It's all about weight distribution (and the tires and driver). Front wheel drive cars are better in the snow mainly because they have a larger percentage of their weight on the drive wheels. If you compare a FWD car (with a front engine) to a RWD car that has a rear engine, their capability in the snow probably isn't all that different. And, as Andre said, the i3 has a fair amount of weight on the rear wheels so good snow performance should be expected.
Narrow is generally considered better for snow tires (look at what rally cars use in the snow) so the narrow tires on the i3 might actually be an advantage.
Most EVs can, essentially, predict when a wheel will slip almost instantaneously. The benefit of this is that power does not need to be cut to both wheels.
I actually used mine in snow with the regular tires on and it did surprisingly good, even under braking. You might have showed how to disable the traction control though, it came handy in slope circumstances and/or with important amount of snow in front of the wheels as it allows them to spin and actually get traction instead of just cutting the power.
@@andrewsnow7386 Don't need to be plugged in, yes you lose a couple of %, but the gain in range is higher, but yes it's optimal to be plugged in while preheating.
@@btfcar5698 Well, there doesn't seem to be a consensus one way or the other. Here is a Tesla S driver that found preheating (when not plugged in) decreased range: forums.tesla.com/discussion/42393/does-preheating-when-not-plugged-in-really-save-range Let me ask you this, if your car was cold and had a very low battery, say 10% left, would you still preheat off the battery and expect the range to increase?
Just plugged the damn car into the electric socket and pre-heat it before driving it.. Defrost the windows and use the heated seats while driving to save battery energy. Put the car in Eco Pro+ Mode and drive accordingly to road conditions.. Simple as that.
@@arekb5951 2-3 days ago it snowed at my place. Turned my wipers on without heating or scraping my windshield and well let's just say I regretted that idea. I had to replace my wiper motor and 2 of the wipers cuz they were cracked (rubber can easily snap when frozen like a toothpick).
@@HALTHEOO Sorry to hear that. The wipers were probably frozen to the windscreen so the motor burnt out. I did cringe when the poster turned the wipers on without spraying the windscreen with de-icer and actually checking the wipers were free to move.
Thanks for the update. Need -45 washer fluid to melt the ice of the windshield and save the wipers. I usually use about 3 jugs of it during the winter here in Nova Scotia.
>Turn ignition on >Hold down the trip reset button on the side of the speed readout display (I didn't know it was there until someone told me about this technique). >A menu will pop up at the the bottom of the speedo screen >Short press of the trip reset button will move you through the options >One will be 'Dyno test' or something like that >Long hold on 'Dyno' option until the next screen pops up asking you to confirm >Short press of the button and you will get lots of warnings! >ABS is disabled, traction disabled, engine regeneration is disabled >Spin those wheels!
I learned the hard way to sweep the snow off the windshield before using the wipers. I didnt one day and my wiper arm snapped. Granted it was a 10 year old wiper arm but it can happen. I love the style of the i3 by the way. This looks like such a fun car.
one good thing about EVs is that you can precondition the car without having an engine idling, so you can find it warm and defrosted by the time you have to leave. And, if it has an app, you can do it from your couch.
Thanks for doing an in the snow review. Driving in the snow is my favorite. But I'm afraid I disagree with you regarding "heft" being important in the winter. I've driven a lot of different sized vehicles in snow, from a '78 Honda civic, to a fully loaded F350 13 passenger crew bus. And I've pulled literally 100's of stuck vehicles up snowy hills. I've never seen any difference between how well heavy or light vehicles get around on icy and snowy streets. The tires make a huge difference, the driver skill makes a huge difference, and the percentage of weight on the drive wheels makes a huge difference. But the total weight of the vehicle is not important.
and if your wipers are frozen to the window and you turned them on, you were not afraid to break the motor who checks that or the wipers work in winter, first you need to go out and try with your hand whether they are frozen or not! but in general, I will give you brilliant advice, they need to be sprayed with silicone and you will not have problems with wipers in winter, you can not doubt this life hack works even in Russia at -40
I love how you made sure to turn on all the lights once you got to the parking lot and not before setting off. Also, properly clearing the windshield, roof and rear window is a very important missed step. Should be routine for someone in Colorado. Murcia, safety 3rd maybe 4th 🤣
You can turn off the traction controll, by pressing the button on the left side of the driver screen for about 10-15 seconds, then there will be a menu. Then you have to press the button again (i think twice) and then you can select "roller mode" by pressing the button for about 5-10 seconds. You can turn the TSC back on again by turning the car the car off and on again.
The only issue can be regenerative breaking. If you quickly release the throttle, the back might overtake you. Especially downhill or when too fast on slippery ground.
Good point! I remember downshifting my old 1981 volvo 242dl. Let the clutch out and it spun around so fast with no warning whem I was heading to the base at Dover. Of course I was young fresh out of high school and lived in tx. The road was wet but it was only misting so I hit a slick spot when I downshifting and man, it came with zero warning lol.
There are two options to disable your Traction/Stability Control First method is to simply press the esp button once which gives you a bit of wheelspin The other way is to hold the button for about 10 secounds till the esp light on the dash starts blinking several times Normaly all traction nannys should be disengaged when you use the secound method
I purchased my 2018 i3 Rex in Dec. 2020, we have the worst winters in the midwest, and it's -11F right now. My Rover has Blizzaks and it's 4WD. I was expecting to have major issues with the all-season tires on the i3, surprisingly very little. After a snowfall, I just wait a day til' the roads are mostly plowed, there's usually some packed snow remaining and slippery. The i3 just goes right through. There's a hill near me, and FWD cars always get stuck at the bottom, the i3 has absolutely no problems. I believe it's the rear weight and traction control that makes it so capable. My driveway is a hill and I never fully remove the snow, and there's usually some ice underneath, a front driver car would struggle, but the i3 just does the job with no issues. I love this EV!
