So who's getting an i3?

[oop north]

Bear in mind that recent quotes have been helped by bmw offers for cars in stock and delivered by 18 December. If you are quick you might just grab one but may be getting a bit borderline now

[Amateurish]

cheerfulcharlie said:

OK thanks I will give them a try. The quote I had was based on 8000 miles per yr so no, not that high.

A quick search on CHL finds a Rex for £300 on a 3+23 with Whitewater:

https://www.contracthireandleasing.com/car-leasing...

[trowelhead]

oop north said:

Bear in mind that recent quotes have been helped by bmw offers for cars in stock and delivered by 18 December. If you are quick you might just grab one but may be getting a bit borderline now

Yes very true, If you are not fussy on spec then you could get a cracking deal on an in stock car.

Am i right in thinking that you would need to speak direct to a bmw i dealer rather than lease company to access those in stock cars?

Amateurish said:

A quick search on CHL finds a Rex for £300 on a 3+23 with Whitewater:

https://www.contracthireandleasing.com/car-leasing...

I got quotes from most of the companies on that site. Whitewater and Fleetdrive Electric were the two cheapest so i would start there...

I did end up going with a bmw i dealer who matched the quote as they could order the car much faster, in time for the Dec deadline.

[cheerfulcharlie]

CHL was where I got the quote I stated earlier - which was completely different when it became 'official'. I'll try these other 2 now and see if its really true !

[cheerfulcharlie]

oop north said:

Bear in mind that recent quotes have been helped by bmw offers for cars in stock and delivered by 18 December. If you are quick you might just grab one but may be getting a bit borderline now

As off this morning there are still plenty of cars left (apparently). The December offer is Sport Pack and Fluid Back - discounted by £1500. Also the Service Pack is free as are the cables (aren't they always ?) and unspecified discount off a BMW wall box.

[oop north]

trowelhead said:

oop north said:

Bear in mind that recent quotes have been helped by bmw offers for cars in stock and delivered by 18 December. If you are quick you might just grab one but may be getting a bit borderline now

Yes very true, If you are not fussy on spec then you could get a cracking deal on an in stock car.

Am i right in thinking that you would need to speak direct to a bmw i dealer rather than lease company to access those in stock cars?

Amateurish said:

A quick search on CHL finds a Rex for £300 on a 3+23 with Whitewater:

https://www.contracthireandleasing.com/car-leasing...

I got quotes from most of the companies on that site. Whitewater and Fleetdrive Electric were the two cheapest so i would start there...

I did end up going with a bmw i dealer who matched the quote as they could order the car much faster, in time for the Dec deadline.

It's an odd situation as to who you should contact - BMW are making some cars available to leasing co's that they are hiding from i dealers.... I got mine via an i dealer but he had to use an external broker to be able to access it. I had very specific requirements that made it difficult to get one that would suit.

Apparently "my" car is in the country now! Electrician here today doing some of the prep work for getting a charger in (a new 62 amp cable)... hopefully will have power in the right place when the car arrives (about 15/12) but the charger itself might take a little longer

I have heard the BMW wall charger is subsidised so cost is £149, but I am going for non-tethered I think to allow for a different car in the future

[trowelhead]

Not sure if this has been posted on here, i3 has a decent try at keeping up with a 444HP RS5, and even pulls away from the rolling start!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGGMlPOQ-UM

[oop north]

My new i3! A Rex with black paint, sport package (HK, LED lights, tints, 429 wheels), pro nav, suite interior, dc rapid charge

[Emeye]

Quick question - is the back seat capable of handling 3 kids? One with a seat.

[TransverseTight]

trowelhead said:

Not sure if this has been posted on here, i3 has a decent try at keeping up with a 444HP RS5, and even pulls away from the rolling start!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGGMlPOQ-UM

It's a cracking example of how linear torque availability at any revs can catch out a petrol at the wrong revs. Even if they are in the best gear there's a wait for turbos to spool up etc.

