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EV6 AWD vs BMW i4

6722 Views 60 Replies 16 Participants Last post by  KiaevCan
After getting a few ads for the BMW i4, I decided to finally take a test drive. I'm on the fence about trading in our FE for a GT when it's out or keeping the FE and adding a totally different car.

The demo unit was the i4 m50, with 536 HP, so it would be a fair fight against the upcoming EV6 GT.

BMW Pros
Handling. During the test drive I took a few hard turns that would have lost traction in the EV6. The i4 in Sport mode stuck like glue. Off the line it did not disappoint either, but it wasn't Model S level punch. The EV6 has always been enough in Sport mode.

The BMW infotainment was a win. Resolution is sharper and it looks more modern.

Resale. This is debatable but I found the argument online in the comment section somewhere. A BMW on the used market is highly desirable. Not sure how many aspire to own a used Kia.

EV6 Pros
BMW climate controls are almost 100% on screen. We might be annoyed with shared buttons on the EV6 but these are better than no buttons and knobs at all. The BMW I drove didn't have cooled seats.

Styling. My wife prefers the EV6 interior, especially the fabric dash. The i4 has just as much plastic but it's not cleverly done. She says the exterior on the BMW is not a head turner.

Rear seat space. The roofline on the BMW is sloped and leaves little headroom for anyone over 5'8". There's a transmission tunnel hump in the rear seat leftover from the ICE version of the car.

Trunk space. They're so close going by appearance alone. The BMW has a power supply included. It doesn't have a seat release in the trunk. You have to reach inside to drop the seats.
Think the EV6 front trunk is small? Theres no front trunk storage space at all on the BMW.

Noise. I heard more wind noise while driving the BMW. I had to check all the windows were up. The piped in fake engine sounds are not as tastefully done as the Kia's. I assume they can be turned off. Vibration and harshness were about the same on both cars.

Dimensions. The two cars are about the same size outside. Front clearance on the EV6 is higher.

Image. This is just my opinion but I make better first impressions in a Kia. If clients or employers see my car or even just the key, they won't think I'm high priced.

Here are two pictures I snapped before I thought of posting here. Sorry about the tree.

Automotive parking light Car Tire Land vehicle Vehicle

Car Cloud Wheel Tire Sky
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After getting a few ads for the BMW i4, I decided to finally take a test drive. I'm on the fence about trading in our FE for a GT when it's out or keeping the FE and adding a totally different car.

The demo unit was the i4 m50, with 536 HP, so it would be a fair fight against the upcoming EV6 GT.

BMW Pros
Handling. During the test drive I took a few hard turns that would have lost traction in the EV6. The i4 in Sport mode stuck like glue. Off the line it did not disappoint either, but it wasn't Model S level punch. The EV6 has always been enough in Sport mode.

The BMW infotainment was a win. Resolution is sharper and it looks more modern.

Resale. This is debatable but I found the argument online in the comment section somewhere. A BMW on the used market is highly desirable. Not sure how many aspire to own a used Kia.

EV6 Pros
BMW climate controls are almost 100% on screen. We might be annoyed with shared buttons on the EV6 but these are better than no buttons and knobs at all. The BMW I drove didn't have cooled seats.

Styling. My wife prefers the EV6 interior, especially the fabric dash. The i4 has just as much plastic but it's not cleverly done. She says the exterior on the BMW is not a head turner.

Rear seat space. The roofline on the BMW is sloped and leaves little headroom for anyone over 5'8". There's a transmission tunnel hump in the rear seat leftover from the ICE version of the car.

Trunk space. They're so close going by appearance alone. The BMW has a power supply included. It doesn't have a seat release in the trunk. You have to reach inside to drop the seats.
Think the EV6 front trunk is small? Theres no front trunk storage space at all on the BMW.

Noise. I heard more wind noise while driving the BMW. I had to check all the windows were up. The piped in fake engine sounds are not as tastefully done as the Kia's. I assume they can be turned off. Vibration and harshness were about the same on both cars.

Dimensions. The two cars are about the same size outside. Front clearance on the EV6 is higher.

Image. This is just my opinion but I make better first impressions in a Kia. If clients or employers see my car or even just the key, they won't think I'm high priced.

Here are two pictures I snapped before I thought of posting here. Sorry about the tree.

View attachment 7963
View attachment 7962
I am currently waiting for a BMW i4 eDrive40 (for me) and a Kia EV6 RWD Plus (for my wife). Both will hopefully arrive in October or November. Both are really nice cars, that's for sure. The BMW is slightly better in some aspects, and it definitely feels more luxurious the way I configured it, but the EV6 is definitely not something to be ashamed of. Range wise they are quite good, but the BMW wins, probably because of a more efficient energy management and because it does not use permanent magnets in the motor. We chose RWD due to better range and lower consumption than AWD. Maybe I'll make a real world use comparison once we receive the cars. Anyway, I hope you are happy with your EV6. BTW, the RWD version of EV6 has a huge frunk, as opposed to the AWD version. The RWD version of the BMW i4 has a fairly large extra trunk under the ordinary trunk if the car is without HK sound. I didn't select the HK, so I will have extra space there to hide things I don't often need. Regarding the looks, I think that the BMW looks better from the rear, but the EV6 looks better from the front, so they are equal. The EV6 has considerably more road clearance than the BMW i4. I like the fact that the EV6 has V2L, but I like the fact that the BMW has larger battery, I just wish it had a more aerodynamic front, but that's the price you pay for shared product design between ICE and BEV.

The EV6 you have, is that the 585 HP version, or the "ordinary" GT line with 325 HP? At least here in Sweden, there is a confusing detail, since the EV6 exists as GT line and GT, and those have two different performance. Only the 585 HP version can be compared with the BMW i4 M50, the 325 HP version is slower, more comparable with the BMW i4 eDrive40.
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Once you’ve had both for a while, please do come back for a comparison!

Also, I think you’re right to keep the reservation if only since you’ll likely be able to turn a profit if you simply sell it after a few months, if it’s true that the new production can’t be ordered with half the fun parts.
I have had my i4 for 5 months and EV6 for 8 months. Both are great cars. My wife drives the Ev6 and loves it. I have always owned BMWs so I am biased. Both are fun to drive. The BMW handles better but the room in the EV6 cabin is far superior. I will be getting PPF on the piano black trim on the EV6 as it is too easily scratched. Apart from that I am happy with both purchases although I did have to pay an ADM for the Kia but the BMW was at MSRP.
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I have had my i4 for 5 months and EV6 for 8 months. Both are great cars. My wife drives the Ev6 and loves it. I have always owned BMWs so I am biased. Both are fun to drive. The BMW handles better but the room in the EV6 cabin is far superior. I will be getting PPF on the piano black trim on the EV6 as it is too easily scratched. Apart from that I am happy with both purchases although I did have to pay an ADM for the Kia but the BMW was at MSRP.
Interesting, we will be in the same shoes. My wife will have the EV6 and I will have the i4. I hope we will also be happy with having one of each. It will be my second BMW and first Kia.
Interesting, we will be in the same shoes. My wife will have the EV6 and I will have the i4. I hope we will also be happy with having one of each. It will be my second BMW and first Kia.
You definitely will be happy. Both are great cars.
I just wish it had a more aerodynamic front, but that's the price you pay for shared product design between ICE and BEV
Still more aerodynamic than the EV6 - Cd 0.24 to 0.25 compared to ours' 0.28. A pure ICE design would be close to the Ioniq 6 or Mercedes EQE likely?


Preparing for a road trip is giving me BMW efficiency envy, but well, I only do this about once a year, even if I have to stop one more time it could be a faster stop if I find a 350 kW charger
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A sedan will be more aerodynamic than a crossover. And ours at 0.28 is already more aerodynamic than a traditional SUV like the XC40 Recharge or Q8 e-tron. I think the new Q8 e-tron Sportback comes close at 0.29 Cd but then what's the frontal area of that versus ours. I bet ours is still more aerodynamic.
Keep in mind that the drag equation is Cd*A - the i4 has a lower coefficient AND projected area. A huge SUV and a tiny sedan can both have the same low drag coefficient, in which case the sedan will still win with smaller frontal area.
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Right. We lost on both the shape (turns out a sedan body designed for an ICE - with a bulbous front - still beats a crossover body designed for an EV) and on surface area.

Right now I need a crossover anyway, but next time round -- hoping the Kia equivalent of the Ioniq 6 will be around, and that they have motors that don't have significantly worse mileage rating for highway like right now (BMW has barely any drop between city and hwy, and someone just road tripped an RWD version Vegas->LA and LA->Vegas each on a single charge).
OK, having spent some time in the i4 forum and playing around with the BMW configurator... whoa, I'm appreciating more what comes standard with our Kia, despite only having a few preset options (e.g. can't get GT-Line AWD without 20" wheels).

  • HUD, parking assist, their equivalent of HDA2 all optional -- this part is OK, but the price adds up
  • Many seat options, but ventilated seats only come with two of the real leather options (black and brown) so you pay once for leather seats and once more to add ventilation. Oh, heated seats are extra too
  • Wireless charging is also an extra.

And of course, customize too much and you end up waiting for a factory built car with long wait ... one of the color options (metallic blue) comes with a warning that it adds a 10-week delay! eek.
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OK, having spent some time in the i4 forum and playing around with the BMW configurator... whoa, I'm appreciating more what comes standard with our Kia, despite only having a few preset options (e.g. can't get GT-Line AWD without 20" wheels).

  • HUD, parking assist, their equivalent of HDA2 all optional -- this part is OK, but the price adds up
  • Many seat options, but ventilated seats only come with two of the real leather options (black and brown) so you pay once for leather seats and once more to add ventilation. Oh, heated seats are extra too
  • Wireless charging is also an extra.

