BMW i4 M50 - 1 month review

[TheDeuce]

Witchfinder said:

For those of you who are only missing the combustion engine sound on an electric car, Milltek make an active sound system. Most modern car exhaust notes are manufactured anyway, so this isn't really any different.

https://www.millteksport.com/active-sound-control-...

But there's no rise and fall of revs for each gear change, no gear change..

I think I'd rather not have sound, or have the spaceship noises that EV's all seem to make as standard.

[South tdf]

I had an M50 for the day a few months back and something I noticed was the urgency when it’s in Sports Boost, it felt like a normal car in a lower gear. Really hard to explain but not something I have ever noticed in other EV’s. Any owners noticed this?

[TheDeuce]

South tdf said:

I had an M50 for the day a few months back and something I noticed was the urgency when it’s in Sports Boost, it felt like a normal car in a lower gear. Really hard to explain but not something I have ever noticed in other EV’s. Any owners noticed this?

Like most cars, sport mode sharpens up the throttle response - if that's what you mean it's pretty typical.

In more powerful EV's you effectively get more torque too, as torque delivery is slowed in 'normal/comfort' modes to give a smother ride, save some battery and give the tyres a longer life. Traction control is effectively permanent in an EV but it also backs off quite a bit and will allow some wheel slip under hard acceleration.

What other EV's have you driven?

[TheDeuce]

Witchfinder said:

For those of you who are only missing the combustion engine sound on an electric car, Milltek make an active sound system. Most modern car exhaust notes are manufactured anyway, so this isn't really any different.

https://www.millteksport.com/active-sound-control-...

But there's no rise and fall of revs for each gear change, no gear change..

I think I'd rather not have sound, or have the spaceship noises that EV's all seem to make as standard.

[WestyCarl]

Some of you must really live in "interesting countryside area's" with deserted driving roads

I like an ICE car however 90% of my driving is on busy or boring roads so an EV is perfect for this and much better suited to it than a "drivers" car.

[DMZ]

South tdf said:

I had an M50 for the day a few months back and something I noticed was the urgency when it’s in Sports Boost, it felt like a normal car in a lower gear. Really hard to explain but not something I have ever noticed in other EV’s. Any owners noticed this?

You get more power with sports boost for 10 seconds. Another 60-odd bhp. I have never driven one but should give a decent kick.

[DMZ]

WestyCarl said:

Some of you must really live in "interesting countryside area's" with deserted driving roads

I like an ICE car however 90% of my driving is on busy or boring roads so an EV is perfect for this and much better suited to it than a "drivers" car.

I have access to nice roads in the vicinity with very little policing so always tempting to take a detour on a nice day and let it rip. But I prefer petrol on the less interesting bits too as it adds something to the journey. If you’re just sitting on busy motorways or dual-carriageways on adaptive cruise or in slow stop start traffic it obviously makes no difference how the car is powered and an EV is handy for zipping in and out of gaps also and many prefer the simplicity of EVs in that type of traffic and I much prefer to be surrounded by EVs and not diesels so all good from my point of view.

[South tdf]

TheDeuce said:

What other EV's have you driven?

A fair few, 18 months in a Polestar 2 and over the years have driven Zoe, Leaf, I Pace, EV6, I3, Etron, Model 3, Model X, Taycan, T6 ABT van (with gears) and probably a few more but something felt different in the M50, maybe I had a heavy night before but it was like they captured a bit of ICE feel.

Will see if I notice it when mine turns up and maybe able to explain it better.

[ZesPak]

TheDeuce said:

Our IPace lease ends in a year so I have to chose the next, definitely going to stay with EV as a daily.

I'm tempted by the i4 M50, I need to drive one and should have that opportunity soon. But if I happen not to like it, I'm not sure quite what would replace the iPace, other than another IPace. It's a blend of practicality, comfort/luxury and performance that no other EV manages seems to equal. I just wish they'd hurry up and put out a Range Rover EV, apparently something equivalent to a Velar is in the works but not going to arrive until 2024.

What EV would you swap the iPace for if you had to?

The IPace is a very hard act to follow. I had high hopes for JLR after it, so brilliant. Now, four years later, it's still the only BEV on their roster??'
I've driven a fair few EV's over the past couple of years, and in terms of handling the I Pace and Model 3 are definitely up there for me. The Tayan felt too lardy in comparison for my taste, both in bulk as in size.

Haven't had the pleasure of chucking an i3 around, they were fun too apparently.

[Mahalo]

DMZ said:

You get more power with sports boost for 10 seconds. Another 60-odd bhp. I have never driven one but should give a decent kick.

Yep - Sport Boost gives you 68bhp extra and 65 Newton Metres extra torque for just over 10 seconds. It is very noticeable and the car leaps forward. It feels very similar in acceleration terms to my 991 Turbo S of a few years ago.