[nicoouf]

Just trying to put a list of pros and cons going electric/upgrading to the i4 and what having this car will change for you.
For me, coming from a G20 330i:
Pros:

• no more petrol to buy, free charging for 5 years (nice perk we get in Australia)
• MUCH better performance (acceleration and power in general)
• silent motor/no engine noise
• better interior finishes
• hatchback

Cons:

• longer time to charge (if stuck somewhere with nothing else to do) than filling the tank, especially with slow chargers
• much shorter range (350 km highways/450 km city vs 1000 km on highways/500 in the city)
• infrastructure of chargers is lacking in Australia - need to carefully plan trips, making sure to have a plan B if the chargers are out of order
• expensive

Wash/same experience:

• though the i4 has better finishes, it's still mostly the same as my G20 inside
• same car size
• mostly same interior features (HK, iDrive etc.)

What's your take on all this ? How will your life change with the i4 compared to what you do with your current car?

Cheers

 

[MinhSATx]

Pros:

• I'll mostly charge it at home, in the comfort of my garage, for $0.10/kWh, and I'll get it to pre-condition at the right temperature whenever I want to go out.
• It is much more luxurious and has 2 more seats and 3 times the boot (trunk) of my current car (Fiat 124 Spider), not to mention much more powerful (536hp vs 200hp).
• I love the idea of semi-autonomous driving on long highway stretches, I have been jealous of my wife's Audi
• It is beautiful in San Remo Green - my current car is boring white.
• Part of a very entertaining community that I hope to upkeep for a long time (this forum) and also meet some of you IRL in my travels
• Can't wait to see how it performs around cones in a parking lot
• I expect to get a smile that I can't wipe off my face driving it - priceless
• And, most importantly, I'll have the warm feeling that I'm doing something to leave to my kids a livable planet - even more priceless

Cons:

• I'll sorely miss the 6-speed manual shifter and the cloth convertible roof from the Fiat, not to mention its maneuverability (2400 pounds, less than half the i4 M50!). I'd love to keep both but we only have 2 spots in my garage, the 3rd spot is taken by our woodworking tools, car tools, bicycles, sport equipment and old junk.
• Long trips will require a lot more planning due to the sketchy charging infrastructure of the south of the US (unlike the North East and the West Coast who have a much better infrastructure), and may be 30-60 minutes more waiting at charging stations (in addition to charging while having lunch)
• Racing tires will be A LOT more expensive

That's it, really, for the disadvantages. Mostly positive, really looking forward to getting it in 5 months!

 

[linerjoe]

Actually, this has made me think... and I'm not sure this was a good question for me...

Already an EV owner (Tesla Model 3)...

Pro's:

• More luxurious feel and nicer cabin
• Quieter cabin (hopefully - still not guaranteed)
• Apple Carplay support (Waze on the screen)
• Improved lighting at night (in theory, since in the US it's going to be neutered)
• Better availability of trunk space (bigger opening being the primary change)
• Improved looks (well, about that front... but that's an issue on my current vehicle too)

Con's:

• Lighter wallet
• Slower charging on trips / longer travel time
• Non-Tesla charging network (multiple accounts, may use cards, availability; versus just plugin)
• Less climate control from phone (such as setting temp, turning on/off defrost vs being able to just turn it on/off)
• Carry a fob (I'm still pissed no UWB)
• Probably going to eat tires even faster due to the extra weight (and the high torque)
• No frunk - we actually do use this for take out food, to keep the smell out of the interior of the car - certainly not a deal breaker, but unlike other people, it does get used.

Same/wash:

• General performance - I don't plan on taking it to the track, so I'm not expecting much difference here
• Size - still a smaller 4 door sedan... slightly smaller backseats, but I'm not worried about that
• General EV stuff (quiet, quick, charge at home, plan trips, etc)

 

[PoisonEye]

Pros:

• Much more comfortable / luxurious / comfortable ride (my car tends to be the one we take on longer trips (under 200 miles mostly)
• MUCH quieter. I'm coming from a car that is considered loud in the cabin versus this thing that sounds like a spa or something.
• Opposite of @MinhSATx going from purplish blue with huge wing to Brooklyn Grey (probably with CF spoiler and front splitter though). I think we're meeting somewhere in the middle between "boring white" and "I'm a teenager who vapes".
• Android Auto support. Even just modern infotainment. Current car I feel lucky I have Bluetooth.
• Current car gets 21 MPG and takes premium. New car will run on lightning that my house converts from sunlight.
• So much room for activities (hatchback design gives storage space for camping, etc.)
• It's an EV (cheaper to run, charging at home, hopefully little maintenance, feels good man, fast off the line)
• I love self-deprecating humor, so I can finally tell this joke without being a bit of a jerk: What's the difference between a BMW and a porcupine? A porcupine has the pricks on the outside!

Cons:

• I have to pay for it. Current car is long paid off and pretty easy on the wallet for maintenance/repair so far.
• It's heavy (a regular chonker).
• It's a very different type of car from what I'm used to. Current car is based on rally cars and new car will be like a mini Grand Tourer. Not that that's worse, but it's quite an adjustment.
• I'll miss rowing my own gears on my 6 speed short throw shifter manual
• It's an EV (heavy, charging when on the road, eats tires and maybe brake pads)

 

[linerjoe]

• It's an EV (heavy, charging when on the road, eats tires and maybe brake pads)

Tires, yes. Brakes shouldn't be too bad, although it depends how you use regen. In general, the brakes are not heavily used in EV's (unless taking to the track, etc), due to regenerative braking. I know the i4 will use BMW's adaptive braking, so perhaps they'll be used a bit more. Either way, I would expect it to be lighter on brakes than an ICE vehicle.

Tesla's actually have issues where the brakes aren't used enough, so they need to be cleaned.

 

[PoisonEye]

Tires, yes. Brakes shouldn't be too bad, although it depends how you use regen. In general, the brakes are not heavily used in EV's (unless taking to the track, etc), due to regenerative braking. I know the i4 will use BMW's adaptive braking, so perhaps they'll be used a bit more. Either way, I would expect it to be lighter on brakes than an ICE vehicle.

Tesla's actually have issues where the brakes aren't used enough, so they need to be cleaned.

I hope that's true and I hope that the Brembo calipers they use have stainless steel liners for the threads holding them to the wheel hub. Let's just say I've had a recent bad experience on that front. I doubt I'll be changing pads/rotors again myself unless I can confirm that.

 

[Sol1]

I’m coming from a 9-year-old Ford Focus, so my answer to this question is F**KING EVERYTHING!

I’m generally a pretty frugal guy so I’m spoiling the hell out of myself with this purchase.

Mostly I’m looking forward to the performance, luxury, space, quality infotainment, leveraging my oversized solar system for largely free charging, and no longer paying US$5.13 per gallon at the pump (I know this isn’t globally egregious, my European friends, but still).

 

[mpr]

With my current phev, the brakes are indeed one of the problem areas. They get corroded just as in a ICE car, but due to very little hard braking, they are not cleaned in normal use as they would in ICE.

 

[PoisonEye]

With my current phev, the brakes are indeed one of the problem areas. They get corroded just as in a ICE car, but due to very little hard braking, they are not cleaned in normal use as they would in ICE.

Can you just get up to 40 and stand on the brakes every now and then to knock the crust off?

 

[MinhSATx]

I’m coming from a 9-year-old Ford Focus, so my answer to this question is F**KING EVERYTHING!

I’m generally a pretty frugal guy so I’m spoiling the hell out of myself with this purchase.

Mostly I’m looking forward to the performance, luxury, space, quality infotainment, leveraging my oversized solar system for largely free charging, and no longer paying US$5.13 per gallon at the pump (I know this isn’t globally egregious, my European friends, but still).

In Texas, it is still $2.70 for regular unleaded, $2.99 for premium. Only saying. At that price, my 30mpg costs $0.09 per mile, while the EV at 3 miles/kWh (approx - same as 20 kWh/100km) would cost $0.03 per mile at our utility rate of $0.10 per kWh. However, half of my electricity comes from my solar panels, so it would cost me about half that.

