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BMW i3
- Thread starter gregincal
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- Electric Vehicles
EarlyAdopter
Active Member
All the more evidence supporting Tesla's decision, and right, to bypass the traditional dealer system.
scottf200
Well-Known Member
Greyson
Member
So... the interior looks neat, except for the steering column's "tumor"... I'm not sure what else to call that disturbing protuberance.
I test drove the BMW i3 over the weekend at their test drive event in San Diego. Here are some impressions/observations:
1. I don’t have a big problem with the interior, exterior, look, etc. I would prefer two rear doors that functioned more like normal doors and the cargo space seemed limited (small trunk, super small frank space). The interior was fine - decently clean and modern.
2. I was disappointed with the driving/handling. It felt like I was driving on thin wheels and it lacked the stability of a normal car. I think BMW went with the super thin wheels to increase range, but it really affected the ride/handling quality for me. The super thin wheels don’t give the car the needed traction/stability and as a result I was left with a “something missing” feeling from the car. It felt like something was taken out of a normal car and I was driving something cheaper, more inferior.
3. I was impressed by the acceleration. It starts out kind of slow but after 15mph or so it really kicks in. I was able to floor the car about 20-30 times and from 20-50mph it’s accelerates decently fast.
Overall, the poor handling and lack of range for the price disappointed me. I personally think a Honda Accord drives better than the BMW i3, and that’s pretty sad considering the BMW i3 has a much steeper price tag. I think BMW might have been gunning for Prius and Leaf owners who want more luxury and performance. If that’s the case, then yes the BMW i3 does give more performance and luxury/refinement than the Leaf or Prius. Compared to the Volt, I think it might be comparably in terms of ride quality performance. The BMW i3 accelerates faster than the Volt, but the Volt feels more stable and like a real car.
I think the BMW i3 is a tough sell, especially when you have more and more high-mileage cars on the market. One can buy a Camry Hybrid and get 43/39 mpg or a Honda Accord hybrid and get 45 mpg. And you’d spend less than a BMW i3, and you’d get a better ride IMO.
If one doesn’t car about gas mileage as much, you can get a 2013 BMW 328i CPO for $30k. I’d take a 2013 BMW 328i CPO over a BMW i3 any day. The BMW 328i is a better car in almost all regards (excluding mpg) - better ride, handling, performance, cargo space, 4 real doors, etc.
I was hoping that BMW would have made a real compelling EV, but the i3 as it stands is not that vehicle.
1. I don’t have a big problem with the interior, exterior, look, etc. I would prefer two rear doors that functioned more like normal doors and the cargo space seemed limited (small trunk, super small frank space). The interior was fine - decently clean and modern.
2. I was disappointed with the driving/handling. It felt like I was driving on thin wheels and it lacked the stability of a normal car. I think BMW went with the super thin wheels to increase range, but it really affected the ride/handling quality for me. The super thin wheels don’t give the car the needed traction/stability and as a result I was left with a “something missing” feeling from the car. It felt like something was taken out of a normal car and I was driving something cheaper, more inferior.
3. I was impressed by the acceleration. It starts out kind of slow but after 15mph or so it really kicks in. I was able to floor the car about 20-30 times and from 20-50mph it’s accelerates decently fast.
Overall, the poor handling and lack of range for the price disappointed me. I personally think a Honda Accord drives better than the BMW i3, and that’s pretty sad considering the BMW i3 has a much steeper price tag. I think BMW might have been gunning for Prius and Leaf owners who want more luxury and performance. If that’s the case, then yes the BMW i3 does give more performance and luxury/refinement than the Leaf or Prius. Compared to the Volt, I think it might be comparably in terms of ride quality performance. The BMW i3 accelerates faster than the Volt, but the Volt feels more stable and like a real car.
I think the BMW i3 is a tough sell, especially when you have more and more high-mileage cars on the market. One can buy a Camry Hybrid and get 43/39 mpg or a Honda Accord hybrid and get 45 mpg. And you’d spend less than a BMW i3, and you’d get a better ride IMO.
