The x in BMW xDrive 40 thus means four-wheel drive. The range is now stated to be up to 548 km. That’s barely three miles worse than the i4 eDrive 40 – i.e. the version with rear-wheel drive. However, the number of horsepower has been increased to 396. That’s 56 more horses.
A year and a half ago, Motor thought that the i4 eDrive offered so much comfort, range and quality for the money, that we named it best car purchase of the year in 2022.
Have you read these cases?
Number 116…
All the cars that have received this distinction from Motor in recent years have also ended up as sales successes. With the exception of this BMW version.
So far in 2024, it is number 116 on the registration statistics – with 18 copies. The tougher and NOK 90,000 more expensive i4 M50 with four-wheel drive and 544 horses is number 27 – with 330 copies.
Typical BMW customer
Much of the explanation probably lies in a sharp price increase. On the eve of 2022, you got an i4 eDrive ready on the road with winter tires for 538,000. Today you have to put in NOK 62,000.
And then parts of our conclusion that the i4 was something as rare as a BMW that also came out well in the financial accounts breaks down.
But primarily it is probably about the typical BMW customer budgeting quite generously to get that little extra. Not least the forces that upgrade the car from extremely fast to hysterically fast.
We are therefore excited to see whether four-wheel drive will entice customers to the more reasonable version. With better range, lower price – but also less splash. Although, in the prestigious 0-100 exercise, there is now a difference of just one second: 3.9 versus 4.9 seconds.
The prices of the xDrive 40 will of course determine a lot. This will become clear closer to launch.
