Photo: carwow via Instagram
The standard BMW i4 is a pretty mean machine in its own right as the first all-electric sedan from the Bavarian manufacturer comes with an almighty electric motor capable of delivering 523 hp in its top iteration.
However, even though that puts it on par with models such as the BMW M850i (and others that use its 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 engine), it's not necessarily all that impressive by EV standards. We don't have an official number for the output of a Tesla Model 3 Performance dual-motor powertrain, for instance, but independent dyno tests have revealed the power to be in the 520 hp region.
While that means the non-M i4 is on equal terms regarding power with the quickest Tesla it's going to compete against, its single-motor rear-wheel-drive architecture makes it lag behind when it comes to actual performance. Acceleration-wise, the i4 will be roughly one second slower to the 60 mph (96 kph) mark, which is close to an eternity in this new world where performance is primarily measured by how well a vehicle does in a quarter-mile drag race.
A BMW i4 M, then, makes plenty of sense. Don't get us wrong, the regular i4 will be plenty expensive to make any Model 3 Performance comparisons pretty irrelevant, so expect the price of the i4 M to be closer to the larger—and infinitely more powerful—Model S. Still, even if they're new to the EV game, the Bavarians have a reputation to keep.
The most obvious solution to the task of making the i4 quicker would be adding a second motor. It's hard to imagine BMW could squeeze any more power out of the single rear-mounted motor, and even if it did, it's even harder to think it could make efficient use of it. Besides, a second motor would also give the car the much-needed all-wheel-drive capability, meaning it could go head-to-head with the likes of Tesla, Porsche, or Audi. And, with over 700 hp, it would even stand a chance of coming on top.
In terms of styling, this is one of the laziest renderings we've seen in a while. The BMW i4 M is nothing more than a yellow M3, but then again, that's pretty much how the carmaker's own design team operates these days. Still, they could have at least used the i4's closed grille, even if the rest makes sense to be pretty identical.
BMW is in the unenviable position of having to come from behind when it comes to EVs, and if it wants to be mentioned in the same conversation as Porsche (and even Audi), it needs to come up with something special. With over 700 hp and a sub-three-second acceleration, the i4 M might be that something, though it'll still have a mountain to climb when it comes to the exterior design when placed next to the gorgeous Porsche Taycan or Audi e-tron GT.
While that means the non-M i4 is on equal terms regarding power with the quickest Tesla it's going to compete against, its single-motor rear-wheel-drive architecture makes it lag behind when it comes to actual performance. Acceleration-wise, the i4 will be roughly one second slower to the 60 mph (96 kph) mark, which is close to an eternity in this new world where performance is primarily measured by how well a vehicle does in a quarter-mile drag race.
A BMW i4 M, then, makes plenty of sense. Don't get us wrong, the regular i4 will be plenty expensive to make any Model 3 Performance comparisons pretty irrelevant, so expect the price of the i4 M to be closer to the larger—and infinitely more powerful—Model S. Still, even if they're new to the EV game, the Bavarians have a reputation to keep.
The most obvious solution to the task of making the i4 quicker would be adding a second motor. It's hard to imagine BMW could squeeze any more power out of the single rear-mounted motor, and even if it did, it's even harder to think it could make efficient use of it. Besides, a second motor would also give the car the much-needed all-wheel-drive capability, meaning it could go head-to-head with the likes of Tesla, Porsche, or Audi. And, with over 700 hp, it would even stand a chance of coming on top.
In terms of styling, this is one of the laziest renderings we've seen in a while. The BMW i4 M is nothing more than a yellow M3, but then again, that's pretty much how the carmaker's own design team operates these days. Still, they could have at least used the i4's closed grille, even if the rest makes sense to be pretty identical.
BMW is in the unenviable position of having to come from behind when it comes to EVs, and if it wants to be mentioned in the same conversation as Porsche (and even Audi), it needs to come up with something special. With over 700 hp and a sub-three-second acceleration, the i4 M might be that something, though it'll still have a mountain to climb when it comes to the exterior design when placed next to the gorgeous Porsche Taycan or Audi e-tron GT.
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