BMW’s latest electric vehicle – the i4 – is slowly starting to arrive in customers’ garages. One of the most efficient EVs on the market was unveiled earlier this year and it is now ready for mainstream adoption. In some countries, there will be two models at market launch – the entry-level i4 eDrive40 and the M-tuned i4 M50. The “40” model is the entry level i4 model and it packs a decent amount of power and range for its $55,400 starting price.
For that money, you get a four-door sedan, with a hatchback trunk, and a single rear-mounted electric motor that packs 335 horsepower and 317 lb-ft of torque, getting it from 0-60 mph in a claimed 5.7 seconds. Sending the juice to that motor is a 81.5 kWh battery (83.9 kWh gross). Total range is 300 miles, according to BMW. Another interesting tidbit is that the BMW i4 has center of gravity 1.3 inches lower than the standard 3 Series but what’s even more exciting is that the entry-level BMW i4 40, has an even lower center of gravity, being 2.1 inches lower. It also has slighter wider wheel tracks, front and back, than the 3 Series Sedan.
The i4 can charge at up to 200 kW, with a compatible DC fast charger. At that speed, the BMW i4 40 can recharge 102 miles of range in just ten minutes, while the i4 M50 only gets 87 miles of range in the same time. It can also charge at 11 kW from a Level 2 home charger, which will take eight hours to fully charge the battery.
Naturally, the color and trim options are equally important in a premium electric vehicle. When it comes to the exterior paint, the BMW i4 comes with a wide variety of colors. BMW i4 will be offered with the following color options: Alpine White, Mineral White, Black, Black Sapphire, BMW Individual Dravit Grey, Skyscraper Grey, Sunset Orange, Tanzanite Blue, San Remo Green, Aventurine Red, Brooklyn Grey and Frozen Portimao Blue. Some of those colors are specific to a model line – i440 vs. M50 – or even distributed by packages.
Inside things are a bit more diversified. You can order from a wide range of leather and Sensatec options, like the Vernasca Tacora Red, Black, Mocha, Oyster and Cognac, or the Sensatec Canberra Beige and Black, and perforated Tacora Red. The interior trims are a combination of fine-wood trim or aluminum.
This particular BMW i4 eDrive40 hails from France where the local BMW branch used it for the press launch. It is painted in Mineral White Metallic, paired with a black interior choice. The entry-level i4 also features the M Sport package and the 19-inch light alloy wheels Y-spoke 859 M Bicolor, which can optionally be ordered with performance tires. If you’re not into the blue design accents on the outside, you can always opt out and you can have your immaculate white paired with grey accents, for example.
To see the BMW i4 in Mineral White, click in the gallery below and scroll through a multitude of photos.