Essentially an electric version of the 4 Series Gran Coupe, the i4 is not a track car by any stretch of the imagination. Even this single-motor variant tips the scales at 2,050 kilograms (4,519 pounds), and you won’t be able to complete many Nürburgring laps before having to recharge its battery. A new video shot at the Green Hell shows BMW’s electric sedan (well, it’s technically a hatchback/liftback) went from a 60% state of charge to only 36% after a single lap.
Granted, the Nordschleife is an extremely long circuit since it measures 12.9 miles (20.8 kilometers) and has no fewer than 154 turns. The BMW i4 eDrive40 certainly won’t be taking down any lap records because of its hefty mass but that instant torque does make it an enjoyable car. You get 430 Nm (317 lb-ft) right away, pushing the EV to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 5.7 seconds. Flat out, it’s limited to 118 mph (190 km/h) even though we can see the speedometer going above that threshold.
Nürburgring expert Misha Charoudin was invited by the owner of an i4 eDrive40 to take it for a spin on a rainy day. Because of the unfriendly weather conditions, not many other drivers dared to tackle the challenging track due to the slippery surface. This lesser flavor of Bavaria’s EV has a single motor, therefore making it rear-wheel drive. However, the driver knows his way around the track and could probably do a lap with his eyes closed.
The eDrive40 was the initial entry-level version of the i4 when the zero-emission Gran Coupe came out back in 2021. About a year later, BMW launched a cheaper eDrive35 that eschewed the 81.5-kWh battery for a smaller 66-kWh pack. It also lost power, going down from 335 hp to 282 hp while torque decreased from 430 Nm (317 lb-ft) to 400 Nm (295 lb-ft).
You won’t be seeing many i4 owners with their cars at the Nürburgring, and even if you do, there’s a higher probability it’ll be the range-topping M60 with dual motors, all-wheel drive, and a lot more power. The M Performance variant of the i4 was the best-selling car from the M division in 2022 and 2023.
Spy shots depicting camouflaged prototypes have suggested BMW will update the i4 lineup later this year by giving the electric car a subtle Life Cycle Impulse.
Source: Misha Charoudin / YouTube
