Looking at it, the i4 is the antithesis to your typical EV. Avoiding sci-fi design themes, it’s pretty much the 4 Series Gran Coupe with additional blue highlights. The large “double lung” grille has been blanked off, but it’s hard to notice that when you’re focused on the size of the grille itself. This design element’s the most controversial aspect really, as the rest of the car is actually restrained, especially when compared to BMW’s newer efforts. The wheels—sized 19 inches—are also equally odd in that that the rears are just 10 mm wider (255/40s) than the fronts (245/40s). That decision probably has something to do with how the i4 M50’s all-wheel drive works, but from a design perspective, more aggressive rear tires would have been more welcome.

From the driver’s seat, it’s easy to feel all 544 horsepower and 795 Nm of torque provided by the two electric motors. The i4 M50 is seriously fast. Since there’s nothing to spool up, the pace is instantaneous. It zips from a standstill and goes to warp faster than you can say, “holy shit.” There’s little natural sound emanating from the “engine” save for some whirs and whines, so the Hans Zimmer composed BMW Iconic Sounds fits here nicely.

Special mention goes to the brakes too. The i4’s mix of regenerative and friction braking is well-tuned, reclaiming energy without feeling intrusive. There are adjustable regen modes that claim up to 265 horsepower. Sadly, tweaking that on the go is almost impossible since it’s buried as an option in the menu (there are no flappy paddles here).

Naturally, there’s some trade off when it comes to that rapid pace, and that’s found in the range. Although BMW claims it can go up to 520 kilometers on a single charge, that’s with a sensible right foot. True enough, it can manage 5.1 km/kWh—like the Ioniq 5 N. Drive it manically, however, and watch that range drop down, fast.

When it comes to handling and ride, the i4 is the perfect balance. Not only can it summon immense cornering force and confidence, but it can also ride through cracked pavement with relative composure. The steering is also razor sharp, but lacks feedback compared to BMW’s other efforts.

Like its exterior, the i4 shares its interior with the 3 or 4 Series. The driving position is slow, making you feel like you’re sitting much closer to the road. The seats, wrapped in vernasca leather, offer solid levels of adjustment enabling you to get comfy—for as long as you don’t mind sitting low. Perch the seats a bit up, and it’s guaranteed to cut your off your view of the 12.3-inch digital display. That nuisance aside, the controls are typical BMW fare—well-placed and easy-to-understand. And because this Gran Coupe belongs to the “older” generation of models, there’s still a fair share of physical buttons. Note to BMW: please keep this kind of interface.

Going back to the man-machine interface, the graphics are sharp and the responses, fast. The polygonal speedo is weird and busy, but easy enough to digest. To the center, there are a bit of menus and sub-menus to navigate, but anyone who’s familiar with operating a smartphone or tablet should quickly understand. Besides, it offers a good amount of customizability. Those who prefer old-school switchgear will like that a row of switches that contain the volume knob and other quickly-accessed commands are present. There’s also the traditional iDrive wheel too.

Just like its internal combustion engined siblings, the i4’s interior materials are smartly chosen. They’re not of X5 caliber, but at least they’re upscale enough to feel premium. Plus, everything is beautifully screwed together.

Issues? Mainly one: rear seat space. Inheriting the 4 Series Grand Coupe’s dramatically curved roofline, the rear headroom is already limited as it is. Add the fact that the rear seats are mounted higher to accommodate the battery and electric motor, and you up basically with your hair brushing the ceiling—and that’s coming from someone who’s of average Filipino height. The middle passenger is worse off because of a large central hump. Ingress and egress are just as difficult, requiring you to contort your head to clear that roofline and form-over-function door cut.

Although there’s no front trunk (remember, this isn’t engineered as a dedicated EV platform), the cargo hold’s good enough, holding 470 liters. And at least there’s an underfloor compartment to store things like the charger cable. The seats also fold down in a 40/20/40 split.

This one’s pretty subjective, but another criticism you can throw the i4 M50’s way is its lack of safety features. Remember, it was launched early 2024, so you could say that prior to that, product planners thought the lack of a 360-degree camera and adaptive cruise control was acceptable. Besides, it did have stuff that were new to BMW Philippines at the time like front collision warning with automatic braking, lane departure warning with lane return, and blind spot warning with rear cross traffic alert and rear collision prevention. Still, their lack of foresight didn’t exactly make this spec future-proof.

Like its four-door coupe-styled body, the BMW i4 is trying its best to be every car. In some ways, they’ve done so by picking the choicest ingredients: class-leading driving dynamics with high-performance electric drive. The well-made interior and solid build are nice garnishes too. The resulting dish, however, isn’t as delicious as you’d hope. You’d think the styling had some role to play, but honestly, you get used to that. What you can’t get over is this inkling that it doesn’t exactly know what it wants to be. It’s not exactly a coupe or a sedan. It’s not exactly efficient as an EV. And as a BMW M model, it’s not as engaging. Perhaps the full-blown all-electric M3/M4 will change that, but as it stands, by trying to be an every car, the i4 ends up being good, but not great at everything.