Keep going back to BMW i3
Discussion
RM said:
How comfortable are they on the motorway? I’m considering one for a 55 mile each way commute, 85% motorway, once or twice a week.
Not their natural habitat but cope with it admirably. Can be a little disconcerting if there are cross winds but you get used to that and assuming you're looking at the 120ah model it will cover your range needs all year round.RM said:
How comfortable are they on the motorway? I’m considering one for a 55 mile each way commute, 85% motorway, once or twice a week.
I just did a 460 miles round in a day in mine; about 10 hours driving and 4 hours of stops. Only problem was a slightly numb bum after about an hour’s driving each time. Apart from that no problems at all. uknick said:
RM said:
How comfortable are they on the motorway? I’m considering one for a 55 mile each way commute, 85% motorway, once or twice a week.
I just did a 460 miles round in a day in mine; about 10 hours driving and 4 hours of stops. Only problem was a slightly numb bum after about an hour’s driving each time. Apart from that no problems at all. SWoll said:
RM said:
How comfortable are they on the motorway? I’m considering one for a 55 mile each way commute, 85% motorway, once or twice a week.
Not their natural habitat but cope with it admirably. Can be a little disconcerting if there are cross winds but you get used to that and assuming you're looking at the 120ah model it will cover your range needs all year round.RM said:
How comfortable are they on the motorway? I’m considering one for a 55 mile each way commute, 85% motorway, once or twice a week.
It's doable but it doesn't feel entirely at home there. You definitely need an extended test drive for an entire day (or week) to test this kind of journey. Also note the range/consumption is rather poor at 70mph and can really plummet with a headwind.Compared to a basic VW Golf/BMW 1-series:
- lack of insulation: gets quite noisy at 70mph, especially if you have a headwind. The taller roofline and big front window probably doesn't help. Even the wipers can have a hard time at 70mph and a headwind.
- busier ride: small wheelbase, soft damping and tiny tires can cause quite a busy ride at motorway speeds if the surface isn't smooth (rocking back and forth).
- hectic steering: the fast rack is great at lower speeds, but at higher speeds you need quite a firm grip to limit your inputs or you will be overcorrecting all the time. Especially in windy conditions see next point
- susceptible to side winds: 1300kg with all the weight down low but a pretty high side profile cause it to be quite the playing ball. This isn't helped by the fast steering rack.
- active cruise control is camera-based instead of radar-guided and easily disengages due to a low hanging sun and rain. The problem when it disengages in a BEV is that it causes full-regen braking to kick in instead of coasting so can be quite annoying/dangerous at motorway speeds.
For me as an only car for this journey would need to be the I3S 120 Ah, which apparently solves most of these issues due to firmer suspension, wider tires and track and firmer steering. Compared to my 530d I notice I often cruise with the traffic (55-65mph) instead of constantly pushing on in the third lane at 75mph as the ride/steering is so busy it gets tiring.
Edited by HelldogBE on Monday 27th June 14:57
HelldogBE said:
RM said:
How comfortable are they on the motorway? I’m considering one for a 55 mile each way commute, 85% motorway, once or twice a week.
It's doable but it doesn't feel entirely at home there. You definitely need an extended test drive for an entire day (or week) to test this kind of journey. Also note the range/consumption is rather poor at 70mph and can really plummet with a headwind.Compared to a basic VW Golf/BMW 1-series:
- lack of insulation: gets quite noisy at 70mph, especially if you have a headwind. The taller roofline and big front window probably doesn't help. Even the wipers can have a hard time at 70mph and a headwind.
- busier ride: small wheelbase, soft damping and tiny tires can cause quite a busy ride at motorway speeds if the surface isn't smooth (rocking back and forth).
- hectic steering: the fast rack is great at lower speeds, but at higher speeds you need quite a firm grip to limit your inputs or you will be overcorrecting all the time. Especially in windy conditions see next point
- susceptible to side winds: 1300kg with all the weight down low but a pretty high side profile cause it to be quite the playing ball. This isn't helped by the fast steering rack.
For me as an only car for this journey would need to be the I3S 120 Ah, which apparently solves most of these issues due to firmer suspension, wider tires and track and firmer steering. Compared to my 530d I notice I often cruise with the traffic (55-65mph) instead of constantly pushing on in the third lane at 75mph as the ride/steering is so busy it gets tiring.
I did the journey to Cornwall M4/M5 in a 2018 i3s REX. Must say I didn’t notice much noise. Just stuck it in auto cruise at 70, pointed it west, then south and let it get on with it.
Coming back was a completely different matter when they closed the M5 due to cows on the carriageway.
Coming back was a completely different matter when they closed the M5 due to cows on the carriageway.
Max_Torque said:
LimaDelta said:
Nothing quiet about an i3 on the motorway. My Hilux is more refined at those speeds.
really? the i3 isn't particularly good at cutting wind noise, but i'd not say it's a particularly noisy or tiring car to drive?But I guess it's all about context. If you are coming from a similar small hatch then the i3 is probably not too bad. If you are used to heavier cars with a bit more sound-deadening, then it is quite a lot louder.
My commute is mostly motorway and I find my i3s pretty good. The smoother surface actually goes in its favour and while there is more wind noise than some cars it is not that noisey. The exception to that is the concrete section of the M25, but most cars struggle with that! Recently had an id3 on loan and found that a better motorway car, more comfortable ride and more relaxed steering.
Gassing Station | EV and Alternative Fuels | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff