Thinking of buying a 2016/7/8 i3 or i3S

[iDrive]

Hi

I've driven a couple of i3 - A 60AH and a 94AH - and am looking to buy.

I see the 94AH Rex as my ideal, looking at the distances I do, so...

2016 (16 Plate) i3 94AH Rex to 2017 (66 Plate) would mean £Nil Tax (VEL)

Beyond that they become liable for £150ish road tax due to the Rex

Then the i3S came in 2018 but at just over £40k new it means the road tax (VEL) is £480 for 6 years

Any views from owners/drivers on strengths of the alternatives please?

[off_again]

2017 i3 Rex owner here.

Couple of comments - the Rex is useful, but make sure you want / need it. It does change the balance of the car and makes it rear heavy (obviously). The BEV models are nicer handling and if you can get the biggest battery, its usually sufficient for most use cases. The 120 model does significantly increase the range obviously.

Spec is very dependent on what you want too. Personally, we didn’t want leather, which meant that we had to drop a few options like the better stereo. However, be picky as to what you want. All are pretty well optioned to start with and come with a lot. Reversing camera is good and make sure you go for the bigger screen as it makes everything else easier to use. And if you can, get one with CarPlay. You can retrofit CarPlay (aftermarket) and a bigger screen on 2017 and earlier (we did this), but post 2018 was a change in the head unit so make sure you get what you want, as adding it later gets very expensive.

Other than that, they are a fun, funky and weird looking car. Bigger on the inside than you might think and a great handling and driving little car. Just dont expect it to be a mile muncher on the motorway. It’s good, but its twitchy in wind and the steering is very light and sensitive. But around town its awesome - and the turning circle is amazing. So many places you can get in, through and around!

[iDrive]

off_again said:

2017 i3 Rex owner here.

Couple of comments - the Rex is useful, but make sure you want / need it. It does change the balance of the car and makes it rear heavy (obviously). The BEV models are nicer handling and if you can get the biggest battery, its usually sufficient for most use cases. The 120 model does significantly increase the range obviously.

Spec is very dependent on what you want too. Personally, we didn’t want leather, which meant that we had to drop a few options like the better stereo. However, be picky as to what you want. All are pretty well optioned to start with and come with a lot. Reversing camera is good and make sure you go for the bigger screen as it makes everything else easier to use. And if you can, get one with CarPlay. You can retrofit CarPlay (aftermarket) and a bigger screen on 2017 and earlier (we did this), but post 2018 was a change in the head unit so make sure you get what you want, as adding it later gets very expensive.

Other than that, they are a fun, funky and weird looking car. Bigger on the inside than you might think and a great handling and driving little car. Just dont expect it to be a mile muncher on the motorway. It’s good, but its twitchy in wind and the steering is very light and sensitive. But around town its awesome - and the turning circle is amazing. So many places you can get in, through and around!

Thanks - Thats useful!

I had a 94AH with Rex last week and took it for a 100mile trip - Range started as 112miles on battery, but as I cruised at 70mph I saw the battery range drop below the "Distance to destination" on my SatNav...

I rarely do that length of journey and have an alternative for when I need to, last week was just a check!

How much to replace a small-screen on a 2017 for a large one?

I've seen a neat i3s but it seems a big jump in annual cost for it.

My budget falls short of the 120AH at the moment.

Annoyingly, I used to buy at BCA, but they are Trade-Only currently, and have a few going through.

[anonymous-user]

i3 is absolutely a better car when spec'd as pure BEV, ie without the ReX.. More reliable, faster, (much) better handling.

But if you need the ReX, then you need the ReX. Just be sure you do need it (personally if i only did a few "beyond range" journeys, i'd not spec the ReX as long as those journeys do have some fast charging infrastructure in there locale.

I3 isn't a particularly great motorway car, although the "S" is much less affected by cross winds and the like, you do pay for it in a pretty busy ride, also at high speeds the wind noise isn't that well controlled (thin plastic panels and frameless windows), btu realistically, to get decent range i tend to set the cruise at around 70mph where it's not that noisy. I'm more than happy to put up with a bit of wind noise and the busy ride for just how much fun the "S" is to drive on a daily basis though.

[off_again]

iDrive said:

Thanks - Thats useful!

I had a 94AH with Rex last week and took it for a 100mile trip - Range started as 112miles on battery, but as I cruised at 70mph I saw the battery range drop below the "Distance to destination" on my SatNav...

I rarely do that length of journey and have an alternative for when I need to, last week was just a check!

How much to replace a small-screen on a 2017 for a large one?

