In the multiverse of motoring, there exists an alternate reality where everything is electric: boats, planes, trains and automobiles. If you suddenly got warped into this alternate reality, what now?

Truthfully that reality isn’t so bad. Let’s regress a bit. Electric vehicles (or EVs) and their ilk get a bad rap for being the pansies of motoring. They’re for tree huggers, the woke crowd, the anti-establishment (not the cool type), for those who question the natural order of the universe etc.

The truth is, EVs are perfect in a very crowded urban setting. They are the best vehicles to use when you just need to press on with your day. No drama, just work. Many will argue that EVs lack the aural experience. But EVs in turn deliver breathtakingly (literally) instantaneous torque, translating to stupendous acceleration, enough to push you into the future, or a wormhole into another dimension.

EVs are heavy. True. But EVs also usually have superior weight balance and distribution, as the very heavy bits are all together, mounted low on the floor, perfectly between the front and rear axles. There’s more to physics than just outright weight. A look at the current crop of ICE performance cars proves that.

This isn’t an argument about one being better than the other, EV versus ICE (internal combustion engine). Rather, this is about pointing out facts, and ultimately, that EVs simply have their own brand of entertainment, of experience, but just as good.

I’ve been fortunate to drive truly memorable full EVs. All left me highly satisfied with their immense acceleration, their impressive NVH refinement and comfort plus their luxurious interiors.

BMW’s i4 is one of my very favorite EV’s to drive because this feel the most like a proper and traditional sports sedan, a segment conceived by the Bavarians. It bridges the gap between traditional and futuristic, making adoption easier.

I was fortunate to try the G26 BMW i4 eDrive35 M Sport while in Singapore. It’s a proper a RWD sedan BMW classifies as a Gran Coupe thanks to its fastback rear. It’s handsome and the stylish rear is sexy, like a model’s exposed back through a sultry formal gown. The front grill is an acquired taste, but it does look better in the metal.

The M Sport kit adds the stylish 19-inch M Sport two-tone alloy wheels, the subtle M Aerodynamic bodykit in high-gloss Shadowline trim and a more aggressive front fascia.

On the road, the i4 drives like a proper BMW, but on steroids at Grand Prix starts: the enormous 19-inch Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires easily break traction and scrabble for grip until about ~60 kilometers per hour should you floor the throttle completely. The brakes are equally powerful, more than a match for the electric thrust, aided and abetted no doubt by the regenerative braking while the steering feels extra light but just as communicative.

That’s the benefit of having almost no weight on top of the front axle. The bulk of the i4’s 2,065kg curb weight is sandwiched on the floor. This retains impressive handling dynamics as the weight stabilizes the i4, keeping handling precise and crucially, predictable. A hint of oversteer when you really force it, but very much neutral with a hint of stabilizing understeer on the limit. The i4 is not just a straight-line specialist; it’s a proper canyon carver.

And if you have to ask how it behaves once it breaches its admittedly lofty limits, unfortunately there was no chance. It’s not something I’d try in Singapore’s fine roads either. The limits are so high, most run out of balls and talent long before the BMW runs out of ability.

It’s fitting we took the i4 to the Kranji War Memorial northwest of Singapore, paying respect to the island nation’s history and its fallen heroes. We cannot hope for a better future w/o recognizing the lessons of the past. BMW is expanding: while scaling back on EVs, it’s also trying to tap new markets, attract new buyers from all spectrums (BMW recently acquired famed specialist, tuner and second-stage manufacturer Alpina) whilst enjoying success in motorsport (GT3 / DTM and the World Endurance Championship) and eking out as much efficiency from its regular model line-up, with a healthy mix of ICE, PHEV, and BEV models. This is BMW’s open-technology and power-of-choice philosophy that buyers should have access to every possible power type for their vehicles.

From Kranji, we drive east to Seletar Airport, Singapore’s regional airport that serves turbo prop flights, private plane landings and aviation schools. At Hyde Park Gate Garden, just behind Seletar’s tarmac, we take some amazing views of all the aircraft on the apron awaiting their turn to be serviced before flying out.

Driving close to the boundaries of Singapore allowed me to sample the i4’s touring abilities. From Alexandra, the home of Performance Motors BMW where we picked up the car,  it took us close to an hour to get to Kranji War Memorial with traffic, and another 25 or so minutes to get to Hyde Park Gate Garden behind Seletar then finally looped back to Alexandra, close to Singapore’s southern tip.

With its dense urban landscape, heavily monitored roads and busy pedestrian crossings, an EV makes perfect sense in Singapore. No noise to disturb  the neighborhood, and no emissions to harm the high concentration of residents in the area. It’s the same if you normally just stay in & around the busy CBDs of Makati, Ortigas, Greenhills and BGC.

Back in Manila, I get the chance to try the i4 in similar spec sans the M Sport kit. With our metropolis’ less than ideal roads, the i4 revealed its one flaw.  Cruising along Libis on a quiet Sunday afternoon, I unexpectedly hit a rough patch of road, unseen because of the glare from the sun. My foot accidentally dug deep into the accelerator and the i4’s rear tires skipped, hopped and chirped uncontrollably. The electronic safety bits caught it fast enough but not before the car, myself and my dog who was with me collectively welped in shock. Imagine if the road was wet? The i4 rides on very stiff suspension to keep its heft in check, but you lose a good amount of compliance, tactility and articulation on high-frequency undulations.

Overall, the i4 is a gem. If you are looking to make the jump to EVs whilst retaining excellent driving dynamics, the i4 is perfect. It looks like what we are used to (a typical European sports sedan), handles like how we expect them to (sharp, engaging but ultimately safe and predictable) and doesn’t shout that it’s an EV which can put off potential buyers wanting to make the jump.

The alternate fully electric future is not a dark, grim possibility, even for car guys like you and me. It’s very different, but can be just as good thanks to cars like the BMW i4.