We brought a i3 Rex new, in Jan 2015 - and have covered 101k miles in it. Just in the process of buying a 22 i3s, because we can’t find a better small car. Pretty much the same points as you for pros and cons.
I commend you on an excellent review. We also have a 2020 i3S in Red/Black with the 20" rims. TBH, we bought it to future proof ourselves and in the beginning my wife wasn't too impressed considering she loved her 325i convertible. Move on a few weeks and she's forgotten all about the the 325 and drives this car everywhere, she absolutely loves it!. One of her pet hates is filling up with fuel and since this came into her life she hasn't visited a garage once. We only charge from home and we get around 170 miles range during warmer months. We recharge when it drops to 30% charge and we only use the standard 2.2kw block 13a charger. It does us fine. We are about to invest in solar for our house, a decision which has been driven by the arrival of the i3. We hope in time it will cost us nothing to run this car apart from brakes, service etc. Make no mistakes, this is brilliant car, very much like my A2 90 Sport which it shares on the drive. I also like the Volvo C30 but there's no way a Chinese manufactured car is ever going to find its way into our lives...... one more reason why I love the i3S - well done BMW, you nailed it!
Lovely summary and i think we drive in a similar way and with similar "likes" ;-) I'm 9 years into i3 ownership now, 6 years with an original 22kWh BEV (absolutely faultless over that time) and now 3 years and 30k miles or so with my '19 plate i3s, and there is still no car i'd replace it with for general day to day driving. If i might be as bold as to add my 5 Likes and 5 Dislikes for others to consider Dislikes: 1) Windscreen washer / wiper alignment for RHD cars.: The overlapping wipers whilst clearing pretty much all of the screen do tend to let drips and dirty water trickly past after the last wipe and that dirty water gets blown back up the screen to streak and smear it. There is also not enough washer jet and pipework heating ime.With no hot engine up front this is something most EVs i've driven suffer from, but i find i need to run pretty much neat washer fluid to avoid it freezing when the temperatures fall even a little below zero 2) The Sat Nav dones't hodl enough level of detail of minor roads once you zoom out a little bit. As someone old enough to have been brought up on navigating on a paper map, the ability to simultaneously see the big picture (what general direction you are heading in) and the minutini of the minor road you are on at once is missing. In the i3s, i tend to spend more time going cross-country on minor roads than sitting on M-ways and DC's, and sometimes i don't want to set the NAV and follow it, so being able to see that one is say heading in the general direction one wants whilst also seeing that 90 deg bend upcomming is important. This is not just an I3 issue clearly, but was introduced on the later iDrive updates (my old F80 M3 didn't have this problem) 3) No "relaxed" or "totally off mode" for the DSC: The car is so fundamentally well balanced that it is begging to get the normal BMW "1 step relaxed" mode for DSC, and you can only completely free the car up from DSC by using the hidden rollers mode that also kills the ABS. OK, for most drivers this is irrelevant, but for me it's not. 4) No quite enough rear antiroll bar on the car to make sure it keeps rotating nicely after the apex: Yes, like all modern BMWs it's (sensibly) set up to push the nose out first, but with just probably 8 to 10% more rear roll stiffness i think it would generally stay more neutral for a bit longer (experiments incomming with rear only wheel spacers to artificially boost the rear cross axle stiffness ) 5) Zero speed hold would be terrific for it to work in both directions when zero road speed has been reached and you foot is completely off the pedal: Drive in stop start traffic on a downwards sloping road and you need to use the friction brakes to actually prevent the car rolling forwards. The eDRIVE already stops the car from rolling the opposite way to the drive selector setting so why can't it actually do a full zero speed hold. True one-pedal driving would then always be possible Likes: 1) the way it makes me smile when i drive it. Honestly the is, by far, the most fun car ive ever driven in the real world. I should note i'm very lucky here as i work as an automotive engineer and have designed, developed on and extensively driven some pretty fun cars such as the Mclaren P1 and Rimac Nevera, but the little i3s just "fits in" with modern, busy road conditions. Enough performance and grip, but not so much you can never use it. My old F80 M3 by comparison was always doing well over 100 to have any fun, and whilst it could theoretically drift brilliantly, the space and opportunity to use it were simply never there on the public road. The i3s is small enough, subtle enough, and critically, quiet enough, that a bit is fun is pretty much always a bung and stab away, and the ability to rotate the car from the