Weigh to heavy

BMW i4 M50 IS A BIT OF A ROAR DEAL

There is only one of BMW’S ‘M’ cars I haven’t driven and that’s the M1, the first of them. It was a mid-engined car built between 1978 and 1981, and powered by an exotic 3.5-litre straight-six engine.

Only 453 were built and 53 of those were racing versions. It’s a great-looking machine and hopefully one day

I’ll achieve my dream of having a go.

Fortunately, most of the other M cars have been terrific. Like the original M3, which was light, small and powered by a modestly powerful four-cylinder engine. Aficionados know that car as the E30. I’ve driven all the various M5s too, and they’re brilliant, especially the E39 5.0-litre V8 one from the late 1990s. My current favourite is the M2 Competition which, like the original M3, is relatively small and light.

Which brings us to this week’s road test car: the BMW i4 M50. It’s BMW’S first pure electric saloon car that has the capital M in its name (think of it as like the M135i).

Vital statistics as follows: two electric motors, one at each axle, with a combined power output of 537bhp.

Battery capacity 83.9kwh with a range quoted by BMW as 258-324 miles. The top speed is 140mph and 0-62mph takes 3.9sec. For reference, that 0-62mph figure is half a second slower than the number that the M3

Competition xdrive can manage.

There’s another number and comparison which BMW will be less keen to shout about, not that it could do much about it.

It’s the kerb weight of 2,280kg. That’s a massive 550kg heavier than the piston-engined M3. Which is why the electric saloon is slower to reach 62mph.

We also drove what is currently the entry level i4, which is called the e-drive40. This car has a single motor that powers the rear wheels and has 335bhp. It’s not as fast (nor expensive) as the M50, but it’s considerably nicer to drive. It feels very much like a normal petrol 3-Series but with electric power.

It’s the most enjoyable to drive EV I’ve so far experienced.

The i4 M50 though, which costs £63,850 to the edrive40’s £51,905, is very disappointing. There’s bags of performance, of course, but you can feel all that weight.

BMW employed the services of film score composer Hans Zimmer (me neither) to create with a synthesised intake and exhaust roar, but like most attempts at making an EV sound like an ICE car it doesn’t work as it’s one tone and doesn’t give an impression

of gaining speed.

It’s going to be a challenge for car makers to build electric cars that are exciting to drive and appeal to those of us who grew up with fantastic sports saloons such as the M3.

Weight is the enemy. So the best way forward in my opinion is to concentrate on building lighter machines, rather than ever more powerful ones.