LoginBMW’s Most Popular M Car Just Got More Powerful
- BMW has replaced its best-selling i4 M50 with a more powerful M60.
- An extra 56 hp cuts the zero to 62 mph time from 3.9 to 3.7 seconds.
- Other BMWs, including the 2-series and X5M also get minor upgrades.
The BMW i4 M50 was M division’s first EV, but it wasn’t a very fast one. A zero to 62 mph (96 km/h) time of 3.9 seconds wasn’t exactly dog slow, but plenty of M cars and plenty of other automakers’ EVs could blow it into the weeds. This summer, M’s most popular car gets a power upgrade to help redress the balance a little.
Out goes the i4 M50 and in comes the i4 M60, which justifies its new number with a boost to its dual-motor drivetrain. Output jumps from 537 hp (544 PS / 400 kW) to 593 hp (601 PS / 442 kW) and drops the 62 mph lunge to 3.7 seconds. That’s still puts it behind other performance EVs like the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N and Tesla Model 3 Performance, and 0.2 seconds adrift of an M3 Competition xDrive, but it’s nevertheless a step in the right direction.
Related: The Most Driver-Focused M2 Drops The One Thing Real Drivers Care The Most
At the same time, and at the other end of the i4 spectrum, the eDrive35 and eDrive40 now come with silicon carbide semiconductor components that cut consumption by around 4.5 percent. That mod potentially improves the distance achieved on one charge by 14 miles, giving the 35 a still unimpressive range of 266 WLTP miles (428 km) and pushing the 40’s touring endurance to 317 miles (510 km).
BMW’s summer update also improves the standard equipment on the 1-series and 2-series Gran Coupé, adding heated front seats and an alarm, while the optional M Technology Package II available for the M135 xDrive hatch now includes M seat belts with M colors in the weave.
The 7-series and i7 gain laminated safety glass and individual sun/heat protection options for occupants, and the X5M Competition and its X6 sister debut an Ultimate Package. This brings a carbon engine cover and mirror caps, panoramic roof, ventilated massage seats, a Bowers & Wilkins stereo and a pointless (for most of us) increase in the speed limiter from 155 mph (250 km/h) to 180 mph (290 km/h).
And if you were thinking of adding a fancy BMW Individual paint job to your new car, you can now do it inside the regular configurator rather than jumping across to the BMW Individual Visualiser.
