2017 BMW i3 vs 2018 i3 vs i3S?

[bernie_eccle]

I had my first drive of a 2017 i3 a few weeks ago and have become quite smitten. I was surprised how compliant the ride was as I was expecting it to be harsh in a way BMWs can be sometimes. I did however notice that crosswinds did try to move it about a little.

A couple of weeks later I tried a 2018 i3S. I really enjoyed that too but the ride less so as it had a harshness I associate with my other half's 1 series M Sport.

What I am not sure of is whether the ride of a standard 2018 i3 has been improved over the earlier version? Is it worth me aiming for a 2018 over a 2017 on improved stability alone, if the stability has indeed been improved? Or does that stability bring with it the harshness I experienced in the i3S?

My budget is probably about £20k but I am determined to have quite a few options, the main on being Traffic Jam Assist, with Active Cruise, for no other reason than I would really miss the speed sign recognition. I would also prefer suite interior (leather) or just not the grey cloth. I would also want the larger screen, Media Pro? and a rear camera. Sun roof would be nice but not essential. I have realised that it is difficult to find a really well spec'd i3. Oh, I would rather avoid a black car, as whilst they look great when clean, they don't stay that way long around here.

I am looking at a 94ah Rex, as I do have to do the odd 120-130 mile journey and I would rather not have to rely on public charging. The car would be garaged at home and charged overnight.

I have sold my own car and will be a cash buyer but right now I am not really needing a car but expect to do so again at some point next year so am in a good position to sit it out and wait for the right car. From watching the market for the past 2-3 months, some of the cars are slow to sell although, like all cars, I think the better spec'd ones do shift but only if they are keenly priced.

I am interested in your experiences between the model years. I think I have made up my mind that I don't want the S but then I see an ad for one and think that they look the best. Probably out of my budget just now anyway, but might not come the New Year?

I really do now feel that electric is the future and I am loathed to buy another ICE car if I can. My budget does however rather restrict my options as I don't like the Leaf, Zoe or MG, etc.

[bernie_eccle]

Goatex said:

I have had my i3 94Ah REx for coming on 4 years and 67k miles now. Love the car but agree with you re the side winds. I’ve recently had Eibach Pro springs and 12mm AC Schnitzer i3 specific spacers fitted which has vastly improved matters with no noticeable loss in ride comfort...mine is on 19 inch wheels. Budget just over a grand for parts and labour. Not aware of any changes to the later cars but note that if you want the free road tax then you need to look for a pre April 17 car as the REx no longer qualified post that date when the rules changed. This will mean a pre facelift car.
Just in case you weren’t aware the adaptive cruise is camera based so doesn’t like bright sun or mist/spray therefore doesn’t always engage but, even so, glad mine has it. It can be overridden to be ‘normal’ cruise control when that happens.
Another thing to note is that the pre face lift cars with led headlights are for the low beams only.
Hope that helps.

Thanks I had picked up on the nuances of road tax which includes keeping newer rexs below £40k. I had also read about the active cruise being camera based. For me it's more about having the speed limit sign pop up on the dash. Had it in my previous car and became very reliant on it and now wouldn't want to be without it.
I didn't realise that about the led headlamps so will be a bit of compromise.

I am pleased to hear that spacers and springs have improved stability but don't think I would want the additional expense or hassle.

Heres Johnny said:

The i3s has a sports/firmer suspension so I expect the difference you’ve found is down to the model and not a result of it being a later car. You’ll struggle to get a i3s Rex for 20k, the cheapest are just shy of 24k. I know you’re after a few option but for your budget you might be better looking for a facelift car (the fog lights are dash shaped not round) and they come better spec’d anyway.

If you check out the Tesla info website they have the whole uk market of i3 cars including those listed by Bmw and the pistonheads listings plus others and you can search easily, plus price histories etc. There’s also an email service so you can see when new cars get added or there’s been a price change.

Thank you I had already read on here about https://tesla-info.com/index.html which is a tremendous resource. I think it would be great to hold out for a 2018 model and may be possible if I wait until next year.

[bernie_eccle]

Thanks So Called, those are some great first hand views. You obviously like i3s given that you have gone for a second one.

I really do prefer the look of the S. I guess I really need to try them back to back.

I'll keep an eye on tesla-info for a bargain.

[bernie_eccle]

mattcov said:

I3S Rex here. Planted enough on motorways, sidewinds don't get it like I hear people go on about earlier models. Ride isn't soft, but its nothing like the typical BMW run flat harshness. You do get a bit of a resonance sound though, especially noticeable if you are comparing it to very quiet cars.

That is a perfect summary of my short test drive in the i3s. At one point there was quite a bit of drumming road noise that then went away when the road surface changed.

I was also sure that I had read that ride quality had been improved on the standard 2018 model - a bit more research required.

My budget is circa £20k so I'm afraid that the ID3 is not of interest to me at this time, it might be in a couple of years time.

