@@androiduberalles Yeah, somewhere up until 2020. Shanghai cars are downright perfect, Berlin and Texas should be too. It's just that ancient Fremont factory messing up Tesla's reputation...
This isn't the channel for it. He'd need the car longer than he currently has them for this type of info. Doug's channel is more about giving you a quick overview about a car.
Carwow does some really great electric car range tests. They’ll test a ton of cars all in the same price range/body style and drive them till the batteries die. The only downside (for US viewers) is that their based in the UK, so some models aren’t available there. Still fantastic info though.
Doug just does overviews. Out of Spec does really good range and charging test and they are very methodical in their testing. I know they've previewed this and the iX, but I don't know if they have done range and charge testing yet.
@@flappymcflapflap bro your comment is less funny then your dads jokes. Is Amy Schumer your favorite comedian? Because she’s just as boring and unfunny as you
The system works like a charm, you rarely need to open the climate screen. Its really not big of an issue as it seems. After two weeks of driving you are completely used to it.
I have to say these comments are confusing to me. I might turn off my AC if I open my windows, otherwise it's always on auto, I don't touch it 99/100 times I drive, so for me it really isn't an issue whatsoever. Different climates perhaps?
@@ld921d7 its just the fact that its a bit more practical and its nice to have quick reach buttons maybe if you wanna change the fan speed or smtn on the run Cramming everything into a single screen is just way too distracting and like a few step more of a process to do stuff.. and also for some ppl its overwhelming
@@EvoroPictures I️ don’t understand how people think a new car could be unreliable…. even if it was the damn thing is warrantied for 6 years so it doesn’t matter either way
@@wr8thbeatz322 yea it also grew on me lol. I saw the new M3 Competition up close yesterday and imo it actually looks really aggressive and fitting for the car
The long hood, short wheelbase, tiny backseats and floor hump are all because this isn't a true bespoke EV. Seems like they just reused an ICE platform to make this.
@@Oemg35 he did, but then seemed surprised by the all of the above. It shouldn't be a surprise that packaging suffers greatly because of this strategy.
@@FlamencoOz Not the only one anymore. Plenty of other examples out there, including BMW itself with their now 10 year old i3! But apparently now they do it the quick and dirty way. It makes no sense.
@@FlamencoOz "Jaguar are the only ones that built their electric car (i-pace) from the ground up." What are you talking about? Following cars by the traditional manufactures are all electric from the Ground up without (and maybe there are more that I don't remember at the moment): - Mercedes EQS - Mercedes EQE - BMW i3 - BMW iX - Audi e-tron GT - Audi Q4 e-tron - Porsche Taycan - Hyundai Ioniq 5 - Kia GT6 - Ford Mustang Mach-E - Volkswagen Id3 - Volkswagen Id4 - Skoda Enyaq - Cupra Born - Jaguar i-Pace
I would've mentioned the laser headlights. They can turn on / off the high beams fully, or partially. You can have the brights on on one side of the car and off on the other, so as to not dazzle other drivers. Or the brights can be on on both sides of the car but off in the middle, so your high beams illuminate the road on either side of the car in front of you in your lane, while not dazzling that cars driver. It's a huge thing, especially for who drives really early in the morning, late in the evening or at night.
Fun fact about the matrix/adaptive headlights is that the US is late to approve them so now USDM cars are getting them. Toyota was the one that petitioned the NHTSA back in 2013 to allow them and it was finally approved earlier this year.
Doesnt the adaptive light thing exist for ages already? My driving school 330d in 2012 hat these. Sure it wasnt laser light but it was already fully automatic.
Taking the Model 3 Performance on the same "7" comfort level as the BMW i4 M50 is totally idiotic! Just a classic Doug DeMuro bullshit opinion. The Tesla is much noisier inside, it's much less interior refined and much more annoying at this point than the BMW i4, which has a total premium built interior. Therefore giving both cars the same "7" for comfort is completely wrong. Every BMW interior is way more refined than all these boring and "puristic" Tesla interiors. The sound design inside the i4, which was made from Hans Zimmer and his team, is also a good point, which is much more attractive for a way more emotional, interesting and satisfying daily driving experience, than the cold and reverberant atmoshpere in a Tesla Model 3. Tesla wannabe "build quality" is still CRAP, whereas BMW produces, just like Porsche, German build quality of the highest level! The Tesla Model 3 isn't by far on the same level of a BMW i4, period!
