4 days with an i3 - first impressions

[PixelpeepS3]

I have been lucky enough to have a 2016 i3 range extender on a 4 day extended test drive and thought i would share some initial findings.

Good and bad in no particular order

- Range anxiety is an actual thing
- you can do roughly 120 miles on battery only and a further 80 ish using the generator (kicks in automatically)
- off acceleration recharging is so strong you barely use the brake (great game)
- the thing is comically quick off the line
- you can half the range by driving hard
- it actually does 95mph (but see above...)
- it feels very roomy inside
- its not hard to unsettle the car
- the unfinished fibreglass effect dash reflects onto the windscreen and makes you think your windscreen is always dirty.
- you will find yourself defending your choices and the car to people who are exactly like you were before you drove it
- the 2stroke generator on the range extender models is LOUD on the outside and sounds like a lawnmower.
- ride is good unless you go over any harsh speed bumps - weight of the floorpan is very apparent
- by default the eco pro+ mode has a maximum speed of 56mph and if you have cruise on, going above that speed and set that mode
the car will immediately brake to get to 56...
- My company has just told me that if i want to plug it in at work (to a standard 13a plug socket) i will have to inform the tax man as it
would be considered a benefit in kind (?!)
- It takes 40 minutes to 80% charge on a 50kw DC charger (available in various locations)
- it takes around 12 hours to fully charge in a standard 13 amp socket
- it has marmite looks. Personally i love it.
- i am 98% sure i will buy one when i take it back on friday.

here is a quick picture - this is the colour i would order.

[anonymous-user]

Fair review! I'd add (after around 4k miles)

1) Range anxiety is a short lived phenomena. You get used to seeing low double digit ranges on the dash, compared to say seeing 500miles on a derv), and know if you're just popping 5 miles down the road to the shops, having a 15 mile range is actually fine!

2) I wish the seats had lumbar adjustment

3) The lower plastic panels, particularly the scooped out sills are going to look tatty very quickly i think, especially for me as my commute is 32m of narrow, dirty, B road..

4) Performance off the line is average at best, because it has no gears to leverage, But between about 25 and 50mph if genuinely quick quick.

5) The DSC traction control is very good, because of the high frequency response of the electric powertrain. On ICE's hitting a drain cover or cats eyes turns off the torque for what feels like ages, whereas the i3 seems to be able to put it back on again a lot quicker (probably because it's fast enough to avoid gross wheel overspeed)

6) Full Regen + RWD = doesn't like bumpy roads. Be prepared to have to brake if you catch a large bump under full regen (DSC reduces regen to maintain stability)

[Dave Hedgehog]

to me it looks like something noddy would drive, i dont understand the logic in this

the tesla s on the other hand looks superb

[covmutley]

I only spent a couple of hours in it before ordering (due Sept) and found pretty much the same as you.

I was really impressed how roomy it is inside, a real surprise. I think the raised driving position and huge windows add to this.

I agree the looks are marmite. its certainly not 'pretty'.

After my 1.6 diesel octavia, im certainly looking forward to some quick get-aways at the lights.

But i think the biggest thing for me that I liked is the technology, and how it is packaged and integrated into something i think is very special. The carbon fibre plastic shell, the silence when pulling away, the one foot driving, the smoothness, ability to pre-conditon the cabin temp, fact the cabin is for people and devoid of any gubbins like transmission tunnels etc etc..

The best way I can describe it was that the i3 felt 'digital'; and stepping back into my rattly diesel was like going back to analogue.

[covmutley]

Max_Torque said:

4) Performance off the line is average at best, because it has no gears to leverage, But between about 25 and 50mph if genuinely quick quick.

I thought it was the other way around.

The video on youtube shows it beating an M3 to about 30 ish, before being overtaken as they approach 60?

[anonymous-user]

Max_Torque said:

Fair review! I'd add (after around 4k miles)

1) Range anxiety is a short lived phenomena. You get used to seeing low double digit ranges on the dash, compared to say seeing 500miles on a derv), and know if you're just popping 5 miles down the road to the shops, having a 15 mile range is actually fine!

2) I wish the seats had lumbar adjustment

3) The lower plastic panels, particularly the scooped out sills are going to look tatty very quickly i think, especially for me as my commute is 32m of narrow, dirty, B road..

4) Performance off the line is average at best, because it has no gears to leverage, But between about 25 and 50mph if genuinely quick quick.

5) The DSC traction control is very good, because of the high frequency response of the electric powertrain. On ICE's hitting a drain cover or cats eyes turns off the torque for what feels like ages, whereas the i3 seems to be able to put it back on again a lot quicker (probably because it's fast enough to avoid gross wheel overspeed)

6) Full Regen + RWD = doesn't like bumpy roads. Be prepared to have to brake if you catch a large bump under full regen (DSC reduces regen to maintain stability)

What does that mean? Can't say I've ever noticed a lack of traction caused by drain covers or cats eyes, in any car I've driven.

[Olivera]

Dave Hedgehog said:

to me it looks like something noddy would drive, i dont understand the logic in this

My thoughts entirely. The possible range (including generator) sounds good, but the noddy like wardrobe-on-wheels styling is pants.

