330e or i3?

[Herbs]

Having moved earlier this year to somewhere rural, my mileage increasing to somewhere north of 15k, i'm getting fed up of spending ~£450 a month on fuel with my Q7 despite loving the comfort.

My commute is 25-28 miles each way depending on which route and is a mixture of town and a roads (50-70 limits) I take so looking to use the fun car at weekends and get something as economical as possible for the commute with as many toys as I can. The car will be charged at home overnight but not at work and doubtful this will be an option in the near future.

My budget is somewhere between £15k-£20k (at the max) and was all set on an i3, then I noticed the 330e is also in budget.

The electric element of the i3 appeals a lot but then the 3 series offers much more of a traditional car but not sure how efficient the electric part is especially as traditionally I do not have a frugal driving style.

Any advice gratefully received.

Edited by Herbs on Monday 10th September 16:36

[Plug Life]

Forget the tax dodging device, get a proper EV, the i3.

[Herbs]

Thanks, that's the way i'm swaying after seeing some people only getting mid 40's with the 330e. If it only got that I may as well not bother

[FeelingLucky]

FWIW, I had an i3 on loan whilst my i8 was in for a service.
It kind of blew me away. It has a nippiness about it that's hard to describe, that belies it's specs.

I loved it and would have one if the opportunity arose.

[Herbs]

That's good to hear, how did the range compared to what is quoted?

[modeller]

range for a 94Ah will be 110-120 @ 70mph in summer.
For A/B roads, you'll get 140+ - speed has a big impact on range.

I'm on my 2nd i3 , having done 17K/year in my first. It's fab!

Edited by modeller on Monday 10th September 21:50

[Herbs]

When did the capacity change or were they launched side by side?

[Leggy]

Interesting, I wander how long the i3 batteries last with the used ones on the market. Prices look lower than expected.

[FeelingLucky]

Herbs said:

When did the capacity change or were they launched side by side?

Don't quote me, but I think it gained the 94Ah battery for the 2017 model year.

[Olivera]

The 330e, with my only justification being it doesn't look like Noddy's car (i3).

[FeelingLucky]

Olivera said:

The 330e, with my only justification being it doesn't look like Noddy's car (i3).

You do know Noddy drove a convertible? Not available for an i3, but quite popular on the 3 series.
Maybe Noddy had a thing for carbon tubs, who knows, but doesn't a 330e look (pretty much) like every other mid-size rep-mobile out there, but if that's what floats your boat, then SCORE!!

[so called]

For similar reasons to the OP, I sold my comfy Merc and bought an i3.
Mine is the smaller battery 60Ah battery and is a 16 plate. I understand that the 94Ah came in in the second half 2016.
I've looked at the few and far between 94Ah and not seen anything for less than £21k.

I'M commuting 49 miles each way in the i3 with no charge facility when I get to the office.
The battery is covering the first 80 miles or so before the range extender kicks in.
So OP, I thing that your mileage means that you can do the whole commute on battery and not need to worry about being too light footed.
Its a real blast to floor it in 'Comfort' mode. (I've got a Tuscan at home). The instant i3 electric drive kick is just great.

My daily fuel cost has dropped from ca., £25,- down to £3,50 electric and £2,- petrol.
The £20,- per day covers the finance with change so its a good deal for me all round.

[Herbs]

so called said:

For similar reasons to the OP, I sold my comfy Merc and bought an i3.
Mine is the smaller battery 60Ah battery and is a 16 plate. I understand that the 94Ah came in in the second half 2016.
I've looked at the few and far between 94Ah and not seen anything for less than £21k.

I'M commuting 49 miles each way in the i3 with no charge facility when I get to the office.
The battery is covering the first 80 miles or so before the range extender kicks in.
So OP, I thing that your mileage means that you can do the whole commute on battery and not need to worry about being too light footed.
Its a real blast to floor it in 'Comfort' mode. (I've got a Tuscan at home). The instant i3 electric drive kick is just great.

My daily fuel cost has dropped from ca., £25,- down to £3,50 electric and £2,- petrol.
The £20,- per day covers the finance with change so its a good deal for me all round.

Thanks, that's exactly what I wanted to hear and my reasoning. If I can cover my whole commute and drop my monthly fuel cost by 90% then i'll happily sacrifice some comfort and then I can plough more money into my fun car

Any advice on what home charger to get?

[caseys]

Herbs said:

Thanks, that's exactly what I wanted to hear and my reasoning. If I can cover my whole commute and drop my monthly fuel cost by 90% then i'll happily sacrifice some comfort and then I can plough more money into my fun car

Any advice on what home charger to get?

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=247&t=1749707 - thread on discussion of home charging options.

330e owner here, going to get an i3 at the end of the year. BMW should be releasing a 120aH at the end of this month / October - so potentially the 94aH models will drop in price on the 2nd hand market, even more so for the 60aH.

Also there are some 0% finance deals available on new 94aH i3 at the moment - presumably to clear stock.

[Greg_D]

i'm on my second i3 and i also have an i8.

i tend to take the i3 most places. tells you all you need to know...

be aware that if you buy a BEV 64Ah you will be uncomfortably close to the range limitations of the vehicle in winter time (i was getting 60 miles, driving like my usual knobbish self ;-) with no regard to efficiency)

so either get an early Rex or a late BEV (or a late Rex like mine, you can go anywhere with that)

you need to factor in 'other' driving as well on top of your usual commute so you have some headroom on a day's charge.

don't bother with the 3...

[Greg_D]

ps, i'm now getting unduly excited about a 120ah pack, that means i can ditch the Rex for my next one and get the S. my rex is a titchy bit slow for my liking..

[Herbs]

Thanks both.

I read that thread yesterday and still a bit none the wiser, i'm guessing they are pretty much of a muchness.

As nice as a new one would be, I have an aversion to new cars and the depreciation that comes with it especially as this is a cost saving exercise otherwise i'd be straight in an Evora.

I currently have a Q7 and a 3L E89 Z4 which I also plan to sell and get something more sports car like which I can always use as well for the commute, i'm not brave enough to jump into a EV as my sole car just yet!

i think the i3 is def the way forward, now I just have to eliminate budget creep for the options list!

[anonymous-user]

i3 94Ah here, having had a Zoe for 2 years before that

i3 is a smashing vehicle

mine is the very base spec, but is still a reasonably nice place to sit and, if you are using it to be able to do all your day's driving on one charge and then charge at home, it will work out very well

[Greg_D]

if you have a free slot in your consumer unit, get a 7kw (32w) type 2 charger, it is the fastest charger you can get on a 'normal' domestic circuit.
if you have 3 phase, then you're cooking on gas and can get something REALLY meaty and DC charge in about 20 mins...... woohoo

simples

[Herbs]

I've got a separate RCD in the garage which may need upgrading as I think it only has 2 switches for sockets and lighting ( I may be wrong!) as i've never paid any attention to it.