Is there anyone else out there who would like to see a new EV with physical climate control switches dials and buttons, all analog gauges, etc? I want to be able to operate everything without looking, and you cannot beat the 3D contrast of analog gauges
I actually thought this car would have more physical controls so a bit of a disappointment there. Fortunately it has some and you can control the screen without touching which probably helps a bit. Anyway, I guess it has to be like this nowadays...
Well, there is the iDrive controller dial on the center console. It operates the screen, so imagine an app where it becomes a secondary steering wheel...
4:44 I honestly was always a little surprised that those 90s/2000s style door handles didn't make a return sooner since it's pretty easy to make it looks flush witb the rest of the car
Although not flush, I like the old school retro look of most modern door handles. The hoop style grab handles seem to harken back to the golden days of prewar motoring and gives a sense of occasion to door opening, I feel
Yeah these look really clean when not in use and very slender when pulled--especially in comparison to, say, i3 handles, which look clunky and feel super cheap and plasticky.
@@androiduberalles Perfect! If it's cold enough for the doors to freeze shut, it'll be so cold that the battery only has 30 miles max range anyway! They're making sure you don't get stranded on the road.
Thanks for the video. In regards to the “driveshaft tunnel”, the i4m50 chassis is shared with the ICE gasoline version M4, which has a transmission and drive shaft running through the tunnel. BMW choose to use the same chassis design instead of developing a new dedicated EV chassis so it has the tunnel. However they did utilize what would have been wasted space by making the floor mounted battery pack utilize the space in the tunnel. It budges up in the center tunnel and also raises up where the back seat is to take advantage of more space.
@@_PGleo86 Hopefully he comes around. That car doesn't get enough love. I own a Legacy GT and these cars have gone under the radar for years but good for us that own them as it's basically a WRX for 50% less with a nicer interior on the used market.
Great review Doug. I've had one for 4 months and love it. Traded a Tesla because while I agree they are technically better, the BMW feels so much more substantial. Overall never had a car I have enjoyed more.
BMW should have designed it from the ground up, then it wouldn't have the middle hump, better back seat space and would have space for a frunk. Converting ICE cars into EVs always give worse results.
You spend a lot of time on the user interface and the technology of the screens and infotainment systems but don’t rank them at all. It would be interesting to see a video comparing and ranking the infotainment systems of different cars and which one you think is the best
@@forzanerazzurri2339 when powertrains are all so similar and good, the real review comes down to the things that the driver really interacts day to day. Doug is also not a trained driver so super nitty gritty details that you get from a “normal” car reviewer aren’t his thing. he likes quirks and features, which are largely confined to infotainments and other driver controls.
Simply put, it wouldn't have been used as one of the cars in the 2015 scenes in _Back to the Future II_ because it's not trying hard enough to look like a wacky vehicle of the future.
@@Daniel-dj7fh The main reason why is because a pure blooded M3 is not (as) comfortable on the road. an M40 has some love from the M division, but has the same BMW luxury feel.
There isn't a whole hell of a lot they can do to make it more of a M car other than just increasing power. But then you'll need more battery and that will increase weight even more. This is basically an electric M3. Everyone has said it. It's issue is the weight which effects cornering/etc, which is just an issue by default of all electric vehicles. Other than that it keeps up with or beats the M3 in nearly every test.
@@Daniel-dj7fh It's both, BMW hasn't been on the lightweight train for a long time. Which is my point. With current tech, this is a M3/4 EV. There's not much they could do right now other than increasing power and if they do that without increasing the battery, it's going to kill range. Adding more battery is going to add weight. If they legit make a completely brand new ground up M EV then they might be able to shed a little weight, but they aren't going to drastically get it down too far. If they cut amenities and go carbon fiber everywhere they might be able to get to around 4000lbs but it'll be tough. And if they do that the starting MSRP is going to be well over 100k. Which has never worked for BMW.
Few things i like about bmw, is they keep their interiors kinda plane jane. Modern, nice, but open and kinda plain but it usually works well. The shifter knob is always very luxurious looking and feeling. Just an all around great vehicle. For the northeast they do an excellent job with rust prevention and thats something thats always worth noting imo.
