Design & Interior

Straight off the bat, you can tell the i4 is a beautiful machine. The lines just work. BMW made sure to offer enough M trim options to give it genuine M4 visual presence, and the sleek, low roofline suits the EV brief well. This isn't one of those EVs that looks apologetic about what it is.

As soon as I got in, I could tell this was a mid-range BMW. Not quite as equipped as an i5, but clearly a step above a 2 Series in terms of materials and feel. The sportiness from the outside carries through inside. The seating position is just right — sporty without being so aggressive it becomes impractical on a long drive. Good view out the windows, nice seats, pleasant place to be in.

One exception: the steering wheel. You'd call it chubby. A little too much so. In a car that looks this athletic, it's a strange choice.

Rear Space & Boot capacity

This is where the Gran Coupé body style has its price. Rear legroom sits at 869mm (34.2 inches) — workable for shorter passengers but tight for anyone above 180cm. Headroom in the back is 930mm, and the sloping roofline makes getting in and out feel slightly awkward for taller adults. It compares reasonably with the Tesla Model 3 and Polestar 2, but don't plan regular long-haul rear passenger duties with tall adults. Kids and occasional use — fine. Daily chauffeur duties for grown-ups — less so.

Boot capacity comes in at 470 litres with the rear seats up, expanding to 1,290 litres with them folded. That's competitive and more practical than the roofline suggests. The Gran Coupé body earns its keep here.

Driving & Range

As soon as we hit the road, the chassis and suspension setup impressed. Comfortable at pretty much any speed, stable and planted through bends, and it invites you to push harder. The xDrive40 version packs around 401bhp from its dual-motor all-wheel drive setup — it's no slouch, and that punch only complements the sporty character.

The xDrive40 is the practical caveat. WLTP range sits between 431 and 462km (268–287 miles) depending on wheel size — noticeably less than the rear-wheel drive eDrive40, which manages up to 595km in ideal conditions. The AWD system costs you real-world range. For Belgian and Dutch driving patterns — shorter daily commutes with occasional longer runs — the xDrive40's range is sufficient. Just don't expect to ignore chargers on a proper road trip.

On the charging side, it supports up to 180kW DC fast charging, meaning a 10-80% top-up takes around 32 minutes. Usable battery capacity is 83.9kWh.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Genuinely beautiful design that ages well
• Drives like a BMW should — chassis and suspension are excellent
• 401bhp xDrive punches hard when you want it to
• Boot space is more practical than the roofline suggests
• Fast charging at 180kW keeps stops short
• Interior quality sits comfortably above the mid-range competition

Cons:

• Steering wheel feels too thick for a car this sporty
• xDrive40 range (431–462km WLTP) noticeably behind the rear-wheel drive version
• Rear legroom tight for adults above 180cm
• Sloping roofline makes rear entry awkward
• Considerably heavier than its petrol equivalent at 2,278kg

Verdict

The i4 xDrive40 delivers on most of what it promises. It looks right, drives well, has enough real-world range for most use cases, and feels like a proper BMW inside. The chubby steering wheel is a minor annoyance and rear space is the expected compromise of the body style. If you want the AWD security of the xDrive40 and can live with slightly reduced range, this is a very convincing EV from a brand that clearly hasn't forgotten how to make a driver's car.