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BMW i4 M50 review: The i of the storm

The BMW i4 M50 is lightning quick, but do sparks fly when you drive it?

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    • The BMW i4 M50 has two electric motors, one for each axle, housed within the sleek yet practical shape of the 4 Series Gran Coupe.
    • There’s no engine to rev up, so the instant you put your foot down is the instant the BMW i4 M50 unleashes great torrents of torque, gushing from its motors as if from a firehose.
    • It might not look particularly futuristic, but the BMW i4 M50 can be unlocked with a smartphone, boots up with a whirr, and can run the air-con remotely.
    • The BMW i4 M50 does have some vestigial features from the combustion era, such as a gear lever, even though it doesn’t have a gearbox.
    • There’s even a bit of electronic noise to accompany the BMW i4 M50's ballistic acceleration, rising in intensity as you gather speed.
    • The BMW i4 M50 has two electric motors, one for each axle, housed within the sleek yet practical shape of the 4 Series Gran Coupe. PHOTO: BIG FISH PUBLISHING
    • There’s no engine to rev up, so the instant you put your foot down is the instant the BMW i4 M50 unleashes great torrents of torque, gushing from its motors as if from a firehose. PHOTO: BIG FISH PUBLISHING
    • It might not look particularly futuristic, but the BMW i4 M50 can be unlocked with a smartphone, boots up with a whirr, and can run the air-con remotely. PHOTO: BIG FISH PUBLISHING
    • The BMW i4 M50 does have some vestigial features from the combustion era, such as a gear lever, even though it doesn’t have a gearbox. PHOTO: BIG FISH PUBLISHING
    • There’s even a bit of electronic noise to accompany the BMW i4 M50's ballistic acceleration, rising in intensity as you gather speed. PHOTO: BIG FISH PUBLISHING

    Leow Ju-Len

    Published Sat, Jul 16, 2022 · 05:50 AM

    ITS name might look like something floating in a bowl of alphabet soup, but the i4 M50 is a milestone car for BMW, seeing as it’s the first pure electric vehicle by M. Not the redoubtable boss of James Bond, that is, but the Munich-based carmaker’s high performance division.

    To be clear, the i4 M50 isn’t a full BMW M model, but a lower-tier “M Performance” machine – though you expect some fireworks nonetheless. To deliver them it has two electric motors, one for each axle, housed within the sleek yet practical shape of the 4 Series Gran Coupe.

    It might not look particularly futuristic, but in some ways the i4 M50 does make other cars seem like yesterday’s Tweets. You can unlock it with your smartphone, it boots up with a whirr, and if you had the good sense to tap the right button on the companion phone app, it can run the air-con remotely so you come back to frigid bliss.

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    Steering ColumnElectric vehiclesBMW

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