 

[MinhSATx]

Can you just get up to 40 and stand on the brakes every now and then to knock the crust off?

@PoisonEye, that's a great idea! And as it is dangerous to "brake check" other people on the road, that will justify to my wife why I have to go racing once a month, this is part of my car's preventive maintenance and it actually makes my car safer to drive!

 

[PoisonEye]

@PoisonEye, that's a great idea! And as it is dangerous to "brake check" other people on the road, that will justify to my wife why I have to go racing once a month, this is part of my car's preventive maintenance and it actually makes my car safer to drive!

I think I'll just find some back roads LOL

 

[mpr]

Can you just get up to 40 and stand on the brakes every now and then to knock the crust off?

This is exactly what I do 😁
Find an empty road when driving by myself and make few 100 - 20 (km/h) tests.

 

[Bimmer Blondie]

My car will be faster than the hubby's corvette and will never have to touch a dirty gas pump again

 

[Mike i4 M50]

My 2014 i3 REx now has 135,000 miles / 217,000 km on it. I am still on the original brake pads as I use regen as much as possible. The brakes are STILL strong and while they are not brand new, they still feel fine as there are no signs of replacement needed. I LOVE the one-pedal driving - definitely my favorite thing about the car. It just seems to fit my driving style, plus you save the brake pads. I will definitely use the 'B' mode in the i4 most of the time. The REx engine sounds like a riding lawnmower laugh but it works pretty well and has never failed me on the road.

I'm on my 4th set of tires as the rears lasted ~30,000 miles while the fronts have lasted closer to 40,000 miles with an even mix of city and highway driving.

I have replaced the 12V battery twice. You have to take the frunk apart to replace it in the i3 but once you do it's easy. Hopefully the i4 will have easier access to the 12V battery. I have had a few other (minor) issues and one time when the car had to be towed (related to 12V battery) - all covered under warranty.

In terms of battery capacity, I have lost about 27% in the last (less than) 8 years - leaving me with 73% or ~50-60 miles of highway range before the REx turns on. Ideally, I should have charged to 80% or less every time except when driving long distance. But.............I didn't because I drive a lot and charge to 100% every time. When I bought the car (new), the EPA range was 70-plus miles (YIKES!), so I decided to just drive the crap out of the car without regards to battery degradation. I will do 80% (or 70%) charging with the i4.

 

[MinhSATx]

In terms of battery capacity, I have lost about 27% in the last (less than) 8 years - leaving me with 73% or ~50-60 miles of highway range before the REx turns on. Ideally, I should have charged to 80% or less every time except when driving long distance. But.............I didn't because I drive a lot and charge to 100% every time. When I bought the car (new), the EPA range was 70-plus miles (YIKES!), so I decided to just drive the crap out of the car without regards to battery degradation. I will do 80% (or 70%) charging with the i4.

@Mike i4 M50 , sounds like this is pretty close (though not quite) to BMW's guideline for battery excessive loss. May be worth for you to measure it precisely then bring the data to your dealer. See:

Range, batteries, temperature, WLTP, and more

Added to the simulator : impact of tires pressure. Formula is 2% per 0,4 bar Example of impact for a based range of 500 km and pressure varying by +/- 1 bar: Obviously, it is not advisable to overinflate or underinflate your tires :)

www.i4talk.com

 

[i4_Loe]

A softer, better daily driver and luxury features compared to my m4cs,

But will likely not change with the g20 330i in my garage except for the lack of lumbar...

 

[rollermonkey]

It will be my first-ever European car.

 

[Gunninglike]

You made a great choice!

 

[kindofblue]

@PoisonEye, that's a great idea! And as it is dangerous to "brake check" other people on the road, that will justify to my wife why I have to go racing once a month, this is part of my car's preventive maintenance and it actually makes my car safer to drive!

If your wife buys that "justification", I have a bridge I'd like to sell her.