[admannj]

I have been a long time 5 series owner now on my 4th 5 series -- a 2021 540i xDrive. My lease is up in 2 months and I am considering moving to an i4.

For those who currently have an i4, are you happy? Are you satisfied? Does the car feel like a BMW?

For those with a family, does the size of the i4 work for a family a 4? Is seating space in front and back good enough? Is trunk space decent?

For those with the leather seats, how does the Vernasca leather look and feel? All of my 5 series have had smooth Nappa leather and I worry about "downgrading" to Vernasca.

I appreciate any and all feedback. I always find this forum to provide real world information compared to the various online reviews.

Thank you.

[unfoundnemo]

It really depends on what options you had in your 5 series... If it stayed pretty base, I would say yes, you'd be fine. Even if you loaded it up with absoutely everything in your previous gen 5, you wouldn't be making a ton of comprises on the interior, and the additional benefits with iDrive 8, more vast amounts of trim, etc. balance out so it might just be a matter of taste at that point (sportiness vs luxury). It certainly feels like a BMW in and out, overall it should feel like a good step up in many aspects.

Most notable might be the leather as you expect. I have sensatec in mind and it's pretty comparable to vernasca if that tells you anything. I have had vernasca and dakota in a couple of my previous cars and it's not as soft/supple/smooth is the nappa or merino leathers. If that really bothers you, there are some individual merino options with the i4 you could opt for that would better compare to the nappa you're used to. Othwerise, I think it's just fine, there might be a few pieces of leather missing here and there even if you opt for full leather with merino, but as long as you're not coming from a 7 or 8 series, you probably wouldn't notice them (I do, but it's an understanding I have as I rather the smaller car for the most part).

If you had multi-contour seats, make sure you could get comfortable in the 3/4 series seat. I'm fine in mine, but I had an F15 X5 without after a F16 X6 with them and took a bath on the car financially because I didn't like the lack of adjustability in the seat and needed to get out of it pretty quickly. This is something that is certainly dependent on the driver, though.

Whether the interior space is okay for a family of 4 depends old the kids are. My 11 year-old is just fine... my 15 and 16 year olds... not so much. We don't use the car with more than 3 of our 5 in any configuration (we didn't plan to, though, we had an 8 coupe before this).

Trunk space is great. I could fit my golf clubs just fine, hatch is always a blessing, and the seats go down easy to get another set of clubs , pass through for skis, etc.. I have taken multiple weekend drips with 3+dog+luggage, or 3+ski gear+luggage with no space concerns.

[unfoundnemo]

I would add that you might want to wait a couple weeks for the i5/ next gen 5 series to be out. You don't want to regret what "could have been". Comparing a new gen 4 vs a prev gen 5 isn't exactly a fair fight.

[note46]

I had a F10 535i and the rear seating area is much (much) smaller in the i4 than the 535i.

Your G30 is even bigger than the F10 so I would expect the i4 to feel even smaller.


Trunk space is okay well hatch space is okay but I don't think you can put 4 large luggage in the hatch. But that's the same with the F10 I had. 3 is doable depending on the size of the luggage.

The best part of the i4 (more so with the xDrive) is that it's just like any BMW on the street. It accelerates well and corners fine (unless you're really pushing it but that's a different story).

I don't have leather in mine but I've had Napa in other cars and vernascas is a down grade but that's to be expected IMO.

With your lease being up in 2 months I hope you already have one on order since it'll take about 3months before it arrives if you order one. So far, I have not seen any on dealer lots in my area (CA).

For my i4 (eDrive40), the only thing I would change is to add DAPP. I also wish the car had about 35-40 more hp but with the xDrive40 that shouldn't be an issue.

[note46]

Originally Posted by unfoundnemo

I would add that you might want to wait a couple weeks for the i5/ next gen 5 series to be out. You don't want to regret what "could have been". Comparing a new gen 4 vs a prev gen 5 isn't exactly a fair fight.

If he wants the equivalent xDrive40 version, it would be a much longer wait. March 2024 is SOP for the i5 xDrive40.

[Technic]

Originally Posted by admannj

I have been a long time 5 series owner now on my 4th 5 series -- a 2021 540i xDrive. My lease is up in 2 months and I am considering moving to an i4.

For those who currently have an i4, are you happy? Are you satisfied? Does the car feel like a BMW?

For those with a family, does the size of the i4 work for a family a 4? Is seating space in front and back good enough? Is trunk space decent?

For those with the leather seats, how does the Vernasca leather look and feel? All of my 5 series have had smooth Nappa leather and I worry about "downgrading" to Vernasca.

I appreciate any and all feedback. I always find this forum to provide real world information compared to the various online reviews.

Thank you.

No, no, and no.

The i5 is what you really are looking for.

[drexplode]

for a family of 4, you want probably want a X5 xdrive50e or I5 as previously suggested. I dont think the back seat passengers will be too comfortable.

[BTDOC23]

Will the xdrive40 have more hp then the regular?

I test drove the e40 and did want a bit more power!

[unfoundnemo]

Originally Posted by note46

If he wants the equivalent xDrive40 version, it would be a much longer wait. March 2024 is SOP for the i5 xDrive40.

True, but you could at least see the car in person to get a better idea of what it should be in comparison to see if it's worth waiting.

[note46]

Originally Posted by daddyrockstar23

Will the xdrive40 have more hp then the regular?

I test drove the e40 and did want a bit more power!

xdrive40 has 396hp vs edrive40 335hp.

[drexplode]

Originally Posted by note46

xdrive40 has 396hp vs edrive40 335hp.

Torque is much higher as well.

I believe the xdrive40 engages the FWD axle only when traction is required. Is that correct? Meanwhile the m50 is all the time?

[smithf80]

I would look at the i5 as the most natural replacement to your 5 series.

[note46]

Originally Posted by drexplode

Torque is much higher as well.

I believe the xdrive40 engages the FWD axle only when traction is required. Is that correct? Meanwhile the m50 is all the time?

I figured that was a given and no idea. I'm pretty sure m50 will work as a RWD only if the traction and acceleration demand isn't there, ie, cruising on the freeway.

[admannj]

I really appreciate all of the input.

I will keep you posted on what I choose to do.

Thank you very much.

[MadAboutCars]

I went from an RS6 to the BMW i4 M50.

1/ I'm very pleased with the car
2/ I like the size of the car and the power it has
3/ I love the tech the car has
4/ I like that it's a lift back
5/ The trunk is a good size
6/ It is tight in the back for adults
7/ A big person would find it tight in the front
8/ The seats are quite narrow, however they fit me perfectly
9/ With my lead foot, range is not brilliant

Overall, I don't miss the RS6...