Promoted content: Test drive a BMW i3 courtesy of PH
Discussion
If there’s one car to finally break the milk float image of electric vehicles the stylish, all carbon fibre BMW i3 is the one. There’s certainly much to admire in the concept but the proof is really in the driving and, once we’d had a go, we were convinced. And we suspect many of you will be in a similar position.
So whether you need an urban run-around, a second family car or just want to do your bit to save the planet (or be seen to be doing so) and fancy giving the i3 a go we’ve teamed up with BMW to make test driving one as hassle-free as possible.
Literally all you have to do is follow this link, fill out the form and you'll get a call to confirm your appointment with your nearest dealer. Its as simple as that and Bob’s your uncle. We’d love to hear how you get on, especially if you end up buying one, so make sure you keep us posted through the forums.
Enjoy!
So whether you need an urban run-around, a second family car or just want to do your bit to save the planet (or be seen to be doing so) and fancy giving the i3 a go we’ve teamed up with BMW to make test driving one as hassle-free as possible.
Literally all you have to do is follow this link, fill out the form and you'll get a call to confirm your appointment with your nearest dealer. Its as simple as that and Bob’s your uncle. We’d love to hear how you get on, especially if you end up buying one, so make sure you keep us posted through the forums.
Enjoy!
Edited by JD PH on Thursday 27th August 11:55
Edited by JD PH on Thursday 27th August 12:18
Count me out - I only have allocated parking spaces and don't fancy having to hang a charging cable over the fence and in through a window every night!
Also wouldn't want to have to waste time getting disguised before driving it in case someone I knew recognised me!
I have some admiration for the engineering but WTF happened to the styling??
Also wouldn't want to have to waste time getting disguised before driving it in case someone I knew recognised me!
I have some admiration for the engineering but WTF happened to the styling??
Mr Tidy said:
Count me out - I only have allocated parking spaces and don't fancy having to hang a charging cable over the fence and in through a window every night!
Also wouldn't want to have to waste time getting disguised before driving it in case someone I knew recognised me!
I have some admiration for the engineering but WTF happened to the styling??
I concede that the i3 divides opinion with the styling but because it's different then I quite like that. The styling has grown on me and I know quite like it. It's refreshing to see a large manufacturer be brave enough to try something new compared to the usual clones.Also wouldn't want to have to waste time getting disguised before driving it in case someone I knew recognised me!
I have some admiration for the engineering but WTF happened to the styling??
croyde said:
Ideal as an urban runabout but how we are supposed to charge it. Most of us in London don't have the luxury of being able to park in our own street let alone outside our front door.
I've thought about this (being in that exact situation) and I think I'd charge it during the day, somewhere near the office. There are a few on-street charging points within a shop stroll from the office.MagicalTrevor said:
I concede that the i3 divides opinion with the styling but because it's different then I quite like that. The styling has grown on me and I know quite like it. It's refreshing to see a large manufacturer be brave enough to try something new compared to the usual clones.
But why do most manufacturers make their EV/hybrid models so f*****g ugly? Prius is a minger, but they manage to put the same drivetrain in an Auris (admittedly not stunning but miles better than a Pious)! BMW can even do it - the i8 looks great, so why is the i3 such a horror?
Normal people might even be more inclined to buy them if they actually looked like a proper car.
Chevy Volt and Tesla actually look good, or do the goody-goody green buyers need something as stylish as an old welly to shout about their green credentials (while the power station making their "green" electricity burns oil)! Tw*ts.
Edited by Mr Tidy on Sunday 30th August 23:48
MagicalTrevor said:
I concede that the i3 divides opinion with the styling but because it's different then I quite like that. The styling has grown on me and I know quite like it. It's refreshing to see a large manufacturer be brave enough to try something new compared to the usual clones.
I concede that the i3 divides opinion with the styling but because it's different then I quite like that. The styling has grown on me and I know quite like it. It's hilarious to see a large manufacturer be clueless enough to try something new compared to the usual clones.As I decided not to take this further, I thought the least I could do was write up the experience of my test drive this weekend.
The initial booking of the test drive was, as you would probably expect from BMW Marketing in campaign mode, extremely slick; from filling in the Web form to speaking with the call centre was less than an hour. What was noticeably impressive was the response of the dealer, Sytner in High Wycombe, who were on the phone just as quickly to book the test drive. Their rep was not pushy and made no attempt to pre-qualify.
