BMW i3s?? More of everything, now less $$$?

[McRat]

BMW has apparently tweaked the i3 into an i3 Sport. It receives a mild HP bump, more range, grippery wider tires, tighter suspension, and 1/2" lower. It now has an EPA of 114 mi AER, and a BMW rated 6.8s 0-60 mph.

OK, so what? Base trim, plus a $550 red paint job, then $2500 for ACC and NAV w/Traffic+charging locations, porks in at $51,695. OUCH for a 100mi class car.

But... BMW is putting $10,000 in the glovebox for SCE customers. Total California rebates is a whopping $20,450. Which ... uh... still makes it more than Bolt or other offerings. But it includes ACC, NAV, DCFC and RWD. And an optional range extender for the scaredy cats is available if you don't enjoy hitchhiking.

I'd always scoffed at the i3 "wannabeeabmw" but with a sports pack and more centered market price? Might need to actually drive one. I will have to wear a disguise or my friends will think I went metro on them, but ...

SCE: Residential Customers Can Now Get $10,000 Off a BMW i3

 

[Tiger]

• Is the BMW i3 the ugliest car in the US market?
• BMW's New Electric Car Is Just Like a Tesla, Only Much, Much Worse
• Did BMW Screw Up Visual Design of i3 Electric Car?
• 2014 BMW i3: What A Tesla Driver Thinks Of New Electric BMW

 

[NeverFollow]

...porks in at $51,695. OUCH for a 100 miles class car.

Millions Wasted: LAPD's Fleet Of BMW i3 Aren't Being Used - AutoSpies Auto News

 

[Cheburashka]

There is no reason to buy the i3 over the Bolt, which also has Android Auto and DCFC and a reasonable range for 2018.

Also, comparing to the new Leaf, the Leaf has L2 semi-autonomous ProPilot while the BMW does not.

Plus the i3 is incredibly ugly. Just not a good car overall.

 

[McRat]

There is no reason to buy the i3 over the Bolt, which also has Android Auto and DCFC and a reasonable range for 2018.

Also, comparing to the new Leaf, the Leaf has L2 semi-autonomous ProPilot while the BMW does not.

Plus the i3 is incredibly ugly. Just not a good car overall.

The only reason I could see is if the i3s is sportier than the Bolt, and you are looking to AutoX it. It now has similar acceleration, RWD, and hopefully better handling than the Bolt. But is it ENOUGH sport? It's light for an EV at 2,800lb, and is lower than the i3 base model, and has a wider powerband.

But yes, the body styling looks like you were in a crash, and they replaced panels with the wrong pieces until the correct parts arrive.

 

[Cheburashka]

There's better cars for AutoX anyways. I doubt the i3s will be an autoX champion, but it will probably perform better than a Bolt. i3s seems like a waste of money when there are so many other better options out there.

 

[NeverFollow]

Beside price and battery size, for city usage,
I like the footprint of the i3, however there are only 4 seats:

Length: 198" (5.03 m) - Tesla Model X
Length: 196" (4.98 m) - Tesla Model S
Length: 185" (4.69 m) - Tesla Model 3
Length: 176" (4.47 m) - Nissan LEAF
Length: 168" (4.27 m) - Volkswagen e-Golf
Length: 164" (4.16 m) - Chevrolet Bolt
Length: 161" (4.10 m) - Volkswagen ID (2025 ?)
Length: 158" (4.01 m) - BMW i3

 

[Evoforce]

BMW is not serious about selling BEV's yet. Quirky car, short range, high price tag.

 

[Candleflame]

let's just all have a look at the activE prototype to see where BMW went wrong:

The car also had a 35kwh battery which was back then unheard of (apart from the roadster).
Everyone knew we were gonna get a release model based on the 1 series with a 45kwh battery or something like that.
Instead we got a the crappy i3.