BMW i3

Took a test drive in the BMW i3 today and I can honestly say it is the most exciting car I have ever driven. It looks great (bit like an Audi A2) has amazing performance at legal speeds, and I mean amazing, even the BMW sales women said it was faster than an M3 to 40 mph! This car has the spirit of the A2 in it. Modern build materials, light weight, innovation and luxury.

Like the A2 it suffers from a really high price tag, but I WANT ONE!!

OK it is a bit smaller on the inside for passengers in the rear and it's boot is tiny and the rear seats only fold at the back. But let's be honest how many drive around with a full boot much.

The future is here, if you want a modern A2 it is a BMW i3

I have held off test driving an i3 as I'm sure I'd put down the deposit there and then. It's the car the Mk2 A2 could have been and shame on Audi for canning it. I see quite a few of these driving around my part of London these days and they do look very striking "in the carbon".

I agree the price is eye-watering though and I'd have to get the REX version. Wonder if there will be a 2nd hand market for these things? Wonder how the battery life will fare...

8 year or 100,000 miles warranty on the batteries.

My friend bought and got it delivered last week. We went out a really LONG lunch and got a great car and i will order one but will let them sink in a bit and wait 1-2 years before getting one.

terrywindy1 said:

8 year or 100,000 miles warranty on the batteries.

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Plus the batteries are not solid stuck together which means tou dont have to buy a whole battery package, u can exchange just that particular batterybox that needs to be exchanged. If you on the other hand need to change 'em all at once the cost of that is £15000.

Hi

I just saw my first i3 on the road 30 minutes ago.

I now see why people say it reminds them of the A2.

It looks much bigger in the adverts and just like an A2 size in the fresh and it looks great.

Nice !!!!

The scary thing is that I could have very nearly bought one of these with what I am spending on my A2.

You can call me crazy (I am)
But ......... (I was going to say why I am not crazy, but I have no defence!!!!)

But I LOVE the i3

Steve B

I just had a play with the online configurator for the i3 - in burnt orange with a range extender and some of the nice extras like the panoramic sunroof and full LED headlights and I'm looking at £500 shy of £40k. Wail.
Who wants to give me a prize-winning Lottery Ticket?

dan_b said:

I just had a play with the online configurator for the i3 - in burnt orange with a range extender and some of the nice extras like the panoramic sunroof and full LED headlights and I'm looking at £500 shy of £40k. Wail.
Who wants to give me a prize-winning Lottery Ticket?

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I am not sure if the government grant is taken off that already. I don't thing it is. Do at £35,000 you can afford it!!!!

I had a play a few weeks back and it came to something like £30,000 and that was fit the extender and some other bits. Bug my memory might be playing tricks.

Steve B

Well I had to go for the bright orange paint job, which meant you had to upgrade the interior to match, plus sunroof and upgraded sat nav and stereo with Bluetooth - can't have lower spec than my existing A2 can it! Some blingy alloys and the full LED headlight package and there you go, 40k.
What would a finance deal cost per month on that I wonder.

Whilst not in the same class with regards to design or innovation the Vauxhall Ampera is better value at £23k.

I had a test drive abound 2 months ago and was very impressed, and still getting phone calls from the dealer asking when I am going to order one, but same as you Dan once I had added all the extras it came to 38k before the government grant of 5k but I would go for the pure electric as it has a better range and acceleration and also like the orange colour best but theres only about 6 colours to chose from!
The predicted 3 year value is only 32% so I may try to find one in couple of years. there has been a couple on Autotrader 10k above the new price because of the 6 month waiting list.
The i3 forum has some very good imfo on it
http://www.mybmwi3.com/forum/

I would have to call you crazy Steve if you were to now go and but an i3 after everything youve done to the A2. at least drive the a2 a few times before you get an i3

Why do i feel in 10 years time I will feel naughty driving a petrol or diesel filled car around! I am sure it was only 10 years ago they were still selling brand new cars with stereos that came with a radio and tape player! you had to pay extra for a cd player.

