BMW i4 eDrive40 M Sport - long-term review

The verdict I’ve been waiting for has arrived. The excellent i4’s bigger brother, the BMW i5, is also… excellent. A 9/10 no less from Mr Barlow, who also reckons it has “the best car interior in the world". Strong claim - whether this is directly related to the “arrival of AirConsole, which introduces in-car gaming to the 5 Series. Connection is established by scanning a QR code on the Curved Display, which transforms the players’ smartphones into games controllers", is yet to be confirmed.

A quick like-for-like comparison (i4 eDrive40 M Sport vs i5 eDrive40 M Sport, a bonkers all-wheel drive i5 M60 xDrive with 593bhp and 605lb ft is also available) reveals they have the same 84kWh battery, same 335bhp single-motor, rear-drive layout but the i5 pips the i4 with a claimed range of 362 miles. The i4 hits back with a 0-62mph time 0.4 seconds faster. Clearly it’s all much of a muchness – no real surprises there, they’re both based on BMW’s CLAR architecture, which means whether you want to pay the £19,125 price difference comes down to size… and status.

Space in the i5’s back seats will unquestionably trump the slightly squished rear bench on the i4, but this is where you need to think carefully about how you use your car. If the back seats are mainly for kids, occasionally adults, then the i4 has more than enough room. In terms of boot space the i5 has a fraction more (490-litres vs 470), but the i4 is infinitely more practical with its huge hatchback. I’ve had four sets of golf clubs in there recently, and (with the seats folded) my lazy-boy e-bike, without removing the front wheel.

So it might be smaller, but the rear-drive i4 is more family orientated, has near identical performance to the i5 and costs a whole lot less. Our one even has the optional tow bar fitted, that emerges sheepishly at the touch of button in the boot, so you could hook up a caravan, trailer or little Hermione’s pony box. Just make sure you’ve got lots of surplus range, as towing anything will cut it in half.