On the face of it this is a mighty attractive idea and an easy thing to describe: an electric 4 Series Gran Coupe. Although to be truthful it’s not that, because frankly that’d be a bit of a bodge-up. It has a different floor, suspension and even seats, all to fit around the electric bits. And it wears a new dash that’s on-trend with the enormo-screen experience beloved by fashion-forward EV buyers.

By which of course we mean the Tesla Model 3 and Polestar 2. Yup, the i4 has in its sights those low-slung, fast but not-ridiculously-unaffordable electric cars. The RWD eDrive35 packs 282bhp and 295lb ft for 0-62mph in six seconds flat, powered by a 70kWh battery (67kWh useable) that’s good for 299 miles of range between charges. If you’re brave enough, that is.

Then there’s the eDrive40, which upgrades the battery (84/81kWh) and harnesses more oomph – 335 and 317lb ft – for 0-62mph in 5.6 seconds. The big appeal here isn’t the bragging rights but the extra range: 359 miles on paper.