Replacing my i3, with ??
Discussion
I’ve an 120ah I3S (now 13 months old) & have done 9.5k miles in it....it’s my first BEV & mine has got front/rear parking & auxiliary heating so very much a lower spec. I’m getting a minimum of 130 miles in the very cold weather & 195 miles in the summer using the pre-conditioning mode when hooked up before heading out & driving it like an electric car rather than a petrol/hybrid.
I found the whole BEV driving experience really relaxing & the torque is immense & enough to seriously annoy people at the traffic lights if you’re inclined
My mileage has been limited for obvious reasons although I reckon I’ll keep it for another 2 yrs or so (up to about 65k miles) & probably go for a nearly new ID4. I like the clever design of the I3 & the “one pedal” driving style.
I found the whole BEV driving experience really relaxing & the torque is immense & enough to seriously annoy people at the traffic lights if you’re inclined
My mileage has been limited for obvious reasons although I reckon I’ll keep it for another 2 yrs or so (up to about 65k miles) & probably go for a nearly new ID4. I like the clever design of the I3 & the “one pedal” driving style. 
MrC986 said:
I’ve an 120ah I3S (now 13 months old) & have done 9.5k miles in it....it’s my first BEV & mine has got front/rear parking & auxiliary heating so very much a lower spec. I’m getting a minimum of 130 miles in the very cold weather & 195 miles in the summer using the pre-conditioning mode when hooked up before heading out & driving it like an electric car rather than a petrol/hybrid.
.
Pretty much exactly twice the distance our current i3 does, which is not surprising as it has twice the battery capacity!.
Will be interesting to see how the newer S compares to our current non-s, in the handling and ride stakes, should be picking the car up late next week.
Spent today giving the current one a decent clean, and it seems i3's really wear there age well, other than the peeling inlay blacking in the rear badge, slightly rusty brake disc hubs, and some minor stone chipping on the very bottom of the sills, for a 5 yo car it comes up like practically new!
Edited by anonymous-user on Sunday 7th March 21:51
Sorry for the hijack but would a 2015 50k miler be a good purchase to see us through a couple of years driving up to 30 miles of short journeys per day?
Mainly concerned that the battery may degrade. I’ve only just started considering EVs as being a viable option
Also is the back seat big enough for my 10 year old boys?
Mainly concerned that the battery may degrade. I’ve only just started considering EVs as being a viable option
Also is the back seat big enough for my 10 year old boys?
Takemeaway said:
Sorry for the hijack but would a 2015 50k miler be a good purchase to see us through a couple of years driving up to 30 miles of short journeys per day?
Mainly concerned that the battery may degrade. I’ve only just started considering EVs as being a viable option
Also is the back seat big enough for my 10 year old boys?
I'd say the back seat is big enough - it's quite comfortable but you can't open the windows.Mainly concerned that the battery may degrade. I’ve only just started considering EVs as being a viable option
Also is the back seat big enough for my 10 year old boys?
And if you can charge at home you'll easily manage with that mileage.i can't remember the last time I used a public charging point.
Only two rear seats (car is a four seater) but actually there is a decent amount of room in the back, more than in my E91 3 series!. This is because the designers have compromised on a small boot (sensible in a car with less than 100 miles range).
As mentiioned, rear windows don't open, but i'm not sure in these days of A/C that's and issue, and of course, you have to open front door to let someone out the back. A suprising number of people havent' worked out the front seats include a forwards tilt to help people get out the back, and as longs as you can get the doors wide open, entrance and egress are easy, helped by the highish floor and seat bases (no stooping to load young kids in)
Mine had only done 25k and still have full battery capacity, at 50k miles, i haven;t heard any reports of any serious degredation. As long as you stay away from soing 70, the small battery car will do 60 miles in the worst weather when driven hard with the heating on, so there is room for a fair bit of degredation before it affects your daily requirement.
Be warned though, these cars get under your skin, and you might find you really love the little thing. You most hear people say "but EVs have no character and are boring" but the i3 is very much the exception to the rule, it's fun, and has bags of character, and really is both a unique car and a sure fire future classic too i think :-)
As mentiioned, rear windows don't open, but i'm not sure in these days of A/C that's and issue, and of course, you have to open front door to let someone out the back. A suprising number of people havent' worked out the front seats include a forwards tilt to help people get out the back, and as longs as you can get the doors wide open, entrance and egress are easy, helped by the highish floor and seat bases (no stooping to load young kids in)
Mine had only done 25k and still have full battery capacity, at 50k miles, i haven;t heard any reports of any serious degredation. As long as you stay away from soing 70, the small battery car will do 60 miles in the worst weather when driven hard with the heating on, so there is room for a fair bit of degredation before it affects your daily requirement.
Be warned though, these cars get under your skin, and you might find you really love the little thing. You most hear people say "but EVs have no character and are boring" but the i3 is very much the exception to the rule, it's fun, and has bags of character, and really is both a unique car and a sure fire future classic too i think :-)
I'm coming to the end of my I3S 120 lease and I'm also struggling to know what to replace it with. For me there's no 'S' or bigger battery version to upgrade to, and I don't want to get an identical car again. I also got a great deal so I'd be paying a lot more for the same if I got another. No option to buy it from BMW (I've asked).
I've loved it and just can't find anything that I'm excited about (without a significant increase in cost). More space would also be handy.
The cheapest Jag Ipace is around £35k but I don't want to spend that much on a used car. I'm currently considering a second hand Leaf as a sensible option, or the MG5 but I'm put off by the lack of charging timer.
I've loved it and just can't find anything that I'm excited about (without a significant increase in cost). More space would also be handy.
The cheapest Jag Ipace is around £35k but I don't want to spend that much on a used car. I'm currently considering a second hand Leaf as a sensible option, or the MG5 but I'm put off by the lack of charging timer.
