I nearly got an Ioniq 5 as our second car, but ended up getting a BMW i4 instead. I was very impressed with the Ioniq 5 - it’s a fantastic car. We already had an iX though, andI figured it’d be best to stick to something with the same UI. I’m mostly a frontend developer and UI quirks really get to me, so I’d rather just deal with one set of quirks.
The i4 is great because it looks like a regular car. It’s literally just a 4 series grand coupe with an electric drivetrain. No gimmicks, no “the car needs to look futuristic” approach that so many manufacturers take with their EVs. The door handles are regular mechanical door handles.
The iX is… not exactly the opposite, but close enough. My understanding it that it was a concept car that BMW ended up releasing publicly. It’s got an expensive electrochromic glass roof that you can switch between clear and frosted by pressing a button. It’s got flush, electronic door handles. It’s got a carbon fiber chassis. Things like that.
The iX is extremely comfortable for back seat passengers, as the back of the car is huge!
Everything the i4 can do, the iX can do at least a bit better. For example:
i4 can do hands-free highway driving up to 40mph, whereas the iX does it up to 85mph.
Both have options for parking and 360 cameras, but the cameras on the iX are noticeably higher resolution.
i4 has air suspension for the back, whereas iX has air suspension for all four wheels.
They’re both great to drive, but the iX is smoother and quieter. The cabin is extremely quiet even at highway speeds.
The i4 is a lot cheaper though. I’m leasing both, and the i4 is less than half the price of the iX. I’m in the USA and we’re paying $812/month plus tax for the iX, and $394/month plus tax for the i4, thanks to a combination of rebates, BMW loyalty discount (for the i4), and a 10% discount off MSRP.
We custom ordered the iX. It took a few months, but we could get exactly the options we wanted. It doesn’t cost any extra to get a custom-built one compared to getting one from a dealer’s lot.
Unfortunately, the iX has been discontinued in the USA. They cut off custom orders a few months ago, and dealers don’t have many left. Rumor is that tariffs made it cost too much to import into the USA. The iX5 is supposed to replace it, but it’s not coming out until next year.
This is a great response. Thanks for taking the time to write it. I too was more interested in the i4 since it’s “normal” looking as opposed to every other EV that someone decided need to look futuristic or like a spaceship, etc. Just wanted to make sure no real issues had cropped up, etc. All the reviews seem pretty positive overall of it. Driving it felt…mostly normal, though the B mode would take a long time to get used to.
I am surprised you got that price on an i4 too. If I could get that I’d debate going new but at this point it seems used is the best bet (and that is a stretch.)
I don’t use it quite that fast, but it works very well. It has radar and ultrasonic sensors in addition to cameras, and you can only use it on routes they’ve mapped out (in the USA that’s most of the highways), so I’d trust it more than Tesla.
I nearly got an Ioniq 5 as our second car, but ended up getting a BMW i4 instead. I was very impressed with the Ioniq 5 - it’s a fantastic car. We already had an iX though, andI figured it’d be best to stick to something with the same UI. I’m mostly a frontend developer and UI quirks really get to me, so I’d rather just deal with one set of quirks.
over 4 years on a BMW is a bad time. Rental cars.
Getting a 2t 800v road trip adept EV as a “second car” is a massive flex holy fuck
How’s the i4 (and iX) been? Any complaints or issues?
They’re both very nice cars! No complaints.
The i4 is great because it looks like a regular car. It’s literally just a 4 series grand coupe with an electric drivetrain. No gimmicks, no “the car needs to look futuristic” approach that so many manufacturers take with their EVs. The door handles are regular mechanical door handles.
The iX is… not exactly the opposite, but close enough. My understanding it that it was a concept car that BMW ended up releasing publicly. It’s got an expensive electrochromic glass roof that you can switch between clear and frosted by pressing a button. It’s got flush, electronic door handles. It’s got a carbon fiber chassis. Things like that.
The iX is extremely comfortable for back seat passengers, as the back of the car is huge!
Everything the i4 can do, the iX can do at least a bit better. For example:
The i4 is a lot cheaper though. I’m leasing both, and the i4 is less than half the price of the iX. I’m in the USA and we’re paying $812/month plus tax for the iX, and $394/month plus tax for the i4, thanks to a combination of rebates, BMW loyalty discount (for the i4), and a 10% discount off MSRP.
We custom ordered the iX. It took a few months, but we could get exactly the options we wanted. It doesn’t cost any extra to get a custom-built one compared to getting one from a dealer’s lot.
Unfortunately, the iX has been discontinued in the USA. They cut off custom orders a few months ago, and dealers don’t have many left. Rumor is that tariffs made it cost too much to import into the USA. The iX5 is supposed to replace it, but it’s not coming out until next year.
This is a great response. Thanks for taking the time to write it. I too was more interested in the i4 since it’s “normal” looking as opposed to every other EV that someone decided need to look futuristic or like a spaceship, etc. Just wanted to make sure no real issues had cropped up, etc. All the reviews seem pretty positive overall of it. Driving it felt…mostly normal, though the B mode would take a long time to get used to.
I am surprised you got that price on an i4 too. If I could get that I’d debate going new but at this point it seems used is the best bet (and that is a stretch.)
hands free at 85 is some scary shit
I don’t use it quite that fast, but it works very well. It has radar and ultrasonic sensors in addition to cameras, and you can only use it on routes they’ve mapped out (in the USA that’s most of the highways), so I’d trust it more than Tesla.
for sure better than tesla
probably better than most humans
but all code has bugs, still scary
Doesn’t the i4 have a footwell hump in the back? That’s my main complaint about cars that aren’t bottom up EVs.
It does, and the back is pretty small. I don’t usually have passengers though. We use the iX when travelling with passengers.