Petra
Member
Well, the hard part of the decision for us was not i3 vs. Model S (that part was easy, despite the size)... it was deciding whether spending the money now was a worthwhile thing to do vs. what the future trade-offs could be. That said, the i3 is a reasonably good first attempt from BMW. From a utilitarian standpoint, the i3 is an overpriced, tarted-up, less practical Leaf... but it is a lot more fun to drive, allows for one pedal driving, actually has a real thermal management system for the battery pack (our Leaf has been hosed by the heat out here--25% pack capacity loss in 20k miles), and has much more comfortable seats. On the negative side of things, it's the most hideous thing BMW has ever made, it felt twitchy/darty on the freeway which is strange for a BMW (even my M Roadster didn't do that), and those damn doors... ugh. I'll admit that there are quite a few situations where the suicide doors could be practical, the fact that we'd have to back the car completely out of the garage to open and use them kills it for me.I do really wonder how many people are in a similar case. Like you, I much prefer smaller cars. Would definitely get the 3 (or Y -- I want those FWDs ) if were available, but have to get something in the meantime. Keep going back and forth between the i3 (which actually has a really fun drive and is, despite what some like to say, very cutting edge), but am on the Model S side of things right now. (Still have some time to decide.) Historically, before I was on the market for a car, I thought the i3 and Model S were different enough and far enough apart in cost that people weren't cross-shopping, but then when I was in the boat of needing a car (in the coming months), I realized it's a very hard decision choosing between the two. My "dilemma" articles are at the bottom of this post if you want a lot more details.
But, anyhow, I'm super curious how many people are in a similar boat. Wish there were data on this.
Btw, I know there are discussions elsewhere, but I'm curious to hear more about your issues with the NG seats.
In case you can't tell, I have a love-hate relationship with BMW... mostly due to past experience.
As for the next-gen seats in the Model S, the side bolstering is too aggressive. My wife an I are fairly small people (I'm 5'9" and ~135lb., she's 5'1" and also quite light) and that, surprisingly, can present issues when car shopping. In her case, the side bolstering comes up so high that it shoves her shoulders forward in a really uncomfortable fashion--clearly designed for someone with a longer torso. The Owner Advisor we were working with didn't really understand until the wife sat in a P85D with the next-gen seats... the OA took one look at her position in the seat, cringed a bit, and said "Okay, yeah... these definitely aren't going to work." I'm usually okay with aggressively bolstered seats but it does occasionally conflict with my short legs in cars with manual transmissions (the RX-8 R3's Recaros comes to mind). The Model S is going to be my wife's daily driver for her very short drive to work and we'll be using it for occasional long trips, so she absolutely must be comfortable in the seats.