Jump to content

BMW i3


mlsstl
 Share

Recommended Posts

Drove one of these a few days ago. Fascinating car. Driving dynamics are very good -- it is rear engine drive with a 170 hp electric motor and 184 ftlbs of torque. Off-the-line pickup is amazing.

 

The interior is very Scandinavian and organic -- very neat if you like that stuff. It is also very roomy and comfortable.

 

Now admittedly this car is really not direct competition for the C-Max. The i3 is truly an urban city car with no highway or long distance pretensions at all. i3 range on the BEV (electric only) is around 80 miles and you can double that with the Rex model. The latter model contains a small motor that is a generator only -- no gas power for the wheels at all. And thanks to California regulations, the gas tank is only 2 gallons for true emergency back-up only.

 

Pricing is also in a different league as the cheapest model starts at $42K. However, they have some very aggressive lease options right now, which fits well for those who want to try the car but aren't sure they want to commit to an outright purchase.

 

We're shopping for a possible replacement for my wife's Mini Clubman right now. Not sure if we will pull the trigger on anything. I still like the C-Max but my wife is rather tepid toward it. The good news is that I'm getting to test drive lots of different cars!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We drove the i3 and liked it. But it'll probably be beyond our budget when the lease ends on our Focus Electric next summer.

 

I'm hoping the Kia Soul EV will be sold in all 50 states. It seems like a real winner.

 

I'd highly recommend any EV. We love driving around and using no gas. We spend about $35 on electricity to drive 1000 miles monthly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The i3 has a "pre-conditioning" feature where the cabin (and battery) are brought to the correct temp while plugged in prior to your departure. For the daily commuter, that solves a lot of winter and summer range problems tied to battery temp and climate control use since it is a lot easier to hold a temp rather initially get to it. The pre-conditioning can be set for a regular time or started from your smart phone. Pretty clever.

 

However, went back for a second test drive with my wife and she had pretty much the same response to this car that she did to the C-Max -- interesting, but not to her taste. So, she'll stick with her Mini Clubman until something else grabs her attention.

Edited by mlsstl
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Left a message with the local Mercedes dealer the other day and heard back yesterday. They said that the Class B Electric car is not being released nationwide and our region (St. Louis area) will not be getting the car. I suspect that is true for many other areas in the U.S. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

I've seen a few i3s bumping around my area.  Early adopters.  Good for them.

 

I could see having one and enjoying it, but the price tag is just a little bit too rich for my blood, and I'd have to have a range extender to be comfortable with it as a daily driver.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really liked the i3 a lot. It was a very serious contender on our short list of cars before we bought the C-max. I really like the electric B class Benz. A very nice car too even if it doesn't look so edgy.

 

One thing about the i3 that didn't impress me was the AC. I would do some serious test driving on hot days before I took one home. I drove one in Texas and LA. It really seemed to struggle to keep up with the Texas heat and it was only 90F. In LA it seemed to be a bit better but it was only 83. I don't think the AC was anywhere near as good as the Cmax's.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The tires are narrow because they went with a very tall wheel. By doing this they keep a decent contact patch but reduce drag quite a bit. It was actually quite a smart way to approach it. I know it looks a bit odd but there is a reason for it. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...