So who's getting an i3?
Discussion
Holywow said:
Had my test drive today definitely not for me. I'd say it's worth £18k tops.
Ok to drive suspension is hard and not ideal for potholed hump London.
Not sure about the interior finish iffy in places epecially when compared to regular BM's the charging socket is in the wrong place for London charging points unless you park facing the wrong way.
Sales staff don't appear to give a toss if they sell one or not, I started losing interest 5 mins into the drive, maybe because I've driven a couple of other EV's not much of a novelty factor.
It's probably going to be a great success, but I know every time I see one I'm going to think thank god I didn't bother.
I say the same thing about the Evoque.
But isn't the point of these they make huge sense as a co car - cheapest way from A to B use it just for that and have something else properly fun for all other special times Cerbera etc wild fun. Ok to drive suspension is hard and not ideal for potholed hump London.
Not sure about the interior finish iffy in places epecially when compared to regular BM's the charging socket is in the wrong place for London charging points unless you park facing the wrong way.
Sales staff don't appear to give a toss if they sell one or not, I started losing interest 5 mins into the drive, maybe because I've driven a couple of other EV's not much of a novelty factor.
It's probably going to be a great success, but I know every time I see one I'm going to think thank god I didn't bother.
I say the same thing about the Evoque.
I've not driven one but £120 for 12-15k miles for "fuel" seems bloody sensible.
Hi there,
Ok, managed to have a 5 min look at an i3 today.
Was on my way to a meeting and happened to drop by Knights in Stoke on my way. Car looks great from the outside and I am tempted to go back and have another look and perhaps a drive.
Putting simply anyone know from the research they have done so far whether it will suit my needs ? I currently drive a Smart, it has done 36,000 miles in around 14 months driving mainly from Uttoxeter to Manchester City Centre (around 65 miles each way). Once I get to Manchester I usually leave the Smart parked up for around 5-7 hours before returning home. There may be times when I need to do calls outside of the city centre so need to be able to use the car for these trips. Most mileage I would ever do in a day would be 170 miles.
The Smart is currently doing just over 50mpg (as its the 1 litre turbo not the standard none turbo car), and probably needs replacing early next year at around 50k.
Will the i3 handled 30k per annum ?
Would I be better off with a Renault Zoe or Nissan Leaf ?
Or is a Prius/Volt/Ampera a better bet.
Any help appreciated.
Regards
Tim
Ok, managed to have a 5 min look at an i3 today.
Was on my way to a meeting and happened to drop by Knights in Stoke on my way. Car looks great from the outside and I am tempted to go back and have another look and perhaps a drive.
Putting simply anyone know from the research they have done so far whether it will suit my needs ? I currently drive a Smart, it has done 36,000 miles in around 14 months driving mainly from Uttoxeter to Manchester City Centre (around 65 miles each way). Once I get to Manchester I usually leave the Smart parked up for around 5-7 hours before returning home. There may be times when I need to do calls outside of the city centre so need to be able to use the car for these trips. Most mileage I would ever do in a day would be 170 miles.
The Smart is currently doing just over 50mpg (as its the 1 litre turbo not the standard none turbo car), and probably needs replacing early next year at around 50k.
Will the i3 handled 30k per annum ?
Would I be better off with a Renault Zoe or Nissan Leaf ?
Or is a Prius/Volt/Ampera a better bet.
Any help appreciated.
Regards
Tim
I looked at the i3 on Friday when my 1 series was in for repair. Looks much better in the flesh. I quite liked the exposed carbon and generally interior quality appeared good, although some materials looked iffy, or should that that be 'sustainably sourced'.
Done the sums and I can't afford one, but I will be watching long term reviews and used prices closely.
Done the sums and I can't afford one, but I will be watching long term reviews and used prices closely.
fatboy b said:
Looks odd from every angle. Can't wait to have an extended test drive of an XFR this weekend. Hopefully will be replacing the XF-S if all goes well. But let's face it V8 or electric shiite. No contest.
troll. 
If it all goes to plan in 2 years time ill have an XF diesel and an i3. Dont see the point in fast cars any more. Once I owned a BMW 330ci (which actually isnt that fast) but just found it frustrating to drive in day to day traffic as you can still only go as fast as everyone else. But you end up paying twice as much fuel tax. It would be much cheaper to get a pair of senhisers and listen to the sound of a corvette coming past Tetra rouge if thats your reason for wanting a V8. If you you just like attention and showing how much money youve got (but dont realise noone cares what car you drive except you) , next time your in a city centre, get a trumpet and play badly and then start handing £10 notes out to all the homeless.