9:34 her daughter thinking: dad hurry up! I'm freezing! 😄 thanks Andre for the update, more considering right now the Temperature here were I live is 97° F
Yep, those tall skinny tires are good in snow because they cut through and increase the pressure to the ground. They only provide better longitudinal grip, though, so careful when turning.
I test drove one of these about 2 years ago in similar conditions. The BMW dealer I was at said I showed up at the worst time to test drive this vehicle due to the instant torque of the motor. We we still took the test drive. The car worked fine. Heating was good, wipers on, with me, the salesman and my daughter. I didn't buy because the rear doors would still be a bit of a hassle. Would rather have 4 regular doors.
If you hold in the button to the left of your speedometer cluster in 10 to15 seconds you can turn off the traction control, and have alot of winter fun :)
Best Winter use is to leave thermostat on 74 or 70 at nite with all vents open (defroster, dash, floor) and then set automatic “conditioning”, to start 30 minutes early while it is plugged in. Or use your BMW i3 phone app to start conditioning 30 min early. That will warm the interior so window ice starts to flow off. If you use the resistance defroster button, it will use up battery fast.
Actually, it is terrible if you need to coast down an icy hill. Regenerative braking puts on the brakes and makes the car want to skid or even spin. If you disable the feature, your range drops significantly, on top of the 30 miles you lose because it is cold and the battery doesn't like it. I literally bought my wife a winter vehicle because of it. We didn't have the range extender. We were so happy when the lease was up and gave it back to BMW.
i3's don't coast and I have never seen an i3 lose 30 miles of range in the winter even in Norway, the most lost of range I saw was 6 miles and that 6 miles was easily recovered due to regenerative braking..
@@mamadouaziza2536 The i3 can coast if you disable the regenerative braking which means putting it into the least eco friendly mode. On our 2014, my wife would show range of about 102 miles during nice weather, and during the winter it would drop to 73 or so miles. She would precondition the car while it was plugged in. She would rarely use the heat for fear she would not be able to make it back home. Maybe ours just had a bad battery? BMW didn't think so.
@@thetacticalape8852 So, if I put the i3 in its least eco friendly mode, I can coast? The least eco friendly mode is 'Comfort'. Regenerative braking is strong in 'Comfort' mode. The range is always an estimate. Did your wife pre-heat before she left work? If one has to drive more than 50 miles round trip without charging than the 2014 i3 isn't the car for you unless you get a coded 2014 REx. BEV versions have heat pumps that heat the cabin without wasting range. I personally would not drive any EVs even a Tesla in weather below 25 degrees.
@@mamadouaziza2536 As previously stated, she reconditioned ie heated the car up while plugged in prior to leaving for work. Temps in the winter here fall well below 25. Her round trip was around 65 miles. Her range was down to 3 to 5 miles when she would get home. She was really good at extending the range, she managed to get 115 miles during the fall once and showed a range of 8 miles left when she got home.
@@thetacticalape8852 Ok, but while at work did she just leave the car unplugged? Did she pre-heat before she left work? I get that one has to plan strategically with an earlier i3 and that is why its important to plan a longer trip around public charge points. Did your wife have a REx? I can believe that she must have been nervous as hell driving that i3 in temperatures below 25 degrees, I would be too.. I live in an area that it never gets below 70 degrees in the winter months, so range lost due to cold weather isn't an issue. Also, there are plenty of public charge points in the area.
As a Canadian who drives a lot in snow.....get winter tires...and enjoy a very good little winter car! The rex makes sense in colder climates. Skinny tires are better in snow and loose surfaces than wide tires...look at rally cars and military vehicles. Not sure what all the fuss is about on some other videos. My front wheel drive volvo was no better in snow (it was with proper tires too).
Well interesting topic but man turn on the windshield defrost so you don’t destroy the wipers blades, and turn on the rear defrost. That’s the basic for good visibility to start and see how much range you will lose to get the cabin warmed up and windshield defrosted! And the play with traction control off :-) thank you for great video to camera lady ! well done 👍🏼
Here a few infos about i3 tires and wheels: There are so far no All Season Tires for the i3 dimension. The REX version has wider wheels and tires (175) for the rear axle. Unfortunately there are so far no winter tires in dimension 175/60R19 available. So the REX version has to use the 155/70 R19 winter tires, that is also why it usually has 2 sets of wheels (each one for winter or summer). The tires on an i3 wears faster than on other cars, one tire set may last about 30-35k miles.
You can set one of the buttons on you key fob to pre-heat the car, so its nice and warm when you enter. A timer can also be set for this. I recommend to put some window scraper into the frunk to avoid opening the doors before removing the ice. and it is easier to remove ice and snow from a pre-heated car...
You need to do coding on that car! you can set up the range extender to come on when you need it rather than just the last 3% of state of charge - useful if you like climbing steep grades without being limited to the power the REX can put out (use the REX earlier in the trip and keep more power in the battery for climbing, also engage the Rex while climbing to slow the rate of battery charge use). there are lots of items that can be changed and you can even remove the electronic limiter on the fuel tank giving you more usable fuel. Also; Read the owners manual!!!
Huh? Thanks 4 the info but the video wasn't about the REx. The REx actually comes on at 6%. The video is about how the car handles in the snow and cold.
