i4 M50 - it arrived
Discussion
Having ordered my i4 M50 last autumn, it arrived last Fri and has replaced my epic M3 Comp XDrive.
The i4 is much more understated than the M3 in the looks department but doesn't disappoint in the driveability front. It feels crazy quick especially when you are rolling and 20 - 70 is nausea inducing.
Build quality is on par with the M3 although the latest i-drive and widescreen displays are a cut above.
At collection it was showing 305 miles range (I got it with 19s to maximise range). Will be content if I get a 250 real world range.
Just had a quick look on Autotrader - there only seems to be one i4 M50 available with 600 miles for several £'ks over list - hopefully that is a good indicator that the prices will be rock solid when I come to move it on.
The i4 is much more understated than the M3 in the looks department but doesn't disappoint in the driveability front. It feels crazy quick especially when you are rolling and 20 - 70 is nausea inducing.
Build quality is on par with the M3 although the latest i-drive and widescreen displays are a cut above.
At collection it was showing 305 miles range (I got it with 19s to maximise range). Will be content if I get a 250 real world range.
Just had a quick look on Autotrader - there only seems to be one i4 M50 available with 600 miles for several £'ks over list - hopefully that is a good indicator that the prices will be rock solid when I come to move it on.
Mine is due at the dealers next week (if all goes well) nice to hear some positive stuff about it.
Never had an electric car but quite excited for the day to day stuff, I don't do massive miles a year but all of them are motorway/a-road so will be more suited to this I think that the petrol vehicles I have had before.
I've gone for the Tanzanite with Oyster interior. GFV they gave me on it was low - which momentarily put me off, but looking at used prices of Teslas after 3 years (and baring in mind the long lead times on i4M50's) that they're being incredibly conservative, so pulled the trigger anyway
Never had an electric car but quite excited for the day to day stuff, I don't do massive miles a year but all of them are motorway/a-road so will be more suited to this I think that the petrol vehicles I have had before.
I've gone for the Tanzanite with Oyster interior. GFV they gave me on it was low - which momentarily put me off, but looking at used prices of Teslas after 3 years (and baring in mind the long lead times on i4M50's) that they're being incredibly conservative, so pulled the trigger anyway
glynny said:
Never had an electric car but quite excited for the day to day stuff, I don't do massive miles a year but all of them are motorway/a-road so will be more suited to this I think that the petrol vehicles I have had before.
Not wanting to rain on your parade, but IME high speed roads are where you'll notice the least difference between EV and ICE, other than the limited range of the EV especially in bad weather. SWoll said:
Not wanting to rain on your parade, but IME high speed roads are where you'll notice the least difference between EV and ICE, other than the limited range of the EV especially in bad weather.
i don't find A roads too bad because they tend to be a bit more give and take with slower users, bends, junctions and roundabouts all of which with a bit of practice you can regen only into, and therefore drive fairly aggressively without totally borking your range. Driving those roads similarly aggressively in my old 335 used to send the mpg plumetting into the teens.......Motorway, constant high speed, yup, not great ;-)
Max_Torque said:
i don't find A roads too bad because they tend to be a bit more give and take with slower users, bends, junctions and roundabouts all of which with a bit of practice you can regen only into, and therefore drive fairly aggressively without totally borking your range. Driving those roads similarly aggressively in my old 335 used to send the mpg plumetting into the teens.......
Motorway, constant high speed, yup, not great ;-)
And costing 2p a mile instead of 15p (subject to home charging, EV tariff etc)Motorway, constant high speed, yup, not great ;-)
Seriously, A & B roads are exactly where the fun is, and you don’t look quite such a knob with revs flaring, tyrex squealing etc. just well judged regen followed by stealthy nauseous acceleration!
The i4 M50 looks quite some bit of kit! Enjoy!
dgswk said:
Max_Torque said:
i don't find A roads too bad because they tend to be a bit more give and take with slower users, bends, junctions and roundabouts all of which with a bit of practice you can regen only into, and therefore drive fairly aggressively without totally borking your range. Driving those roads similarly aggressively in my old 335 used to send the mpg plumetting into the teens.......