back to help it round stuff really is easy and appropriate. The fact that happens at sane speeds is also key here. 2) the performance: The i3s must be by some margin one of the best sleeper cars there is. Sure on paper, a just sub 7 sec 0-62 mph time is not going to win it any silverwear, in the real world, the low mass and instant torque combine to deliver a very good power to weight ratio that means little gets past it. It's honestly still suprising even to me, when cars such as M3's or Golf R's and the like actually simply can't get past or away from it (until the 100mph limiter cuts in obvs). I love the the fact that you can swap from a gentle pootle off the line to a full on stamp to the carpet and the car litterally leaps off without so much as a blink . By the time anything with an ICE and gearbox has realised it's all too late for them unless they really want to surge deep into 3 figures. i tell people it's a quicky little car and they look at me like i'm an idiot. They look at it, see "noddys car" and think, "nah mate" but that imo, just adds to the fun of the car 3) The agility: 50:50 mass distribution, ultra low CofG, wheel at each corner, large contact patch (for tyre width) fast steering ratio and the stiff structure all combine to deliver a car that not only has incredibly yaw authority but thanks one that also has incredible stability. Yes, if you're rough with it it's a bit tall, a bit undersprung, and thanks to that low CofG combining with a high H point (the occupants centre of gravity) it's can lurch around in a somewhat uncouth way, but smooth you inputs, pour the car into the turns, let it settle, keep adding throttle and handwheel and the car just turns in and keeps on turning. if there is another car this side of a Lotus Elise that does this much with a set of tyres of such modest width i'm yet to drive it. If you can left foot brake (and it this car, why the heck are you still right foot braking??) then it gets even better. Aim the car to the apex, carry very good speed in, lean on the anchors hard and late, then get off them smoothly and turn in smoothly and it the way it goes into and around turns is honestly verging on brilliance. For a car that isn't really meant to be a hot hatch let alone a sports car of any type, what is leverages from it's fundamental physical correctness of it's layout is an envy to many a more sporting car ime! 4) The traction: The fundamental rightness of the cars physics leads to it's brilliant traction. Yes a LSD across the back could be a benefit sometimes (but rarely) but it pretty much just puts down what it's got to the road most of the time, and when it does slip, the DSC responds so quickly to interviene and then critically, to let go again and return full torque, that it's a proper fast car in the real world. Ok, my dislike 4) above means i would actually swap 10% less traction for 10% more rear carrying of the dynamic loads to allow bit more positive yaw, but for most people the set up is pretty dam good 5) the rare-ness BMS didn't sell many, they were expensive, and people were (and still are) stuck in an old fashioned mindset that they must have a car that can do 500 miles before having to charge so you just don't see many i3's out and about. This for me is a huge positive. For every i3 i see, i see probably 1,000 Telsa model 3's, numerous Hyundai's and Kias, and plenty of Taycans and eTrons. I can't see any reason to change cars, if anything i may just actually engineer my own motor and battery upgrade in a few years time to keep the car up-to-date. IME, the vast majority of owners love their I3's, and it's a bit like the original mini or Golf Gtiu i think in that it's a car that simply fits into peoples lives and yet is interesting and fun enough to elevate the experience far above the normal motoring "white goods" experience 🙂 (it is also, im pretty confident, an absolute sure-fire future classic, so long term i think it's probably going to be retain it's value and appreciate)
You made me to start searching to buy one, but just a moment, I already have one in front of my house. I can't add or remove a letter or a fullstop from what you wrote. Everything is just what I have in my mind for that car. Last time I had a smile everytime I got in a car was back on 1990s when I was 21 and I had my first car, a modded Peugeot Rally 1,3 with 2 double Webbers and just a pipe for exhaust.
Thanks so much for writing all this, you really know your stuff. I'm on the edge of buying an i3s having had a Leaf for 7 years. Had 4 BMs in the past and miss that real wheel driving experience. Bit worried about the tyres but the leaf was the same on the fronts at least though not on the back. I've paid 400 for two new fronts at 20k everytime. I know it's a basic question but it does have a speed limiter doesn't it? I don't think I could get a car without one now, given all the restrictions we all have to deal with.
Mine doesn't. It has cruise control, but there's no speed limit function...unless you drive it in Eco Pro+ in which case you have one user defined but fixed maximum speed limiter in place.