@@mamadouaziza2536 The REx can be programmed for manual operation, but it takes an aftermarket program to do it (I used BimmerCode) and the operation of the REx can be done with as much charge as 75% which makes a major change in the livability of this car especially in a place like Denver. I was reacting to his fumbling with the menus at 7:00 by the way, there are shortcuts for those menus but the driver of the car needs to set the shortcuts. There are other hidden gems that can make the car more livable as well like preconditioning the car so that it is warm when you get in but that is in the BMW App
@@timothyearp631 Thank u. I am aware of coding the car to get it to European specs.. But why do people buy such a car with a limited range and complain later? If you drive less than 50 miles in a day, the earlier i3s are fine with or without the REx. If you live in an area with Level 2 and Level 3 charge points everywhere, range issues aren't a big problem and the earlier i3s should be fine. Charge while at work and you'll have plenty of range to get home.
@@mamadouaziza2536 For me the coding is about utility, I want to be able to cycle though the fuel from time to time making sure the Rex has "fresh enough" fuel and know that the Rex is working properly BEFORE the battery is at 6% so that I can find and take care of problems without getting stuck when it is inconvenient. The Rex and it's use is all about convenience, it is there when I need it. I have installed a 50 amp 240 plug on the side of my home so that I can level 2 charge at home, but if I need to do something on short notice and the car doesn't have the range to do it on battery right now, then I am not handcuffed to my charger until I do have the range to go do it. I also have the option to DC fast charge but that is something that will probably be a last resort option to get somewhere or occasional road trip. I have nothing to complain about my 2017 is great and it is under a Carmax 5 year warranty (doesn't cover the battery) and a BMW warranty on the battery for the next 5 years
@@timothyearp631 But you can manually engage the REx to turn on via a few pumps to the accelerator so it can cycle through its maintenance mode. Also, the i3 will automatically inform you that its time to cycle through the REx maintenance at least once a month if the car's battery is less than 75% and that there is gas in the tank. All this is done without coding the car. Its in the i3 manual. I turn on my REx via the accelerator paddle and let it idle and the REx actual charge the battery giving it 10 miles of range in about 25 minutes, the car was not plugged in. So, its actually possible to charge the battery at a standstill using the REx. No other EV can do that?
Pretty good little car from what I've been seeing. I do see them on the road from time to time in San Diego. I always liked the looks, myself. I am wondering why considering electric cars do have all of that real wheel torque, the manufacturers don't create a snow mode? There must be a way to regulate wheel spin. PS: Your "camera lady" does an excellent job.
The traction control usually takes control of wheel spin in the snow. We lived with a Volt for three Minnesota winters, made for a very capable and stable winter vehicle. Traction control systems will control wheel spin though individual wheel braking and automatic torque control, so maximum throttle input will rarely, if ever, send maximum torque through the drivetrain.
@@Digikidthevoiceofreason The Leaf is an excellent EV and is still the world's best seller along with the Tesla Model 3. Only issue with the Leaf is it has a passive battery that degrades in the heat (120 degrees).
I think these opportunistic, off the cuff takes you do are in many ways the most revealing. Also, congratulations to your daughter--double congrats if she’s a teenager. My daughter would barely talk to me at that age much less help. (I should mention that that's changed. She's in law school and a very different person.)
Good video; shortcar characteristic briefs on a frequent basis is great. Kudos to the camera lady/daughter, did fine. Otherwise, I do have two questions. First, why you didn't preheat the car while plugged-in at the house? Second, why do the outside mirrors have a lip protruding around the lower trailing edge of their nacelle (doesn't seem aerodynamically useful)?
Either resistive or heat pump. Those equipped with a heat pump are usually supplemented with a smaller resistive heater for occasions where high heating demand is needed. Both setups can also have a form of heat scavenging. Transferring any waste heat generated by the electronics into the battery or cabin. But this scenario requires longer drives or trips, giving the electronics time to warm from use. From personal experience, both systems are capable in pushing out heat quickly, within a minute for mild winter temperatures.
Electric. Resistive electric heating from my understanding in the i3 REX. The i3 BEV (no engine) is also electric, but uses a heat pump primarily as opposed to resistive. I'm not sure if the engine in the i3 REX is capable in heating the cabin when in use. The engines in the Toyota Prius PHEV and Chevy Volt PHEV are capable in using engine heat for hearing while the engine is running. Otherwise it's electric heat while running off the battery (engine off).
Great job, camera lady! 😸 Is there a DTC button like a ICE BMW? In my 1 series, I can turn off traction nannies by holding down DTC button for several seconds. I like the i3 for some reason. The construction of it was very interesting with CFRP etc. And of course, RWD!
Shamut on EV’s how do you like your i3? Would you recommend one? I've only been a passenger in dealer service shuttle. I was pleased with performance and overall ergonomics.
The i3 (without going into the service aka hidden menu) only has a half way off mode. It’s labelled as “TRACTION” AND this will allow more wheel slip and it restricts intervention from the DSC. In other BMW’s this is activated after pressing the DSC button or by activating Sport+ mode. Of course if you access the service menu you can activate roller mode which completely disables both the ESP (including traction control) and the ABS for maximum car park hoonery 🤣
Nice contribution from a funny test driver from TFL .... TOP keep it up! The i3 is popular here in europe, and without any problems, it is sad that BMW is going to stop production, the price is OK, it is a bit higher than the average but for German quality, that is normal! The entire car is also made of carbon, which gives the car an enormous stiffness and safety, and of course that is reflected in the price!
my coworker had one and whrn it was not pluged in in the winter here in sweden with -4f "-20c" his experiance was that it did not work good at all so he sold it after that winter.
This i3 doesn't have a heat pump, so its best to pre-heat the car and battery while the car is plugged up in the morning before driving. You can set what time to pre-heat the car or just use the mobile app to turn on pre-heating 20 minutes before you get onto the car. The range will drop during cold days as in all electric EVs.
