BMW I4 vs Chevrolet Corvette

What's the difference?

If you’re intimidated by the electric future, don't be, because BMW’s i4 is just as good as any non-M sedan BMW offers right now.

The i4 delivers all the things you love about a 3 Series, engaging driving dynamics, a well-appointed interior and comfortable ride, but its all-electric powertrain means you’ll never have to stop at a servo again.

With a large battery on board, the i4 also serves up a decent driving range that should put anxiety-prone EV drivers at ease.

That is, of course, if you can get onboard with the looks.

The Chevrolet Corvette Z06 is truly a supercar offering outstanding dynamics for a lot less money being asked by European rivals - just make sure it's not your only car for those times when you're in a hurry.

If the i4 looks familiar, that’s because it is based on the 4 Series Gran Coupe that entered showrooms last year.

This means a four-door liftback body style with a sloping roofline, athletic proportions and sizing close to the Tesla Model 3 and Polestar 2.

Let’s get it out of the way early and talk about the elephant in the room, the oversized front grille.

Say whatever you want about it, there’s no denying it gives the i4 a unique and head-turning look, and in my opinion, it’s not too bad.

In the flesh, it really isn’t as big as the press photos have made it out to be, and with the front numberplate to split it up, it does start to look a bit more like a traditional grille.

In profile, the 19-inch wheels fill out the arches well, and hide the massive brakes that add to the i4’s sporty appearance.

I particularly like the almost flush door handles that look futuristic, but aren’t as pretentious as those retractable handles you see on Teslas and Range Rovers.

Slim tail-lights and a chunky bumper inform the styling of the i4’s rear, but we’re really not a fan of a rear diffuser that keeps the exhaust cut-outs.

It makes sense on a model like the 4 Series Gran Coupe, but it just looks look rather odd on an all-electric model like the i4.

While the outside of the i4 might be all about that big grille, the inside is all about big screens, two of them in fact.

The instrumentation and multimedia screens dominate the experience inside, but BMW has also included physical buttons on the steering wheel and centre stack, as well as a rotary control knob, to make navigating the menus that much easier.

The connected screens differentiate the i4 from its 4 Series Gran Coupe relative, and make the cabin feel futuristic and befitting of the all-electric powertrain.

Overall, the i4’s styling might not be to everyone’s tastes, but BMW definitely gets credit for being bold in its aesthetic choices.

Would have been nice to see BMW’s designers go a bit further in differentiating the i4 from its 4 Series Gran Coupe cousin, but there's no denying the head-turning appeal of this all-electric sedan.

We’re talking about the closest thing to a real-life Hot Wheels car here. See, while Ferraris look elegant to me like expensive jewellery, Lambourghinis like cheese graters and McLaren’s look like slippery alien spacecraft, the Corvette Z06 looks exactly like an American supercar should - an unapologetic, ludicrous beast. And I love that. 

Dialing up the wild is that enormous carbon wing and front splitter with dive planes thanks to the Z07 package. Just a word of warning, though, the front splitter and dive planes stick out not just visually, but in the sense that I walked into them often and my ankles still have the scars.

I can’t recall the last time I drove a car with carbon-fibre wheels either - these are the biggest rims fitted to a Corvette and they’re wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R ultra performance tyres (275/30ZR20 front and 345/25ZR21 rear) that they look like oil drums on their sides.

The best angle? The rear - straight on. Those headlights. 

Wait, no, it’s from above - so you can see the V8 through the glass hatch.

Or it could be front-on looking like a giant shovel.. 

OK, there are no bad angles.. 

The Corvette Z06 is long at 4734mm end-to-end, broad at 2024mm wide and its height is a both a sitting-on-the-road-low and numerically pleasing 1234mm.

The plainness of the cabin might be a let down to some people after all the exterior wildness. Ferraris and Lambourghis offer extravagant and exotic interiors, but the Corvette’s innards are almost completely void of flare. 

The media screen is small (8.0 inches), switches and controls for windows and air vents are basic, and the huge dividing ‘wall’ between the pilot and passenger might be a bit much for some.

That ‘wall’ is dotted with buttons and while it may look very 'fighter jet cockpit', they’re just climate control switches. Sitting in the passenger seat is a lonely place with no screen visibility nor easy access to controls - I'd actually call this out as a bit of a fail compared to the interiors from Porsche, Audi and Lamborghini with their screen-filled cabins offering co-pilots something to do.

Yes, it feels a bit premium with the Nappa leather and the sports seats, but it could feel more special.

All of this plainness, however, is saved from boredom by the glass window behind the seats allowing you to peer into the engine bay at the V8 like at a reptile enclosure at the zoo.

As a premium mid-sized sedan, the BMW i4 offers up enough storage and space for most, but keep in mind there are limitations.

From the driver’s seat, everything is well placed and the electronically adjustable seats offer plenty of adjustability to get comfy for long road trips.

Storage options include an central cubby, glove box, two cupholders and small door pockets that just about fit a bottle, but the design means it rattles around a little.

Speaking of fiddly, between this car, and the weird plastic cowl thing found in the Z4 and 1 Series, BMW needs to be called out for some of the most annoying wireless smartphone charger designs.