If one doesn’t car about gas mileage as much, you can get a 2013 BMW 328i CPO for $30k. I’d take a 2013 BMW 328i CPO over a BMW i3 any day. The BMW 328i is a better car in almost all regards (excluding mpg) - better ride, handling, performance, cargo space, 4 real doors, etc.
I was hoping that BMW would have made a real compelling EV, but the i3 as it stands is not that vehicle.
jerjozwik
Active Member
i get the same impressions from the fit ev and 500e, i think it has something to do with the traction control systems or a sluggish drive-by-wire curve so these cars dont vaporize their low traction tires.
stopcrazypp
Well-Known Member
I believe it exists on the Spark EV also. Without a limiter you can probably easily chirp your tires at every launch.
tommolog
Member
I know the i3 has been roundly criticized here by many for its unconventional design and I'm sure I'll get more than a few "It still looks like crap", :biggrin: but I had mine wrapped red and made a few customizations. Look any better? Worse?
Looks are such a subjective thing, but I personally like the wrap you did and think looks very nice. I'm a Model S owner, I lease a Leaf and will be taking delivery of my i3 in about a week. I'm actually quite excited to get the car (Just downloaded the iPhone manual for the car today). The thing that BMW is ahead of Tesla right now are all the driver assist technologies. I look forward to seeing how the Adaptive stop/go cruise control works for my commute (Seattle area freeway traffic can be the brutal stop and go type, so it should be a good test). Also I'm interested to see how the other park assist tech works as well. Thanks for posting all your great comments Tom (especially in the i3 Facebook group), I have appreciated them as I've been waiting for my i3.
The i3 is supposed to be my bridge car until the Model X comes out (my wife currently drives the S and carts the kids around in it and I drive the Leaf and will drive the i3 as the Leaf lease expires in about a month), but if I really enjoy the i3 there is a possibility I may give up my Signature X reservation and wait for Tesla to iterate on the X over a couple of years and they buy one. Part of that will depend on just how much better the X has developed since the prototype version Tesla has been displaying!
@tommolog, to those like myself who feel that the i3 is "visually challenged" ;-) a wrap doesn't alter the aesthetic character of the car. However, I'm glad you are enjoying your i3.
@Blurry_Eyed, I look forward to reading about your experience with the i3 driver assist technologies. To me they seem like bells and whistles, but I could be persuaded otherwise. This summer I am thinking of getting an i3 test drive just out of curiosity but have no plans to buy one.
@Blurry_Eyed, I look forward to reading about your experience with the i3 driver assist technologies. To me they seem like bells and whistles, but I could be persuaded otherwise. This summer I am thinking of getting an i3 test drive just out of curiosity but have no plans to buy one.
tommolog
Member
So far so good. I have a host of small issues, but I'm a perfectionist and feel that way about every car I've had. Here's a quick run down:
Likes:
Hill Hold: It's different than any hill hold I've ever had. The car won't roll backwards at all, even if you don't touch the brake. You can roll up to the top of a steep incline and the car just holds itself without applying the brake. Very neat feature.
Adaptive cruise control with brake assist: It works just as implied. It will even stop the car by itself and then accelerate as the car in front of you does. You basically only need to steer and you can set it to maintain four different different distances from the car you are following.
Acceleration: It's no Model S (what is anyway?) but the thing is damn quick, especially in the 10mph to 60mph range. It feels like it can keep up with anything in that zone.
Efficiency: It's very efficient. I've been driving electric for five years now and it's crazy for me to see consumption rates of 5+ mi/kWh without even really trying to be efficient.
Interior: Where the exterior fails a bit, the interior shines. It's one of the nicest and well laid out interiors of any car in my opinion. Visibility is great and it has tons of room for such a small car. Being tall and boxy does have some advantages with regards to space.
Dislikes:
No proper state of charge gauge with numeric representation. Inexcusable. I have talked to BMW about this extensively and I do expect it to be added in a future software update.