Read the manual & learn how to turn off traction control/ESP, this thing is lots of fun in the snow. I guess if you break the 2014 motor mounts it’s not a problem with a CPO, they need to get updated anyways...
On my 2017 bmw I3 I dont even need to brush the snow off. I just use my phone and tell it to defrost. All the snow is gone except the hood. Once you go electric gas is not an option anymore.
Good video André. But hey, of course narrow winter tires are good, just because winter tires is supposed to be narrow. Take a quick look at rally cars in the winter, do they have narrow or wide tires? Yes, narrow 😉
Since this is a 2014, you may want to perform a software update, this will make much needed changes to the brake regen setting and a bit of change to the driving dynamics, especially in snowy conditions. Once updated, you may want to set the vehicle to Roller Mode. This will allow you to turn off all ABS, DTC, and DSC. You'll easily get sideways and do donuts in the snow. Just remember not to use this mode too much in dry conditions as this may put a lot of stress on the motor mounts and drivetrain. (It's been known to cause some mounts to snap.) Cheers! www.bmwusa.com/owners/software-updates.html
Being RWD is usually thought of as a negative over FWD because their light rear end is trying to push the heavy front end. It's not a variable here because thier is no heavy engine up front lol. The skinny tires are a plus on this car, skinnier tires are better in snow because they can dig down to the pavement instead of floating on top the snow.
Stability control doesn't like fun. Stability control says understeer is the safest way to snow. I, on the other hand, think oversteer is the best way to snow.
I don't understand why you don't use real studded winter tyres over there in your wintery states. Nothing beats studded winter tyres when there's ice on the road.
In your next test would be nice to know how the ev motor regen works with slowing down in snow. I know regen is not great initially in cold weather until things warm up.
Put it in roller mode (find the tutorial online) for doing donuts BUT please don't drive it on roller mode, this car is unstable and realize on the software to keep you from death. I personally had good experiences with it in Maryland winter weather, the range suffers quite a bit however.
That is with a preheated battery, you'll get reduced power if you don't preheat. Preheating ONLY works if you set a departure time! it won't work if you select preconditioning from the app. it starts about 4 hours before your intended departure time! another fun fact. The i3 has enough torque to do a full on burnout but they limited torque up to 35-40 mph even on roller mode.
Careful with those burn outs in that car dude.. the #1 weak spot is the is that plastic motor mount. It likes to break during wheel spin. The repairs will cost $6-9k. Check out the Facebook group on 14-16 i3 plastic motor mounts. They break all the time dude.
![Gunna - HIM ALL ALONG [Official Visualizer]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/HiCxoDeo0hc/mqdefault.jpg)
Loved it! For a rear wheel drive car it seems to handle the snow well with snow tires. Thanks you two!
It's all about weight distribution (and the tires and driver). Front wheel drive cars are better in the snow mainly because they have a larger percentage of their weight on the drive wheels. If you compare a FWD car (with a front engine) to a RWD car that has a rear engine, their capability in the snow probably isn't all that different. And, as Andre said, the i3 has a fair amount of weight on the rear wheels so good snow performance should be expected.
Narrow is generally considered better for snow tires (look at what rally cars use in the snow) so the narrow tires on the i3 might actually be an advantage.
Most EVs can, essentially, predict when a wheel will slip almost instantaneously. The benefit of this is that power does not need to be cut to both wheels.
I actually used mine in snow with the regular tires on and it did surprisingly good, even under braking. You might have showed how to disable the traction control though, it came handy in slope circumstances and/or with important amount of snow in front of the wheels as it allows them to spin and actually get traction instead of just cutting the power.
@@thomasfaragalla3645 I have the same experience, I just posted a comment about how well it performs with all-seasons.
Great vid, a litt tip Andre, preheat the car, then you get more range AND defrostet windows. From an i3 owner in Norway.
Just to clarify, you will get more range if you are plugged in while you preheat. I'm not sure he had a charging station at his house.
@@andrewsnow7386 Don't need to be plugged in, yes you lose a couple of %, but the gain in range is higher, but yes it's optimal to be plugged in while preheating.
@@btfcar5698 Well, there doesn't seem to be a consensus one way or the other. Here is a Tesla S driver that found preheating (when not plugged in) decreased range:
forums.tesla.com/discussion/42393/does-preheating-when-not-plugged-in-really-save-range
Let me ask you this, if your car was cold and had a very low battery, say 10% left, would you still preheat off the battery and expect the range to increase?
Just plugged the damn car into the electric socket and pre-heat it before driving it.. Defrost the windows and use the heated seats while driving to save battery energy. Put the car in Eco Pro+ Mode and drive accordingly to road conditions.. Simple as that.
or at least scrape/clean windows
Him: It’s actually really quiet
Windshield wipers: schhchhshshshshshs
He didnt heat the windshield so ofcourse it'd make noise.
How to kill wipers 101
@@arekb5951 2-3 days ago it snowed at my place. Turned my wipers on without heating or scraping my windshield and well let's just say I regretted that idea. I had to replace my wiper motor and 2 of the wipers cuz they were cracked (rubber can easily snap when frozen like a toothpick).
4:32 comedic timing
@@HALTHEOO Sorry to hear that. The wipers were probably frozen to the windscreen so the motor burnt out. I did cringe when the poster turned the wipers on without spraying the windscreen with de-icer and actually checking the wipers were free to move.
Good videography by Andre’s daughter! 😄 🎥 Officially a seasoned pro! ❄️
Thanks for the update. Need -45 washer fluid to melt the ice of the windshield and save the wipers. I usually use about 3 jugs of it during the winter here in Nova Scotia.
