[FBF01]

Originally Posted by spool twice

He's definitely a true petrol head so the review isn't surprising. I think overall he liked it for what it was, but like other BEVs, it wasn't for him

Really? I took from it that other than the performance and interior tech he didn't like it....

[Nahlem]

EV's will have this issue with weight until we get new affordable light weight tech on mass scale. And that's unfortunate because when it comes to weight you start getting issues with the heavier the car the lesser range it has, also the heavier the car the more you have to add to the brakes and so forth so it becomes this bad circle with all this diminishing returns on the car.

So imagine the i4 m50 with solid state tech it would be a completely different story but it is what it is for now and hopefully the coming next 10 years we will see some great advancement in tech to reduce weight but to keep increasing range on same amount of kw battery. What i would wish for is to start seeing at least in the next 5 years cars that hits the mark around 1700-1800 kg still heavy but for range sake and car feel it will be better. I think getting under 1500 kg with all the safety features and how the cars are built it will be hard to reach.

For example my i3s weights with me onboard around 1400 kg that's around 0.0935 PTWR

On the i4 m50 with me onboard that will be close to 2275 kg and that hits the mark around 0.1807 PTWR

There is some difference of course but i think the biggest and most worrying part will be when braking you will be feeling the weight of the car a lot. And that means you will need to plan your driving especially during winter time sens AWD doesn't help with braking just the grip on acceleration.

So the weight has me a bit worried but the other factors not to much.

I think if we hit around 1600-1700 kg with EVs it will feel quite alright.

[finn123]

Originally Posted by Nahlem

EV's will have this issue with weight until we get new affordable light weight tech on mass scale. And that's unfortunate because when it comes to weight you start getting issues with the heavier the car the lesser range it has, also the heavier the car the more you have to add to the brakes and so forth so it becomes this bad circle with all this diminishing returns on the car.

So imagine the i4 m50 with solid state tech it would be a completely different story but it is what it is for now and hopefully the coming next 10 years we will see some great advancement in tech to reduce weight but to keep increasing range on same amount of kw battery. What i would wish for is to start seeing at least in the next 5 years cars that hits the mark around 1700-1800 kg still heavy but for range sake and car feel it will be better. I think getting under 1500 kg with all the safety features and how the cars are built it will be hard to reach.

For example my i3s weights with me onboard around 1400 kg that's around 0.0935 PTWR

On the i4 m50 with me onboard that will be close to 2275 kg and that hits the mark around 0.1807 PTWR

There is some difference of course but i think the biggest and most worrying part will be when braking you will be feeling the weight of the car a lot. And that means you will need to plan your driving especially during winter time sens AWD doesn't help with braking just the grip on acceleration.

So the weight has me a bit worried but the other factors not to much.

I think if we hit around 1600-1700 kg with EVs it will feel quite alright.

Nah. This (brakes) is not a problem for daily driving. Believe me - I’m the PHEV owner (X5 G05 45e) that weights about 2400 kilos

And it’s not a problem for taycan either that also weights a lot (I drove taycan 4s and I loved everything except his price )

[SteveinArizona]

Good points in this post. Aside from the weight, the new Lucid Air meets most of the listed requirements.

[spool twice]

Definitely, his points are valid, it's not an M-car with g8x-based suspension tuning and components. It's an M-performance car so it should be softer for better daily comfort.

[ASAP]

I cannot figure out the marketing here... this has nothing to do w an m car or m performance car and should not be marketed as such... the i brand is a good standalone on its own but this is becoming laughable.

[ZCD1]

His comments regarding the rear seat space and rear door opening aren't surprising.

I get that he's tall, but the interior space and door opening size are a direct result of the i4's ICE-car platform (and styling choices) being adapted to EV use.