I used to own a BMW 3-series and I own a Tesla now. I miss the luxury feel of my BMW, especially compared to the Tesla, which I love but let's be honest... Luxury isn't why you buy a Tesla. A nice BMW electric like this is very appealing to me to replace my aging 2nd car (still ICE). My biggest issue with non -Tesla electrics though is still charging network. Tesla is just so far ahead of the game there. It'll be a few more years I think until it's really worth considering a non-Tesla for a 2nd car IMHO.
Dunno where you live but in western Europe it's very easy without Tesla network. Lots of alternatives, no problem whatsoever. I4 is an insanely good car, I'd advise you to consider it. Much higher quality than the model 3
Does/will Tesla license its charging network and interface in any way? Seems like a great way for Elon to make even more mailbox money forever and it would be a big benefit to EV drivers and other manufacturers.
@@johnpeace6968 My understanding is that they made the offer and nobody took them up on it. It would be nice if we could all get along on one standard but for now that's not a thing and Tesla has the superior network (in the US).
@@a-don13 That you can drive all over Europe with non tesla cars with no problems. There are more 3rd party hyper chargers through out Europe than tesla super chargers. Tesla is very quickly fallen behind in technology and charging network
Build quality in the Tesla is several notches below the BMW i4 and even the Kia/Hyundai/Genesis products. That’s important since you are exposed to that in daily driving. BMW looks like a traditional car inside and not the lack of tactile features of the Tesla which relies ALL on the center screen.
I must say, mad respect to the BMW people for really understanding what their customers are looking for. Case in point, presented @ ~12:24: Just look at the timeline between turn signal activation and the moment of first physical advancement to apply it. Quintessentially BMW, if it weren't for their bindings to legalities we all know where that stalk would be. 😂
Right.... Ppl love that grill and ppl are really in love with BMW new models... Not to mention the fact that the M cars now have the same engine as the 335i from 2002! Fantastic... Really doing what ppl want, I see. LOOOOOOOOOOOOOL
@@BudaFZ See you really get it! Not to mention what must be the the most populous action tooken out by the Bavarian front; more power, less sports to their luxury, and more weight! Especially whe. Regarding the BMW-M brand, a bit tragic letter use, but apparently the 'M' letter holds fondness it's their stakeholders (oops, I mean customers!). You know they've got to beat out them dastardly Daimler-Blokez (Mercedes-Benz in American). Why have a do-it-aller when you can have another fat lazyboy on wheels like your competitors, and one dya perhaps your lounge-chair will have the most hp/torque to never properly reach the ground. Shots fired to the huxler behind all this..... 'AllAmerican-Germany', I'm pointin at you
This platform was already designed with EV version in mind. The problem is that an electric drivers car makes no sense. Theres no reason to do other thing than commuting in this car
While I agree with you, after seeing the ummm rather interesting designs coming out of BMW recently. I'm glad they kept it "normal car" looking and would be worried a clean sheet would give their design team too much space to ruin it...
@@comeberza Have you driven one? It makes perfect sense, and it's going to make BMW a lot of money. I'm shedding my 2019 Golf R as soon as the i4 eDrive40 I ordered two days ago arrives... probably the end of this year. I've been considering electric for several years, but need a vehicle with range in the neighborhood of 300 miles on a charge. For many reasons, I did not want a Tesla. I won't inventory those reasons here. Along comes BMW with an incredibly sexy, but also familiar Gran Coupe design, fully electrified, looks like a car instead of a spaceship, and drives like a BMW. The range and public CCS charge times are such that my i4 will have no reason for being merely a "commuter" car.
@@migbham1 I was specially talking about the M50 version. If you find my other comment in this video, I said that the i4 40 is the car to get because you will get most of bmw chassis control, longer range with decent acceleration and lower price. It's the 50 version that I dont understand because with the bigger wheels you just cant use it for other thing that accelerating because you simply cant go to a backroad, drive it fast and come back. Harry's Garage video proved that the range is at MOST 200 miles being very delicate and that is what I mean when I said you could either only commute or not come back from driving it fast.
Great review and looks like a great offering from BMW. Regarding styling, its so subjective, I guess I'm in the camp of not being such a fan of the boxy shape (same thought on the Mach E) and actually prefer Tesla Model 3 style (but like the Model Y style a little less for some reason). Love the BMW heads up display - wish the Model 3 had that!
Q: If the grilles are now decorative, do they have to keep getting bigger year after year? A: yes, it's written in the "by-laws", page 36 iirc. okay next question.
