mlsstl Posted April 11, 2015 Report Share Posted April 11, 2015 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! hybridbear 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian_L Posted April 12, 2015 Report Share Posted April 12, 2015 There are a few comparisons online between various electrics. I think the Ford electric held up pretty well but lost marks for being "pedestrian". Wish we could get the Fiat 500 EV this side of the border. Or the Kia Soul EV if they shrunk it down a bit. hybridbear 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hybridbear Posted April 12, 2015 Report Share Posted April 12, 2015 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. obob 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmax-nynj Posted April 19, 2015 Report Share Posted April 19, 2015 (edited) EVs are good but make sure you check the electricity kwh rate before buying one; and the range drops a whole lot once you use cabin heating. Edited April 19, 2015 by cmax-nynj Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlsstl Posted April 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2015 (edited) 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 April 19, 2015 by mlsstl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian_L Posted April 19, 2015 Report Share Posted April 19, 2015 Anyone know when the Mercedes B-class electric is coming out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlsstl Posted April 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2015 None of the Mercedes dealers in the St. Louis area have one, but I believe I've seen them listed in the inventory of some California dealers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlsstl Posted April 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2015 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlsstl Posted April 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2015 (edited) Deleted duplicate post. Edited April 24, 2015 by mlsstl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian_L Posted April 24, 2015 Report Share Posted April 24, 2015 Why does California get to have all the fun?! (The Fiat 500 electric is only available there as far as I know) Thanks for the legwork.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeromep Posted August 1, 2015 Report Share Posted August 1, 2015 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taz Posted August 1, 2015 Report Share Posted August 1, 2015 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian_L Posted August 1, 2015 Report Share Posted August 1, 2015 To be frank, the more I see the i3 the more I hate it. The front wheels are about 3 inches thick! What are they playing at? Just one man's subjective opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taz Posted August 1, 2015 Report Share Posted August 1, 2015 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
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.