Choppy ride. I did get the 20" low profile wheels so I may be partially to blame for it, but you do feel every bump you drive over.
Connector locks to the car and won't release. I hate this. When the car is locked and you are charging, the connector locks to the chargeport and will not release, even once your charging is complete. I would like to see it release once you are finished or have it configurable in iDrive.
Software glitches. I should have kinda expected this, but some people are reporting a variety of software glitches which really shouldn't happen. Yeah, it's a first generation car, and BMW's first EV, but they have been beta testing these things for five years now and I expected it to be rock solid out of the gate.
EarlyAdopter
Active Member
Looks way better. Better flow from front to back. Seems more like a single design now and less like a Pontiac Aztek.
I test drove the i3 last weekend and just wanted to post my thoughts. Keep in mind, I'm coming from driving a Leaf/low-performance ICE.
Before I went to the test drive, I did not like the i3. I thought the styling was too radical and range disappointing for the price. After seeing it in person, I felt the car looked much nicer than it had in pictures. I don't really know how to explain it, but it just looks less bizarre seeing it in person than on a computer screen. I am still not a fan of the two-tone paint (I think tommolog's wrap looks great for that reason alone), but I actually changed my mind about the styling. I think it's pretty cool. The interior was more luxurious than I'm used to right now, and the "coach doors" remind me quite a bit of the Mini we used to own. I'd say the biggest disappointment for me was the driver display screen. It just seems unnecessarily small and cramped, since there is plenty of space for a larger display. Crucial information like range is shown in tiny (10 point?) font. I did not get to test or see any of the higher tech stuff like adaptive driving, so I can't comment on that. As far as driving goes, I was impressed. It took some time to get used to true single pedal driving, but it seemed to work quite well. It is definitely a quick car, as one would expect given its 2700 lb weight.
I walked away from the test drive with a better appreciation for the car than I had before, but (speaking purely for myself here) for me it wasn't worth the (~$15-20k) premium over a Leaf. In order for me to spend more on a car, it has to have more range and fast charging. The improved performance is obviously a big plus for the i3. That said, I don't really care too much about the luxury features or high-end tech on what will be a city/commuter car. Still, I hope these sell well as they will help promote EV adoption. But I will be waiting for Model X/Gen III.
Before I went to the test drive, I did not like the i3. I thought the styling was too radical and range disappointing for the price. After seeing it in person, I felt the car looked much nicer than it had in pictures. I don't really know how to explain it, but it just looks less bizarre seeing it in person than on a computer screen. I am still not a fan of the two-tone paint (I think tommolog's wrap looks great for that reason alone), but I actually changed my mind about the styling. I think it's pretty cool. The interior was more luxurious than I'm used to right now, and the "coach doors" remind me quite a bit of the Mini we used to own. I'd say the biggest disappointment for me was the driver display screen. It just seems unnecessarily small and cramped, since there is plenty of space for a larger display. Crucial information like range is shown in tiny (10 point?) font. I did not get to test or see any of the higher tech stuff like adaptive driving, so I can't comment on that. As far as driving goes, I was impressed. It took some time to get used to true single pedal driving, but it seemed to work quite well. It is definitely a quick car, as one would expect given its 2700 lb weight.
I walked away from the test drive with a better appreciation for the car than I had before, but (speaking purely for myself here) for me it wasn't worth the (~$15-20k) premium over a Leaf. In order for me to spend more on a car, it has to have more range and fast charging. The improved performance is obviously a big plus for the i3. That said, I don't really care too much about the luxury features or high-end tech on what will be a city/commuter car. Still, I hope these sell well as they will help promote EV adoption. But I will be waiting for Model X/Gen III.
Tedkidd
Member
Yep, wrap is a great improvement.
Those are some very cool features in the LIKES column. Could you possibly take a harder swing at the dislikes?
What good makes efficiency if it still has miserable range?
I will praise efficiency when the range is good. If range is poor, I could not care less about efficiency.
More it goes over 5 mi/kWh, more efficient the car is.
Efficiency drops if that number drops
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