So who's getting an i3?
Discussion
JackReacher said:
I find my i3s is excellent on the motorway, feels very stable and there is still plenty of pull at 70mph. No problem keeping up with fast motorway traffic, and feels like a mature car not a "city car" as such. I actually find it better than my m240i due to the quiet relaxing cabin. But those higher speeds do take a bit of a toll on the range!
Unfortunately is picked up a puncture after just one week, and the lease provider (it's a company car) is taking 5 days to find and fit a replacement. The downside of an unusual tyre size.
This does seem very common with the i3 for some reason (judging by the daily puncture threads on the i3 FB group!), I wonder if the Nankang ones fair any better than the standard fit Bridgestones... One poor guy had 5 punctures in a year!Unfortunately is picked up a puncture after just one week, and the lease provider (it's a company car) is taking 5 days to find and fit a replacement. The downside of an unusual tyre size.
Good to hear they're happy at motorway speeds, wished I'd gone for the "s" shortly after I ordered but it was locked down in days, due to be delivered about 6/7 weeks after I ordered!
Jimrod said:
This does seem very common with the i3 for some reason (judging by the daily puncture threads on the i3 FB group!), I wonder if the Nankang ones fair any better than the standard fit Bridgestones... One poor guy had 5 punctures in a year!
Good to hear they're happy at motorway speeds, wished I'd gone for the "s" shortly after I ordered but it was locked down in days, due to be delivered about 6/7 weeks after I ordered!
Yes punctures seem to be a common issue reading that, and the only thing I can put that down to is the skinny tyres and smaller contact patch, but no idea if that's actually the case.Good to hear they're happy at motorway speeds, wished I'd gone for the "s" shortly after I ordered but it was locked down in days, due to be delivered about 6/7 weeks after I ordered!
New i3 'base' model in Star Trooper white/black due to be delivered next week.
Quite an interesting buying experience I guess due to them being a relatively low volume car. Quite to my surprise the local BMW dealer up here in the Highlands (part of the Arnold Clark group no less) came up with the best deal. Factoring in the govt incentive managed a 17.5% discount on list on a UK car rather than a factory build.
Didn't test drive one but the internet says it's faster to 40mph then my M5. Haha!
Quite an interesting buying experience I guess due to them being a relatively low volume car. Quite to my surprise the local BMW dealer up here in the Highlands (part of the Arnold Clark group no less) came up with the best deal. Factoring in the govt incentive managed a 17.5% discount on list on a UK car rather than a factory build.
Didn't test drive one but the internet says it's faster to 40mph then my M5. Haha!
Depthhoar said:
New i3 'base' model in Star Trooper white/black due to be delivered next week.
Quite an interesting buying experience I guess due to them being a relatively low volume car. Quite to my surprise the local BMW dealer up here in the Highlands (part of the Arnold Clark group no less) came up with the best deal. Factoring in the govt incentive managed a 17.5% discount on list on a UK car rather than a factory build.
Didn't test drive one but the internet says it's faster to 40mph then my M5. Haha!
You mean Storm Trooper surely?Quite an interesting buying experience I guess due to them being a relatively low volume car. Quite to my surprise the local BMW dealer up here in the Highlands (part of the Arnold Clark group no less) came up with the best deal. Factoring in the govt incentive managed a 17.5% discount on list on a UK car rather than a factory build.
Didn't test drive one but the internet says it's faster to 40mph then my M5. Haha!
Ours is also a white/black standard 120ah car and I can well believe it is quicker to 40 with the instant go it has.
Your M5 is lovely BTW, always had a soft spot for the E39 especially in Le Mans blue. Perfect V8 manual counterpoint to the i3.
Enjoy.
SWoll said:
Depthhoar said:
New i3 'base' model in Star Trooper white/black due to be delivered next week.
Quite an interesting buying experience I guess due to them being a relatively low volume car. Quite to my surprise the local BMW dealer up here in the Highlands (part of the Arnold Clark group no less) came up with the best deal. Factoring in the govt incentive managed a 17.5% discount on list on a UK car rather than a factory build.
Didn't test drive one but the internet says it's faster to 40mph then my M5. Haha!
You mean Storm Trooper surely?Quite an interesting buying experience I guess due to them being a relatively low volume car. Quite to my surprise the local BMW dealer up here in the Highlands (part of the Arnold Clark group no less) came up with the best deal. Factoring in the govt incentive managed a 17.5% discount on list on a UK car rather than a factory build.
Didn't test drive one but the internet says it's faster to 40mph then my M5. Haha!
Ours is also a white/black standard 120ah car and I can well believe it is quicker to 40 with the instant go it has.
Your M5 is lovely BTW, always had a soft spot for the E39 especially in Le Mans blue. Perfect V8 manual counterpoint to the i3.
Enjoy.
Had the 120ah i3 for 3 weeks now and covered over 1600 miles.
