Further ReadingBMW 3 Series: 40 years old, and still the ultimate driving machineRemember when the BMW 3 Series was the byword for a sporty-slash-luxu

BMW finds its mojo again with the $55,400 i4 electric sedan

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2021-06-16 01:00:14

Further ReadingBMW 3 Series: 40 years old, and still the ultimate driving machineRemember when the BMW 3 Series was the byword for a sporty-slash-luxurious sedan? With an image bolstered by halo cars like the M3, the small BMW four-door was the car to have, particularly if you enjoyed driving. But for the last few years, it has felt like BMW has been missing some of its mojo. The German company built up early expertise in electrification but failed to capitalize on it, ceding a lot of ground to Tesla's Model 3 electric sedan as BMW instead built a bewildering array of crossovers with ever-larger kidney grilles.

BMW got a new CEO and an order to amp up the electrification effort in 2019, and now the results of that project are right around the corner. Obviously, a lot will depend on how the car drives, but BMW just brought one of its new electric i4s to Washington, DC, and after having a good poke around, I can say that Bavarian Motor Works has its groove back.

Many words have already been written about controversially styled BMWs, so I'll keep it brief and simply note that today's monstrosity is often tomorrow's dearly loved classic. You get used to the massive grille pretty quickly when you see it in person. (Perhaps calling it a grille is a misnomer; it mostly serves to hide the forward-looking sensors required for the advanced driver assistance systems.)