Imagine a BMW M3 that never needs gas, accelerates like an M5 on racing fuel, yet behaves almost normally in all of the regular attributes associated with automobiles.

The remarkably non-weird, high-performance future is finally here with the i4. And unlike BMW’s previous mass-market electrics — the very peculiar but charming i3 and the futuristic, supercar-styled i8 — the new i4’s electric platform is a 3-Series-esque body. That means almost totally regular seating, controls and driving setup, though also radically transformed.

I can’t say that the i3’s M50 edition is exactly what lies ahead for other BMW electrified vehicles, but for this performance-oriented model, priced at $77,070, things are literally breathtaking: dual electric motors that produce 536 horsepower and 586 pound-feet of torque, almost instantaneously, and entirely silently.

You can, if you are brave, still get wheelspin at 75 mph in the M50, as so much oomph is almost a challenge to connect with the pavement, despite beautiful 20-inch wheels and high-performance summer tires. The specs say 0-60 in 3.7 seconds but, given a week of independent tomfoolery, I think that is an understatement.

That kind of boost means you can dart out in front of traffic like you are about to jump into hyperspace. More hilariously, you can give it a 50% recharge in about 45 minutes. Suddenly, EVs seem more fun. The slightly more restrained i4 eDrive40, with a more robust 301-mile range, still offers 335 horsepower, with just a little less neck-snapping yank as a result.

Read more: SummitDaily

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