Post by racingteatray on Jun 12, 2022 8:10:46 GMT
So to scratch the itch of curiosity, I went to test drive an i4 yesterday. It was the edrive40 version in M Sport spec, which gets the better reviews than the full fat M50 version.
Much has been said about the looks of the new 4GC which probably doesn’t need repeating here. You can see the photos and judge for yourself, but whilst I still think my car is considerably prettier and more elegant, it did suddenly look quite dated next to the new GC design. The new design is much heavier-looking and less lithe, and the front is still a mess.
Inside, it’s a BMW. All intelligent ergonomics and generally solid. Plus that vast screen, which I actually didn’t dislike at all. It looks upmarket but if like me you get out of the previous model straight into this one, you notice some areas where quality looks lower. The new key, for example, is desperately cheap in feel. Also the lower part of the seat where the electric seat controls are, and the column stalks, felt rather cheap and plasticky. Roomy and comfortable though, albeit with a shallower boot compared to mine. I didn’t get told what options it did or didn’t have.
Instant impression is of a bigger car than mine (which it is, slightly), and that feeling never quite goes away.
This was the first time I drove an electric car for more than a 5min spin around London in a friend’s Tesla 3. The dealer (same one from which I bought my current car) gave me an hour’s unaccompanied test drive, which was enough to try a range of roads in and around Guildford.
When you first pull off in Comfort, having engaged drive with a gear selector very similar to a normal automatic, it’s just sedate and hushed, with none of the whiplash sensation you read about. The ride is similar to my car; a touch firm but mostly comfortable and composed. So I pressed the Sport button. Obviously. This does two things so far I noticed. One it gives a much more instant sense of shove, and it adds the Hans Zimmer soundtrack. I really don’t know how to describe the latter well other than as some sort of space-age intensifying chord, but it sounds rather good and does add aural interest to the process of accelerating. Oh and the dashboard graphics go through a shake-up to a different design. I don’t think anything happened to the damping.
First time, I planted the throttle was to join the A3 and it really does leap forward instantly with utter imperiousness and no squirm whatsoever. No, it’s not crazy face-meltingly quick, but it’s nevertheless exceedingly fast. More than sufficient. And as the drive wore on and I tried it down well-sighted Surrey country roads, I cannot see where you’d need more power. Or grip. It just goes like the proverbial scalded cat/stabbed rat/other proverbial maimed mammal of your choice. Overtaking, including uphill, is a swift doddle. So I understand the test reviews that say the M50 version isn’t necessarily better.
And once you get underway and motoring on twisties, it’s a classy competent device, feeling surprisingly light on its toes yet secure. The handling prowess is way better than you might expect and it always feels planted. It turns in with fair alacrity for one so sizeable and while you can smear the rear a touch, it never skips or hops on bumps (all that weight probably).
It must have some sort of intelligent drive assist because even with the satnav off (and I don’t think it was merely regen kicking in), there were times where approaching a tight downhill turn, the car would brake itself, but in a natural-feeling way that didn’t interrupt the flow.
Consumption-wise, it was showing 93% charge when I got in equating to a range of 306 miles. After about 30 miles of test-drive, it was showing 86% and 248 miles. BMW’s claimed range is up to 365 miles for this model, so it’s clearly some way adrift of that unless you drive like an especially cautious nun, but it’s not bad by current standards either.
Overall, I was very impressed with it. It’s not a sports car and I’m not sure it’s what you could term “fun” to drive, but it is a satisfying and pleasing car to drive fast on nice roads. Perhaps the future with electric is not as depressing as I thought.
But I figured I have the rest of my life to drive an electric car, so I don’t need to get one just yet. And that’s just as well. The salesman told me that if I was to place an order now, I wouldn’t see a car before 2024….
Much has been said about the looks of the new 4GC which probably doesn’t need repeating here. You can see the photos and judge for yourself, but whilst I still think my car is considerably prettier and more elegant, it did suddenly look quite dated next to the new GC design. The new design is much heavier-looking and less lithe, and the front is still a mess.
Inside, it’s a BMW. All intelligent ergonomics and generally solid. Plus that vast screen, which I actually didn’t dislike at all. It looks upmarket but if like me you get out of the previous model straight into this one, you notice some areas where quality looks lower. The new key, for example, is desperately cheap in feel. Also the lower part of the seat where the electric seat controls are, and the column stalks, felt rather cheap and plasticky. Roomy and comfortable though, albeit with a shallower boot compared to mine. I didn’t get told what options it did or didn’t have.
Instant impression is of a bigger car than mine (which it is, slightly), and that feeling never quite goes away.
This was the first time I drove an electric car for more than a 5min spin around London in a friend’s Tesla 3. The dealer (same one from which I bought my current car) gave me an hour’s unaccompanied test drive, which was enough to try a range of roads in and around Guildford.
When you first pull off in Comfort, having engaged drive with a gear selector very similar to a normal automatic, it’s just sedate and hushed, with none of the whiplash sensation you read about. The ride is similar to my car; a touch firm but mostly comfortable and composed. So I pressed the Sport button. Obviously. This does two things so far I noticed. One it gives a much more instant sense of shove, and it adds the Hans Zimmer soundtrack. I really don’t know how to describe the latter well other than as some sort of space-age intensifying chord, but it sounds rather good and does add aural interest to the process of accelerating. Oh and the dashboard graphics go through a shake-up to a different design. I don’t think anything happened to the damping.
First time, I planted the throttle was to join the A3 and it really does leap forward instantly with utter imperiousness and no squirm whatsoever. No, it’s not crazy face-meltingly quick, but it’s nevertheless exceedingly fast. More than sufficient. And as the drive wore on and I tried it down well-sighted Surrey country roads, I cannot see where you’d need more power. Or grip. It just goes like the proverbial scalded cat/stabbed rat/other proverbial maimed mammal of your choice. Overtaking, including uphill, is a swift doddle. So I understand the test reviews that say the M50 version isn’t necessarily better.
And once you get underway and motoring on twisties, it’s a classy competent device, feeling surprisingly light on its toes yet secure. The handling prowess is way better than you might expect and it always feels planted. It turns in with fair alacrity for one so sizeable and while you can smear the rear a touch, it never skips or hops on bumps (all that weight probably).
It must have some sort of intelligent drive assist because even with the satnav off (and I don’t think it was merely regen kicking in), there were times where approaching a tight downhill turn, the car would brake itself, but in a natural-feeling way that didn’t interrupt the flow.
Consumption-wise, it was showing 93% charge when I got in equating to a range of 306 miles. After about 30 miles of test-drive, it was showing 86% and 248 miles. BMW’s claimed range is up to 365 miles for this model, so it’s clearly some way adrift of that unless you drive like an especially cautious nun, but it’s not bad by current standards either.
Overall, I was very impressed with it. It’s not a sports car and I’m not sure it’s what you could term “fun” to drive, but it is a satisfying and pleasing car to drive fast on nice roads. Perhaps the future with electric is not as depressing as I thought.
But I figured I have the rest of my life to drive an electric car, so I don’t need to get one just yet. And that’s just as well. The salesman told me that if I was to place an order now, I wouldn’t see a car before 2024….
