Electric/Hybrid options to replace BMW 118 (2018 model)
Discussion
Hi all,
We're both recently retired and looking to replace the wife's BMW 118 with something electric if possible which is single pedal to make her driving more comfortable. We generally use the 118 for day to day stuff locally and when we go on longer trips we use my car which is larger and more comfortable and has a V8 so from a driving enjoyment perspective I'm covered!
There just doesn't seem to be anything from BMW to replace the 1 series so what have others done when looking to move to something greener? One of the myriad Mini models seems like a possible option as it needs to be smallish (but still capable of taking a folding wheelchair).
I'm looking forward to some enlightened suggestions!
TIA
We're both recently retired and looking to replace the wife's BMW 118 with something electric if possible which is single pedal to make her driving more comfortable. We generally use the 118 for day to day stuff locally and when we go on longer trips we use my car which is larger and more comfortable and has a V8 so from a driving enjoyment perspective I'm covered!
There just doesn't seem to be anything from BMW to replace the 1 series so what have others done when looking to move to something greener? One of the myriad Mini models seems like a possible option as it needs to be smallish (but still capable of taking a folding wheelchair).
I'm looking forward to some enlightened suggestions!
TIA
Bazsm said:
Hi all,
We're both recently retired and looking to replace the wife's BMW 118 with something electric if possible which is single pedal to make her driving more comfortable. We generally use the 118 for day to day stuff locally and when we go on longer trips we use my car which is larger and more comfortable and has a V8 so from a driving enjoyment perspective I'm covered!
There just doesn't seem to be anything from BMW to replace the 1 series so what have others done when looking to move to something greener? One of the myriad Mini models seems like a possible option as it needs to be smallish (but still capable of taking a folding wheelchair).
I'm looking forward to some enlightened suggestions!
TIA
Depends on your budget but you can't go far wrong with an iD3. There are plenty of low mileage bargains to be had or cheap to lease if that's your thing.We're both recently retired and looking to replace the wife's BMW 118 with something electric if possible which is single pedal to make her driving more comfortable. We generally use the 118 for day to day stuff locally and when we go on longer trips we use my car which is larger and more comfortable and has a V8 so from a driving enjoyment perspective I'm covered!
There just doesn't seem to be anything from BMW to replace the 1 series so what have others done when looking to move to something greener? One of the myriad Mini models seems like a possible option as it needs to be smallish (but still capable of taking a folding wheelchair).
I'm looking forward to some enlightened suggestions!
TIA
Personally I would go for something with the 77kwh battery as the additional range gives you a good buffer, especially in winter.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202412127...
You could go for an MG if cost is a priority but personally I find them a bit low rent.
Thanks for the responses, budget is up to around 20k, we have a drive and can easily install a charger to the side of my garage and I'd say mileage will be around 5k max with many short journeys (between 5>100 miles).
I quite like the look of the iD3 but reading a few threads it seems the ICE and some other electronics are a bit iffy. I'd discounted the BMW i3 until now due to it being eol and range but see we could get a BMW approved car so that's suddenly looking a bit more appealing.
Fitting the wheelchair in the back is also a determining factor.
My one small issue is that our other car is a 22yo Alpina B10 which is immaculate but I'd have to start using it more regularly for any trips much over 100 miles, the B10 is def staying so any savings from the electric car will likely be swallowed up on the B10 but tbh that's not a massive issue.
I quite like the look of the iD3 but reading a few threads it seems the ICE and some other electronics are a bit iffy. I'd discounted the BMW i3 until now due to it being eol and range but see we could get a BMW approved car so that's suddenly looking a bit more appealing.
Fitting the wheelchair in the back is also a determining factor.
My one small issue is that our other car is a 22yo Alpina B10 which is immaculate but I'd have to start using it more regularly for any trips much over 100 miles, the B10 is def staying so any savings from the electric car will likely be swallowed up on the B10 but tbh that's not a massive issue.
Golf GTE/Kia Niro, I guess we need to decide if we want Electric or Hybrid to fit our usage first. We want to buy from a main dealer for peace of mind but not new so will pop along to our local BMW, Mini & VW dealers. I’m definitely going to need test drives given my only experience is in petrol vehicles so far!
We took an i3s for a spin earlier today, we were impressed with the overall package. Acceleration was good, one pedal driving was better than expected as I didn't need the brake pedal during the drive. It was a well specc'ed car and the wheelchair fitted in with one rear seat down. It's definitely a strong contender.
We've discounted a Mini due to cost and will be going to look at an ID3 later in the week.
We've discounted a Mini due to cost and will be going to look at an ID3 later in the week.
Bazsm said:
We took an i3s for a spin earlier today, we were impressed with the overall package. Acceleration was good, one pedal driving was better than expected as I didn't need the brake pedal during the drive. It was a well specc'ed car and the wheelchair fitted in with one rear seat down. It's definitely a strong contender.
We've discounted a Mini due to cost and will be going to look at an ID3 later in the week.
If you do like the Mini and aren't wedded to paying cash, you can lease the new Mini E or an Aceman for about £250/mo with £250 down. We've discounted a Mini due to cost and will be going to look at an ID3 later in the week.
If you're happy paying cash, then all the options you've explored so far are very sensible ones.