Motorway, constant high speed, yup, not great ;-)
And costing 2p a mile instead of 15p (subject to home charging, EV tariff etc)Motorway, constant high speed, yup, not great ;-)
Seriously, A & B roads are exactly where the fun is, and you don’t look quite such a knob with revs flaring, tyrex squealing etc. just well judged regen followed by stealthy nauseous acceleration!
The i4 M50 looks quite some bit of kit! Enjoy!
SWoll said:
The issue for the M50 on B-roads is going to be the weight of it, 500KG heavier than the M4 (2250KG) is going to make itself felt.
It's not actually too bad, no doubt helped by where the weight is carried. Whilst I haven't tried to drive the wheels off it yet, the M50 on my route to work (15 miles of A & B roads) seems pretty comparable to the M3. No doubt the M3 could be pushed harder but that would likely lead to a more problematic outcome involving other traffic or trees.Both the M3 and M50 are pretty porky compared to previous generations of car of this type but I am happy with the trade off given the multiple upsides of this generation.
rdj001 said:
SWoll said:
The issue for the M50 on B-roads is going to be the weight of it, 500KG heavier than the M4 (2250KG) is going to make itself felt.
It's not actually too bad, no doubt helped by where the weight is carried. Whilst I haven't tried to drive the wheels off it yet, the M50 on my route to work (15 miles of A & B roads) seems pretty comparable to the M3. No doubt the M3 could be pushed harder but that would likely lead to a more problematic outcome involving other traffic or trees.Both the M3 and M50 are pretty porky compared to previous generations of car of this type but I am happy with the trade off given the multiple upsides of this generation.
One could even argue that so long as the tyres can cope, it's better to have more weight but have it all on or below the axles than less weight but a big lump up front on top of the axle.
Granted you can still feel the weight, it's just that the tyres and chassis can easily cope and the net result is you're still making as swift progress as in the M3. The immense EV torque out of each corner will quickly make up for any slight lack of fidelity going into it too.
It's as good, objectively. Just different. And cheaper if you do like to drive it hard often.
TheDeuce said:
rdj001 said:
SWoll said:
The issue for the M50 on B-roads is going to be the weight of it, 500KG heavier than the M4 (2250KG) is going to make itself felt.
It's not actually too bad, no doubt helped by where the weight is carried. Whilst I haven't tried to drive the wheels off it yet, the M50 on my route to work (15 miles of A & B roads) seems pretty comparable to the M3. No doubt the M3 could be pushed harder but that would likely lead to a more problematic outcome involving other traffic or trees.Both the M3 and M50 are pretty porky compared to previous generations of car of this type but I am happy with the trade off given the multiple upsides of this generation.
One could even argue that so long as the tyres can cope, it's better to have more weight but have it all on or below the axles than less weight but a big lump up front on top of the axle.
Granted you can still feel the weight, it's just that the tyres and chassis can easily cope and the net result is you're still making as swift progress as in the M3. The immense EV torque out of each corner will quickly make up for any slight lack of fidelity going into it too.
It's as good, objectively. Just different. And cheaper if you do like to drive it hard often.
Haven't posted on here for years. Looking forward to my m50 arriving. Ordered autumn, due early July. Never driven one but coming from a 440i Gran Coupe it looked the nearest thing. Bored of reading journalists saying it isn't an M3. Duh, never.
It was also only a few £ more on the salary sacrifice thing (£637 for 10k pa) than the e40 and comes with loads more kit as well as the power so seemed a no-brainer.
Be interested to see the range on 19s as all the road tests used 20s then...moaned about range. I solved the 'its a domestic appliance' by supplementing it with a 987 Boxster S.
It was also only a few £ more on the salary sacrifice thing (£637 for 10k pa) than the e40 and comes with loads more kit as well as the power so seemed a no-brainer.
