The looks of the BMW are questionable enough (but I might convince myself to ignore them)...the driving dynamics (or lack thereof) are just bizarre coming from BMW. Motor Trend's review is the same:
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/alternative/1307_2014_bmw_i3_first_drive/
An excerpt from above:
Golf cart. No, I'm not comparing the i3 to one. But I'm mentioning those two panic-button words to get BMW's attention. With all the challenges electric cars are facing -- expensive batteries, slow recharging, limited range -- they absolutely cannot afford to also be saddled with a vacuous driving experience like this. I would have fretted about the car's vanilla EV-feel if it were a Toyota. Coming from a BMW, it's baffling.
At Maisach's converted airstrips, which BMW had punctuated with cone-marked lane changes and slaloms, the car lolled through corners. Yes, its steering re-aimed the car, but observed a monk-like vow of silence about the particulars. Front-end grip washed away the instant I pressed it, and under acceleration (0-60 mph in about 7 seconds) there was a weird, warbling electronic sound that's exactly like a ray gun in an old black-and-white, 1950s sci-fi movie. I felt like ducking. It was almost comical. About the best thing you can say is that its short wheelbase and hyper-angling front wheels give it a heck of a turning circle, though the pan-like Bridgestone EP500 155/70R19 tires make it look a bit like an Automoblox toy while doing it. As it rolls, the i3 is a transportation zombie that might as well be an autonomous car. In fact, it'll be a great one once the technology's available. Until then, we expect more of a BMW, and so should the company. Let's call this first drive a Mulligan. Tee up the car's driving dynamics again, please
.
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/alternative/1307_2014_bmw_i3_first_drive/
An excerpt from above:
Golf cart. No, I'm not comparing the i3 to one. But I'm mentioning those two panic-button words to get BMW's attention. With all the challenges electric cars are facing -- expensive batteries, slow recharging, limited range -- they absolutely cannot afford to also be saddled with a vacuous driving experience like this. I would have fretted about the car's vanilla EV-feel if it were a Toyota. Coming from a BMW, it's baffling.
At Maisach's converted airstrips, which BMW had punctuated with cone-marked lane changes and slaloms, the car lolled through corners. Yes, its steering re-aimed the car, but observed a monk-like vow of silence about the particulars. Front-end grip washed away the instant I pressed it, and under acceleration (0-60 mph in about 7 seconds) there was a weird, warbling electronic sound that's exactly like a ray gun in an old black-and-white, 1950s sci-fi movie. I felt like ducking. It was almost comical. About the best thing you can say is that its short wheelbase and hyper-angling front wheels give it a heck of a turning circle, though the pan-like Bridgestone EP500 155/70R19 tires make it look a bit like an Automoblox toy while doing it. As it rolls, the i3 is a transportation zombie that might as well be an autonomous car. In fact, it'll be a great one once the technology's available. Until then, we expect more of a BMW, and so should the company. Let's call this first drive a Mulligan. Tee up the car's driving dynamics again, please
.