[anonymous-user]

REALIST123 said:

Max_Torque said:

Fair review! I'd add (after around 4k miles)

1) Range anxiety is a short lived phenomena. You get used to seeing low double digit ranges on the dash, compared to say seeing 500miles on a derv), and know if you're just popping 5 miles down the road to the shops, having a 15 mile range is actually fine!

2) I wish the seats had lumbar adjustment

3) The lower plastic panels, particularly the scooped out sills are going to look tatty very quickly i think, especially for me as my commute is 32m of narrow, dirty, B road..

4) Performance off the line is average at best, because it has no gears to leverage, But between about 25 and 50mph if genuinely quick quick.

5) The DSC traction control is very good, because of the high frequency response of the electric powertrain. On ICE's hitting a drain cover or cats eyes turns off the torque for what feels like ages, whereas the i3 seems to be able to put it back on again a lot quicker (probably because it's fast enough to avoid gross wheel overspeed)

6) Full Regen + RWD = doesn't like bumpy roads. Be prepared to have to brake if you catch a large bump under full regen (DSC reduces regen to maintain stability)

What does that mean? Can't say I've ever noticed a lack of traction caused by drain covers or cats eyes, in any car I've driven.

In a normal ICE engined car, the rate at which you can ramp torque on and off is limited, especially on turbo charged cars. And there is lots of engine inertia (because the engine has big spinny bits like the crank, flywheel etc) so even if you cut cylinder firing immediately, the rotating bits can't slow down that quickly. So when you hit say a wet drain cover and a tyre starts to slip and spin up, the DSC has to 'over react' and cut engine torque hard and immediately. But the high rotating inertia means the tyres stays at a high slip value for some period of time, meaning engine torque has to be kept off. Eventually, when the tyre slip has reduced sufficiently, engine torque can be re-applied, but this takes time to do as well. So for a typical ICE road car, with a 'safe' DSC calibration, you're looking at a complete 'torque down event' taking a minimum of 500ms and more typically 2 to 3 sec. This feels like a long time to be undriven, especially when in the case of a single wheel spinning up, the driver doesn't necessarily feel how hard the system has had to react to maintain stability.

On a typical EV, motor torque is modulated at around 1KHz, that's 1000 times in one second! And because of the low inertia (and high stiffness) of the system, actual tractive effort (the longitudinal force at the tyre contact patch) can still be modulated very fast indeed. And having a true bi-directional capability (able to apply as just much negative torque as positive torque, unlike your ICE than can only apply negative torque up to the engines friction / pumping loss limit) the system can even actively absorb excess system mechanical rotating inertia, keeping very fine control of the wheel speed, and hence keeping tyre slip in a very narrow, optimum window.

[anonymous-user]

covmutley said:

Max_Torque said:

4) Performance off the line is average at best, because it has no gears to leverage, But between about 25 and 50mph if genuinely quick quick.

I thought it was the other way around.

The video on youtube shows it beating an M3 to about 30 ish, before being overtaken as they approach 60?

Don't believe everything you see on Youtube! An I3 wouldn't see which way an M3 had gone if they were bot launched as hard as possible at the same time........

(in an in gear roll-on at say 30mph to 50mph, then they'd be much closed matched (unless the M3 driver was left foot braking to get the turbo's lit...... ;-)

[chandrew]

Max_Torque said:

Don't believe everything you see on Youtube! An I3 wouldn't see which way an M3 had gone if they were bot launched as hard as possible at the same time........

(in an in gear roll-on at say 30mph to 50mph, then they'd be much closed matched (unless the M3 driver was left foot braking to get the turbo's lit...... ;-)

Subjectively my old i3 doesn't feel anywhere near as fast to accelerate as the 340i xdrive (with the M Performance pack) that I replaced it with. This wouldn't be as quick as an M3.

The advantage of the i3 is that it's far more responsive. After an EV even a good auto feels a bit laggy. In traffic the i3 would be the nicer car to drive, especially if it had the adaptive cruise that the 3 series has.

[PixelpeepS3]

Dave Hedgehog said:

to me it looks like something noddy would drive, i dont understand the logic in this

the tesla s on the other hand looks superb

The tesla s does look superb but it's double the price!

[AnotherClarkey]

I had one on a 24 test drive and agree that there is something off/unsettled with the handling. There seems to be odd steering response just off straight ahead which results in a lot of 'head toss'.

The REX generator is 4 stroke rather than 2 stroke no?

[covmutley]

Rex is 2 cylinder

[oop north]

I am nearly 20,000 miles into mine now - shame mine isn't the later model as doing the round trip to office (77 miles) is touch and go in winter months. Don't ask me why but I hate using petrol (6 gallons in 19600 miles so far) and would rather drive slowly and get cold than use the Rex. But it does mean that you can get where you want to.

