BMW i4 and iX in person

[chrisk]

I was at a BMW driving event and they had real iX and i4 on display. My impressions:

• iX exterior looks weird and worst than the photos. It has a lot of champaign color accents which I did not like
• iX interior is top notch, very luxurious, but I did not like the color on display.
• iX size is big, closer to X5 than X3
• i4 looks better in person than the photos but I am not sure why they insist on that face..
• i4 interior was also nice following the familiar BMW looks. It was not as luxurious as the iX but I would say it is on par with the Taycan.
• the i4 overall looks almost the same as a 4 series both inside and outside
• both cars had their charging port on the rear of the passenger side.

 

[ciaranob]

I was at a BMW driving event and they had real iX and i4 on display. My impressions:

• iX exterior looks weird and worst than the photos. It has a lot of champaign color accents which I did not like
• iX interior is top notch, very luxurious.
• iX is big in size, closer to X5 than X3
• i4 looks better in person than the photos but I am not sure why they insist on that face.. overall it looked like a 4 series
• i4 interior was also nice following the familiar BMW looks. It was not as luxurious as the iX but I would say it is on par with the Taycan.

Man, you are just validating my leaving BMW after 20 years BMW's exterior design has driven off a cliff imo and that incredibly and perhaps overly discussed grill was a major factor for me - I simply could not for one minute see myself driving a car with such an ugly face. My 2015 M4 Vert thankfully still looks damn good and I can honesty say I have had absolutely zero issues mechanically with the car over the 5+ years of ownership despite being a daily driver and very spirited driving history!

This SUV just re-enforces my feeling re design - I just don't get it and despite an enormous amount of adverse feedback BMW plowed ahead with it. Clearly they are getting enough interest and perhaps I'm just old-school and out of whack but very, very happy with the design cues in the Cross Turismo - night and day comparison!

PS: I also hate that darned hockey stick !

 

[Windpower]

I simply could not for one minute see myself driving a car with such an ugly face.

My feeling as well.

My previous EV was a BMW i3, which was great for a two passenger car. It was roomy and had a surprising amount of trunk space. I ran a two year construction project driving that car, and regularly filled the trunk with 5 gallon cans of spackle, paint and tools. It was fabulous for hauling and was super comfortable in the front seats.

BMW really blew it by not taking the i3 platform and developing it over the years. They could have done an taller version (mini SUV) and a real 4 passenger version. BMW was ahead of almost all EV manufacturers (the Tesla model S was launched the year before the i3) but in the end, they are playing catch up. And not doing a very good job of it ...

 

[Chris8536]

This in Monterey?

 

[Torv]

Agree about the grill. What's the point of it since there is no radiator? Any indication of what the range is since that boxy grill also has to impact that with a reduced drag coefficient?

 

[fullmetalbaal]

Looking at BMWs new cars just makes me sad.
I'm serious. I used to love these cars. The e92 m3 still ranks up there for me. The engine, the lines, everything.

Watching this just hurts.

 

[ciaranob]

Looking at BMWs new cars just makes me sad.
I'm serious. I used to love these cars. The e92 m3 still ranks up there for me. The engine, the lines, everything.

Watching this just hurts.

Agree - had an E46 (M3 and manual sport wagon), an E91 etc. My 2015 M4 seems to represent one of the last designs themes I'd still personally favor, hence again why moving on.

 

[chrisk]

This in Monterey?

It was an Autocross event at the Cow Palace in Daly City.

I got to drive the M440i xdrive 6 autocross laps. I know that some poeple in this forum might grill me for what I will say but the M440i was more fun than my Taycan 4s for sporty driving. The exhaust sound and the 1000lbs lighter chassis were the major reasons. Also the new 3.0 engine has a lot of torque and it felt almost as responsive as my 4s when it was in 2nd gear in Sport mode. There was only one time that I notice a minor power lag and I think it was the Traction control (which they did not let me disable) and not turbo lag.

Other generic comments about BMW:
- Their 3.0 inline 6 turbo engines are gems both the version that make 382hp and the one in the M3/4
- iDrive is much better than the PCM and Audi's MMI.
- In my opinion right now the best looking BMWs are the X3 M40i and the M2/M240i. I hope they don't introduce the big grille in those models.

