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

[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

[Herbs]

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

[Herbs]

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

[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?

[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!

[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.

[Herbs]

Thanks - I don't plan on doing any public charging if i can help it which is why the i3 appeals so much as i should be able to do the commute their and back on a single charge comfortably even taking into account the odd 20 mile detour to see my daughter. Although the standard one should suffice, i think the Rex would be the one to go for purely for the peace of mind unless there is a good reson not to?

I think tethered is the way to go

Also, as a side note, what a cracking and helpful sub forum compared to the rest of PH this days, takes me back!

[Herbs]

caseys said:

Herbs said:

Thanks - I don't plan on doing any public charging if i can help it which is why the i3 appeals so much as i should be able to do the commute their and back on a single charge comfortably even taking into account the odd 20 mile detour to see my daughter. Although the standard one should suffice, i think the Rex would be the one to go for purely for the peace of mind unless there is a good reson not to?

I think tethered is the way to go

Also, as a side note, what a cracking and helpful sub forum compared to the rest of PH this days, takes me back!

Well, to show even more helpfulness, I'm in Bournemouth.... I'm happy to show you my 330e if you want. In November-ish onwards if you haven't decided, I'll take you for a spin in my i3 I commute form Bournemouth < - > Hursley quite a lot. The A338 roadworks suck at the moment don't they?

Dan at Woods BMW (or whatever they're called now) is a reasonable chap to talk to there about i3, I'm sure if you're persuasive enough you can get a 24 hour test drive in the one he has there.

P.S we also have quite a good lot of public charging. You know castlepoint has free charging, and both local Waitrose? http://zap-map.com/ gives you a list of public charges if you ever really want them. Also some car parks in town give free parking when you're hooked up to the charger in them.

Awesome thank you. A look around the i3 would be really helpful once you have it. I've requested a test drive from Marshall/Woods 2 days ago and heard nothing back which is a shame especially as i've taken 10+ BMW's to them over the years.

I'm working in Bournemouth town centre and now moved to Milborne St Andrew so thankfully now avoid the A338 (used to be in Verwood and Boscombe Pier before that), my daugter lives in Ferndown so tend to go Wimborne way unless it's straight from work and then its the A338!.

[Herbs]

One question I did have that I haven't been able to find any real world info on is the handling as coming from performance cars for as long as I can remember (excl the Q7 obvs) its a concern when Parkers say that the skinny tyres lose grip in damp or cold conditions.

Why do people find it?

[Herbs]

Thanks both, i'm not expecting it to be in the same ballpark as my other cars but braking and understeer have always been my biggest issues with cars (probably why all my cars have been RWD up until now).

[Herbs]

Thanks all yet again.

Two final questions relating to options , which are must have and which are a waste of time? I've had a good look and would value current owners opinion.

Stereo - most BMW's standard ones are known to be poor, is this the case with the i3 and the HK is a must or have they bucked the trend?

[Herbs]

I've just enquired about this but its sold already unfortunately. Thoughts on spec and price please?

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Then I found this one which has a good spec but isn't a REX or have HK. It has Cruise control with brake function but not the additional buttons on the steering wheel so not sure how that actually works??

http://www.carstable.co.uk/used-car-bmw-i3-e-drive...


Once again, really appreciate all the help and advice.

Edited by Herbs on Wednesday 12th September 14:16

[Herbs]

OP here!

I hate threads that never have updates so thought I'd better do so.

I have an extended test drive for this weekend so I can check how well one will integrate into my life.

In addition, I am in negotiations with a dealer for a car with the following spec which seems to my uneducated eyes as having pretty much the entire option list ticked but is there anything of importance missing?

L812A 
National version England / Ireland
P5DUA 
Parking Assistant Package
P7KZA 
BMW i interior design ''Suite''
P7RSA 
Package Comfort
S230A 
Extra package, EU-specific
S249A 
Multifunction f steering wheel
S2G5A 
BMW LA wheel, Turbine Styling 428
S2PAA 
Wheel bolt retainer
S2VBA 
Tire pressure display
S2VCA 
Tire repair kit
S302A 
Alarm system
S322A 
Comfort access
S3AGA 
Reversing camera
S423A 
Floor mats, velours
S428A 
Warning triangle and first aid kit
S430A 
Interior/outside mirror with auto dip
S442A 
Cup holder
S473A 
Armrest front
S493A 
Storage compartment package
S494A 
Seat heating driver/passenger
S4U7A 
Rapid charging, direct current
S4U8A 
Rapid charging, alternating current
S508A 
Park Distance Control (PDC)
S521A 
Rain sensor
S534A 
Automatic air conditioning
S544A 
Cruise control with brake function
S570A 
Reinforced power supply
S5A2A 
LED headlight
S5ARA 
Traffic congestion assistant
S5ATA 
Driving Assistant Plus
S5DAA 
Passenger airbag deactivation
S5DPA 
Park Assistent
S609A 
Navigation system Professional
S654A 
DAB tuner
S674A 
Hi-Fi System Harman Kardon
S6ACA 
Intelligent emergency SOS call
S6AEA 
Teleservices
S6AKA 
Connected Drive Services
S6AMA 
Real-Time Traffic Information
S6ANA 
Concierge Services
S6APA 
Remote Services
S6ARA 
Internet
S7AQA 
Battery Certificate
S853A 
Language version English
S880A 
On-board vehicle literature English
S8KZA 
Oil service interval 24 months
S8R9A 
Refrigerant R1234yf
S8S2A 
Coding alarm signal
S8S3A 
Automatic locking when driving off
S8SMA 
Car ident. number visible from outside
S8TGA 
Thiefproofing device

[Herbs]

caseys said:

You are basically ordering what I am! If it's in Metallic Grey we'd be identical.

I am undecided about the sunroof, as it's not a cheap option and it's kinda like a T-Bar layout internally.

Enhanced USB bluetooth might be worthwhile?

It's a used one rather than new.

I believe enhanced bluetooth can be coded at a later date so hoping I can do this.

[Herbs]

As a follow up - I hope to be putting a deposit down on one tomorrow so will update you as soon as I have done so

[Herbs]

Deposit paid, delivery tomorrow

[Herbs]

Absolutely fantastic and wish I had done it sooner to be honest. Apart from it being at the dealers for the last month of course....

Edited by Herbs on Wednesday 24th July 15:39

[Herbs]

Nearly 4 months later and I have my car back...... at last!

[Herbs]

Daaaveee said:

Herbs said:

Nearly 4 months later and I have my car back...... at last!

4 months! What was the problem?

Nothing that couldn't have been fixed within a few days if the warranty company hadn't tried to wriggle out of paying....