Bearing in mind this is a 175hp i3... can you imagine a dual motor awd version with 350hp. No drop in battery range, possibly even extended range if they gear the front for efficiency, increased regen, and the ability to destroy most cars this side of £100k.

If I were BMW I'd be looking to get the M division working on the i cars ASAP as Tesla have shown with a limited budget you can get fast cars oriented oriented to real world road driving. OK they can't do track work yet, but that's a very niche market.

[TransverseTight]

Emeye said:

Quick question - is the back seat capable of handling 3 kids? One with a seat.

2 rear seats only I'm afraid. I might need to update to an i5 at some point
Plan b... buy 2 x i3s. There's a few people on forums been doing that after having one for a while. Usually a REX and a BEV (battery only).

[EricE]

I am looking to order an i3 within the next few months and am wondering if there is any merit to the rumors of a battery facelift in July?
I can't cite sources because I'm writing on my phone but the CEO of BMW has mentioned a battery facelift and a person claiming to have inside info on all future BMW models says that there will be a 94 kW battery pack option coming out in 07/2016.
My "i agent" knows nothing of this and they won't even let me put a deposit down for this future model. I imagine it would be nice to have the range of the REX with the tax advantage of a full EV, particularly in winter.

[squirejo]

I have a recollection of a small article in a recent autocar that stated the battery and range were being upgraded, and, that this new pack could be retrofitted to existing cars.

[RossP]

There is a popular i3 specific group on facebook with lots of info - https://www.facebook.com/groups/bmwi3uk

[trowelhead]

TransverseTight said:

It's a cracking example of how linear torque availability at any revs can catch out a petrol at the wrong revs. Even if they are in the best gear there's a wait for turbos to spool up etc.

Bearing in mind this is a 175hp i3... can you imagine a dual motor awd version with 350hp. No drop in battery range, possibly even extended range if they gear the front for efficiency, increased regen, and the ability to destroy most cars this side of £100k.

If I were BMW I'd be looking to get the M division working on the i cars ASAP as Tesla have shown with a limited budget you can get fast cars oriented oriented to real world road driving. OK they can't do track work yet, but that's a very niche market.

Yes please, a twin motor i3 with AWD and next gen extended battery - where do I sign

[trowelhead]

oop north said:

My new i3! A Rex with black paint, sport package (HK, LED lights, tints, 429 wheels), pro nav, suite interior, dc rapid charge

looks great in black. Black or orange are the ones to have IMO

[trowelhead]

RossP said:

There is a popular i3 specific group on facebook with lots of info - https://www.facebook.com/groups/bmwi3uk

Anyone interested in these cars should be reading that group - it's fantastic!

i3 owners are a smart and helpful lot

[gangzoom]

Terminator X said:

How long do the rechargeable batteries last for and what's the cost to get new ones?

TX.

Leaf batteries (slightly larger) cost £4K. Likely cost will drop as the batteries get cheaper.
A UK Taxi firm has been using Leafs for a while, last year one hit 100K with minimal battery degradation,l despite been rapid charged to 100% for most of its life. The same car has now covered 120K, and the battery is still holding 90% of orginal charge.

https://www.zap-map.com/electric-taxi-company-cloc...

[IN51GHT]

We are considering an i3 REX as it looks like my "temporary" contract at Williams Advanced Engineering looks like it may become more long term, so the associated mileage increase on our current Zoe will cause issues with the 10,000miles a year PCP agreement.

Just need to find a killer deal on an new or used.

[covmutley]

I finally managed to see and drive my brothers i3 over Christmas. What a machine! I dont really want to call it a car- it seems too different for that.

The thing I loved about it is the 'ground up' approach. It seems a whole new concept (carbon, integration/control of apps) rather than lobbing some batteries in the boot.

Very nice to drive, and again, a very new experience.

My brother has a Rex and a 95 mile daily commute.The car deals with this easily, especially after his workplace got a charging point so now be barely uses the Rex.

i also drove my dads Austin 7 over Christmas. Never been so scared in a car!