I've seen a neat i3s but it seems a big jump in annual cost for it.

My budget falls short of the 120AH at the moment.

Annoyingly, I used to buy at BCA, but they are Trade-Only currently, and have a few going through.

Ok, sorry quick reply:

Replacing the screen is really easy. You will need to get the BimmerCode app and a compatible OBD reader, but thats about $60 in total. It’s nice to get anyway, because you can do quite a lot of personalization too, so worth it anyway. And then a replacement screen off AliExpress is all you need. The replacement screen was $240 for me, and there are a lot for sale. It was originally a Chinese manufacturer, so its a direct replacement. But post 2018 they replaced it for a higher quality Japanese made one, which costs more and isn’t quite as easy to replace. You then just code the iDrive system to change the resolution. There are a number of sites that walk you through the process.

Adding CarPlay is also easy too. Again, I used AliExpress for the module, but you must make sure you order the i3 specific one as you need longer cables for it. The head unit electronics are under the rear seat! But its a plug and play process and simple, probably an hour or two in total because you need to hide the wires and take the glove box out. Easy process though. Wireless CarPlay is OK, but hit and miss on connecting, wired works perfectly. Couple that with the big screen and its really nice - full size CarPlay and very clear. A worthwhile upgrade if you can.

Just did a 120 mile each way drive. Used the Rex on the way down and arrived with 52% charge. 40 mins charge at an Electrify America fast charger and drove home on batteries only. Easy peazy. Would have been nice to do the full drive without charging, but no issues for the little i3. For the rare times that we need to go more than 100 miles one way, the Rex makes sense for us, but the BEV will do 100+ miles on a single charge. If that works for you, great. If you need the Rex, just be aware that its a little more complex and needs a yearly service on the engine. But either way its minimum cost motoring with a sprinkle of fun.

Oh, and previously commented - the Rex does cost a little more to run and clearly there are extra components to go wrong. But, its actually very reliable and additional servicing costs are low. Early i3 Rex models did have a few issues, but they fixed them for 2015/16 model years. Usual Rex issues are focused on the emissions systems, fuel filler cap (easy work around) and over pressurized fuel systems (overfilling it usually). But other than that they are really reliable. Biggest issues with the i3 seem to focus on the 12v battery. Check that its been replaced in the last 3 years or so. If it fails, it causes massive issues on both the Bev and Rex models. Lots of weird issues, but thats the same on most cars. Getting to the battery is a pain as its in the front and you need to take a few things out before you can get to it. It also needs resetting to the car, so its not a 5 minute job. Best to make sure its done before you buy and track it each year to make sure it doesn’t leave you stranded.

[iDrive]

Thank you!

I am currently looking at a 2017 94AH Rex which is fully loaded vs a 2018 94AH i3S which has no extras added

The 2017 car is advertised for a higher price than the 2018 i3S, and I anticipate the i3S will cost more per year to run due to Luxury Tax.

Any views on which is the one to buy?!

Fully loaded inc Harmon Kardon, Leather etc

[Moonpie21]

Having no idea what your budget is, I found this a useful place to get an idea of what the entry points were:

https://tesla-info.com/bmw/bmw-inventory.php

I ended up getting a brand new 120ah I3s through Carwow exactly how I wanted it for around the £33k mark. Everyone says how cheap the I3 is as a second hand prospect, but actually a brand new I3 represents quite good value to it's rivals now.

Edited to add, no tax requirements on a new lower list price one now.

[anonymous-user]

i3 is a "short range" kinda car. It's small, easy to see out of an park, and you aren't going to be spending hours and hours driving it. For me, that makes all the expensive options a bit pointless. Get the biggest battery and newest one you can afford and sod the options is my suggestion :-)

[off_again]

iDrive said:

Thank you!

I am currently looking at a 2017 94AH Rex which is fully loaded vs a 2018 94AH i3S which has no extras added

The 2017 car is advertised for a higher price than the 2018 i3S, and I anticipate the i3S will cost more per year to run due to Luxury Tax.

Any views on which is the one to buy?!

Fully loaded inc Harmon Kardon, Leather etc

I havent driven the S model, but I am told that it feels a little stiffer but does have a wider track - so should be better in cross winds and will handle nicer. Is it worth the money? Probably, since it is a smidge faster too, which is always nice. i3's dont necessarily have a smooth ride anyway, so dont expect it to be amazing, its just not that type of car.