I mostly like it but still enjoy driving the discovery 4 when I need to use more than 4 seats or two or or do a long journey. Having only four seats has been more of a pain than I had expected, the doors are annoying (anyone in back seat can manage to shut front door behind themselves or reach front door to open it) there is a massive blind spot from the front pillars and the range isn't enough for me over a full year. I do like being able to swish to the shops at a fuel cost of about 2p-3p per mile rather than 20p in the disco - doing a 30 mile round trip costing 50p in total to get a couple of bags of coffee from the roasters is palatable in a way that £6 in diesel would not be. I think one of my fave things is you can accelerate flat out and nobody realises by listening - use a petrol car and razz it and it's obvious to everyone - but an electric car is so discreet in comparison.

Oh and the ride is crap on country lanes and the deceleration is sometimes very different from normal (e.g. Over slippery manhole cover, wet bumpy road etc) and that is occasionally scary

The tax for company charging your car is a bit weird - mine as a company car has no taxable benefit in kind from the company paying for every single charge (have a meter on my home charger) but if it were not a company car and the company charged it up there would be bik.

[AER]

covmutley said:

Rex is 2 cylinder

Rex is a Taiwanese scooter engine.

[PixelpeepS3]

Read a really helpful tip on another forum about saving the shortcut for 'hold current state of charge' on the 1-8 buttons.

Now my number 8 acts as a manual on/off for the Rex so i can force it to come on earlier so range anxiety is a thing of the past.

If you wanted to you could just top up the Rex every 70 miles. and leave the battery relatively untouched.

Also - anyone got the app? it is absolutely amazing - you can flash headlights, turn on AC, lock/unlock, locate the car, check the range of both battery & Rex, check when services are due, tyre pressures etc

[ds666]

The i3 has been out for years . Whilst it may be new to some people , it is old news.

[anonymous-user]

Max_Torque said:

In a normal ICE engined car, the rate at which you can ramp torque on and off is limited, especially on turbo charged cars. And there is lots of engine inertia (because the engine has big spinny bits like the crank, flywheel etc) so even if you cut cylinder firing immediately, the rotating bits can't slow down that quickly. So when you hit say a wet drain cover and a tyre starts to slip and spin up, the DSC has to 'over react' and cut engine torque hard and immediately. But the high rotating inertia means the tyres stays at a high slip value for some period of time, meaning engine torque has to be kept off. Eventually, when the tyre slip has reduced sufficiently, engine torque can be re-applied, but this takes time to do as well. So for a typical ICE road car, with a 'safe' DSC calibration, you're looking at a complete 'torque down event' taking a minimum of 500ms and more typically 2 to 3 sec. This feels like a long time to be undriven, especially when in the case of a single wheel spinning up, the driver doesn't necessarily feel how hard the system has had to react to maintain stability.

On a typical EV, motor torque is modulated at around 1KHz, that's 1000 times in one second! And because of the low inertia (and high stiffness) of the system, actual tractive effort (the longitudinal force at the tyre contact patch) can still be modulated very fast indeed. And having a true bi-directional capability (able to apply as just much negative torque as positive torque, unlike your ICE than can only apply negative torque up to the engines friction / pumping loss limit) the system can even actively absorb excess system mechanical rotating inertia, keeping very fine control of the wheel speed, and hence keeping tyre slip in a very narrow, optimum window.

Sorry Max, fell asleep reading that.

So what you're saying, in essence, is that it's neither here nor there as it'll never happen, in reality, that you'd notice ?

I agree.

[anonymous-user]

REALIST123 said:

Max_Torque said:

In a normal ICE engined car, the rate at which you can ramp torque on and off is limited, especially on turbo charged cars. And there is lots of engine inertia (because the engine has big spinny bits like the crank, flywheel etc) so even if you cut cylinder firing immediately, the rotating bits can't slow down that quickly. So when you hit say a wet drain cover and a tyre starts to slip and spin up, the DSC has to 'over react' and cut engine torque hard and immediately. But the high rotating inertia means the tyres stays at a high slip value for some period of time, meaning engine torque has to be kept off. Eventually, when the tyre slip has reduced sufficiently, engine torque can be re-applied, but this takes time to do as well. So for a typical ICE road car, with a 'safe' DSC calibration, you're looking at a complete 'torque down event' taking a minimum of 500ms and more typically 2 to 3 sec. This feels like a long time to be undriven, especially when in the case of a single wheel spinning up, the driver doesn't necessarily feel how hard the system has had to react to maintain stability.

On a typical EV, motor torque is modulated at around 1KHz, that's 1000 times in one second! And because of the low inertia (and high stiffness) of the system, actual tractive effort (the longitudinal force at the tyre contact patch) can still be modulated very fast indeed. And having a true bi-directional capability (able to apply as just much negative torque as positive torque, unlike your ICE than can only apply negative torque up to the engines friction / pumping loss limit) the system can even actively absorb excess system mechanical rotating inertia, keeping very fine control of the wheel speed, and hence keeping tyre slip in a very narrow, optimum window.

Sorry Max, fell asleep reading that.

So what you're saying, in essence, is that it's neither here nor there as it'll never happen, in reality, that you'd notice ?

I agree.

what? Anyone with the slightest interest and skill in driving will notice the difference!

[CooperS]

For the average person choosing between a 2.0d or petrol Vs an i3 as an everyday car , I'd say most would be impressed by the instant nature of the acceleration.

Who's going into BMW and thinking right it's between a i3 or M3.... Haha...