This one is tucked all the way under a retractable lid, and is barely wide enough to fit some flagship-sized phones.

However, we will give BMW huge props for its iDrive8 multimedia system, which is displayed on a huge 14.9-inch screen.

The menus are clear, concise and intuitive, while the software is buttery smooth and responsive. It feels snappier than some phones we’ve used in the past.

Credit too for not making all inputs touch, as there is a rotary control knob and voice command capability available.

In the second row, things are a little more cramped, but at 183cm tall I can fit in the outboard seats with tight headroom.

There’s enough leg and shoulder-room, too, and passengers can make use of the climate controls, USB-C charging ports and a fold-down-centre armrest with two cupholders.

Opening the boot reveals 470 litres of volume, but fold the rear seats down and that pace swells to 1290L.

Loading large and bulky items is made much easier thanks to the liftback design, and it’s important to note i4 buyers aren't penalised in terms of practicality as the i4 and 4 Series Gran Coupe share the same boot capacity.

However, the charging cables can get in the way, as there isn’t any dedicated space for them.

The charging point is also in an annoying spot, in the right-rear fender where the petrol cap would be.

It means that you always have to reverse into charging spots, and it can be tricky to manoeuvre the i4 into just the right position to get the charging cable to reach.

The Nissan Leaf's front centre charging port, or the dual charging ports available on the left and right fenders in the Audi e-tron or Porsche Taycan are preferable.

Supercars don’t tend to be built with practicality as a priority but this two-door, two-seat beastie is spacious enough even for me at 185cm tall with plenty of room in the footwell and loads of elbow-, knee-, and headroom. 

Cabin storage is limited to a glove box, door pockets, two cupholders, and a wireless phone charger on the bulkhead behind the seats.

As you can see from the images there’s a boot at the rear which will fit smaller bags and a small boot in the front.

I did the school run in the Corvette a few times (I know, lucky kid) and I can tell you a bass guitar in its case and a school bag, plus my own large handbag make for a cramped cabin. A Kia Carnival the Corvette ain’t, but it’s not trying to be one and compared to its rivals it does well for practicality.

Almost never does a car with a list price of almost $400K get full marks, but here we are and I’ll tell you why. The Corvette Z06 in its standard form lists for $336,000 and this is outstanding value compared to its supercar rivals such as the Ferrari F8 Tributo for $484,888, or a McLaren 750S for $585,800 or even an entry-grade Lamborghini Huracan, the EVO, for $383,187. 

Australia gets the top 3LZ trim, with the local standard features list for the Corvette Z06 including Nappa leather upholstery, GT2 bucket seats, a 12-inch digital instrument display, a 14-speaker Bose sound system, red seat belts, wireless phone charging, carbon-fibre and suede microfibre trimmed steering wheel, a media system with sat-nav plus wireless Apple CarsPlay and Android Auto, power seats, heated steering wheel, dual-zone climate control,  heated and ventilated seats and a head-up display.

Our test car was fitted with plenty of options including the Z07 Performance Package that brings carbon-fibre everything. We’re talking the enormous carbon-fibre rear wing and aero kit with side skirts and a front splitter with dive planes –and there are the carbon-fibre wheels (20-inch at the front and 21-inch at the rear). 

The Z07 package also brings a more hardcore suspension tune and carbon ceramic brakes for ridiculously good stopping power.

The Z06 has the most powerful V8 engine in the Corvette range, too, and we'll get to that soon.

If there’s one thing BMW knows how to do well, it’s building a sports sedan like no other. And that holds true for its EVs.

Powering this i4 eDrive40 is a single electric motor that produces 250kW/430Nm, which beats the outputs of even the 330i and 430i Gran Coupe.

With drive sent to the rear wheels, the i4 eDrive40 can accelerate from 0-100km/h in just 5.7 seconds, beating out the aforementioned 330i and 430i models.

For those that want a bit more pep, the top-spec M50 grade’s dual-motor set-up punches out 400kW/795Nm for a lightning quick 3.9s 0-100km/h run.

Compared with its petrol-powered 4 Series Gran Coupe counterpart, the i4 certainly puts up respectable figures, while offering more than a performance match for the Polestar 2 and Tesla Model 3.

The 5.5-litre naturally aspirated V8 in the Z06 makes 475kW and 595Nm. That’s a lot more power than the Corvette Stingray’s V8, which produces 369kW. The GT3 racecar version of the Z06 uses a derived version of the 5.5-litre V8, and actually it shares 70 per cent of the engineering components. 

Revving to a high 8600rpm the Z06’s V8 lets out a high-pitched scream when pushed hard, much like a Ferrari because like many Ferraris the Z06 has a flatplane crank V8 - actually it’s one of the largest flatplane V8s to go into a production car.  

Corvettes are now mid-engined cars and the Z06 has an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission that changes gears quicker than I can blink, sending all that mumbo straight to the rear wheels.

Acceleration comes hard, fast and loud with the Z06 able to boot itself from 0-100km/h in 2.9 seconds. That beautifully linear acceleration with no turbos will pull you all the way towards its top speed of 313km/h.

