So who's getting an i3?
Discussion
Heres Johnny said:
LimaDelta said:
Heres Johnny said:
LimaDelta said:
Heres Johnny said:
A cold winters day you’d hardly notice a change on a ICE, it's lost in the overall inefficiency, but an EV would be dreadful for the first few miles.
Why? Being the owner of a shiny new I3 (only two weeks into it) the concept from what I can gather is to run the climate control while the car is plugged in before starting one's journey. There is then the double benefit of getting straight into a toasty warm car, and no loss in range as the AC has been running off mains power rather than the batteries.Incidentally - loving the car so far, wish we'd done it sooner, it's like a little spaceship. We've cut our 'fuel' costs for the school run/daily use by 90%.
Also, winter weather of heavier air, wet conditions meaning more tyre drag, all decrease efficiency aside from the need to heat the cabin and battery
Horses for courses, and I can see that a one-car family covering 30k mpa will struggle with the current generation of cars, but as a daily runabout/second car they are fantastic.
I've had 3 winters in a Tesla, maybe the i3 is better, and I recon its a good 20% down on a cold wet miserable day
LimaDelta said:
No, still very new to this EV thing. For us personally I can't see it being a problem. Only use it 60-100miles each day and charge it every night.
Regarding the i3 design, what is the point in owning a 4 door car when you have to open the fronts doors to access the rear doors. Might as well have a 2 door car and folding seats. Frank Nicklin said:
Regarding the i3 design, what is the point in owning a 4 door car when you have to open the fronts doors to access the rear doors. Might as well have a 2 door car and folding seats.
It's got folding seats as well.The doors work ok once you get used to them and if you are in the front you don't have to leave your seat to use the rear doors.
desolate said:
Frank Nicklin said:
Regarding the i3 design, what is the point in owning a 4 door car when you have to open the fronts doors to access the rear doors. Might as well have a 2 door car and folding seats.
It's got folding seats as well.The doors work ok once you get used to them and if you are in the front you don't have to leave your seat to use the rear doors.
desolate said:
It's got folding seats as well.
The doors work ok once you get used to them and if you are in the front you don't have to leave your seat to use the rear doors.
The doors are great. An unexpected benefit I discovered was that when both are open they create a modesty cubicle for easier changing in public cars parks (swimming/cycling/etc). The doors work ok once you get used to them and if you are in the front you don't have to leave your seat to use the rear doors.
desolate said:
It's got folding seats as well.
The doors work ok once you get used to them and if you are in the front you don't have to leave your seat to use the rear doors.
But you still have to open your door, so both you and/or passengers get wet if its raining. I just see it as design over practicality. As with the folding seats, thats exactly my point why have them and rear doors. Pointless, either way you have to open the front doors to get in an out of the rear.The doors work ok once you get used to them and if you are in the front you don't have to leave your seat to use the rear doors.
Frank Nicklin said:
But you still have to open your door, so both you and/or passengers get wet if its raining. I just see it as design over practicality. As with the folding seats, thats exactly my point why have them and rear doors. Pointless, either way you have to open the front doors to get in an out of the rear.
You can sit in your seat and open the front door a couple of inches.The small read door and no centre pillar mean you have great access to the rear of the car.
You can fold the front seats and not open the rear door if it annoys you so much.
So really the question is why would you NOT have them rather than have no rear doors at all?
If you have small kids it's probably a better solution.
But it's a compromise in our situation as our kids are teenagers, that plus the fact they windows don't open.
Frank Nicklin said:
desolate said:
It's got folding seats as well.
The doors work ok once you get used to them and if you are in the front you don't have to leave your seat to use the rear doors.
But you still have to open your door, so both you and/or passengers get wet if its raining. I just see it as design over practicality. As with the folding seats, thats exactly my point why have them and rear doors. Pointless, either way you have to open the front doors to get in an out of the rear.The doors work ok once you get used to them and if you are in the front you don't have to leave your seat to use the rear doors.
