Anyone coming from a BMW i3?

[Kiomon]

So I have an AWD in order since July. I currently drive a BMW i3 daily and the model 3 would replace my i3. My commute is about 10 miles round trip each day. For longer interstate drives, I use one of my other vehicles though I have done 900 miles in the i3 before. The model 3 would now make those interstate trips possible via the super charging network and autopilot. I have been reading a lot of owner reviews and such and for a lot of folks this seems to be there first Ev or they are coming from a leaf or Prius. So a lot of the driving impressions are more standard for any sporty ev, doesn’t seem unique to the model 3.

Are there any i3 owners who have gotten a Model 3 and can share their impressions? How does it compare in driver room/ comfort? In city driving is it as placeable as the i3? Is the quality equal to the i3?

Any thoughts or opinions would be appreciated from i3 owners that have made the change.

 

[maroon555]

Quite a lot of people on this forum used to drive i3 before they got model 3. I drove my i3 for over a year and loved it. It's quick, small, versatile, solid, quiet and with adaptive cruise control offers effortless driving in heavy traffic. When I got model 3, it took some time for me to get used to it but in the end I like it much more than i3. At first, I was really bothered by the strong road/tire noise and drove onto curb a couple of times partly because model 3 is much wider than i3. But model 3 is quicker, better looking, surprisingly more efficient, has longer range, better handling. I could not go anywhere far with i3 now I can go anywhere with model 3. Almost in every aspect model 3 is a much better EV than i3.

 

[MacGreiner]

Quite a lot of people on this forum used to drive i3 before they got model 3. I drove my i3 for over a year and loved it. It's quick, small, versatile, solid, quiet and with adaptive cruise control offers effortless driving in heavy traffic. When I got model 3, it took some time for me to get used to it but in the end I like it much more than i3. At first, I was really bothered by the strong road/tire noise and drove onto curb a couple of times partly because model 3 is much wider than i3. But model 3 is quicker, better looking, surprisingly more efficient, has longer range, better handling. I could not go anywhere far with i3 now I can go anywhere with model 3. Almost in every aspect model 3 is a much better EV than i3.

Pretty much this.
You'll have to get used to vampire drain which was effectively 0 on the i3 and not charging to 100%. If BMW had done what they said and pursued the i5. I would have been a customer. I loved the plastic carbon fibre approach and wish Tesla followed. But being able to do road trips now and the supercharger network sure makes up for it.

 

[mmccking]

Same as above...I used to LOVE my i3. I still like the contours and contrasting materials of the i3's dash, the high seating position, darty drive characteristics, full stop reg breaking, and blue tint LEDs headlamps. However, there's so much more I like about the Mod 3.

The Mod 3 doubles my i3's range while putting out zero emissions, seats +1, stores more than 1 large suit case, is faster, quicker, and roomier. Plus, it was cheaper. Granted I got great lease incentives, but sticker to sticker, the Mod 3 still wins out.

I'd also like to elaborate on the Mod 3's efficiency...

I'm @ 240 Wh/mi with 1900 miles on Aeros, with near constant use of A/C. That's equivalent to ~4.2 mi/kWh in BMW terms. When not using the AC, I'm getting close to 4.8 mi/kWh or roughly 209 Wh/mi going to SF and back.

Compared to my i3 REX's 4.4 mi/kWh lifetime average (30k miles) with stingy use of AC during Bay Area summers and only using seat warmers during winter.

This level of efficiency is amazing. BMW put so much into trying to make the car light and efficient with CFRP, pencil thin tires, small size, and a small battery pack, at the expense of price, stability, roominess, and range. The Mod 3 doesn't compromise on any of these, yet it's more efficient.

Although at its base it's supposed to become a $35k car, it's amazing how well thought out the whole package is.

You're going to want to find excuses to drive more than 10 miles each day.

 

[Kiomon]

This is awesome info guys. How does driver seat comfort compare. I am tall, 6'4" and 290 lb solid. In my i3 i am comfortable, but would love more width. How does the 3 compare? is there a lot more space for the driver?

 

[mmccking]

Good room, widely adjustable seats, but I wish the steering wheel adjusted a bit higher. I'm 6'2" and don't hit the wheel when I exit...that's after I set the Easy Entry to raise the seat and lift the steering wheel for easier ingress/egress.

I forgot, the view out the rear view mirror is terrible compared to the i3. The rear deck is too high. I think they did it to give a deeper trunk opening, but you pretty much cannot see headlights if they're any closer than 30-40'.