c'mon, you knew we'd prefer the EV BEVs are better than combustion: The 2025 BMW i4 xDrive40 review We spend a week with BMW's regular all-wheel drive electric sedan. Jonathan M. Gitlin Mar 11, 2025 1:47 pm | 15 BMW EVs always look good in stormtrooper white, helped here by the black M Sport accents. Credit: Jonathan Gitlin BMW EVs always look good in stormtrooper white, helped here by the black M Sport accents. Credit: Jonathan Gitlin Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreWhen Ars finally drove the single-motor BMW i4 eDrive40 last year, we came away very impressed. Until then we'd only sampled the powerful twin-motor i4 M50, which is fast and fun but a bit too expensive, and it gives away a little too much range in the process. But neither of those is the model most people will buy. All-wheel drive is non-negotiable to car buyers in many parts of the country, and that means they want this one: the i4 xDrive40 Gran Coupe.If the pictures are giving you a bit of deja vu, that's perfectly normal. Yes, it looks a lot like the BMW 430i Gran Coupe we reviewed yesterday, and the two cars share a lot more than just the CLAR platform that underpins much of BMW's current lineup.All things being equal, designing a vehicle to be an electric vehicle from the ground up involves many fewer compromises than using a platform that has to cater not just to batteries and electric motors but also internal combustion engines and transmissions and gas tanks.Indeed, BMW is taking just that approach with the soon-to-debut Neue Klasse. But in the past, it concluded a powertrain-agnostic architecturethe aforementioned CLARwas the best way to spend the resources available to what is still a smaller OEM. Plus, after the unusual-looking i3, BMW's board wanted its next EV to be something a bit more familiar to your average BMW customer, and what better way to do that than sell what look like gas and BEV versions of the same car? If you disliked the kidney grille on the 430i you'll probably hate it even more here because so much of it is blanked off. Jonathan Gitlin If you disliked the kidney grille on the 430i you'll probably hate it even more here because so much of it is blanked off. Jonathan Gitlin The i4 was an enjoyable car to spend a week with. I might start tracking used prices, if we ever get chargers installed here. Jonathan Gitlin The i4 was an enjoyable car to spend a week with. I might start tracking used prices, if we ever get chargers installed here. Jonathan Gitlin If you disliked the kidney grille on the 430i you'll probably hate it even more here because so much of it is blanked off. Jonathan Gitlin The i4 was an enjoyable car to spend a week with. I might start tracking used prices, if we ever get chargers installed here. Jonathan Gitlin Running on batteries and a couple of electric motors instead of a turbocharged engine and all the bits and bobs that requires does quite a lot to improve the driving experience of the i4 over the gasoline 4 series: The throttle response is instantaneous, and the brakes aren't grabby. It's quiet and smooth and rides well over bumps and potholesa consequence of having to damp a 5,000 lb (2,200 kg) curb weight.But it's not really fair to compare yesterday's 430i with this i4 xDrive40; with 395 hp (295 kW) and 442 lb-ft (600 Nm) on tap and a $62,300 MSRP, this EV is another rung up the price and power ladders.The i4 uses BMW's fifth-generation electric motors, and unlike most other OEMs, BMW uses electrically excited synchronous motors instead of permanent magnets. The front is rated at 255 hp (190 kW) and 243 lb-ft (330 Nm), and the rear maxes out at 308 hp (230 kW) and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm). They're powered by an 84 kWh battery pack (81 kWh usable), which on 18-inch wheels is good for an EPA range of 287 miles (462 km).Our test car was fitted with 19-inch wheels, though, which cuts the EPA range to 269 miles (432 km). If you want a long-distance i4, the single-motor eDrive40 on 18-inch wheels can travel 318 miles (511 km) between charges, according to the EPA, which offers an interesting demonstration of the effect of wheel size and single versus dual motors on range efficiency. There's a new design for the 19-inch M Aero wheels, but they're part of a $2,200 package. Credit: Jonathan Gitlin It's very easy to switch between having the car regeneratively brake when you lift the throttle (in B) or just coast (in D), thanks to the little lever on the center console. (Either way, the car will regeneratively brake when you use the brake pedal, up to 0.3 G, at which point the friction brakes take over.) If you needed to, you could hit 62 mph (100 km/h) in 5.1 seconds from a standstill, which makes it quick by normal standards if not by bench racers. In practice, it's more than fast enough to merge into a gap or overtake someone if necessary.During our time with the i4, I averaged a little worse than the EPA numbers. The winter has been relatively mild as a result of climate change, but the weather remained around or below freezing during our week with the i4, and we averaged 3.1 miles/kWh (20 kWh/100 km). Interestingly, I didn't notice much of a drop when using Sport mode, or much of a gain using Eco mode, on the same 24-mile mix of city streets, suburban arteries, and highways.The i4 was fast-charged from 28 percent state of charge and after its battery had been preconditioned. This will happen automatically if you put a fast charger in as your destination in the native navigation app, but you can also manually precondition the pack, which you'll want to do if you know where you're going or are using CarPlay or Android Auto.Charging to 90 percent took 40 minutes, delivering 54.5 kWh with a peak of 139 kW from a 150 kW Electrify America charger. A more powerful charger might charge a little fasterBMW quotes 30 minutes from 1080 percent SoC with a peak at 205 kW. But the less-powerful EA site is also right next to the best Chinese food in the region, illustrating the power of incentives. Plus: multiple control methods for the infotainment. Minus: touchscreen for the climate controls. Jonathan Gitlin Plus: multiple control methods for the infotainment. Minus: touchscreen for the climate controls. Jonathan Gitlin The i4 has started becoming a more common sight, at least in my neck of the woods. Jonathan Gitlin The i4 has started becoming a more common sight, at least in my neck of the woods. Jonathan Gitlin Plus: multiple control methods for the infotainment. Minus: touchscreen for the climate controls. Jonathan Gitlin The i4 has started becoming a more common sight, at least in my neck of the woods. Jonathan Gitlin Top-down parking cameras are part of a $700 add-on. Jonathan Gitlin Top-down parking cameras are part of a $700 add-on. Jonathan Gitlin Hatchback goals. Jonathan Gitlin Hatchback goals. Jonathan Gitlin Top-down parking cameras are part of a $700 add-on. Jonathan Gitlin Hatchback goals. Jonathan Gitlin My main annoyance with the i4and this probably should have gone into yesterday's review as wellis that the doors are far too easy to slam. Blame the weight saving, I guessthey feel lighter than your average car door, and, when you're sitting inside and someone closes one from the outside, it sounds loud and unpleasant.Having now tried almost all the versions of i4 out theretime to put an eDrive35 on the press fleet please, BMWI think the eDrive40 remains my personal favorite, as it's a little lighter, a little more efficient, and a little cheaper. And I don't live on a hill or somewhere that gets a lot of winters, so rear-wheel drive is not a deal-breaker. But I'm even more excited by the fact that it's almost time for the Neue Klasse's debutcan't wait to see how they can improve on this car once there are no more compromises necessary for combustion.Jonathan M. GitlinAutomotive EditorJonathan M. GitlinAutomotive Editor Jonathan is the Automotive Editor at Ars Technica. He has a BSc and PhD in Pharmacology. In 2014 he decided to indulge his lifelong passion for the car by leaving the National Human Genome Research Institute and launching Ars Technica's automotive coverage. He lives in Washington, DC. 15 Comments