Heres Johnny said:
If you really want design over practicality look at the rear doors of a Tesla MX (they refused to open on a slope until they killed the safety sensitivety thing which now means they'll happily chop your fingers off) or the doors on a i8. Sometimes these things are to make a statement but on the i3 with both doors open you have a bigger access to the rear than a rear door alone would give and for some thats useful
Exactly my point design over convenience. I think the Tesla X rear doors are shocking as I do the i3 as I do the i8. Style over substance. Don't disagree with the i3 access but you still have to open 2 doors. The vauxhall Meriva has rear suicide doors that open independently, why is it necessary in the i3 to sandwich the rear door behind the front doors.Frank Nicklin said:
Exactly my point design over convenience. I think the Tesla X rear doors are shocking as I do the i3 as I do the i8. Style over substance. Don't disagree with the i3 access but you still have to open 2 doors. The vauxhall Meriva has rear suicide doors that open independently, why is it necessary in the i3 to sandwich the rear door behind the front doors.
The i3 doesn't have a central pillar. I think the Vauxhall does.It's a niche product - and for certain niches the door design works well. For others it doesn't.
desolate said:
Frank Nicklin said:
Exactly my point design over convenience. I think the Tesla X rear doors are shocking as I do the i3 as I do the i8. Style over substance. Don't disagree with the i3 access but you still have to open 2 doors. The vauxhall Meriva has rear suicide doors that open independently, why is it necessary in the i3 to sandwich the rear door behind the front doors.
The i3 doesn't have a central pillar. I think the Vauxhall does.It's a niche product - and for certain niches the door design works well. For others it doesn't.
Hinged doors like the i3 might just give a bit more space to access the rear seats, but other than that the access looks fine for the front and the back. Going by the lock fittings where the top and bottom of the b-pillar would be, it looks like you don't need to open the front doors to open the rear doors too.
I'm not quite sure where this is going.
I understand that the i3 doors are sub optimal.
I don't think anyone would say otherwise. I'm saying for me it's a compromise that's worth making and that for others it's a non issue.
I understand if people would prefer a fiesta - that's up to them.
I understand that the i3 doors are sub optimal.
I don't think anyone would say otherwise. I'm saying for me it's a compromise that's worth making and that for others it's a non issue.
I understand if people would prefer a fiesta - that's up to them.
Luke. said:
You would have solved the issue of opening the rear doors in car parks and kids getting in and out.
The suicide doors are better in tight spaces.If you have young kids that need helping out the suicide doors are better.
If you regularly carry adults/more independent kids then the doors are worse than normal doors. But better than no doors.
Is that so difficult to comprehend?
desolate said:
The suicide doors are better in tight spaces.
If you have young kids that need helping out the suicide doors are better.
If you regularly carry adults/more independent kids then the doors are worse than normal doors. But better than no doors.
Is that so difficult to comprehend?
Yes.If you have young kids that need helping out the suicide doors are better.
If you regularly carry adults/more independent kids then the doors are worse than normal doors. But better than no doors.
Is that so difficult to comprehend?
The suicide doors are terrible in tight spaces.
I had an i3 for two years with young kids. Love the car but the rear doors are appalling where there's no room.
Is that so difficult to comprehend?
Luke. said:
Yes.
The suicide doors are terrible in tight spaces.
I had an i3 for two years with young kids. Love the car but the rear doors are appalling where there's no room.
Is that so difficult to comprehend?
We'll have to disagree as I find the doors better in car park type situations.The suicide doors are terrible in tight spaces.
I had an i3 for two years with young kids. Love the car but the rear doors are appalling where there's no room.
Is that so difficult to comprehend?
desolate said:
We'll have to disagree as I find the doors better in car park type situations.
There's definitely a technique to it, which is fine for my family but confuses the crap out of friends 
It's like one of those puzzles!
I don't have an issue either as it's a good solution to the space and construction method.
Developing a brand new carbon fibre structure, which no other mainstream manufacturer has attempted, brings challenges. They've dealt with it pretty well IMO.
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