 

[Alex74]

I was at a BMW driving event and they had real iX and i4 on display. My impressions:

• iX exterior looks weird and worst than the photos. It has a lot of champaign color accents which I did not like
• iX interior is top notch, very luxurious, but I did not like the color on display.
• iX size is big, closer to X5 than X3
• i4 looks better in person than the photos but I am not sure why they insist on that face..
• i4 interior was also nice following the familiar BMW looks. It was not as luxurious as the iX but I would say it is on par with the Taycan.
• the i4 overall looks almost the same as a 4 series both inside and outside
• both cars had their charging port on the rear of the passenger side.

I had the privelige to see and drive him a while ago, it’s a nice family car, except the trunk.i don’t like the look of it when it’s open.

 

[TycanNewHampshire]

I agree with all posts, ever since they hired Chris Bangle as the designer, it all went to hell, then it was Adrian van Hooydonk....he is almost as bad as Chris....they both should have never been hired as Director of BMW Design Group.....from what I have seen the front grill is 'self healing', whatever that means/does as well as 'heated', so when it is winter and you have caked on sleet/snow, the grill will be nice and clean and melted off....absolutely worthless.
I like the interior of the iX, however it is quite effeminate with all the crystal knobs. I am sure they have the data to know who they are targeting, but it is a little cheesy and cliche if you ask me.

 

[B61]

One word: ugly as hell.
sorry, three words

 

[chrisk]

I had the privelige to see and drive him a while ago, it’s a nice family car, except the trunk.i don’t like the look of it when it’s open.

It looks slightly better in this darker color than the red I saw today with the gold accents. But still I wouldn't pay $80-100k to have this car in my garage.

 

[FrozenRobert]

It hurts to think of so many good people tirelessly working on this product for BMW and then ... THAT GRILL.

OMG why??? As a refugee from BMW (2008 328xi, 2014 X5) I also feel better going with Stuttgart. At least Porsche's design is understated and plain (in a good way).

The entire design of the car is quite appealing until you get to the front. It makes Lexus's dive into absurdity (the 'cheese grater') look almost normal. I can't believe the BMW design team got away with this.

That grill. There is no reason. None.

It's like a hoonigan got high on cheap wine and 3D-printed his hallucinations onto a buck-tooth plasticky go-kart. Awful.

 

[Alex74]

It looks slightly better in this darker color than the red I saw today with the gold accents. But still I wouldn't pay $80-100k to have this car in my garage.

I prefere my ct,

 

[Chris8536]

It was an Autocross event at the Cow Palace in Daly City.

I got to drive the M440i xdrive 6 autocross laps. I know that some poeple in this forum might grill me for what I will say but the M440i was more fun than my Taycan 4s for sporty driving. The exhaust sound and the 1000lbs lighter chassis were the major reasons. Also the new 3.0 engine has a lot of torque and it felt almost as responsive as my 4s when it was in 2nd gear in Sport mode. There was only one time that I notice a minor power lag and I think it was the Traction control (which they did not let me disable) and not turbo lag.

Other generic comments about BMW:
- Their 3.0 inline 6 turbo engines are gems both the version that make 382hp and the one in the M3/4
- iDrive is much better than the PCM and Audi's MMI.
- In my opinion right now the best looking BMWs are the X3 M40i and the M2/M240i. I hope they don't introduce the big grille in those models.

I've had a 435i and about 4 other BMWs and the latest I6 is pretty punchy so I can believe it there. But the driving position on BMWs have always been pretty meh to me compared to the low slung Taycan. Second after 5 BMWs and feeling their steering just get worse every generation I gave up. The F30 era was probably the worst BMW I ever had the (non)pleasure of owning -- have they addressed that since?

My other car mated with my Taycan 4S is an X7 50i, which I think is wonderful actually, so I'm still an owner. Its just that their vaguely sporty ride in SUVs really beats the competition but falls flat in the sedan/coupe space to me. Maybe I'll just never forget my E45 330i ZSP and I'm wearing to strong of nostalgia googles...

Sponsored