On arrival, at what felt like a normal Saturday and not the first weekend of the new reg plate, the dealer team were welcoming and all the staff were attentive. I say welcoming, the fact I was an hour late due to my ownred wine consumption diary management failings did not feel like a problem at all and they still accommodated me, again with no prequalification or overt sales pitch. May be the fact I arrived in an E36 Cabriolet helped, but it hasn’t at other BMW dealerships so kudos again to the Sytner team.
As others have mentioned the car itself outwardly has a “unique” design. To me it feels like it is designed for the far-east and China rather than the UK. If I had a people carrier or soft SUV maybe it would be less of a leap but I’ve seen several and it’s still a struggle to like. I don’t know whether the economics would outweigh the cosmetics in the long run but I would have to think about it for a long time before signing on the dotted line, whereas I want the i8's babies. Inside, the driving position was quite high and vision was good. I have wondered over the weekend whether this was a result of jumping from the E36 to the i3, but it still felt this way after half an hour, including motorway driving, so I don’t think so. I think it is all part of it trying to be a mini people carrier. The fit, finish, touch & feel of the interior felt like they had hit their target position in the value chain, but they didn’t feel overly robust & I have my doubts as to how well it would stand up to kids+dog abuse.
The driving experience was good, however there were a couple of standout things to note. The first was it was far nosier than I was expecting, tyre & wind noise mainly. My 14 year old E39 is still far quieter, even with the 6 pot lump at the front and again I don’t feel certain how it would be in a few years. I wouldn’t say the interior is all fur coat and no knickers, but I would say it doesn’t feel as substantial as it should from BMW.
The second aspect of the driving experience is the throttle and braking action. Power delivery is smooth and quick, but so is the braking. There is no coasting and gently slowing in traffic with this car, you’re either on the “gas” or it is actively braking in regeneration mode, and that would take some getting used to. Certainly I would have to actively modify my driving style with one of these. It’s not a criticism, just an observation, although I think this will only be really effective with automatic separation control to avoid mass panic braking & traffic jams for no reason on the M25…
The car comes with an 8 year warranty on the battery life which sounds good when set against the current 3 year warranty for the internal combustion engine. That said you can reasonably expect an IC engine will last a lot longer than the warranty with the right TLC, and can factor that into the residual values, I think you can’t yet for a battery system. How this plays out in the long run will be extremely interesting to see, personally I suspect that BMW will end up having to underwrite trade in values to maintain the reputation for strong second hand values that they have on IC engine cars in the electric market.
So on to the core reason why I didn’t take it further. A rechargeable electric car does not fit my life at the moment as I will explain. I knew this for a pure battery car going in but wanted to explore whether a range extending system would change this. The answer is not, it is an electric vehicle at heart and needs to be able to be charged regularly. I live in a leasehold flat, in a small village and work in a large office. While my commute distance and my life style (47 yr old divorced male with teenaged kids wanting dad’s taxi every weekend doing circa 300 miles / week) would be ideal for an EV car, there is no charging point at either end and this is where I think the fuel management driven by the technology behind the i3 is not yet ready. I am too far away from the parking, both in terms of distance and trailing leads across footpaths, at home to have the wall box inside my flat and neither my employer nor freeholder will make the investment for charging points at the parking areas. This car, like many people carriers, suits being a second car in a suburban two+ car household with a private drive right outside the house. However its styling and range suggest its purpose is urban, but how many urban dwellers have, or can rely on, parking outside their house or flat so well that a charging point can be put on their wall and no leads trail across even a single pavement? Even when I was married and lived with the SWT in the suburbs we had on street parking and the charging lead would have trailed over the hedge & pavement to the car. To have to build a drop kerb and footpath crossing as well as hard standing on my land before being able to charge the thing would add thousands to the purchase price, which completely changes the value equation and negates the primary plusses behind the proposition.
This I think is where BMW (and other EV makers) have really got this wrong in that I feel they are not able to target a wide enough market share, especially at 2nd hand sales time. So many people are in this position around the world that there needs to be some kind of demountable battery so that you can charge it indoors without the trailing leads. I know hybrids are more realistic for people in this situation; I am only talking about how to make an electric car more realistic for far more people.