With regards to upgrading the infotainment I had already come across that information and it does appeal to me as I am an android user.

[bernie_eccle]

Max_Torque said:

I've had my 2015 i3 now for coming up to 5 years.

The ride is fine, yes it's firm, but the primary ride (body control) is actually pretty good but the secondary ride can occasionally suffer from cabin resonance as a result of the ultra stiff body passing higher frequency noise from the tyres through into the cabin. Some types of surface at certain speeds (seems to be worst at about 40mph ime) can be really "thrummy" but generally i'm more than happy with the NVH.

Regarding crosswinds and even truck ruts at higher speeds (> 60mph ish) yes, the car is indeed sensitive to these external perturbations, but ime, as long as you don't fight the car, all is fine. This is because the car is on tall narrow tyres and is tracked rather "straight" in order to minimise rolling resistance, meaning the tyre carcass can shift around a fair bit, leading to that squirmy feeling occasionally. As the early cars had VERY aggressive steering rates (the only other road car i've driven that turns into a turn like an early BEV i3 is a lotus elise!) clumsy drivers tend to fight the car as it moves, and as a result make it move more, which they then fight......... If you just relax, the car goes straight, and there is no problem

Personnally i love feeling the car move and slide around on it's narrow tyres, it's especially brilliant in the wet, it's a return to cars where you can actually feel what it's doing at the tyre/road interface, unlike most modern cars that are completely aloof in this respect. Unlike most BMW's you can't turn the DSC off completely (other than by going into "rollers" cheat mode.....), and this is probably a good thing, as it does get pretty lively in-extremis at high speed (>80 mph)


I had an i3s on trial for a couple of days, and actually, didn't really like it. Yes, it's a better handling car for the masses, but it's more aloof, more tied down, frankly, more boring. Sure, it'll grip harder and be much less of a handful, but i'm happy to throw my none s around and when you do that the car is very, very good fun to drive indeed. 5 years in, and i still have a massive smile every time i drive this little car, it's genuinely fun, something that few modern cars, even nominally very sporting ones, manage to achieve these days as the quest for ultimate grip and performance is dominant.


ReX's deffinately handle significantly worse with the extra weight in the back as mentioned by others.......

Max_T many thanks for taking the time to give such a detailed and reasoned response. So much of what you have said mirrors my limited experience in driving both versions so far.

When I started reading about i3s I was very interested in the ethos of car and the manufacturing process. In my mind it in someway was similar to the lotus elise. Having owned elises/exiges there were some similarities that you have already mentioned and that too broadened the appeal for me.

Since my first post I have seen a 2017 in almost ideal spec but in black and in London, more than 400 miles away. They don't deliver this far and, under the current circumstances, I am not keen on making the trip via public transport. Also, the dealer has confirmed that the road tax is £465. That really stings but I suspect will be hard to avoid if I want to go with a well spec'd rex, taking it over the £40k original price band for luxury car tax.

Alternatively there is a 2018 i3s for sale privately locally at similar money to the dealer 2017 car. I keep telling myself the private i3s (which has suite/leather interior) would be the better buy, if I am content with the harsher ride. It has 6 month manufacturer warranty remaining.

Thanks again for your response, I am sure it will prove very useful to others researching real life experiences of the i3.

[bernie_eccle]

6 months on from my original post I have now taken delivery of a 2018 i3s 94ah ReX in white. I have been waiting and waiting for the ideal spec at the right money. I realised that the ideal, fully load spec is a bit of a unicorn. I settled on suite (leather) interior, harman kardon sound, sun roof and reversing camera. Traffic Jam Assist, which includes adaptive cruise, just seemed nigh on impossible to find alongside leather etc. Whilst white wasn't my first choice I quite like the "storm trooper" combo with the black. I really like the interior with the oak dash and brown leather - I must be getting old!

I am really pleased with how it drives. The ride whilst firm, isn't as harsh as I feared. It was only delivered on Friday so have only had a couple of runs with it but really enjoyed them. The effortless acceleration is brilliant but I found myself more interested in seeing how many miles per kwh I could achieve. I managed 4.2 miles over 50 miles, which I think is pretty good, but will probably never be repeated as I become more comfortable with the car. I had the other half with me also so was taking it easy, enjoying the lovely scenery of the Fife coastline.

Thanks to all who contributed their own experiences and thoughts.

[bernie_eccle]

robscot said:

I would be interested in your criteria, what you have discovered in your hunt, and what age/price points are the sweetspot! Having a nose through myself for something

Try https://tesla-info.com/bmw/bmw-inventory.php. Its a great resource.

[bernie_eccle]

-Cappo- said:

Probably a daft question but where can you see whether it's a 94Ah version etc (battery size?).

What's the quoted range of a 94Ah without the REx?

Not quite sure what you are asking? If doing an online search a Rex will come under hybrid. If wandering around a garage or looking at pictures a Rex will have a fuel flap on the driver side front wing, the BEV doesn't.