2023 BMW i4: Car and Driver 10Best

During our EV of the Year testing, the BMW i4 M50 was a standout performer that got a lot of buzz. Mutterings like “I’d take this over many of BMW’s internal-combustion cars” could be overheard throughout the proceedings. But the i4 ultimately didn’t take top honors, partly because we weren’t able to sample the more mainstream single-motor i4 eDrive40 version as well.

The experience nonetheless stoked our enthusiasm, and with both variants present at the 10Best proceedings, you can see we were not disappointed.

The dual-motor M50 is seriously quick, with a 3.3-second dash to 60 mph. But its crushing 30-to-50-mph and 50-to-70-mph rolling-acceleration times of 1.5 and 2.0 seconds, respectively, are what really squeeze the air out of your lungs when you boot it out of corners on the 10Best loop. Beyond that, the i4 M50’s powerful brakes and agile suspension are so expertly tuned, they effectively mask the fact that the battery-powered M50 weighs a portly 5084 pounds. It’s as if BMW reassigned its best engineers to the i4 effort.

The single-motor eDrive40 is no less impressive, as it stands up even better when compared with the rear-drive 430i Gran Coupe, its gasoline-powered equivalent. Here the i4 beats the gasser even more handily across our full range of standing-start and rolling-acceleration tests. It’s also quite balanced, agile, and rewarding when driven hard, but at the same time, it’s an utterly comfortable and livable daily driver. The eDrive40 also delivers impressive range, with EPA ratings of 301 miles on the standard 18-inch tires and 282 miles on the stickier 19s fitted to our test car. We nearly matched that in our 75-mph highway range test, with a 270-mile result that was, per our process, rounded down to the nearest 10-mile increment.

James Lipman|Car and Driver

What both i4s share is the Gran Coupe’s practical four-door hatchback layout, which offers more rear-seat livability and more cargo flexibility than a 3-series sedan. The impeccably crafted interior is quite comfortable and features a vast curved screen that is functional and intuitive. It’s also optional, in case you’re not into that kind of thing.

Even against 10Best’s more expansive array of mostly internal-combustion vehicles, be they competitors or corporate twins, the BMW i4 stands out. As for EV rivals, it makes the Tesla Model 3 and Model S, in particular, look shockingly crude. And the i4 may just have what it takes to push BMW’s enthusiast base to take the plunge and go electric itself.

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Specifications

2023 BMW i4
35-hp AC motor, 2 AC motors (536 hp combined); direct-drive, direct-drives
Base: $56,895–$68,295

C/D Test Results
60 mph: 3.3–4.8 sec
1/4-Mile: 11.7–13.4 sec
Top Speed: 115–128 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 149–169 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.87–0.97 g
EPA Comb/City/Hwy: 80–109/79–109/80–108 mpg

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