With an 84kWh battery the official range on this i4 eDrive40 is pegged at 590km when tested to WLTP standards.

However, when fully charged, our test car's range readout was around 390km.

But keep in mind EVs aren’t as effective in cold weather, and the mercury was showing only three degrees on most days during this freezing Irish winter.

Luckily then, BMW has included DC fast-charging capabilities in the i4 as standard, with its 210kW CCS plug able to take the battery from 10 to 80 per cent in around half an hour.

BMW has included DC fast-charging capabilities in the i4 as standard, with its 210kW CCS plug able to take the battery from 10 to 80 per cent in around half an hour.

Using an 11kW AC charger however, will require 8.5 hours for a full charge.

In a week with the car, I averaged an energy consumption rating of 23.4kWh per 100km, almost matching the official figure of 22.2kWh/100km.

My driving included several long-distance trips on the freeway, however, an environment in which an electric vehicle does not excel.

Worth noting the heavier and more energy-hungry M50’s official driving range drops to 510km, but we’re yet to test its real-world figures.

As with practicality, fuel efficiency isn’t the Corvette’s priority and after driving it daily for a week in the suburbs, city and a few dashes out to more open country roads the Z06 was using an average of 23.8L/100km, according to the trip computer.

Luckily the fuel tank is pretty big at 70 litres and with an official combined fuel consumption of just under 16L/100km you have a range of 438km… in theory.

If you came here just to find out whether BMW has succeeded in transplanting its signature sports sedan characteristics into the all-electric i4, the answer is, yes.

The best thing I can say about the i4 is that, aside from the way power is delivered and the lack of engine and exhaust noise, it feels just like a 3 or a 4 Series.

Steering is sharp and responsive, throttle and brake inputs are immediate, making this rear-drive i4 a delight to drive enthusiastically.

The staggered Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres and massive brakes obviously help in this regard, and look, it’s not as sharp as the Porsche Taycan, still the sharpest electric vehicle we’ve driven to date, but the driving experience in this i4 is comparable to the excellent 3 Series.

But I’m not in love with the fake sound piped into the cabin when in 'Sport' mode. It sounds weirdly low-rent and I much prefer to accelerate to triple digit speeds in serene, near-silence.

Switch things up to 'Comfort' mode, and the i4 makes for a surprisingly relaxed drive.

The steering gets bit a looser and the adaptive dampers ease off a little, soaking up bumps and road imperfections with minimal affect to occupants.

Pair this with the nearly-silent electric powertrain, and well, our little one in the back seat has fallen asleep on more than one occasion in my time with the car

You can also adjust the level of regenerative braking in the i4 and operate it with one pedal like in the Nissan Leaf and Hyundai Ioniq 5.

This is a more efficient way to drive an EV as it forces you to look ahead and be careful with your throttle inputs.

One-pedal driving might not be for everyone, but it’s nice to have the option there.

What the Corvette Z06 is like to drive really depends where you drive it. Our suburb has a ridiculous number of speed humps, which are like the Corvette Z06’s Kryptonite thanks to its very limited ground clearance and a carbon front splitter that almost skims the road at the best of times.

This made the Z06 one of the slowest fast cars I’ve ever piloted. My son would beg me to drive him to school in it, but the journey would take twice as long as we slowly eased over each hump while holding our breath. A lift system does raise the front of the vehicle but even then, don't breathe out.

The width and poor visibility made inching down narrow streets of parked cars a stressful exercise, too.

The Corvette Z06 is almost too much of a racecar to live with and then you let it free on an open country road and its purpose is clear - it runs like you wouldn’t believe and screams in delight all the way, while clamping itself to the road with sticky tyres, perfectly set up suspension and proper downforce.

Steering feels mainlined though to your nervous system, the pedals under your feel like your actual feet, and it all feels like a dream until you wake up again when you reach the city limits and round abouts, and traffic and yes, speed humps.

The Corvette Z06 clearly is a car that needs to be joined by other cars in your driveway, ones that don’t even notice speed humps.

Along with four airbags, the Corvette Z06 has AEB, forward collision alert, lane-keeping assistance, rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot monitoring, auto high beam headlights and adaptive cruise control.

An ANCAP safety rating doesn't exist for any member of the Corvette and will likely never due to low volume.

Like all BMWs sold in Australia, the i4 comes with a three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty with roadside assist over that period.

This falls short of the now-standard five-year assurance periods offered by premium rivals Audi, Genesis, Jaguar, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz.

Scheduled servicing intervals for the i4 are every 20,000km/24 months, at least in overseas materials.

Australian intervals are yet to be confirmed, but BMW is offering service price plans covering four- and six-year periods in 'Basic' and 'Plus' forms.

The Basic plan for four and six years is set at $1240 and $1765 respectively, while the Plus package is $4805 and $5500.

GMSV covers the Corvette with a three-year/100,000km warranty which is short by current standards where carmakers typically offer a duration of five years/unlimited kilometres.

One of the appealing sides to the Corvette is that it’s made by a down-to-Earth American car company and a longer warranty offering peace of mind would seem more appropriate.

Service intervals are every 12 months or 12,000km, with capped-price servicing sadly unavailable.