So all in all, a nice enough car if it fits your life, but your life has to fit it's assumptions and I don’t think it is adaptable enough to make it appealing to a wide and diverse enough market place for it & more importantly its technology for BMW to bet the farm with it yet. Don’t misunderstand me, this isn’t a case of you’ll prise my 6 pot out of my cold dead hands, but there is IMHO another generation of charging process to come before electric cars can be really realistic for enough people that 2nd hand residuals can become dependable.
The initial booking of the test drive was, as you would probably expect from BMW Marketing in campaign mode, extremely slick; from filling in the Web form to speaking with the call centre was less than an hour. What was noticeably impressive was the response of the dealer, Sytner in High Wycombe, who were on the phone just as quickly to book the test drive. Their rep was not pushy and made no attempt to pre-qualify.
On arrival, at what felt like a normal Saturday and not the first weekend of the new reg plate, the dealer team were welcoming and all the staff were attentive. I say welcoming, the fact I was an hour late due to my own
As others have mentioned the car itself outwardly has a “unique” design. To me it feels like it is designed for the far-east and China rather than the UK. If I had a people carrier or soft SUV maybe it would be less of a leap but I’ve seen several and it’s still a struggle to like. I don’t know whether the economics would outweigh the cosmetics in the long run but I would have to think about it for a long time before signing on the dotted line, whereas I want the i8's babies. Inside, the driving position was quite high and vision was good. I have wondered over the weekend whether this was a result of jumping from the E36 to the i3, but it still felt this way after half an hour, including motorway driving, so I don’t think so. I think it is all part of it trying to be a mini people carrier. The fit, finish, touch & feel of the interior felt like they had hit their target position in the value chain, but they didn’t feel overly robust & I have my doubts as to how well it would stand up to kids+dog abuse.
The driving experience was good, however there were a couple of standout things to note. The first was it was far nosier than I was expecting, tyre & wind noise mainly. My 14 year old E39 is still far quieter, even with the 6 pot lump at the front and again I don’t feel certain how it would be in a few years. I wouldn’t say the interior is all fur coat and no knickers, but I would say it doesn’t feel as substantial as it should from BMW.
The second aspect of the driving experience is the throttle and braking action. Power delivery is smooth and quick, but so is the braking. There is no coasting and gently slowing in traffic with this car, you’re either on the “gas” or it is actively braking in regeneration mode, and that would take some getting used to. Certainly I would have to actively modify my driving style with one of these. It’s not a criticism, just an observation, although I think this will only be really effective with automatic separation control to avoid mass panic braking & traffic jams for no reason on the M25…
The car comes with an 8 year warranty on the battery life which sounds good when set against the current 3 year warranty for the internal combustion engine. That said you can reasonably expect an IC engine will last a lot longer than the warranty with the right TLC, and can factor that into the residual values, I think you can’t yet for a battery system. How this plays out in the long run will be extremely interesting to see, personally I suspect that BMW will end up having to underwrite trade in values to maintain the reputation for strong second hand values that they have on IC engine cars in the electric market.
So on to the core reason why I didn’t take it further. A rechargeable electric car does not fit my life at the moment as I will explain. I knew this for a pure battery car going in but wanted to explore whether a range extending system would change this. The answer is not, it is an electric vehicle at heart and needs to be able to be charged regularly. I live in a leasehold flat, in a small village and work in a large office. While my commute distance and my life style (47 yr old divorced male with teenaged kids wanting dad’s taxi every weekend doing circa 300 miles / week) would be ideal for an EV car, there is no charging point at either end and this is where I think the fuel management driven by the technology behind the i3 is not yet ready. I am too far away from the parking, both in terms of distance and trailing leads across footpaths, at home to have the wall box inside my flat and neither my employer nor freeholder will make the investment for charging points at the parking areas. This car, like many people carriers, suits being a second car in a suburban two+ car household with a private drive right outside the house. However its styling and range suggest its purpose is urban, but how many urban dwellers have, or can rely on, parking outside their house or flat so well that a charging point can be put on their wall and no leads trail across even a single pavement? Even when I was married and lived with the SWT in the suburbs we had on street parking and the charging lead would have trailed over the hedge & pavement to the car. To have to build a drop kerb and footpath crossing as well as hard standing on my land before being able to charge the thing would add thousands to the purchase price, which completely changes the value equation and negates the primary plusses behind the proposition.