We’ve just the same thing! Just retired and swopped an ice mini for an id3! I have an old 911 as my car for longer journeys/fun etc. interestingly my car has been at a body shop following a shunt for the last 6 months so we have been sharing the id3 for everything including the longer journeys! It’s been brilliant and I would say the best daily driver car we’ve had! I read lots about them before buying and can say all the bad press on the infotainment etc is massively overdone! Just set everything to auto and I rarely touch a button when driving! It’s smooth, quiet, efficient, comfortable, cheap to run and thanks to the guff written on the web dirt cheap to buy! Can’t see ever going back to an ice car again! My son still lives at home and drives an old Astra! It’s like returning to the dark ages driving that after the id3!
Dumpy1 said:
We’ve just the same thing! Just retired and swopped an ice mini for an id3! I have an old 911 as my car for longer journeys/fun etc. interestingly my car has been at a body shop following a shunt for the last 6 months so we have been sharing the id3 for everything including the longer journeys! It’s been brilliant and I would say the best daily driver car we’ve had! I read lots about them before buying and can say all the bad press on the infotainment etc is massively overdone! Just set everything to auto and I rarely touch a button when driving! It’s smooth, quiet, efficient, comfortable, cheap to run and thanks to the guff written on the web dirt cheap to buy! Can’t see ever going back to an ice car again! My son still lives at home and drives an old Astra! It’s like returning to the dark ages driving that after the id3!
Very timely and positive feedback, we’re going to see an ID3 tomorrow, the one downside is it doesn’t seem to support true one pedal driving as that’s something that I think is a big plus with electric cars.Bazsm said:
Very timely and positive feedback, we’re going to see an ID3 tomorrow, the one downside is it doesn’t seem to support true one pedal driving as that’s something that I think is a big plus with electric cars.
Local dealer loaned me one for a few days and that did one pedal driving - I took to it straight away and thought that was the best thing about the car!We've just ordered a Smart #3, nice little(ish) second car. A really nice nearly new one can be had for £25-£30k. Very Mercedes on the inside and traditional car like, much nicer than anything else in the price range. Drive train and battery come from Geely so the same as the Volvo EX30.
LeeM135i said:
We've just ordered a Smart #3, nice little(ish) second car. A really nice nearly new one can be had for £25-£30k. Very Mercedes on the inside and traditional car like, much nicer than anything else in the price range. Drive train and battery come from Geely so the same as the Volvo EX30.
Probably a bit out of our price range and a tad too big!Jiebo said:
Tesla M3 and Polestar 2 are great value now, but a bit bigger than an id3 etc
Again a bit too large for what we need but appreciate the suggestionsWe drove an ID3 today, quite impressed but I'm not a fan of touch screens and touch buttons and almost everything is in the ID3 but I guess most cars are going that way now!
The ID3 has 2 settings for drive (D & B), drive has no regen braking so it coasts when you lift off the throttle and B does introduce some braking but it's not true one pedal driving as you still need to dab the brake pedal to come to a halt.
We're gonna choose between the BMW i3s and VW ID3, the 2 cars are so different the choice should be simple but I'm torn between the i3s which feels really fun but has a limited range of around 150 miles and the ID3 which feels just like a normal car but has a range of around 250 miles.
The i3s will mean using the Alpina more as there will be days when we are going out and the range will be iffy whereas the ID3's range will mean only using the Alpina when I want to....
This is the wife's car so not really my decision....watch this space!
The ID3 has 2 settings for drive (D & B), drive has no regen braking so it coasts when you lift off the throttle and B does introduce some braking but it's not true one pedal driving as you still need to dab the brake pedal to come to a halt.
We're gonna choose between the BMW i3s and VW ID3, the 2 cars are so different the choice should be simple but I'm torn between the i3s which feels really fun but has a limited range of around 150 miles and the ID3 which feels just like a normal car but has a range of around 250 miles.
The i3s will mean using the Alpina more as there will be days when we are going out and the range will be iffy whereas the ID3's range will mean only using the Alpina when I want to....
This is the wife's car so not really my decision....watch this space!
Bazsm said:
We drove an ID3 today, quite impressed but I'm not a fan of touch screens and touch buttons and almost everything is in the ID3 but I guess most cars are going that way now!
The ID3 has 2 settings for drive (D & B), drive has no regen braking so it coasts when you lift off the throttle and B does introduce some braking but it's not true one pedal driving as you still need to dab the brake pedal to come to a halt.
We're gonna choose between the BMW i3s and VW ID3, the 2 cars are so different the choice should be simple but I'm torn between the i3s which feels really fun but has a limited range of around 150 miles and the ID3 which feels just like a normal car but has a range of around 250 miles.
The i3s will mean using the Alpina more as there will be days when we are going out and the range will be iffy whereas the ID3's range will mean only using the Alpina when I want to....
This is the wife's car so not really my decision....watch this space!
The i3s gets criticised for its ride quality (it stopped Steve Cropley from buying one). Is there any other benefit to the S other than a firm ride?The ID3 has 2 settings for drive (D & B), drive has no regen braking so it coasts when you lift off the throttle and B does introduce some braking but it's not true one pedal driving as you still need to dab the brake pedal to come to a halt.
We're gonna choose between the BMW i3s and VW ID3, the 2 cars are so different the choice should be simple but I'm torn between the i3s which feels really fun but has a limited range of around 150 miles and the ID3 which feels just like a normal car but has a range of around 250 miles.
The i3s will mean using the Alpina more as there will be days when we are going out and the range will be iffy whereas the ID3's range will mean only using the Alpina when I want to....
This is the wife's car so not really my decision....watch this space!
I have a friend with an i3 hybrid, I do think it's a great bit of design.
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