As for options - I didnt go for a leather interior. Its nice, and BMW does nice seats. But I wanted a more practical interior for dogs and the cloth is very hard wearing and lighter. They also dont get super cold in winter or baking hot in summer. Your choice though. HK stereo? Yeah, probably worth it. The standard stereo is OK, nothing more. I upgraded the speakers and the standard system is a little sharper and nicer, but the HK one is better. Is it worth it? Your call, but I would like it.

Other options? lane keep and automatic cruise would be nice, but its not the best on the market, so be cautious. I like the wood trim on the dash, but I dont have that. Other than that, its pretty simple really, as all models come with a good level of standard equipment. But worth checking that you get the reversing camera (which is good) as a minimum as visibility isnt great out the back, though I think it became standard after 2017.

[richolmes]

off_again said:

I havent driven the S model, but I am told that it feels a little stiffer but does have a wider track - so should be better in cross winds and will handle nicer. Is it worth the money? Probably, since it is a smidge faster too, which is always nice. i3's dont necessarily have a smooth ride anyway, so dont expect it to be amazing, its just not that type of car.

As for options - I didnt go for a leather interior. Its nice, and BMW does nice seats. But I wanted a more practical interior for dogs and the cloth is very hard wearing and lighter. They also dont get super cold in winter or baking hot in summer. Your choice though. HK stereo? Yeah, probably worth it. The standard stereo is OK, nothing more. I upgraded the speakers and the standard system is a little sharper and nicer, but the HK one is better. Is it worth it? Your call, but I would like it.

Other options? lane keep and automatic cruise would be nice, but its not the best on the market, so be cautious. I like the wood trim on the dash, but I dont have that. Other than that, its pretty simple really, as all models come with a good level of standard equipment. But worth checking that you get the reversing camera (which is good) as a minimum as visibility isnt great out the back, though I think it became standard after 2017.

Unbelievably camera has never been standard!

I have a 2018 i3 BEV, it’s what suited my needs best, if you don’t need the REX then don’t get it. I was considering an S but keyless entry and camera was a must-have for me and had to be colourful so this massively limited my choice on the used market.

Also, a 2018 car can be upgraded to CarPlay for £30 but earlier pre-facelift cars are fiddlier and require extra hardware I think.

I have a Volvo V90 for long journeys which is a much about seat comfort, stability, boot space as it is about range.

[anonymous-user]

reversing camera is NOT std as mentioned, but frankly, don't bother! What the obscesion is with trying to reverse using a tiny low def 2d screen in the middle of the dash when you have 3 high def shiny things to look at in 3d i simply don't know. The std fit parking sensors are excellent ime, and if you can't park an i3, then i'm sorry, you can't park.......... (ie the problem is NOT with the car)

[off_again]

Damn, no reversing camera as standard? Must be for the US market only then. And yes, we shouldn't rely on a reversing camera and we should all know exactly how to park. But you know, not everyone does and it's nice to have a piece of technology that can occasionally assist. So its a nice thing to have.

[DonkeyApple]

Max_Torque said:

reversing camera is NOT std as mentioned, but frankly, don't bother! What the obscesion is with trying to reverse using a tiny low def 2d screen in the middle of the dash when you have 3 high def shiny things to look at in 3d i simply don't know. The std fit parking sensors are excellent ime, and if you can't park an i3, then i'm sorry, you can't park.......... (ie the problem is NOT with the car)

Why aren't you thinking about the children when it's your car? If it saves just one life, somewhere on the planet then it's worth it.

On a serious note, one of the big things I liked about the i3 was that you could actually see out of it and had zero need for the intrusive tech other modern cars foist on you. You could see out the front very clearly, no need to move your head to multiple positions at London junctions trying to check for cyclists and other road users you know could well be heading your way. Equally easy to see out the side, the pillars weren't in the way and when driving backwards you could see all the areas you needed to see.

Being able to see in all directions, quickly and easily made it a rapid urban toy. I just haven't found another modern car recently that came close to freeing you to move that quickly.

Seriously odd looking wagon but a superb steer for town and country and given its low numbers and the fact that it's an EV yet nice and dumb, I reckon it's going to be a bit of a cult classic in a weird way. It's more reminiscent of 70s-80s BMWs than their modern stuff. Closest BMW I would compare it to is a 2002!!

[iDrive]

Thanks for your replies

I've just reserved an i3 94AH with Sytner on line - A very well spec'd car

My typical commute is 35miles and there is no charging at my place of work. Occasionally I need to do a little more, unpredictably how much and what time of day, so the Rex seems to be the ideal back-up solution currently.

I used to own registration V240OLT, sort of wish I'd kept it now!