They also cheaped out by literally making a software version of everything. That alone would be annoying. I gotta go into the screen to turn on the interior lights? Are you kidding me?
I'll give BMW this: as much as I HATE the grill they got going on, this looks far better than the i3. Credit where credit is due. Glad we're mostly moving on from the atrocious EV looks and at least keeping "traditional" body shapes
If you don’t look the ice appeal of the BMW go get yourself an egg shaped car by that popular EV maker. Personally I like that it looks like a ‘car’ with proper wheels and not plastic hub caps.
Exactly, if I’m spending 60k on a car I don’t want “minimalism.” I want luxury and character. I’ve sat in penalty boxes that were nicer than the Tesla interior.
But the only reason it looks like an old car is that BMW was late to the party, they thought the EV revolution would take longer so they didn't develop a dedicated EV platform in time (they were early with the first i3 and then dropped the ball because they hired an EV-hating CEO, since fired). So now they have to shove electric drivetrains into ICE cars (trying to keep up with Mercedes, VW etc) and pretend they're the real thing. They'll catch up eventually, I'm sure.
All that extra battery weight that ironically takes more energy to motivate. Go green and use more energy while over 60% of electric generation is gas and oil, great thinking
I actually think this is a really nice, competitive electric vehicle, especially when compared to a Tesla. While Tesla does still have pros over this (the frunk, more established charging network, range), I really like the sportiness and more premium look of the i4. I also like that BMW decided to give their all electric vehicle the same design language that their ICE vehicles have, while still changing small things here and there to match its electric powertrain. I wouldn't go out of my way to say it's an AMAZING vehicle, but I think it's definitely worth a thought and mention in the world of electric vehicles.
It has the same design language becuase they didn’t change anything. They took their gas car and made it electric. It’s the cheap thing to do but it doesn’t really make for an amazing electric car.
The problem with Tesla is that their designs are ugly (look like $30k Kias on the outside) and the interiors look cheap compared to other cars in their price range. Lots of people want a viable alternative.
Great to see your review of the i4 M50 Doug. I have one on the way this summer (metallic portimao blue with cognac interior with carbon fiber trim) So excited!! Been enjoyimg many US reviews that have been coming over the last month or so.
Doug’s soooo excited to point out TWICE in one month… a Hatch has the Glowing Trunk Release Lever 🤣 LoL Just wish he’d stop missing so many “quirks & features”, since it’s a big thing for him. Cause it’s HUGE for me… I am obsessed with small features and unique quirks, ever since my first A6. So to be such a fan(of quirks, not Doug) , and watch Doug passover things all the time is frustrating.
I think BMW could've made the kidney grillles less aggressive on these electric vehicles and possibly motivated bmw buyers to buy electric since they allegedly don't much care for the new giant grilles.
If you grew up in the 90’s you know the trunk is made for subs not storage space 😏. Every kid and their grandma had two JL audio 12”s and a box. No trunk.
I really respect the fact that BMW appeared to copy-paste another car, tweaked it a bit so that it would work as an electric car and said “Ja! Das Gut!” They didn’t make it look like an egg or some crazy abomination. They even kept the “engine cover” which is hilarious 🤣🤣🤣
So the "subscription heated seats" is a bit of a false headline thing. To save time in the factory, BMW wanted every model to come fully loaded and essentially allow clients to activate features they couldn't afford at the time later. Either a one time purchase or a subscription. I think the idea was trying to justify having every car be built fully loaded. (plus Tesla is doing this with a lot of their features yet no on complains)
I saw one on a dealership test drive merging onto the turnpike & really couldn't believe my eyes because how unnatural it look when it accelerated, i finally caught up to it & saw a giant "i4" decal on the side & no longer was mad about cars going electric
One question. You always review cars during daytime for obvious reasons. But, I'd love to see how these camera systems (rear camera, all around 3D camera etc) work during the night. Do they have a night vision and if yes, which cars do they come with the most effective and high resolution night vision? Thanks :)
Don't know about the 360 camera mode, but the front and back cameras would at least have the benefit of lamp illumination (headlights ahead, and the reversing lights behind).
I probably came off too harsh there, sorry. :) It would be cool but I think the real reason he doesn’t do that is because it would just be largely filler and since he’s already doing a road test, it kinda would just be more work for him to do and Doug, as far as I can see, is all about simplicity.
Cramped back seats, transmission tunnel hump, fake noises, no frunk, small trunk, kind of slow, expensive, heavy, low-efficiency, ugly grill, and what kind of units is "kWh/h" ?!? Just use kW, stupid! Bet they are also stupid enough to also use mi/kWh instead of Wh/mi.
Sensor panel. A lot of tech is crammed into that panel and its a lot easier to make them grill colored then developing paint that allows Lidar to pass through.
I love watching your videos. I’ve seen almost all of them, and you’ve sparked the interest in cars that I now have. I’ve never had a want to learn about cars like I do until I watched your videos. Truly an amazing RU-vidr. You’re awesome. Keep doing what you so
fun fact, almost every car with an overhead camera system that displays the car has an option to configure the color of the vehicle. In my Tacoma, I had to enter the service menu where I could then change the color to match mine.
Also BMW, you told us that those huge ugly a** kidney grills was because you needed air intake to cool everything down. This is an electric car. Why do you still have the huge ugly a** kidney grills?
@@micolucci1965 True... the kidney grille is bad. It's still bearable for the eyes in the M cars for the overall body style. The iX just looks plain ugly. There literally nothing as absurd looking like this LOL.
Actually when I saw the first pictures I thought the ix would be the worst looking care on the planet, even coming close to the (in)famous Multipla. But for some reason having seen videos about it I actually start to like it lol
I think these door handles look a lot more sleek than the 90s ones and also the common hoop type. Plus, 4 less actuators to break, since it’s a BMW 🤷♂️
@@Zadias personally I feel like this type hides it better. Every used car I’ve purchased has had tons of scratches inside the pull-style handles, and it’s facing out, so it’s pretty obvious.
Previous gen 4series grancoupe (F36) looks better to me...love the shoulder lines of Previous gen..the BIG TEETH is only acceptable on the new M3 Only in my opinion..
@@vindevhunta4905 I've seen an m440i drive around and honestly, as long as the grille is black and not so penetrant it's alright. That being said, I really hate the yellow color the m3 and m4 are being promoted with
The i4 is just a few styling and interior tweaks away from being great! Surely they could do 2 different bumpers, one for the garish and another more restrained version in keeping with the rest of the styling. Also how is that giant screen just randomly sitting on the dash "luxury", it's as if they gave up trying to integrate it.
My whole thing with the i4M50 is that for 67k your barely as fast as a STOCK m3, (again they would need to have the manual to be slower, an auto is 3.1sec 0-60 compared to the 3.7 for the i4). The m3 starts at 71k, so for around 4k extra you can step into a brand m3 and your car will pull past 100 as quickly as it will get to it. Not so in an ev, which usually runs of steam after getting up to any type of serious pace. It will also corner better. Far better.
Integration into the dash would’ve been interesting with that size but tbh it makes it feel more modern. Spaceship vibes which new EV buyers would at least somewhat want
@@JaeBTundra1The X40 has come out in the latter half of 2023. It has comparable power to the E40, but is AWD. However, it has all the weight of the M50 but only some 390 hp. That extra 300 pounds of weight doesn't seem a fair trade for only 60 hp more than the RWD E40 version.
Tesla is doomed, if they dont improove costumer support and build quality. second gen of theese cars will have better range and even more power. There will be no more reason to buy tesla
Ugh, a DECORATIVE BEAVER TEETH decorative grill?! Like they don’t even need it and they put it on the front?! Man, it’s like I’m in the BMW family and we’ve got a bunch of douchbag younger brothers. Can we get them some auto body therapy for them please? And our father designer as well?
The difference between this ev and the full fledged m3 (or any ICE sportscar for that matter) is that it can be made to be much, much faster. 540hp is a joke to any recent m3 with fuel and software tune. They’re making 500 stock on pump gas, and weigh almost 1200lbs less than this i4.
Actually the main thing which makes an m- car an m-car is that they actually have performance, and are not just quick. You are not doing more than 2 rounds on any track with an m440i or i4.
@@Daniel-dj7fh Well said, an m3/m4 needs to be able to take a corner properly as well as put down the speed. But it will also pull past 100mph as quickly as it will arrive at it, and thats not the case for this i4, which claims it is an "M". Unfortunately, bmw can only mitigate the weight of this car so much before it shows in any type of performance driving, which is something doug touched on in the video. That coupled with battery limitations pretty much keeps something like this from ever being competitive on track, which is where any true "M" Model belongs imo.