I will however keep to topic and say they are extremely futuristic cars. I am yet to see one and will NOT got to bmw to see one as i may end up with a new addition. I feel the price tag is not that bad really and they do give 100k on the batteries. that is pretty much the same as a lifetime warranty on an engine (100k).

dan_b said:

I just had a play with the online configurator for the i3 - in burnt orange with a range extender and some of the nice extras like the panoramic sunroof and full LED headlights and I'm looking at £500 shy of £40k. Wail.
Who wants to give me a prize-winning Lottery Ticket?

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The panoroof is useless as it doesnt really give that much use to one as it does on a A2. My friend who just bought one almost fully loaded ledt the panoroof out n he did right, not worth a penny at all.

On some ways this IS what a mk2 A2 could have been but this car also strikes me as an expensive impractical solution to a an unproven problem. I am all for electric propulsion but not when the charging process is so crude. Lets see, take a cable out in the pi$$ing rain, plug it in, leave 8 hours, wind it up, put it away, all whilst dressed in your best work suit or your wife in her glad rags, hands dirty, shoes splashed, and for those who live in a flat/terrace house you then run the risk of some toerag disconnecting or vandalisng the cable as it trails across the pavement...... And given a similar blue sky thinking and weight saving approach to designing a car using a conventional engine it would be interesting to see what economy would be? Pure electric cars will not be commercially viable until the charging issue is sorted, hybrids are probably the way forward in the short/medium term and even then the real world economy is not better than the best that diesel can give.

Adrian888 said:

On some ways this IS what a mk2 A2 could have been but this car also strikes me as an expensive impractical solution to a an unproven problem. I am all for electric propulsion but not when the charging process is so crude. Lets see, take a cable out in the pi$$ing rain, plug it in, leave 8 hours, wind it up, put it away, all whilst dressed in your best work suit or your wife in her glad rags, hands dirty, shoes splashed, and for those who live in a flat/terrace house you then run the risk of some toerag disconnecting or vandalisng the cable as it trails across the pavement...... And given a similar blue sky thinking and weight saving approach to designing a car using a conventional engine it would be interesting to see what economy would be? Pure electric cars will not be commercially viable until the charging issue is sorted, hybrids are probably the way forward in the short/medium term and even then the real world economy is not better than the best that diesel can give.

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True on several points. A lot has to do how you live and what charging possibilities one has where one lives. My friend chose the quick charger so he can charge his car fully in some 30mins which is really cool here in Sweden.

I think the A2 makes a better door clunk compare to the i3.

Constant use of quick charging depletes the life of any battery so your friend needs to be careful.

Batteries warranty is 8 years or 100,000.To supply and fit fast charge unit is £315.Recharge costs £2 to £3 .And if you look at the i3 forum some drivers are getting up 125 miles for £2 do the maths my A2 tdi can not do that.When you lock the car, changing lead is locked in place! Have never had a dirty Diesel pump in the " pi$$ing rain".If chargeing lead is dirty its yours so clean it!.
Bristol has just won European Green capital for 2015 and are now fitting more fast charge points and it costs how much to recharge?
ITS FREE !My workplace(Airbus) is fitting charging points .Motorway change points give 80% charge in under 20 minutes, so have a coffee and you have 90 miles .The charging point issue is beening sorted out.
You can control the heating /cooling,seat heating,monitor charge, lock/unlock car from your I phone.
Plus free RFL
Now do admit if you live in a terraced house with no parking space or all your journeys are more than 125 miles its not for you
But for me its the perfect main car apart from the purchase price and i will NEVER sell my A2!! or 1990 Audi V8 or my 94 100 Tdi estate
This test drive did hurt me I have owned about 50 Audi's since my first 81 Audi coupe in 1985.To me Bmw are enemy.I just wish this was the new A2

Do you have to buy extra kit to be able to use the Motorway DC fast chargers?
I have solar PV panels at home, so weekend day-time charge ups could be totally free for me at least.

We have 5 i8's,1x i3 and an electric BMW scooter at the airport just now.

I think I would rather the I3 or the scooter rather than the i8's

Cheers