RE: BMW i3: Review
Discussion
VladD said:
This i3 has no pistons and therefore does not qualify for inclusion on this website. Please remove it at once.
Oh do behave.Neither does a Tesla Model S and see how it destroys an 6 litre V12 Aston Rapide...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUW0l7bZn1s
Tesla is mid next year to UK, with 300 mile range and this performance, that's a game changer!
Frimley111R said:
Seriously? In what way is this anything like a 'game changer'? The only way I can see this being so is if it could do 400m on electric charge alone and/or chare up in 5 mins.
Well as far as I can see, it's the first range extender that the badge snobs will approve of, which might be what it needs to pick up significant sales amongst the middle-classes. Frimley111R said:
Seriously? In what way is this anything like a 'game changer'? The only way I can see this being so is if it could do 400m on electric charge alone and/or chare up in 5 mins.
What, like this then?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5V0vL3nnHY
bertie said:
VladD said:
This i3 has no pistons and therefore does not qualify for inclusion on this website. Please remove it at once.
Oh do behave.Neither does a Tesla Model S and see how it destroys an 6 litre V12 Aston Rapide...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUW0l7bZn1s
Tesla is mid next year to UK, with 300 mile range and this performance, that's a game changer!
I posted this on another thresd:
I have placed an order for the BMW i3. I sat in a demo model last weekend and was stunned by the feel and space inside. I will order it with the range extender which is a small petrol generator which charges the battery should you need to go further than 100 miles. I will have a charger at work and a charger at home (installed for either 25% of cost or for free due to government grant).
Some figures to compare to my current company car 302d, all prices ex VAT where applicable:
BMW 320d Yearly Cost:
Fuel - £5000
Lease - £5500
Benefit in kind charge to me - actual cash out of my pocket - £4800
BMW i3 Yearly Cost
Fuel / Electric - £2000
Lease - £7140
Benefit in kind charge to me - actual cash out of my pocket - £1122
So over 3 years the company will be better off by £3,000 and I will be better of by £11,034
I do 30,000 miles per year.
I have placed an order for the BMW i3. I sat in a demo model last weekend and was stunned by the feel and space inside. I will order it with the range extender which is a small petrol generator which charges the battery should you need to go further than 100 miles. I will have a charger at work and a charger at home (installed for either 25% of cost or for free due to government grant).
Some figures to compare to my current company car 302d, all prices ex VAT where applicable:
BMW 320d Yearly Cost:
Fuel - £5000
Lease - £5500
Benefit in kind charge to me - actual cash out of my pocket - £4800
BMW i3 Yearly Cost
Fuel / Electric - £2000
Lease - £7140
Benefit in kind charge to me - actual cash out of my pocket - £1122
So over 3 years the company will be better off by £3,000 and I will be better of by £11,034
I do 30,000 miles per year.
Okay, so I placed an order for one of these a month or so ago.
I'm currently testing a Nissan Leaf which has less range than this, and I've been able to get to work and home again comfortably whilst charging at home or at the local charging points (which are fantastic)!
It's a lovely feeling not worrying about paying £100 for a tank of dinosaur juice, and it means that I get to buy a nice big V8 next year and not feel like I'm lining Mr Cameron's pockets.
At the moment I'm using around £500-600 on fuel a month to get to work, leasing this as a brand new car I'm making a substantial saving.
Back onto the Leaf, it feels effortlessly quick around town and on dual carriageways. And copes with my mix of town and country lane driving with no issue. Most I've gotten out of it so far is ~80 miles and I haven't used ECO mode yet. Doing a drive to London tomorrow so that'll be in force and see if it can make it.
Definitely the future for work commute!
I'm currently testing a Nissan Leaf which has less range than this, and I've been able to get to work and home again comfortably whilst charging at home or at the local charging points (which are fantastic)!
It's a lovely feeling not worrying about paying £100 for a tank of dinosaur juice, and it means that I get to buy a nice big V8 next year and not feel like I'm lining Mr Cameron's pockets.
At the moment I'm using around £500-600 on fuel a month to get to work, leasing this as a brand new car I'm making a substantial saving.
Back onto the Leaf, it feels effortlessly quick around town and on dual carriageways. And copes with my mix of town and country lane driving with no issue. Most I've gotten out of it so far is ~80 miles and I haven't used ECO mode yet. Doing a drive to London tomorrow so that'll be in force and see if it can make it.
Definitely the future for work commute!
jamespink said:
Congratulations to BMW for doing the electric car properly. I am so sick of petrol engine Luddites banging on about range... Unless you are a rep (in which case you have a diesel) when was the last time you drove more than 90 miles? Truth is 95% of all car journeys are far less than this (going to work) a recharge gap in the middle, then go home. This from someone that drives a 5 litre V8 5 miles to work and back. Its ridiculous and even I can see that!
