The new addition to the i4 range retails for about $4000 cheaper than the eDrive40 at the cost of less horsepower and a shorter range.
- BMW announced a new, more attainable addition to the i4 mid-size electric lineup Monday morning, the i4 eDrive35.
- The eDrive35 will have an MSRP more than $4000 cheaper than the eDrive40 and $15,000 cheaper than the performance version, the M50.
- It will have the least power in the model range, with an estimated 281 horsepower, and production is expected to start in late 2022 with U.S. deliveries coming in early 2023.
If you want to be ballin’ on a budget and reduce your carbon footprint in the process, BMW has just announced the car for you. The i4 eDrive35 is a new addition to the i4 model range that starts at $51,400, making it the Bavarian automaker’s most affordable EV. The eDrive35 joins the eDrive40 and M50 in BMW’s electric spin on its ICE-powered 4-series Gran Coupe. Shipments to the U.S. are expected to begin in early 2023.
Like the eDrive40, the eDrive35 moves thanks to a single rear-mounted motor, unlike the dual-motor, all-wheel-drive performance sibling. However, less money gets you less power, with the eDrive35 offering 281 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. Contrast this with the eDrive40’s 335 horsepower or the M50’s 536. As such, the eDrive35 will get you to 60 mph in an estimated 5.8 seconds, the slowest time of the trio by a whole second (our test of the eDrive40 got it done in 4.8). Still, the eDrive40’s advertised time was slower than our tested time, so the same could become true of the eDrive35 once we get our hands on one.
As for range, BMW estimates the eDrive35 should deliver a 260-mile EPA range, situated between the eDrive40’s 301 miles on the base 18-inch wheels and the M50’s 227 on optional 20-inch wheels. All of this is courtesy of the eDrive35’s smaller battery. Both the eDrive40 and the M50 share the same 81.5-kWh battery, but the eDrive35’s only has a net capacity of 66.0 kWh, and charging speeds max out at 180 kW compared to the other two models’ max rate of around 200 kW.
If you’re noticing a pattern, it’s that the eDrive35 offers less for less, but aside from powertrain specs, it remains unchanged from the eDrive40. It will have the same standard and optional features and equipment, so if power isn’t the most important thing to you, the eDrive35 could be a good option for getting the look and feel of the i4 at a more attainable price.
Keyword: BMW i4 eDrive35 Is a More Affordable but Less Powerful New i4 EV