Be interested to see the range on 19s as all the road tests used 20s then...moaned about range. I solved the 'its a domestic appliance' by supplementing it with a 987 Boxster S.
rmcoboy said:
Haven't posted on here for years. Looking forward to my m50 arriving. Ordered autumn, due early July. Never driven one but coming from a 440i Gran Coupe it looked the nearest thing. Bored of reading journalists saying it isn't an M3. Duh, never.
It was also only a few £ more on the salary sacrifice thing (£637 for 10k pa) than the e40 and comes with loads more kit as well as the power so seemed a no-brainer.
Be interested to see the range on 19s as all the road tests used 20s then...moaned about range. I solved the 'its a domestic appliance' by supplementing it with a 987 Boxster S.
I went for 19s to maximise range - seems to charge to 300 miles but it loses 15 miles almost immediately and then seems to sort itself out. It looks like it will do around 270 - 280 miles on mixed A/B road with current temps. It was also only a few £ more on the salary sacrifice thing (£637 for 10k pa) than the e40 and comes with loads more kit as well as the power so seemed a no-brainer.
Be interested to see the range on 19s as all the road tests used 20s then...moaned about range. I solved the 'its a domestic appliance' by supplementing it with a 987 Boxster S.
rdj001 said:
rmcoboy said:
Haven't posted on here for years. Looking forward to my m50 arriving. Ordered autumn, due early July. Never driven one but coming from a 440i Gran Coupe it looked the nearest thing. Bored of reading journalists saying it isn't an M3. Duh, never.
It was also only a few £ more on the salary sacrifice thing (£637 for 10k pa) than the e40 and comes with loads more kit as well as the power so seemed a no-brainer.
Be interested to see the range on 19s as all the road tests used 20s then...moaned about range. I solved the 'its a domestic appliance' by supplementing it with a 987 Boxster S.
I went for 19s to maximise range - seems to charge to 300 miles but it loses 15 miles almost immediately and then seems to sort itself out. It looks like it will do around 270 - 280 miles on mixed A/B road with current temps. It was also only a few £ more on the salary sacrifice thing (£637 for 10k pa) than the e40 and comes with loads more kit as well as the power so seemed a no-brainer.
Be interested to see the range on 19s as all the road tests used 20s then...moaned about range. I solved the 'its a domestic appliance' by supplementing it with a 987 Boxster S.
Seriously though, the predicted range takes a while to figure itself out on all EV's until they've adjusted to your typical driving style. Mine is now pretty reliable, just lower than I suspect it should be with some more sympathetic driving..
Picked mine up yesterday (ordered in October) I went 19" as the range drop for 20" was too high.
The range prediction is somewhat interesting - when I picked the car up it predicted a range of 268 miles on 95% charge. Drove it home 7 miles and it then predicted a range of 242. Took it out it the evening to show the other half how fast the Sport Boost was - did another 16 miles came back and the predicted range was now 262 on 93% charge. Just checked this morning and without being charged the predicted range on 93% charge is 283.
It is also worth noting that BMW recommend that you should normally charge to 80% only in order to maximise battery life.
The BMW UK website configurator shows that for an I4M50 configured to my spec it should have a range of 312 miles at 100% battery capacity, 80% of that would be 249.6 - therefore the figure of 283 for 93% is slightly under that expected of 290 but is not too far out. My guess is that the figure will creep up as it learns my driving style - I also have not yet used B driving mode where energy recuperation is at the maximum which should increase range.
The range prediction is somewhat interesting - when I picked the car up it predicted a range of 268 miles on 95% charge. Drove it home 7 miles and it then predicted a range of 242. Took it out it the evening to show the other half how fast the Sport Boost was - did another 16 miles came back and the predicted range was now 262 on 93% charge. Just checked this morning and without being charged the predicted range on 93% charge is 283.
It is also worth noting that BMW recommend that you should normally charge to 80% only in order to maximise battery life.