I have an email response from BMW re preheating:
"Furthermore, you also requested information on pre-heating the vehicle. I can advise you that this function is only available on the fully electric model, with the heat pump that is included in the Cold Weather Preparation pack. Should a customer choose to purchase a BMW i3 with Range Extender (REx), they will be unable to pre-heat their vehicle. "
They also sent me a list of the remote fictions on the phone app if anyone is interested.
"Furthermore, you also requested information on pre-heating the vehicle. I can advise you that this function is only available on the fully electric model, with the heat pump that is included in the Cold Weather Preparation pack. Should a customer choose to purchase a BMW i3 with Range Extender (REx), they will be unable to pre-heat their vehicle. "
They also sent me a list of the remote fictions on the phone app if anyone is interested.
fatboy b said:
Can't wait to have an extended test drive of an XFR this weekend. Hopefully will be replacing the XF-S if all goes well. But let's face it V8 or electric shiite. No contest.
Too true. But you'll hear your lovely V8 more if all the s
tty utility boxes were electric. And more importantly, so would we.
RossP said:
I have an email response from BMW re preheating:
"Furthermore, you also requested information on pre-heating the vehicle. I can advise you that this function is only available on the fully electric model, with the heat pump that is included in the Cold Weather Preparation pack. Should a customer choose to purchase a BMW i3 with Range Extender (REx), they will be unable to pre-heat their vehicle. "
They also sent me a list of the remote fictions on the phone app if anyone is interested.
Thats a poor show."Furthermore, you also requested information on pre-heating the vehicle. I can advise you that this function is only available on the fully electric model, with the heat pump that is included in the Cold Weather Preparation pack. Should a customer choose to purchase a BMW i3 with Range Extender (REx), they will be unable to pre-heat their vehicle. "
They also sent me a list of the remote fictions on the phone app if anyone is interested.
I borrowed an Ampera for a night and you could time the cabin conditioning or simply press the button on the keyfob to give 10 mins of conditioning if its plugged in. Ideal to press just before you jump in the shower ready for work.
How does the BMW system require a heat pump!?!
RossP said:
I have an email response from BMW re preheating:
"Furthermore, you also requested information on pre-heating the vehicle. I can advise you that this function is only available on the fully electric model, with the heat pump that is included in the Cold Weather Preparation pack. Should a customer choose to purchase a BMW i3 with Range Extender (REx), they will be unable to pre-heat their vehicle. "
They also sent me a list of the remote fictions on the phone app if anyone is interested.
Gawd, will this ever get put to bed ? I have emails from BMW support telling me the same but I also have emails from my dealer saying it is possible. I'll send you a PM with details of the BMW bloke who is driving around with an i3 REx and pre-heating it each morning, maybe you can get them to talk to each other "Furthermore, you also requested information on pre-heating the vehicle. I can advise you that this function is only available on the fully electric model, with the heat pump that is included in the Cold Weather Preparation pack. Should a customer choose to purchase a BMW i3 with Range Extender (REx), they will be unable to pre-heat their vehicle. "
They also sent me a list of the remote fictions on the phone app if anyone is interested.
greggy50 said:
It looks a mess in the photos autofocus posted 
I am yet to see one in the flesh are they any on the road yet?
Yeah, not the prettiest thing is it ? heh. That's why I don't really think it's worth spec'ing the snazzy 20" wheels and orange paint etc, it's never going to be a good looking car IMO.I am yet to see one in the flesh are they any on the road yet?
There are no customer cars on the road yet but the dealers now have demo cars so lots of test drives being run.
autofocus said:
Putting simply anyone know from the research they have done so far whether it will suit my needs ? I currently drive a Smart, it has done 36,000 miles in around 14 months driving mainly from Uttoxeter to Manchester City Centre (around 65 miles each way). Once I get to Manchester I usually leave the Smart parked up for around 5-7 hours before returning home. There may be times when I need to do calls outside of the city centre so need to be able to use the car for these trips. Most mileage I would ever do in a day would be 170 miles.
Will the i3 handled 30k per annum ?
Will you have a chance to charge whilst parked up for 5-7 hours ?Will the i3 handled 30k per annum ?
Any trip of 170 miles will need at least one fill-up so I'm not sure the i3 would be the right car, it's aimed at city driving and shorter commutes. The ampera has a much longer hybrid range but the realistic pure-electric mode is only about 40 miles (I think).
Re durability, as mentioned, the i3 will easily handle 30k per annum. My dealer was telling me that the mini-E test program had a car running around with over 200k miles on it and the motor has been dyno tested to 500k without issues. It's got nowhere near as much to go wrong as an ICE car, that's reflected in the £75 a year fixed servicing cost.
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