You're bang on. I've got a Nissan Leaf since early July. The best I've managed in real life conditions is a range of 72 miles, so that's rather pitiful, at first sight. However, it has never been a problem, as I use the Leaf as my daily local runaround. In my case it means that 80% of all 'practical' journeys (other than for fun), I can use the Leaf. I keep my previous company car (a 5-series Touring) for long-distance and trailering purposes and also have a 996TT as a fun car. Due to the fiscal measures for EV's (I live in Belgium), such as annual road tax of only 76 €, amortization at 120% (the Leaf is on my company), a government grant of 2,100 €, the large discount (27%) I got from the Nissan Dealer (as my Leaf was a 2013 stock model that needed shifting in view of the FL for 2014), the savings on company car tax, diesel and maintenance for the 5-series, the full cost of ownership for the Leaf is actually less than zero (including depreciation!), i.e., my budget for both the 5-series (as a private car) and Leaf (as a company car) is now lower compared to what is was when I used the 5-series (as a company car) for everything...
I've not considered waiting for the i3, because I needed a larger car than that (2 young kids) and the rumours on its price put it at a distinct disadvantage vs the Leaf. However, when my SO's current 118d needs replacing in a couple of years, we'll certainly give the i3 a good look, as 99% of her journeys are less than 60 miles (roundtrip). And the i3 is way cooler than the Leaf. And RWD!
nicfaz said:
90 miles? That just cuts it completely out of the equation for a large swathe of the population. I'll remain on the fence until the range extender version comes out, but I was hoping for something similarly game changing like the Tesla Model-S. With a 90 mile range, this isn't. Perhaps the conventional car manufacturers see a future where petrol is still the fuel of choice for medium to long distance?
Edited to add that the fact it looks like it's being styled by a 5-year-old doesn't help either.
It's a small city/commuter car. How many people do more than 90 miles a day?Edited to add that the fact it looks like it's being styled by a 5-year-old doesn't help either.
VladD said:
bertie said:
VladD said:
This i3 has no pistons and therefore does not qualify for inclusion on this website. Please remove it at once.
Oh do behave.Neither does a Tesla Model S and see how it destroys an 6 litre V12 Aston Rapide...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUW0l7bZn1s
Tesla is mid next year to UK, with 300 mile range and this performance, that's a game changer!
If that is the criteria, some diesel eurobox will be quicker than the Aston as you can do it on one tank!
Or how about this, battery pack swap in 1min 33 seconds, far quicker than filling up!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5V0vL3nnHY
Frimley111R said:
toppstuff said:
A potential game changer IMO.
Seriously? In what way is this anything like a 'game changer'? The only way I can see this being so is if it could do 400m on electric charge alone and/or chare up in 5 mins. It is a game changer because it is the first car of this kind to actually be aspirational. Every offering so far has required the mindset of a hair-shirt wearing yogurt weaving pacifist.
The i3 is genuinely trying to be different - new construction techniques, new styling, new experience. And judging by the review, the road tester liked it a lot. Thats why it is a game changer.
My wife wants one and she loathes these kind of cars normally.
bertie said:
VladD said:
bertie said:
VladD said:
This i3 has no pistons and therefore does not qualify for inclusion on this website. Please remove it at once.
Oh do behave.Neither does a Tesla Model S and see how it destroys an 6 litre V12 Aston Rapide...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUW0l7bZn1s
Tesla is mid next year to UK, with 300 mile range and this performance, that's a game changer!
If that is the criteria, some diesel eurobox will be quicker than the Aston as you can do it on one tank!
Or how about this, battery pack swap in 1min 33 seconds, far quicker than filling up!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5V0vL3nnHY
kambites said:
So a quick question on the controls - does it have "regenerative braking" or "regenerative engine braking"? I appreciate that you get significant generator braking when you lift off the throttle, but when you apply the brakes do you get more or does the brake pedal simply activate a conventional braking system?
I'm driving a Nissan Leaf, but from what I read in the article, the system seems very similar to the i3. You do get indeed more generator braking when you push the brake pedal. It's only at the very end (when stopping normally) that the conventional braking activates. In the Leaf you can see that quite clearly on the dashboard (the regeneration meter returns to 0) and also feel it (albeit very subtly) in the brake pedal.
Great concept and it's nice to see a product that you'd happily show to your mates (as opposed to something like a G-whiz, which would guarantee you had none). However...
This is a city car yes? Can someone therefore demonstrate to me where all the plugs are to allow me to charge my i3 overnight when it's parked on the street in front of my flat?
The last time I checked, most big cities were populated by apartment dwellers where their cars are parked - sometimes dumped - anywhere there's even the merest hint of a space.
So my question to BMW is this: just who were these 1000 people you garnered your market research from?
This is a city car yes? Can someone therefore demonstrate to me where all the plugs are to allow me to charge my i3 overnight when it's parked on the street in front of my flat?
The last time I checked, most big cities were populated by apartment dwellers where their cars are parked - sometimes dumped - anywhere there's even the merest hint of a space.
So my question to BMW is this: just who were these 1000 people you garnered your market research from?
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