>Turn ignition on
>Hold down the trip reset button on the side of the speed readout display (I didn't know it was there until someone told me about this technique).
>A menu will pop up at the the bottom of the speedo screen
>Short press of the trip reset button will move you through the options
>One will be 'Dyno test' or something like that
>Long hold on 'Dyno' option until the next screen pops up asking you to confirm
>Short press of the button and you will get lots of warnings!
>ABS is disabled, traction disabled, engine regeneration is disabled
>Spin those wheels!
I learned the hard way to sweep the snow off the windshield before using the wipers. I didnt one day and my wiper arm snapped. Granted it was a 10 year old wiper arm but it can happen. I love the style of the i3 by the way. This looks like such a fun car.
one good thing about EVs is that you can precondition the car without having an engine idling, so you can find it warm and defrosted by the time you have to leave. And, if it has an app, you can do it from your couch.
Thanks for doing an in the snow review. Driving in the snow is my favorite.
But I'm afraid I disagree with you regarding "heft" being important in the winter. I've driven a lot of different sized vehicles in snow, from a '78 Honda civic, to a fully loaded F350 13 passenger crew bus. And I've pulled literally 100's of stuck vehicles up snowy hills. I've never seen any difference between how well heavy or light vehicles get around on icy and snowy streets. The tires make a huge difference, the driver skill makes a huge difference, and the percentage of weight on the drive wheels makes a huge difference. But the total weight of the vehicle is not important.
and if your wipers are frozen to the window and you turned them on, you were not afraid to break the motor who checks that or the wipers work in winter, first you need to go out and try with your hand whether they are frozen or not! but in general, I will give you brilliant advice, they need to be sprayed with silicone and you will not have problems with wipers in winter, you can not doubt this life hack works even in Russia at -40
Or you can pour some boiling water on windows to defrost them
@@Big.W. ROFLMAO!
She's got a cool Dad 🤙
Clean the snow off your rear window, before driving!!!
Genuinely actually, these two obviously work really well as a team! Great job, really nice
I love how you made sure to turn on all the lights once you got to the parking lot and not before setting off. Also, properly clearing the windshield, roof and rear window is a very important missed step. Should be routine for someone in Colorado. Murcia, safety 3rd maybe 4th 🤣
You can turn off the traction controll, by pressing the button on the left side of the driver screen for about 10-15 seconds, then there will be a menu. Then you have to press the button again (i think twice) and then you can select "roller mode" by pressing the button for about 5-10 seconds. You can turn the TSC back on again by turning the car the car off and on again.
Yes please do a demo of the roller mode on some snow! :)
The only issue can be regenerative breaking. If you quickly release the throttle, the back might overtake you. Especially downhill or when too fast on slippery ground.
Good point! I remember downshifting my old 1981 volvo 242dl. Let the clutch out and it spun around so fast with no warning whem I was heading to the base at Dover. Of course I was young fresh out of high school and lived in tx. The road was wet but it was only misting so I hit a slick spot when I downshifting and man, it came with zero warning lol.
Thanks Andre and Camera-Daughter! :)
There are two options to disable your Traction/Stability Control
First method is to simply press the esp button once which gives you a bit of wheelspin
The other way is to hold the button for about 10 secounds till the esp light on the dash starts blinking several times
Normaly all traction nannys should be disengaged when you use the secound method
I3 DTC setting in menu, no bottoms FYI
I purchased my 2018 i3 Rex in Dec. 2020, we have the worst winters in the midwest, and it's -11F right now. My Rover has Blizzaks and it's 4WD. I was expecting to have major issues with the all-season tires on the i3, surprisingly very little. After a snowfall, I just wait a day til' the roads are mostly plowed, there's usually some packed snow remaining and slippery. The i3 just goes right through. There's a hill near me, and FWD cars always get stuck at the bottom, the i3 has absolutely no problems. I believe it's the rear weight and traction control that makes it so capable.
My driveway is a hill and I never fully remove the snow, and there's usually some ice underneath, a front driver car would struggle, but the i3 just does the job with no issues.
I love this EV!
9:34 her daughter thinking: dad hurry up! I'm freezing! 😄 thanks Andre for the update, more considering right now the Temperature here were I live is 97° F
Yep, those tall skinny tires are good in snow because they cut through and increase the pressure to the ground. They only provide better longitudinal grip, though, so careful when turning.
Hahaha those wipers are hell of loud haha it's so quiet otherwise ..
I test drove one of these about 2 years ago in similar conditions. The BMW dealer I was at said I showed up at the worst time to test drive this vehicle due to the instant torque of the motor. We we still took the test drive. The car worked fine. Heating was good, wipers on, with me, the salesman and my daughter. I didn't buy because the rear doors would still be a bit of a hassle. Would rather have 4 regular doors.
Really good video. I simply love watching cars and trucks in the snow. I love snow. Thanks TFL. Please more snow reviews
I just purchased a 2014 BMW i3 Giga World, it will be delivered to my house on Tuesday and I am super excited.
2:26 good lord I’ve never heard a more raw mechanical sounding door open. Epic!
Never heard anyone like the rattly close of clamshell doors before.
The window opens just before the latch engages when opening so there is an extra noise when opening or closing the doors
@@timothyearp631 I love it!
I just bought one of these for my Denver commuter! Thanks for the video. Makes me feel good.
I have driven my previous 2018 F80 M3 in the snow on summer tires.
I therefore see no issues driving my new I3s also on summer tires in the snow👍🏻
If you hold in the button to the left of your speedometer cluster in 10 to15 seconds you can turn off the traction control, and have alot of winter fun :)
Ur daughter is doing a great job...if u asked her how the car is,she would have told u...greatness of daughters,they tell u wat u want to hear...😂😂😂
Andre, can we get some H2 snow videos plzzzzz? Go rescue some people and do some doughnuts!
