[Ossian]

So I spent last Saturday doing multi-hour test drives of the I5 M60 and the I4 M50 (coming from a G30 530e) and I'm finding it harder than I expected to choose between them. It actually felt great to drive the smaller I4 and the cockpit fits me better. Love the hatchback. The last kid will soon be off to college, and I don't see myself needing a lot of back seat space. I also prefer the overall exterior design of the I4 by a wide margin.

That said, I was genuinely shocked by how well the I5 handled given its mass, and how much quieter and more refined it felt at cruise vs. my G30.

I think what it's coming down to is the desire for something smaller with a design (including the very useful hatch) that I really like, vs. the luxury I'd give up with the I4. I'm especially concerned about the seats, given how much I've loved the multi-function seats in the G30 (I guess I'll lose massage either way).If I'm honest, the appearance is important, but the cabin is where I'll spend all my time, and seats and audio factor big there.

Have any of you made the jump from the I4 - any regrets if so?

[deutsch100]

I had a 2022 i4 M50 and fast forward to 2024...to an i5 M60. Both are phenomenal cars. I like the size of the i4 better, but I like that the new 5 Series looks more "traditional" BMW and the seats in the new 5 are great. The 5 feels and looks big, but does not drive big.

I think they are both great cars, to be honest.

HK sound in the i4 is really the same B&W in the i5. The B&W in the 5 Series is not the upgraded B&W found in the iX and 7 Series.

[Icarus1_1]

I was facing a similar dilemma. In my case it was the i4 M50 vs the i5 drive40. Where load capacity was important to me. In the end I preferred the quietness of the i5 and the seats over the i4. Luckily we have the touring over here so that one has been ordered to satisfy the space needs (I expect it to be a bit more noise then the sedan but alas)
I heard the HK on the i5 and was not impressed to say the least. Took the chance on the b&w without listening based on reviews. My hopes are decent audio but I am realistic it might be “oke” as well. Coming from b&o in the Audi which was an impeccable implementation.
Hth a bit , either way you cannot go wrong with either

[Scrapula]

I test drove the i4 eDrive40, the i4 M50, and the i5 M60.

I liked the eDrive40 better than the M50 because it was more fun to drive with RWD. I didn’t care for the Sensatec or the cheaper leather inside and it wasn’t as comfortable.

I have long commutes (time not miles) and the more comfortable seats won. I also like the hidden vents, the light bar and the B&W stereo is much better than the HK once you turn off Logic7. Comfort and music. I do sometimes have company and we go out to eat. The large backseat is appreciated by adults.

[PsychDoc]

What Scrapula said. Don't forget to disable the Logic 7! It's awful and it muddies up the sound.

[Stokkes]

So bit of a story (TLDR: I ordered a custom i5 M60 in Isle of Man Green)..

Back in 2021 when BMW announced the i4, I was dead set on getting it. Unfortunately the wait time was almost a year and I needed a vehicle so I bought a Tesla Model 3 Performance (fun car, horrible company/build)..

Fast-forward to March this year and I am getting the itch to switch (I really wanted a hatch with the space like you said and almost bought a Model S), but decided to instead go see my local BMW dealer about the i4 that I had considered a few years back. I was also likely going to custom order it (same green, different car). So I did that, I test drove it, mulled it over, talked to the wife, and decided I was going to get it.

Went back to the BMW dealer and wanted to do a final test drive before committing. When I came back from that test drive, they had a demo i5 M60 parked right beside it and asked my SA (which happens to be the Sales Manager, I have a bit of a history with BMW, so I guess I get the top dog) to drive the i5.

The moment I got into the i5, I just knew, even before driving it that my chances to get the i4 were fading. The i5 is so much more refined, the interior is more modern/updated and luxurious, and overall it's just a nicer place to be (remember, we spend our times driving the cars, not staring at them). I spent a good 2-3 minutes just opening and closing the doors on the i4/i5 and my feeling after comparing and test driving both of them back to back, with both of them sitting right in front of me is that the i4 just feels "cheap" compared to the i5.. The way the doors close, the previous gen (what I call it) interior, the seats, and so much more.

Then I drove it and I was sold. As deutsche100 mentioned, while the i5 is and looks big, it doesn't at all drive the way you would think it does. Coming from my Model 3 Performance (which is significantly smaller), I had no problem adjusting to the i5.. Especially the M60, it really wants to be driven.

So my suggestion: get both cars at your dealer side by side, spend some time going from one to the other, sit in them, drive them back to back, and follow your heart/gut.