And of course, customize too much and you end up waiting for a factory built car with long wait ... one of the color options (metallic blue) comes with a warning that it adds a 10-week delay! eek.
Yup. When the i4 eDrive40 was initially launched, it cost less than the GT-Line Pkg 2 ($55k vs $62k but obviously being a BMW, basic stuff on a $55k vehicle were extra like the aforementioned heated seats but also smart key (comfort access), power front seats and an alarm. The Premium Essentials package brings most of that stuff for about $9,900 anything but black or white is a $895 or $1,450 up charge. Anything other than the ugly black aero 18” wheels are $1,000.

Adding all the stuff we have (so going for the Premium Enhanced package) adds $13,900. $1,900 for leather if you want ventilated seats ($900 on top of the leather option).

Basically it ended up $10k more. It’s RWD but has longer range.

BMW Canada increased the price by $6,000 when they introduced the eDrive35 so now the eDrive40 doesn’t qualify for rebates and is $6,000 more.

As of this writing, it’s $81,790 including destination ($3,100!!!) and a GT-Line Pkg 2 is $67,544. This is before taxes (5-15%) and rebates on the EV6.

Yes the i4 is likely built much better and will feel more solid and drive better but man that’s a lot of extra money for that. Definitely will have to drop a model to the eDrive35 or just live without the fancy stuff and fancy colour to save some money.
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Yeah .. but the eDrive 35 would be terrible to road trip! Less range plus slower charging than EV6

Oh, I forgot that for some reason the 18" rim (which I don't think is too ugly but kind of forces picking a white exterior as contrast) only comes with summer performance tires. Go figure... seems like they really want you to upgrade
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Yeah .. but the eDrive 35 would be terrible to road trip! Less range plus slower charging than EV6

Oh, I forgot that for some reason the 18" rim (which I don't think is too ugly but kind of forces picking a white exterior as contrast) only comes with summer performance tires. Go figure... seems like they really want you to upgrade
Weirdly enough, the RZ is the opposite - the 20" wheel upgrade adds summer tires.... in Canada. The base 18" wheel comes with all seasons.
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Weirdly enough, the RZ is the opposite - the 20" wheel upgrade adds summer tires.... in Canada. The base 18" wheel comes with all seasons.
The Lexus version of the Toyota bZ4X, right? (whoa, what's with all those consonants)

The Lexus version of the Toyota bZ4X, right? (whoa, what's with all those consonants)

Yes that's correct. It's quite expensive in Canada - $66k-$84k. (EV6 GT-L2 is $67k, EV6 GT is $77k, eGV70 is $84k, GV60 is $71-$79k) all prices include destination and fees but no tax.
OK, having spent some time in the i4 forum and playing around with the BMW configurator... whoa, I'm appreciating more what comes standard with our Kia, despite only having a few preset options (e.g. can't get GT-Line AWD without 20" wheels).

  • HUD, parking assist, their equivalent of HDA2 all optional -- this part is OK, but the price adds up
  • Many seat options, but ventilated seats only come with two of the real leather options (black and brown) so you pay once for leather seats and once more to add ventilation. Oh, heated seats are extra too
  • Wireless charging is also an extra.

And of course, customize too much and you end up waiting for a factory built car with long wait ... one of the color options (metallic blue) comes with a warning that it adds a 10-week delay! eek.
Kia and Hyundai offer great value but a fully loaded i4 is definitely a nicer car - vastly better audio system, adaptive suspension with rear air, quieter, etc. It’s also $78K in top M50 config form so $20K more than top trim GT Line. I tell folks to avoid lower trim i4s as they are missing 360 cameras, highway drive assist, no HK audio… and just go buy a GV60 Advanced or EV6 GT or Ioniq 5 Limited.
Huh, interesting. I would expect so but @Romie felt otherwise during his test drive.

Oh well, if I have to buy a car again right now it would still be the EV6 or the GV60, maybe I6. But in a few years, BMW and VW group's new architecture is out, Audi will have an electric A4 ... hopefully HMG will have at least one smaller car. And hopefully it makes it State-side...

Exciting times.
Huh, interesting. I would expect so but @Romie felt otherwise during his test drive.

Oh well, if I have to buy a car again right now it would still be the EV6 or the GV60, maybe I6. But in a few years, BMW and VW group's new architecture is out, Audi will have an electric A4 ... hopefully HMG will have at least one smaller car. And hopefully it makes it State-side...

Exciting times.
I kept my i4 40 for a week after leasing my Ioniq 5 Limited AWD and measured dB levels on both and I assure you the i4 is noticeably quieter and the suspension is better too… sad to say because I dumped it for 23 Sequoia TRD Pro which I loathed. Toyota build such garbage new cars these days.
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the suspension is better
I'm sure it's better than the EV6, but yeah against the I5 it's got to feel even better!
I'm sure it's better than the EV6, but yeah against the I5 it's got to feel even better!
iX is a whole another level. Once you drive something with proper air suspension (not Tesla and not Rivian) it’s difficult to look at coil springs again.
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