First impressions, but bear in mind I'm a noob EV driver:-
I like it!
Its funky looks are a positive thing for me although I know it's a bit of a marmite issue.
Love the cabin and general quality of construction. The techy details of its carbon fibre(ish) and alloy build are a bit of a marvel making it one of the lightest EVs on the market. Feels like the future.
Actually quite like the iDrive command & control system, which in prospect I thought I'd hate.
It's a surprisingly good steer even though it is quite tall and the driving position just a little bit SUV-like.
Took it on a 800mile road trip down to the 'Shire last week. It was fine and I could cope with the range issue (sensible maximum was 120 miles in near 0 degrees C. weather). The charging infrastructure is just too patchy/cannot be relied on though even when consulting Zap map. Arrived at a couple of places to find chargers not working when their network indicated no problems. You definitely need a Plan B charging option if undertaking a long cross-country journey. Instavolt and Shell Recharge faultless though. I digress....
They're quite pokey aren't they? Nice shove from a standing start and quite at ease at a 70-80mph cruise. Range does suffer (a lot) if you're making progress of course. Would happily take it on another long journey. Hope the charging infrastructure improves....soon.
My wife loves the i3 and has become quite possessive about it!
I think I'm a convert......
.......but the keys to my M5 will be wrested from my hands only when I am on the floor choking on my own blood.
First impressions, but bear in mind I'm a noob EV driver:-
I like it!
Its funky looks are a positive thing for me although I know it's a bit of a marmite issue.
Love the cabin and general quality of construction. The techy details of its carbon fibre(ish) and alloy build are a bit of a marvel making it one of the lightest EVs on the market. Feels like the future.
Actually quite like the iDrive command & control system, which in prospect I thought I'd hate.
It's a surprisingly good steer even though it is quite tall and the driving position just a little bit SUV-like.
Took it on a 800mile road trip down to the 'Shire last week. It was fine and I could cope with the range issue (sensible maximum was 120 miles in near 0 degrees C. weather). The charging infrastructure is just too patchy/cannot be relied on though even when consulting Zap map. Arrived at a couple of places to find chargers not working when their network indicated no problems. You definitely need a Plan B charging option if undertaking a long cross-country journey. Instavolt and Shell Recharge faultless though. I digress....
They're quite pokey aren't they? Nice shove from a standing start and quite at ease at a 70-80mph cruise. Range does suffer (a lot) if you're making progress of course. Would happily take it on another long journey. Hope the charging infrastructure improves....soon.
My wife loves the i3 and has become quite possessive about it!
I think I'm a convert......
.......but the keys to my M5 will be wrested from my hands only when I am on the floor choking on my own blood.
Depthhoar said:
Had the 120ah i3 for 3 weeks now and covered over 1600 miles.
First impressions, but bear in mind I'm a noob EV driver:-
I like it!
Its funky looks are a positive thing for me although I know it's a bit of a marmite issue.
Love the cabin and general quality of construction. The techy details of its carbon fibre(ish) and alloy build are a bit of a marvel making it one of the lightest EVs on the market. Feels like the future.
Actually quite like the iDrive command & control system, which in prospect I thought I'd hate.
It's a surprisingly good steer even though it is quite tall and the driving position just a little bit SUV-like.
Took it on a 800mile road trip down to the 'Shire last week. It was fine and I could cope with the range issue (sensible maximum was 120 miles in near 0 degrees C. weather). The charging infrastructure is just too patchy/cannot be relied on though even when consulting Zap map. Arrived at a couple of places to find chargers not working when their network indicated no problems. You definitely need a Plan B charging option if undertaking a long cross-country journey. Instavolt and Shell Recharge faultless though. I digress....
They're quite pokey aren't they? Nice shove from a standing start and quite at ease at a 70-80mph cruise. Range does suffer (a lot) if you're making progress of course. Would happily take it on another long journey. Hope the charging infrastructure improves....soon.
My wife loves the i3 and has become quite possessive about it!
I think I'm a convert......
.......but the keys to my M5 will be wrested from my hands only when I am on the floor choking on my own blood.
Spot on. Had ours for 8 months now and have covered about 10k in it with feelings identical to yours. A you say I wouldn't want to rely on public charging if we couldn't charge at home though.First impressions, but bear in mind I'm a noob EV driver:-
I like it!
Its funky looks are a positive thing for me although I know it's a bit of a marmite issue.
Love the cabin and general quality of construction. The techy details of its carbon fibre(ish) and alloy build are a bit of a marvel making it one of the lightest EVs on the market. Feels like the future.
Actually quite like the iDrive command & control system, which in prospect I thought I'd hate.
It's a surprisingly good steer even though it is quite tall and the driving position just a little bit SUV-like.