I am disappointed I won't get the hatch (and we don't get the Touring here in Canada otherwise I'd have gotten that), but I will live with it (wife has an SUV, so we're good, it was more a personal preference). I have no regrets getting the i5 and after going through the experience couldn't imaging buying the i4, but that's just me.

Good luck!

[SkykingUSA]

Cool story and thanks for sharing. My experience was somewhat similar. The wife and I drove a bunch of cars in the following order over a period of about 2 months before we were hooked on the i5.

1. Hyundai Ioniq 6 - I liked it and it felt modern. There was a lot of cheap feeling plastic though. The wife hated it.
2. Lexus SUV - I forget the model. It felt more luxurious but had poor range and I didn't want an SUV anyway.
3. Tesla Model Y - I liked it less than the Hyundai because after driving it, it felt "sterile" as a car goes. The sparse interior and no instrument cluster was just not for me.
4. BMW i4 - I had high hopes for this one, but after we drove it we thought it felt a little small for us. I'm only 5'11" and 185 lbs, and my wife is smaller than me but she also thought it felt a little small for us. Although, we both agreed it felt way more luxurious than the prior cars we drove.
5. BMW i5 - We finally saw one in the showroom when we went back to look at the i4 again and decided to try it since it was there. Well, we both liked it the most. It felt like the right size for us and was the most comfortable and luxurious of all the cars we tried.

My wife wanted to keep trying cars and move onto the i7, but I didn't want to spend more and was afraid she'd fall in love with an i7 so we didn't even test drive it. We just sat in one in the showroom and of course loved the even more comfortable seats, but decided we didn't want to spend that much more than for an i5 eDrive40.

I have had the car now since March 21st and have no regrets. I love the look, feel, ride quality and responsiveness. I'm happy with the range I'm getting, especially since I live in a hilly area and get even better efficiency when I don't have to go up and down hills all the time.

Congrats on your car, I hope you continue to enjoy it for years to come.

The efficiency below was from earlier today and calculates to about 314 miles on a full charge. I'm not a racer and don't drive aggressively much but this car makes driving fun again. It's fun to move where I want to, when I want to and know that the car can handle anything I can throw at it as a reasonably tame driver. Fun.

[robfen]

i have an i4 and a g60 550e in the household.
I4 is great for a quick run if you are in a hurry as it's smaller and less bulky
in all other ways prefer the 550e

[Ossian]

I appreciate everyone's insights -- really helpful in helping me think this through.

I am pretty sure I've landed on the G60. I think I'm going to wait until late summer so that I can at least test drive the 550e when it comes to the US, and also to see if the next model year of I5 includes the anti-sway bars, and maybe some other questionable launch omissions like seat massage ad soft close doors. My 2024 X5 has both, so I still think it's strange they left them off the G60.

[syslakm]

Originally Posted by deutsch100

I had a 2022 i4 M50 and fast forward to 2024...to an i5 M60. Both are phenomenal cars. I like the size of the i4 better, but I like that the new 5 Series looks more "traditional" BMW and the seats in the new 5 are great. The 5 feels and looks big, but does not drive big.

I think they are both great cars, to be honest.

HK sound in the i4 is really the same B&W in the i5. The B&W in the 5 Series is not the upgraded B&W found in the iX and 7 Series.

Just want to upvote this quote about the seats.

I was also between the i4 and the i5, but the seats of the i5 sold it for me. I found the seats of the i4 (and similarly) the iX to be flat and very uncomfortable. For reference, I'm a small guy - 5'5, 140lbs, runner's build. I generally don't have issues with seats but definitely had issues with the i4/iX seats. YMMV.

[deutsch100]

Originally Posted by syslakm

Just want to upvote this quote about the seats.

I was also between the i4 and the i5, but the seats of the i5 sold it for me. I found the seats of the i4 (and similarly) the iX to be flat and very uncomfortable. For reference, I'm a small guy - 5'5, 140lbs, runner's build. I generally don't have issues with seats but definitely had issues with the i4/iX seats. YMMV.

iX seats might be worse than i4 At least in the i4 you have the extendable piece behind your knees (like all other BMWs have). iX real leather is supple and beautiful, but the seats are miserable.

i5 and i7 seats are pretty amazing and near perfect to me. I am not as thin and lean as you (I'm 5'8 and 160)...but the iX and i4 gave me lots of "seat issues".

i5 and i7....just near driving perfection & comfort!