This I think is where BMW (and other EV makers) have really got this wrong in that I feel they are not able to target a wide enough market share, especially at 2nd hand sales time. So many people are in this position around the world that there needs to be some kind of demountable battery so that you can charge it indoors without the trailing leads. I know hybrids are more realistic for people in this situation; I am only talking about how to make an electric car more realistic for far more people.
So all in all, a nice enough car if it fits your life, but your life has to fit it's assumptions and I don’t think it is adaptable enough to make it appealing to a wide and diverse enough market place for it & more importantly its technology for BMW to bet the farm with it yet. Don’t misunderstand me, this isn’t a case of you’ll prise my 6 pot out of my cold dead hands, but there is IMHO another generation of charging process to come before electric cars can be really realistic for enough people that 2nd hand residuals can become dependable.
Edited by Collectingbrass on Monday 7th September 13:53
Collectingbrass said:
As I decided not to take this further, I thought the least I could do was write up the experience of my test drive this weekend.
The initial booking of the test drive was, as you would probably expect from BMW Marketing in campaign mode, extremely slick; from filling in the Web form to speaking with the call centre was less than an hour. What was noticeably impressive was the response of the dealer, Sytner in High Wycombe, who were on the phone just as quickly to book the test drive. Their rep was not pushy and made no attempt to pre-qualify.
Excellent write-up, sir. I too have rejected the i3 in it's current form, but for slightly different reasons: we live in the middle of the (Scottish) Highlands and our marker for acceptable range is being able to do the 140-150 mile round trip to Edinburgh or Glasgow on a charge, which the i3 simply won't do. We test drove the range extender but that really has too many compromises for us again. It's a shame, as I actually like the styling of the i3 and it's very nice to drive, once you're used to the regenerative braking (which has several settings). I agree with you that the interior isn't quite up to scratch but, if you're an urban(ish) dweller needing a runabout, it's a great product. The initial booking of the test drive was, as you would probably expect from BMW Marketing in campaign mode, extremely slick; from filling in the Web form to speaking with the call centre was less than an hour. What was noticeably impressive was the response of the dealer, Sytner in High Wycombe, who were on the phone just as quickly to book the test drive. Their rep was not pushy and made no attempt to pre-qualify.
Edited by Collectingbrass on Monday 7th September 13:53
I also went to the other extreme a couple of weeks ago and test drove the Tesla S P85D. That's got the range and it's got the performance - I actually cricked my neck with a full-bore launch in Insane mode, but it hasn't quite got the ground clearance we need so will wait for the Model X and see what happens. However, I have to say that the Tesla is absolutely bloody enormous - width especially and wouldn't do well on narrow Scottish roads and I'm certain that the Model X won't be any narrower. It actually made my X5 feel small - I'm used to driving a Panamera too and the Tesla is 7.5cm wider that even that, which makes the difference between relaxed driving and frequent sharp intakes of breath…
Interesting comments. More so given that last week I pushed the 'order' button on a new i3 Rex. 2 weeks earlier I wouldn't have even considered an EV, so here's my rationale and situation.
I've recently changed jobs and with the new job comes a company car. We have a second and third car in the household. We live just inside the M25 and traffic in the area can be a bit of a nightmare. We've also just packed our only son off to University in London and are funding him through it. Consequently, cash flow for the next few years is pretty tight.
My office is on a busy high street and is less than 15 miles (40 mins) from home, where I have a private driveway and garage where I can charge the car from. (occupied by my eco friendly TVR!) I don't have any parking at work so I either have to pay £11 per day or have a 25 min walk. What I do have is Two EV only parking bays 50m from the office and a further two which are less than a five min walk. I've only ever seen one EV parked in these spaces in the last month. I checked with the local council office and they confirmed that parking in these bays is FREE and charging is also FREE. Rather conveniently a slow charge would take 7-8 hrs which ties in with a typical working day.
Our son is also living and studying within the London congestion zone, so visits to him are also charge free.
I had originally configured a 120d M Sport on the car scheme. Comp car tax is around £190pm plus a contribution from me of £60 for options plus fuel gave a monthly cost of c£350-£400.
Compare this to an i3. Company car tax of £25 and a personal contribution of £80 to cover the cost of options ( nicer wheels, paint, rapid charge capability and Harman Kardon audio) fuel, not sure yet but hopefully zero. Let's say £20. That gives a total of £125 per month. So a saving of c£250pm plus free parking at work. At this point it is looking like a no brainer.
Styling wise I appreciate it is like marmite. What I do like is that it is very unusual and also very unique. I've yet to see another one on the road. I enjoyed the test drive, it felt solid like a BMW should, was exceptionally nippy, and also held its own at motorway speeds. Yes, the road noise was a little obtrusive but then I've got a nice sound system to compensate for that.
I'm a little concerned about longer journeys as would prefer to use this car and not put miles on our privately owned cars but after a little research felt that a slight change to driving style and some forward planning and this should not really be a big issue. Most motorway services have a rapid charge facility which gives 80% charge in around 30 mins. It's also free. Worst case scenario is we take my wife's car on the odd occasion that we are going further afield and although not ideal being a little Fiat 500 is no real hardship.
So there, decision made. The i3 arrives shortly before Christmas and I'm very excited at the prospect of a different approach to motoring. Even more excited at giving back my Peugeot 2008 hire car. What a monstrosity and a far call from the last on I had 20 years ago.
I've recently changed jobs and with the new job comes a company car. We have a second and third car in the household. We live just inside the M25 and traffic in the area can be a bit of a nightmare. We've also just packed our only son off to University in London and are funding him through it. Consequently, cash flow for the next few years is pretty tight.
My office is on a busy high street and is less than 15 miles (40 mins) from home, where I have a private driveway and garage where I can charge the car from. (occupied by my eco friendly TVR!) I don't have any parking at work so I either have to pay £11 per day or have a 25 min walk. What I do have is Two EV only parking bays 50m from the office and a further two which are less than a five min walk. I've only ever seen one EV parked in these spaces in the last month. I checked with the local council office and they confirmed that parking in these bays is FREE and charging is also FREE. Rather conveniently a slow charge would take 7-8 hrs which ties in with a typical working day.
Our son is also living and studying within the London congestion zone, so visits to him are also charge free.
I had originally configured a 120d M Sport on the car scheme. Comp car tax is around £190pm plus a contribution from me of £60 for options plus fuel gave a monthly cost of c£350-£400.
Compare this to an i3. Company car tax of £25 and a personal contribution of £80 to cover the cost of options ( nicer wheels, paint, rapid charge capability and Harman Kardon audio) fuel, not sure yet but hopefully zero. Let's say £20. That gives a total of £125 per month. So a saving of c£250pm plus free parking at work. At this point it is looking like a no brainer.
Styling wise I appreciate it is like marmite. What I do like is that it is very unusual and also very unique. I've yet to see another one on the road. I enjoyed the test drive, it felt solid like a BMW should, was exceptionally nippy, and also held its own at motorway speeds. Yes, the road noise was a little obtrusive but then I've got a nice sound system to compensate for that.
I'm a little concerned about longer journeys as would prefer to use this car and not put miles on our privately owned cars but after a little research felt that a slight change to driving style and some forward planning and this should not really be a big issue. Most motorway services have a rapid charge facility which gives 80% charge in around 30 mins. It's also free. Worst case scenario is we take my wife's car on the odd occasion that we are going further afield and although not ideal being a little Fiat 500 is no real hardship.
So there, decision made. The i3 arrives shortly before Christmas and I'm very excited at the prospect of a different approach to motoring. Even more excited at giving back my Peugeot 2008 hire car. What a monstrosity and a far call from the last on I had 20 years ago.
Interesting comments. More so given that last week I pushed the 'order' button on a new i3 Rex. 2 weeks earlier I wouldn't have even considered an EV, so here's my rationale and situation.
I've recently changed jobs and with the new job comes a company car. We have a second and third car in the household. We live just inside the M25 and traffic in the area can be a bit of a nightmare. We've also just packed our only son off to University in London and are funding him through it. Consequently, cash flow for the next few years is pretty tight.