The BMW UK website configurator shows that for an I4M50 configured to my spec it should have a range of 312 miles at 100% battery capacity, 80% of that would be 249.6 - therefore the figure of 283 for 93% is slightly under that expected of 290 but is not too far out. My guess is that the figure will creep up as it learns my driving style - I also have not yet used B driving mode where energy recuperation is at the maximum which should increase range.
Range is massively affected by any number of factors including driving style, external temperature and weather conditions. Manufacturers figures will be based on perfect conditions and steady speeds so in the most part aren't worth thinking about, especially in a country with relatively low temperatures and lots of rain like the UK. You're going to get a shock come winter otherwise.
My advice after 3 years of EV ownership is don't worry about it and enjoy the car driving it as you want to. Far too many EV drivers obsess about range and efficiency.
My advice after 3 years of EV ownership is don't worry about it and enjoy the car driving it as you want to. Far too many EV drivers obsess about range and efficiency.
SWoll said:
Range is massively affected by any number of factors including driving style, external temperature and weather conditions. Manufacturers figures will be based on perfect conditions and steady speeds so in the most part aren't worth thinking about, especially in a country with relatively low temperatures and lots of rain like the UK. You're going to get a shock come winter otherwise.
My advice after 3 years of EV ownership is don't worry about it and enjoy the car driving it as you want to. Far too many EV drivers obsess about range and efficiency.
Couldn't agree more. And of course the manufacturers recommend the gentlest of charging routines because they're putting the warranty on the battery! But in reality, we've noticed no degredation after over two years of careless charging. I suppose if it did do damage it would be the second or third owners that took the hit..? But even then, there are numerous 10 year old EV's on the road now and most have lost next to nothing - ignoring the early leafs and some early Tesla's.My advice after 3 years of EV ownership is don't worry about it and enjoy the car driving it as you want to. Far too many EV drivers obsess about range and efficiency.
I genuinely don't think it's worth worrying about. At least it's not worth the worry Vs enjoying the car.
SWoll said:
My advice after 3 years of EV ownership is don't worry about it and enjoy the car driving it as you want to.
TheDeuce said:
I genuinely don't think it's worth worrying about. At least it's not worth the worry Vs enjoying the car.
This is really good advice. Am currently in France, touring around in a 5 year old, inefficient, slowest charging, and one of the smallest battery Tesla ever made (sub 200 miles at 70mhp)....the first RHD EV I've come across in France is......another old, inefficient, slow charging Tesla 
.
We are traveling with friends whom are in a brand new ID4, which has noticeable more range and faster charging speed. Yet there has been zero difference in traveling times.
Unless you are a PH driving God, who actually needs to tow a caravan in the middle of winter, at 150mph none stop to the top of Alpe d'Huez, and than return to the UK the second you reach the summit, any of the EVs, made by any of manufacturers make perfectly good family combustion car replacements.
The EV market is now at a stage you can pick and choose any car based on what you like interms of design, utitly, brand preferences rather than just focus on range/charging speed etc.
If you told me even in 2016 when we ordered of our Tesla that by the time my daughter is 6 family holidays around in a pair of EVs would be 'normal' I wouldn't have believed you, but yet here we are!!
The new I range from BMW all look really accomplished family cars, and been offered in a good range of smallish to massive.
Enjoy the i4, avoid the chaos at airports and take it on an European road trip for the summer
.
Edited by gangzoom on Friday 3rd June 06:59
Done 871 miles in my first week with the M50 culmating in my 400 mile drive from Suffolk to Stranraer today.
Car was faultless and latest version of 'driving assist' is very good. Mostly dual carriageway or motorway today and charging screen is predicting 321 miles on full charge. Very pleased with range.
Public charging has got waaay busier than before. Had to queue at my charging stop mid-journey and at my destination for the night.
Car was faultless and latest version of 'driving assist' is very good. Mostly dual carriageway or motorway today and charging screen is predicting 321 miles on full charge. Very pleased with range.
Public charging has got waaay busier than before. Had to queue at my charging stop mid-journey and at my destination for the night.
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