2025 BMW i4 review: All seams well
By stitching electric efficiency with classic driving pleasure, the i4 remains perfectly tailored to EV newcomers
IF YOU’RE buy-curious about electric vehicles (EVs) but wary of diving into unfamiliar waters prowled by Chinese brands, the newly updated BMW i4 is just the thing to ease your transition.
This freshened-up version of BMW’s first pure electric four-door car (or five if you count the fastback tailgate) feels more like a spin-off from the combustion world, instead of the gadgets-on-wheels that the EV startups peddle. If you already drive a BMW, the i4 will fit like an old glove.
Most of the mid-life changes are bolt-on items – new lamps, new bumpers, that sort of thing – which is the most straightforward way to alter a car’s looks. Still, you can tell the i4 is new if you know what you’re looking for.
For a start, BMW reinterpreted its trademark “angel eye” headlights with fang-shaped elements, while giving the rear snazzy new lamp clusters with the tantalising name “laser lights”. Sadly, they aren’t the fun kind of lasers that we’ve all wished for, the kind that could reduce a tailgating idiot to ashes, but they do look fabulous.
There’s a new grille design, and interestingly it does without the “i” emblem that adorned the previous i4, which is a sign that BMW considers its EVs so mainstream now that it doesn’t feel the need to mark them out as special.
Inside, there’s fresh software (BMW OS9) running the touchscreen, and it’s noticeably snappier than in cheaper models such as the iX1 or iX2, presumably because someone decided to spring for a better computer chip for the i4.
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A new steering wheel is present too, and praise be, it’s actually round instead of weirdly hexagonal, like in some modern BMWs. The seating position is properly low-slung, which is one reason the i4 remains my favourite electric BMW – it still feels like a car with sporty intentions from behind the wheel.
But the main reason to love the i4 is that it’s an absolute joy to drive.
This eDrive35 version packs 286 horsepower and 400 Newton-metres of torque, roughly what you’d expect from a particularly well-tuned 2.0-litre turbo engine. The stopwatch says it hits 100 km/h in six seconds flat, but the instant punch from the electric motor makes it feel notably quicker.
With M Sport suspension now standard, it doesn’t serve up a magic carpet ride, but the handling more than makes up for it. Having no motor up front means less mass to push around in corners, which helps the i4 pivot with delightful sharpness.
You’ll want to hit the open road in the i4, so it’s worth noting that the 67.1 kWh battery delivers a claimed 483 km of range. In the reality of day-to-day motoring, most drivers here will probably need to charge weekly, which takes seven hours with 11 kW AC charging. Find a 180 kW DC charger and you’ll go from 10 to 80 per cent in 32 minutes.
It’s not all roses with the eDrive35, though. The lack of a head-up display is a thorny oversight in something this quiet and fast (not just because it imperils your licence, but by dint of the fact that much cheaper cars now come with this feature).
And without a 360-degree camera system you’ll have to be extra careful when parking, because there are pretty new alloy wheels at risk.
It’s a head-scratcher, too, that while the i4’s map system can tell you where to find a charger, it can’t tell you if it’s currently occupied, the way an electric Mini can.
Meanwhile, the dashboard suffers from BMW’s puzzling obsession with tiny, ineffectual and fiddly air-con vents (though if you think these are bad, wait till you see those in the 5 Series, 7 Series and X5).
Updates like these make you question where the facelift actually improved the i4. Some changes are purely cosmetic, others (such as those air-con vents) are arguably worse, and they really should have included the head-up display and parking cameras, even if it meant doing without laser lights.
Yet, it’s what was left unchanged about the i4 that makes it my favourite electric BMW. It’s handsome, engaging to drive, and most importantly, it shows that going electric doesn’t mean abandoning everything you love about traditional German performance cars.
Proponents of the new breed of EV from the likes of Tesla and the Chinese players will question whether the i4 is a compelling electric car, but it’s clear that it is still a very fine BMW.
BMW i4 eDrive35 M Sport Motor power/torque 286 hp / 400 Nm Battery type/net capacity Lithium-ion / 67.1 kWh Charging time 7.25 hours at 11 kW (AC), 31 minutes 10 to 80 per cent at 180 kW (DC) Range 483 km (claimed) 0-100 kmh 6.0 seconds Top speed 190 kmh (limited) Efficiency 19 kWh / 100 km Agent Eurokars Auto or Performance Motors Price S$347,888 with COE Available Now
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