Took it on a 800mile road trip down to the 'Shire last week. It was fine and I could cope with the range issue (sensible maximum was 120 miles in near 0 degrees C. weather). The charging infrastructure is just too patchy/cannot be relied on though even when consulting Zap map. Arrived at a couple of places to find chargers not working when their network indicated no problems. You definitely need a Plan B charging option if undertaking a long cross-country journey. Instavolt and Shell Recharge faultless though. I digress....
They're quite pokey aren't they? Nice shove from a standing start and quite at ease at a 70-80mph cruise. Range does suffer (a lot) if you're making progress of course. Would happily take it on another long journey. Hope the charging infrastructure improves....soon.
My wife loves the i3 and has become quite possessive about it!
I think I'm a convert......
.......but the keys to my M5 will be wrested from my hands only when I am on the floor choking on my own blood.
Our Model 3 Performance should be turning up at the start of December so will see if the wife is still quite so possessive about "her i3" at that point.
Edited by SWoll on Friday 22 November 10:47
I'll add my thoughts on the i3s which we've had for a month.
It's been mostly great (apart from a puncture early on which took 5 days to find a replacement tyre). I am really pleased I went for the S model, as it is noticeably more stable than the standard i3 demo I had. I know it markets itself as a "city car", but I find it really good on the motorway which is where most of my commute is, 70 mile return trip. It keeps up easily with fast motorway traffic but also a breeze to drive in congestion on the M25. Around town it's super nippy and easy to park. The ride is firm but definitely not crashy which had been a worry knowing the S had firmer suspension.
I mostly benefit from free electricity at work, so have rarely needed to charge it on the go, but I did take one long trip up to the NEC for the classic car show (ironically). This was an interesting experiment but it didn't go well. I had booked a charging point at the NEC, and started off with 30 miles more range than the distance to the NEC, drove sensibly in eco-pro with the cruise on 70mph up the M40, but that excess range gradually reduced and found myself in a deficit, and had to stop and charge, but unfortunately just a slow charger at a hotel. Eventually I got on the road again and made it with a few miles to spare. Stopped at the fast charger at Warick services on the way back and that worked well. It was a very cold day, and perhaps that was the reason for the reduced range.
Other niggles; I find the standard interior lighting a bit rubbish, not even LED bulbs on the standard interior. I know the more expensive interiors come with the extended lighting, but would still expect LED lights.
I also don't really rate the brakes. I love the one pedal style driving, and that works really well, but on the one occasion I needed to brake hard on the motorway the brakes did not fill me with confidence, a slightly nervy experience.
A comment on straight line speed, mine feels slightly slower than the regular i3 I tried. I've seen quotes around that it is as quick as an M3 in the 0-30mph sprint but it really seems more like a 320d. It's nippy, not quick.
Anyway, these are just minor points, it really does make a fantastic commuter car, especially with the free work charging I am lucky to benefit from. It's a quirky interesting car. I've also experienced a couple of waves from other i3 drivers, something I've not experienced since owning a Lotus!
It's been mostly great (apart from a puncture early on which took 5 days to find a replacement tyre). I am really pleased I went for the S model, as it is noticeably more stable than the standard i3 demo I had. I know it markets itself as a "city car", but I find it really good on the motorway which is where most of my commute is, 70 mile return trip. It keeps up easily with fast motorway traffic but also a breeze to drive in congestion on the M25. Around town it's super nippy and easy to park. The ride is firm but definitely not crashy which had been a worry knowing the S had firmer suspension.
I mostly benefit from free electricity at work, so have rarely needed to charge it on the go, but I did take one long trip up to the NEC for the classic car show (ironically). This was an interesting experiment but it didn't go well. I had booked a charging point at the NEC, and started off with 30 miles more range than the distance to the NEC, drove sensibly in eco-pro with the cruise on 70mph up the M40, but that excess range gradually reduced and found myself in a deficit, and had to stop and charge, but unfortunately just a slow charger at a hotel. Eventually I got on the road again and made it with a few miles to spare. Stopped at the fast charger at Warick services on the way back and that worked well. It was a very cold day, and perhaps that was the reason for the reduced range.
Other niggles; I find the standard interior lighting a bit rubbish, not even LED bulbs on the standard interior. I know the more expensive interiors come with the extended lighting, but would still expect LED lights.
I also don't really rate the brakes. I love the one pedal style driving, and that works really well, but on the one occasion I needed to brake hard on the motorway the brakes did not fill me with confidence, a slightly nervy experience.
A comment on straight line speed, mine feels slightly slower than the regular i3 I tried. I've seen quotes around that it is as quick as an M3 in the 0-30mph sprint but it really seems more like a 320d. It's nippy, not quick.
Anyway, these are just minor points, it really does make a fantastic commuter car, especially with the free work charging I am lucky to benefit from. It's a quirky interesting car. I've also experienced a couple of waves from other i3 drivers, something I've not experienced since owning a Lotus!
Gassing Station | EV and Alternative Fuels | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff