BMW i4 eDrive35 M Sport Facelift Review

I love my engines, and it's quite safe to say that given a choice between an EV and an internal combustion engine-equipped variant of the same car, I would always go for the one with the engine.

Well, at least I thought that was the case, until I was tasked to take this newly facelifted BMW i4 for a drive.

As the i4 eDrive35 is now offered only in the M Sport trim, it comes with a sporty front bumper

Here's how you know you are looking at the newly facelifted i4

The well-loved i4 eDrive35 has just gotten a refresh, and it can all be seen from the exterior of the car. While previously offered in a base variant, the facelifted i4 eDrive35 is now only offered in the M Sport trim level.

With the M Aerodynamics package, the i4 looks sportier than before, no matter which angle you view it from

Equipped with the BMW M Aerodynamics package, which consists of a sporty front bumper, a fender trim piece with strakes and a large rear diffuser, you will never mistake it with the pre-facelift base eDrive35.

The i4 also gets new LED head lights and the striking Laser taillights that were first introduced on the M4 CSL

The facelifted i4 also gets some enhancements in the lighting department, with new LED head lights featuring two claw-like signatures - not unlike the head lights you'll find in the facelifted M3 and M4. Over at the rear, the i4 eDrive35 also gets the Laser taillights that were first introduced on the M4 CSL. Additionally, it is now rolling on a set of 19-inch M aerodynamic wheels, which are of a totally different design from the previous model's.

The interior of the i4 has also been given a slew of updates

Well-built interior with a sleek infotainment system

Updates to the i4 aren't just skin deep - the interior got a little nip and tuck as well. As the driver, the first thing you'll notice would be the sporty new steering with a flat bottom, followed by the redesigned central air-con vents featuring the new Waterfall ambient lighting.

A new central air-con vent with Waterfall ambient lighting and BMW's intuitive Operating System 8.5 are some new additions to the i4's cabin

The infotainment system has also been updated to BMW's Operating System 8.5, which has an intuitive user interface. While BMW's user interface can still be rather convoluted with the multiple tiles, there are thoughtful features that makes navigating it a breeze. On the bottom of the display is a permanent quick access bar that allows you to adjust the temperature of the air-con, and quickly jump into various pages such as in and out of Android Auto or Apple Carplay.

Wireless charging and wireless smartphone connectivity ensure there's no messy cables in your i4

Wireless smartphone connectivity adds to the convenience, and equipped with a wireless charger, you won't need to deal with a mess of cables to get your phone connected or juiced up.
With plenty of quality Sensatec leather-like material, brushed silver trim pieces and plastic panels that all fit together with a quality finish, the rest of the i4's cabin is just what you would expect from BMW.

An EV-benchmark worthy experience

Now that we have covered what's new on this facelift, let me elaborate on why I'll actually pick the i4 eDrive35 over its internal combustion engine counterpart, the 420i Gran Coupe.

With 210kW and 400Nm of torque sent to the rear wheels in an instant, the i4 eDrive35 is no slouch!

While the i4 is just a smidge costlier than the 420i, you'll get quite a significant bump in performance - the i4 eDrive35 puts out 210kW (282bhp) and 400Nm of torque, allowing it to complete the century sprint in just 6 seconds. In comparison, the 420i is 101bhp and 100Nm shy, requiring 1.9 seconds more to go from 0-100km/h.

A steering with sufficient feedback and a set of powerful brakes - there's not much more I could ask for

Power aside, after spending three days with the i4, I can finally understand why my fellow colleagues were full of praises for the car. Despite being an EV, it doesn't have the usual pitfalls that I have come to associate with them - the steering communicates enough to give you confidence, while the brakes are also powerful enough to keep up with the weight and power of the car. Power delivery is excellent, with great low speed control and immediate response when you give the go-pedal a hard shove.

Even though this is an M Sport variant, BMW has managed to strike an excellent balance between handling, stability and comfort with the suspension - body roll is well controlled, and yet the car is able to soak up bumps relatively well to result in a calm and composed ride.

BMW hasn't made many changes on this facelift, but is there a need for anything more?

No extensive updates needed

It's clear that this is one of the lighter facelifts out there, and I won't fault BMW for not coming up with something drastic: there wasn't much that needed to be improved. Just reading my colleague Jeremy's review of the pre-facelift version, it is apparent how good the car already was.

Thanks to the softened COE prices, the facelifted i4 eDrive35 M Sport is $1,000 cheaper than the pre-facelift model when it was originally reviewed. With the updated exterior bits, the laser taillights and freshened interior it all add up to form quite a sweet deal. Whether you are someone that is interested in getting an EV or not, you should give the BMW i4 a try - you might just end up liking it enough to go for it.

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