Chivs said:
No option to buy it from BMW (I've asked).
There are ways to do it if you get help from a decent trader - if you actually wanted to. Arthur at Wisely Automotive has helped a few i3 owners do just that.
On the charging timer issue with the MG - an Ohme smart cable solves those issues, giving control of the timing to the charger.
Max_Torque said:
er, weight towards the rear? for the BEV? er, nope, it has a pretty much perfect 50:50 mass distribution which is why it is intrinsically so well balanced, and the tyres are skinny at both ends, so no understeer due to them! I find mine almost completely un-affected by wet, what with having hard compound narrow eco tyres, so no aquaplaning, and not a tyre that makes massive grip i the dry. I prefer driving ours in the wet actually :-)
Being tall and low mass, it's certainly badly affected by high speed cross winds, but as long as you don't fight the car, nothing dramatic happens. just relax and alls good. It can be suprisingly flighty at high speeds (up near it's speed limiter) on undulating bumpy roads at high throttle openings, certainly flighty beyond the capability of the DSC to intervene fast enough.
But yes, it is better as a city car (for which environment it was designed) but after 5 years of Fast B road driving, not one car has ever "got away" from my i3, come rain, shine or snow (it's really good in the snow, even on summer tyres because like those bicycle width tyres cut through snow well)
I share these views. I had an early BEV, driving mostly on local Swiss country roads and can't for once remember understeer. I DO remember one moment coming out of a tight corner, on a damp road onto the motorway putting too much power in in a rather cack-handed manner and getting all manner of oversteer which was an absolute handful to control. In that regards it was similar to my old Elise. Most of the time it was a joy - light on its feet, responding well to weight transfer and with enough power to make it interesting.Being tall and low mass, it's certainly badly affected by high speed cross winds, but as long as you don't fight the car, nothing dramatic happens. just relax and alls good. It can be suprisingly flighty at high speeds (up near it's speed limiter) on undulating bumpy roads at high throttle openings, certainly flighty beyond the capability of the DSC to intervene fast enough.
But yes, it is better as a city car (for which environment it was designed) but after 5 years of Fast B road driving, not one car has ever "got away" from my i3, come rain, shine or snow (it's really good in the snow, even on summer tyres because like those bicycle width tyres cut through snow well)
I had two sets of wheels for the summer / winter tyres. As long as it's relatively flat there is no problem in the snow and I suspect it's better than most RWD cars in this respect.
I got rid of mine as I needed to move to a 1 car garage. We replaced with with a 340i xdrive touring. I remember testing that car and felt the standard car a bit unresponsive compared to the i3 and it was only with the additional performance pack that it came close. I enjoyed driving the i3 far more than the 3 series.
For me it's got 'future-classic' written all over it. I keep one eye open for a 'cross-fade' edition.
Max_Torque said:
I wouldn't normally say i'm a big fan of gold coloured cars, but that looks pretty sharp actually! :-)
Thanks!Ive never had anything quite like this before, and with all the doom and gloom recently I thought a fun bright colour would just be ideal.
I've had so many blue and grey cars before, this was certainly a change.
Although as my 17 year old god-son said: 'gold and black cars are for drug dealers'. Sigh. Ive asked his father to find out how he knows this
I used to do a 50 + 50 mile daily commute in my i3Rex, mainly on duel carriageway.
In the summer, I could be in sight of home before the Rex kicked in. In the winter it would do the last 20 miles or so with Rex.
Did this for about 12 months and thoroughly enjoyed driving it.
Yes the Rex ride is affected by the weight distribution but I never had a big problem with it.
Summer 2019 I traded in for a 2 month old demo i3S and got it for £28k which seemed a good deal.
I love the i3S even more than the i3.
Have actually missed the commute the last 12 months so now I'm always the one volunteering to do the shopping. :-)
Great car and great fun.
In the summer, I could be in sight of home before the Rex kicked in. In the winter it would do the last 20 miles or so with Rex.
Did this for about 12 months and thoroughly enjoyed driving it.
Yes the Rex ride is affected by the weight distribution but I never had a big problem with it.
Summer 2019 I traded in for a 2 month old demo i3S and got it for £28k which seemed a good deal.
I love the i3S even more than the i3.
Have actually missed the commute the last 12 months so now I'm always the one volunteering to do the shopping. :-)
Great car and great fun.
Edited by so called on Wednesday 10th March 14:32
aberdeeneuan said:
Been considering one of these at the moment for later in the year. While I don't want to distract from the OP, for all of you who've had them, I'm not up on the specs and options - what should I be looking out for?
They seem remarkably reliable. If you want the REX then there are some specific issues with that system but that seems to be about it.My advice would be to make sure it fits your usage. Personally I don't think the infrastructure is ready for fully electric vehicles to be used on long journeys on a regular basis, but that doesn't seem to stop some people.
If you can charge at home or have access to reliable public charging they are great at what they do.
JeffreyD said:
aberdeeneuan said:
Been considering one of these at the moment for later in the year. While I don't want to distract from the OP, for all of you who've had them, I'm not up on the specs and options - what should I be looking out for?
They seem remarkably reliable. If you want the REX then there are some specific issues with that system but that seems to be about it.My advice would be to make sure it fits your usage. Personally I don't think the infrastructure is ready for fully electric vehicles to be used on long journeys on a regular basis, but that doesn't seem to stop some people.
If you can charge at home or have access to reliable public charging they are great at what they do.
road tax.
ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY f
kING QUID A YEARto put that into prospective - my 310hp 2016 Audi S3 was £160 a year.
just because the range extender engine produces 12g/km co2 - and only when you're using it. the rest of the time the car is 0g . if you don't use the rex you NEVER produce any co2
irritated the life out of me each time it came up for renewal.
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