Best Winter use is to leave thermostat on 74 or 70 at nite with all vents open (defroster, dash, floor) and then set automatic “conditioning”, to start 30 minutes early while it is plugged in. Or use your BMW i3 phone app to start conditioning 30 min early. That will warm the interior so window ice starts to flow off. If you use the resistance defroster button, it will use up battery fast.
Actually, it is terrible if you need to coast down an icy hill. Regenerative braking puts on the brakes and makes the car want to skid or even spin. If you disable the feature, your range drops significantly, on top of the 30 miles you lose because it is cold and the battery doesn't like it. I literally bought my wife a winter vehicle because of it. We didn't have the range extender. We were so happy when the lease was up and gave it back to BMW.
i3's don't coast and I have never seen an i3 lose 30 miles of range in the winter even in Norway, the most lost of range I saw was 6 miles and that 6 miles was easily recovered due to regenerative braking..
@@mamadouaziza2536 The i3 can coast if you disable the regenerative braking which means putting it into the least eco friendly mode. On our 2014, my wife would show range of about 102 miles during nice weather, and during the winter it would drop to 73 or so miles. She would precondition the car while it was plugged in. She would rarely use the heat for fear she would not be able to make it back home. Maybe ours just had a bad battery? BMW didn't think so.
@@thetacticalape8852
So, if I put the i3 in its least eco friendly mode, I can coast? The least eco friendly mode is 'Comfort'. Regenerative braking is strong in 'Comfort' mode.
The range is always an estimate.
Did your wife pre-heat before she left work? If one has to drive more than 50 miles round trip without charging than the 2014 i3 isn't the car for you unless you get a coded 2014 REx. BEV versions have heat pumps that heat the cabin without wasting range. I personally would not drive any EVs even a Tesla in weather below 25 degrees.
@@mamadouaziza2536 As previously stated, she reconditioned ie heated the car up while plugged in prior to leaving for work. Temps in the winter here fall well below 25. Her round trip was around 65 miles. Her range was down to 3 to 5 miles when she would get home. She was really good at extending the range, she managed to get 115 miles during the fall once and showed a range of 8 miles left when she got home.
@@thetacticalape8852
Ok, but while at work did she just leave the car unplugged? Did she pre-heat before she left work?
I get that one has to plan strategically with an earlier i3 and that is why its important to plan a longer trip around public charge points. Did your wife have a REx?
I can believe that she must have been nervous as hell driving that i3 in temperatures below 25 degrees, I would be too.. I live in an area that it never gets below 70 degrees in the winter months, so range lost due to cold weather isn't an issue. Also, there are plenty of public charge points in the area.
As a Canadian who drives a lot in snow.....get winter tires...and enjoy a very good little winter car! The rex makes sense in colder climates. Skinny tires are better in snow and loose surfaces than wide tires...look at rally cars and military vehicles. Not sure what all the fuss is about on some other videos. My front wheel drive volvo was no better in snow (it was with proper tires too).
Well interesting topic but man turn on the windshield defrost so you don’t destroy the wipers blades, and turn on the rear defrost. That’s the basic for good visibility to start and see how much range you will lose to get the cabin warmed up and windshield defrosted! And the play with traction control off :-) thank you for great video to camera lady ! well done 👍🏼
Could you try the i3 “roller mode” in the snow?
Brilliant review Andre! Especially seeing the car during difficult conditions such as Winter. I have one and I love my I3. Good job camera lady too🤗
Here a few infos about i3 tires and wheels:
There are so far no All Season Tires for the i3 dimension. The REX version has wider wheels and tires (175) for the rear axle. Unfortunately there are so far no winter tires in dimension 175/60R19 available. So the REX version has to use the 155/70 R19 winter tires, that is also why it usually has 2 sets of wheels (each one for winter or summer).
The tires on an i3 wears faster than on other cars, one tire set may last about 30-35k miles.
You can set one of the buttons on you key fob to pre-heat the car, so its nice and warm when you enter. A timer can also be set for this. I recommend to put some window scraper into the frunk to avoid opening the doors before removing the ice. and it is easier to remove ice and snow from a pre-heated car...
You need to do coding on that car! you can set up the range extender to come on when you need it rather than just the last 3% of state of charge - useful if you like climbing steep grades without being limited to the power the REX can put out (use the REX earlier in the trip and keep more power in the battery for climbing, also engage the Rex while climbing to slow the rate of battery charge use). there are lots of items that can be changed and you can even remove the electronic limiter on the fuel tank giving you more usable fuel.
Also; Read the owners manual!!!
Huh? Thanks 4 the info but the video wasn't about the REx.
The REx actually comes on at 6%.
The video is about how the car handles in the snow and cold.
@@mamadouaziza2536 The REx can be programmed for manual operation, but it takes an aftermarket program to do it (I used BimmerCode) and the operation of the REx can be done with as much charge as 75% which makes a major change in the livability of this car especially in a place like Denver. I was reacting to his fumbling with the menus at 7:00 by the way, there are shortcuts for those menus but the driver of the car needs to set the shortcuts. There are other hidden gems that can make the car more livable as well like preconditioning the car so that it is warm when you get in but that is in the BMW App
@@timothyearp631
Thank u. I am aware of coding the car to get it to European specs..
But why do people buy such a car with a limited range and complain later? If you drive less than 50 miles in a day, the earlier i3s are fine with or without the REx.
If you live in an area with Level 2 and Level 3 charge points everywhere, range issues aren't a big problem and the earlier i3s should be fine. Charge while at work and you'll have plenty of range to get home.
@@mamadouaziza2536 For me the coding is about utility, I want to be able to cycle though the fuel from time to time making sure the Rex has "fresh enough" fuel and know that the Rex is working properly BEFORE the battery is at 6% so that I can find and take care of problems without getting stuck when it is inconvenient. The Rex and it's use is all about convenience, it is there when I need it. I have installed a 50 amp 240 plug on the side of my home so that I can level 2 charge at home, but if I need to do something on short notice and the car doesn't have the range to do it on battery right now, then I am not handcuffed to my charger until I do have the range to go do it. I also have the option to DC fast charge but that is something that will probably be a last resort option to get somewhere or occasional road trip. I have nothing to complain about my 2017 is great and it is under a Carmax 5 year warranty (doesn't cover the battery) and a BMW warranty on the battery for the next 5 years
@@timothyearp631
But you can manually engage the REx to turn on via a few pumps to the accelerator so it can cycle through its maintenance mode.
Also, the i3 will automatically inform you that its time to cycle through the REx maintenance at least once a month if the car's battery is less than 75% and that there is gas in the tank. All this is done without coding the car.
Its in the i3 manual. I turn on my REx via the accelerator paddle and let it idle and the REx actual charge the battery giving it 10 miles of range in about 25 minutes, the car was not plugged in. So, its actually possible to charge the battery at a standstill using the REx. No other EV can do that?
Pretty good little car from what I've been seeing. I do see them on the road from time to time in San Diego. I always liked the looks, myself. I am wondering why considering electric cars do have all of that real wheel torque, the manufacturers don't create a snow mode? There must be a way to regulate wheel spin.
PS: Your "camera lady" does an excellent job.
The traction control usually takes control of wheel spin in the snow. We lived with a Volt for three Minnesota winters, made for a very capable and stable winter vehicle. Traction control systems will control wheel spin though individual wheel braking and automatic torque control, so maximum throttle input will rarely, if ever, send maximum torque through the drivetrain.
i3's have had the torque lowered via a software upgrade in order to avoid rear wheel spin.
My friend’s Leaf loses a lot of range in the Vermont winter when he has to use the heater. This guy probably does too.
That why its best to pre-heat the car before driving and while driving, one should use the heated seats instead of the cabin heater.
Yeah well the Leaf is now considered to be a pretty poor EV.
@@Digikidthevoiceofreason
The Leaf is an excellent EV and is still the world's best seller along with the Tesla Model 3. Only issue with the Leaf is it has a passive battery that degrades in the heat (120 degrees).
I think these opportunistic, off the cuff takes you do are in many ways the most revealing. Also, congratulations to your daughter--double congrats if she’s a teenager. My daughter would barely talk to me at that age much less help. (I should mention that that's changed. She's in law school and a very different person.)
Good video; shortcar characteristic briefs on a frequent basis is great. Kudos to the camera lady/daughter, did fine. Otherwise, I do have two questions. First, why you didn't preheat the car while plugged-in at the house? Second, why do the outside mirrors have a lip protruding around the lower trailing edge of their nacelle (doesn't seem aerodynamically useful)?
That assistant you have did a great job!!!
What kind of heating electric cars have? Is it instantly hot, or you have to wait few minutes for heat to build?
Either resistive or heat pump. Those equipped with a heat pump are usually supplemented with a smaller resistive heater for occasions where high heating demand is needed.
Both setups can also have a form of heat scavenging. Transferring any waste heat generated by the electronics into the battery or cabin. But this scenario requires longer drives or trips, giving the electronics time to warm from use.
From personal experience, both systems are capable in pushing out heat quickly, within a minute for mild winter temperatures.
I love Andre. Keep it up. I wish we had that kind of snow in Northwest Arkansas. I'm jealous!
Quick to heat up because the REX version has resistive heat vs. the more efficient heat pump in the BEV
When u need heat . Is it electric or is it from the gas motor
Electric. Resistive electric heating from my understanding in the i3 REX. The i3 BEV (no engine) is also electric, but uses a heat pump primarily as opposed to resistive.
I'm not sure if the engine in the i3 REX is capable in heating the cabin when in use. The engines in the Toyota Prius PHEV and Chevy Volt PHEV are capable in using engine heat for hearing while the engine is running. Otherwise it's electric heat while running off the battery (engine off).
4:32 comedic timing
HAVING TALL THIN TIRES is what made the Ford Model T such a great vehicle. The original all terrain vehicle!
Great job, camera lady! 😸
Is there a DTC button like a ICE BMW? In my 1 series, I can turn off traction nannies by holding down DTC button for several seconds.
I like the i3 for some reason. The construction of it was very interesting with CFRP etc. And of course, RWD!
There is an OFF option in the menu on my 2018 i3. No button tho
Shamut on EV’s how do you like your i3? Would you recommend one? I've only been a passenger in dealer service shuttle. I was pleased with performance and overall ergonomics.
Yes, you put the car into dyno test mode: www.mybmwi3.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2686
The i3 (without going into the service aka hidden menu) only has a half way off mode. It’s labelled as “TRACTION” AND this will allow more wheel slip and it restricts intervention from the DSC. In other BMW’s this is activated after pressing the DSC button or by activating Sport+ mode.
Of course if you access the service menu you can activate roller mode which completely disables both the ESP (including traction control) and the ABS for maximum car park hoonery 🤣
Glen F Dyno-mite! 👋🏻🇨🇦
Need to use roller mode to actually do snow doughnuts.
I was looking for this comment. Roller mode is the way to go!
Awesome video guys, great work with the camera! Car looks great!
Nice contribution from a funny test driver from TFL .... TOP keep it up! The i3 is popular here in europe, and without any problems, it is sad that BMW is going to stop production, the price is OK, it is a bit higher than the average but for German quality, that is normal! The entire car is also made of carbon, which gives the car an enormous stiffness and safety, and of course that is reflected in the price!
my coworker had one and whrn it was not pluged in in the winter here in sweden with -4f "-20c" his experiance was that it did not work good at all so he sold it after that winter.
EcoPro (slowest setting) helps chill out the insta torque effect as well.
3:48 I would never use the wipers to shout at the windshield of snow and ice. I always use a deicing spray and / or a hand brush.
You can PreHeat by App. So always a warm icefree car. That should be mentioned!
This i3 doesn't have a heat pump, so its best to pre-heat the car and battery while the car is plugged up in the morning before driving.
You can set what time to pre-heat the car or just use the mobile app to turn on pre-heating 20 minutes before you get onto the car.
The range will drop during cold days as in all electric EVs.
i3 has a heat pump as optional. I have an i3 with heat pump.
Your daughter is a good videographer. She frames the shots really well!
Kudos to your wife (camera lady). She's a good sport.
daughter
Good job Andre... say thank you to your camera lady... nicely done ☺
Read the manual & learn how to turn off traction control/ESP, this thing is lots of fun in the snow. I guess if you break the 2014 motor mounts it’s not a problem with a CPO, they need to get updated anyways...
You guys just got snow?!?!!! Come to Bemidji we’ve had snow for three weeks!
For someone who lives in Colorado it blows me away they destroy their wipers running them on the ice. Must be a expert.
On my 2017 bmw I3 I dont even need to brush the snow off. I just use my phone and tell it to defrost. All the snow is gone except the hood. Once you go electric gas is not an option anymore.
Good video André. But hey, of course narrow winter tires are good, just because winter tires is supposed to be narrow. Take a quick look at rally cars in the winter, do they have narrow or wide tires? Yes, narrow 😉
Glad you knew about the tire difference from snow to sand or mud. Skinny for the win-ter
Best camera work ever Andre’s daughter!!! Great video, I worry when Andre complained about 10 degrees, America is making our #1 Russian American soft!
Great job by the videographer. The tires look like fat bike tires. 2:29 whispering of OH GOD did someone think it is better to not wear gloves?
Great job You guys 🥰
Since this is a 2014, you may want to perform a software update, this will make much needed changes to the brake regen setting and a bit of change to the driving dynamics, especially in snowy conditions. Once updated, you may want to set the vehicle to Roller Mode. This will allow you to turn off all ABS, DTC, and DSC. You'll easily get sideways and do donuts in the snow. Just remember not to use this mode too much in dry conditions as this may put a lot of stress on the motor mounts and drivetrain. (It's been known to cause some mounts to snap.) Cheers! www.bmwusa.com/owners/software-updates.html
U can disable all driving assists very easy in the Manufacturer menu. No Tools required.
How is the heating in the car and does it drain the battery
Being RWD is usually thought of as a negative over FWD because their light rear end is trying to push the heavy front end. It's not a variable here because thier is no heavy engine up front lol. The skinny tires are a plus on this car, skinnier tires are better in snow because they can dig down to the pavement instead of floating on top the snow.
The question on my mind is, what was the end game resolution to the gas filler door for the generator? Excellent work by the "camera lady". :)
Aren’t tires difficult to find for the i3?
I've find bliztaks a very poor winter tyre, better than a summer obviously but not a patch on a lot of other winter tyres
6:36 I heard her say shit
SOoo what's the range difference from summer to winter ?
That looks pretty tidy in the snow. (and excellent camera work).
Hi Andre: what’s the battery degradation percentage due to cold temps
Stability control doesn't like fun. Stability control says understeer is the safest way to snow. I, on the other hand, think oversteer is the best way to snow.
Watching and enjoying your channels from sunny Trinidad 🇹🇹
Of course it’s decent. Heavy, ideal weight distribution, narrow tires, and instant traction control.
That amount of snow would close the UK transport network! LOL
I don't understand why you don't use real studded winter tyres over there in your wintery states. Nothing beats studded winter tyres when there's ice on the road.
Got to love the snow , dont get much here in london uk , with some ans funds permit looking to take up residence in.new brunswick , fingers crossed
Andre sounds like a used i3 salesman trying to get his daughter to buy the car lol.
Andrei, please do a winter driving range test with heated seats and heater on!
In your next test would be nice to know how the ev motor regen works with slowing down in snow. I know regen is not great initially in cold weather until things warm up.
Yeah its terrible in my i3. Its like throwing in 3rd in 60mph in a rwd everytime you step of the gaspedal
Put it in roller mode (find the tutorial online) for doing donuts BUT please don't drive it on roller mode, this car is unstable and realize on the software to keep you from death. I personally had good experiences with it in Maryland winter weather, the range suffers quite a bit however.
That is with a preheated battery, you'll get reduced power if you don't preheat. Preheating ONLY works if you set a departure time! it won't work if you select preconditioning from the app. it starts about 4 hours before your intended departure time! another fun fact. The i3 has enough torque to do a full on burnout but they limited torque up to 35-40 mph even on roller mode.
As a winter lover, I clearly need to move there.
Careful with those burn outs in that car dude.. the #1 weak spot is the is that plastic motor mount. It likes to break during wheel spin. The repairs will cost $6-9k. Check out the Facebook group on 14-16 i3 plastic motor mounts. They break all the time dude.
Are tires for these readily available?
that whipper blade scraping sound musicians can use for new beats lol!
The way it is blazing hot in 🇧🇼🇧🇼😭😭 I its literally 44⁰c during the day I wish I was Andre😭😭😭
Does the i3 you bought have the optional range extender motor?
Yes.
Good review.