My office is on a busy high street and is less than 15 miles (40 mins) from home, where I have a private driveway and garage where I can charge the car from. (occupied by my eco friendly TVR!) I don't have any parking at work so I either have to pay £11 per day or have a 25 min walk. What I do have is Two EV only parking bays 50m from the office and a further two which are less than a five min walk. I've only ever seen one EV parked in these spaces in the last month. I checked with the local council office and they confirmed that parking in these bays is FREE and charging is also FREE. Rather conveniently a slow charge would take 7-8 hrs which ties in with a typical working day.
Our son is also living and studying within the London congestion zone, so visits to him are also charge free.
I had originally configured a 120d M Sport on the car scheme. Comp car tax is around £190pm plus a contribution from me of £60 for options plus fuel gave a monthly cost of c£350-£400.
Compare this to an i3. Company car tax of £25 and a personal contribution of £80 to cover the cost of options ( nicer wheels, paint, rapid charge capability and Harman Kardon audio) fuel, not sure yet but hopefully zero. Let's say £20. That gives a total of £125 per month. So a saving of c£250pm plus free parking at work. At this point it is looking like a no brainer.
Styling wise I appreciate it is like marmite. What I do like is that it is very unusual and also very unique. I've yet to see another one on the road. I enjoyed the test drive, it felt solid like a BMW should, was exceptionally nippy, and also held its own at motorway speeds. Yes, the road noise was a little obtrusive but then I've got a nice sound system to compensate for that.
I'm a little concerned about longer journeys as would prefer to use this car and not put miles on our privately owned cars but after a little research felt that a slight change to driving style and some forward planning and this should not really be a big issue. Most motorway services have a rapid charge facility which gives 80% charge in around 30 mins. It's also free. Worst case scenario is we take my wife's car on the odd occasion that we are going further afield and although not ideal being a little Fiat 500 is no real hardship.
So there, decision made. The i3 arrives shortly before Christmas and I'm very excited at the prospect of a different approach to motoring. Even more excited at giving back my Peugeot 2008 hire car. What a monstrosity and a far call from the 306 I had 20 years ago!
I've recently changed jobs and with the new job comes a company car. We have a second and third car in the household. We live just inside the M25 and traffic in the area can be a bit of a nightmare. We've also just packed our only son off to University in London and are funding him through it. Consequently, cash flow for the next few years is pretty tight.
My office is on a busy high street and is less than 15 miles (40 mins) from home, where I have a private driveway and garage where I can charge the car from. (occupied by my eco friendly TVR!) I don't have any parking at work so I either have to pay £11 per day or have a 25 min walk. What I do have is Two EV only parking bays 50m from the office and a further two which are less than a five min walk. I've only ever seen one EV parked in these spaces in the last month. I checked with the local council office and they confirmed that parking in these bays is FREE and charging is also FREE. Rather conveniently a slow charge would take 7-8 hrs which ties in with a typical working day.
Our son is also living and studying within the London congestion zone, so visits to him are also charge free.
I had originally configured a 120d M Sport on the car scheme. Comp car tax is around £190pm plus a contribution from me of £60 for options plus fuel gave a monthly cost of c£350-£400.
Compare this to an i3. Company car tax of £25 and a personal contribution of £80 to cover the cost of options ( nicer wheels, paint, rapid charge capability and Harman Kardon audio) fuel, not sure yet but hopefully zero. Let's say £20. That gives a total of £125 per month. So a saving of c£250pm plus free parking at work. At this point it is looking like a no brainer.
Styling wise I appreciate it is like marmite. What I do like is that it is very unusual and also very unique. I've yet to see another one on the road. I enjoyed the test drive, it felt solid like a BMW should, was exceptionally nippy, and also held its own at motorway speeds. Yes, the road noise was a little obtrusive but then I've got a nice sound system to compensate for that.
I'm a little concerned about longer journeys as would prefer to use this car and not put miles on our privately owned cars but after a little research felt that a slight change to driving style and some forward planning and this should not really be a big issue. Most motorway services have a rapid charge facility which gives 80% charge in around 30 mins. It's also free. Worst case scenario is we take my wife's car on the odd occasion that we are going further afield and although not ideal being a little Fiat 500 is no real hardship.
So there, decision made. The i3 arrives shortly before Christmas and I'm very excited at the prospect of a different approach to motoring. Even more excited at giving back my Peugeot 2008 hire car. What a monstrosity and a far call from the 306 I had 20 years ago!
Edited by Dirty Sanchez on Friday 25th September 16:00
Gassing Station | BMW General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff