The i4 M60 xDrive is seriously fast, but – by the top-level standards of the modern performance EV, at least – not absurdly so. We happened to test it in comparable conditions, and at an almost identical time of year, as the i4 M50 we appraised in 2022. Back then, the i4 M50 (20in wheels, Pirelli P Zeros, 2284kg as tested) needed 4.1sec to hit 60mph and 12.5sec for the standing quarter mile. The M60 (standard 18in wheels, Hankook Ventus S1 tyres, 2231kg as tested) cut those figures by 0.3sec and 0.6sec respectively.
What isn’t always quite so clear is whether the new car feels much faster. Because its motor-actuated traction control is so good (even in steady rain) and its rate of acceleration so smooth and unrelenting, the i4 M60 could easily inspire ennui about how electric cars have taken all the drama and punctuation out of going fast.
You can’t mistake the objective reality, though. The sheer, instant effectiveness of the throttle pedal is the powertrain’s main attraction during give-and-take road driving, doling out all that torque exactly as you see fit. When it’s in full flight at the proving ground, though – once the car has taken off, squatted slightly on its rear axle and taken on its longitudinal g – there’s actually surprisingly little to remark on.
Except for the noise. BMW’s ‘Iconic Sounds Electric’ not-quite-combustion noise makes an unusual impression. It’s not unsophisticated, varying with both load and prevailing speed, and during a full-throttle launch sounds a bit like some constantly rising and recycling electric synth glissando. Repeated exposure is a little like having spent too long in a seaside video arcade. In smaller transient doses, however, it’s interesting enough to listen to.
BMW still hasn’t gone as far as fitting regen paddles to its EVs. Instead you use the touchscreen to choose from three levels of trailing-throttle energy scavenging, though you can’t turn it off completely or switch to a one-pedal mode (B mode on the gear selector is, at least, close to the latter).
The brakes performed strongly on track (the optional M Sport stoppers, remember), resisting fade well. The car doesn’t have the sort of pedal tuning that aims to make the handover between regen and friction braking apparent in the pedal progression, but that just makes for an even and consistent actuation, which we appreciated.