What a fantastic video, been watching all your great I3s content which helped me decide to buy one myself, simply love the little thing, amazing fun to drive and own as my first EV. Thanks so much for helping me choose to buy one, we bought a used 2020 i3s a few months ago and I tell you what, it’s the best little car I’ve ever bought, and as a man in my early fifties that says something about how good the thing is! Everyone should just buy one. Thanks Mark 👍🏻
A really enjoyable video I noticed when you exited what looked like a roundabout you pushed the indicator stalk upwards to cancel. If you push the indicator in the same direction that you indicate, the signal will cancel. That overrides the possibility of indicating the wrong way. I agree with the A pillar, I almost missed seeing someone crossing the road once, being hidden by it!
I forgot to say that in the video. I do try to cancel it by flicking it the same direction, but unless I positively think about it, muscle memory rules the day 😀
Hi Mark, greetings from Oxford. I bought a BMW i3 (not S) in 2019. By this date, the car had a circa 42kWh battery pack and no REx (petrol powered range extender). I’m now just short of 40k miles. To clean the windscreen, visit Halfords, they do a very effective glass cleaning pad on a telescoping stick, it is Velcro attached and does a super job. I did have to get 4 new tyres at 36k miles - I chose Continental over the factory fit Bridgestones, much better in terms of ride and noise - shout out to the Wisely Automotive RUclips channel. Very pleased with the i3, range and charging are not fantastic, but I don’t have any real issues in day to day use. I bought mine, and plan to keep it for 8 to 10 years; this makes for supper cheap and enjoyable motoring.
My thoughts entirely. Obviously depends on the terms of the lease whether purchase is an option but seriously consider it because these cars are future classics for certain. We've had our 2017 i3 BEV since new and it has done 83,000 miles exactly. It still looks and drives like it was new and even battery capacity/range doesn't appear to have declined significantly. We considered trading it in for a 120Ah model just before BMW discontinued production but decided against it. We preferred the protonic blue colour of our car which isn't available anymore, and the price of a new car was much higher than we paid in 2017 given that the government subsidy had reduced a lot. We would also have had to pay road tax on the newer car whereas our 2017 model is still exempt. And the trade in on our car was only something like £13k and that was a few years ago. Today our car is worth well under £10k and would be an amazing value second hand buy. So we decided to just keep the car we knew and loved! In terms of cost of ownership, we had a 5 year service plan with BMW from new for £325 and since that expired I've just serviced it myself. It only needs fresh brake fluid and cabin filters every 2 years so no great cost there. In terms of repairs, we had an LCD screen replaced under warranty after it developed some dead spots and we had a wheel speed sensor replaced just outside warranty as a goodwill gesture. Since then I have replaced all the brake discs and pads, and the front strut top mounts and gaiters which was not a big deal and if you buy OE parts from someone like AutoDoc, it's not that expensive either. I also had to fix a broken wire on the rear PDC system which was cheap and straightforward. The only major repair cost we have had is a replacement high voltage AC compressor which started to make some nasty whining/grinding noises about a year ago. This was not a DIY job for various reasons and having looked at the workshop manual procedure I decided it was worth paying BMW the £2940 to replace it rather than go with an independent garage. We have the heat pump option on our car and therefore the AC system is used for heating as well as cooling. It also heats and cools the battery modules so is much more important than on a typical ICE car. Also, if you delay replacement and the compressor starts to break up, you risk sending metal fragments into the cooling lines inside the battery pack which means you need a new battery pack as well as the other bits. That can be £10k+ so don't ignore a noisy AC compressor! This car is my wife's daily commuter car and she does around 50 miles a day in it. She absolutely loves it and finds it both relaxing and fun to drive. It really is an absolute doddle to drive in all situations and is especially easy in the city where the tight turning circle, smooth drive controls and excellent visibility make manoeuvring a breeze. Handling on bumpy country roads is a bit skittish at times, especially when the regen cuts in and out over bumps or when traction is lost. But on the whole it handles pretty well. We use winter wheels and tyres between when the clocks go back in October until when summer time kicks back in in March, and I would highly recommend it to all i3 drivers. Our other family car is a BMW E61 535d and we do the same with it. Winter tyres make a huge difference in ice and snow, especially with a rear wheel drive car. We got a set of i3 wheels on eBay for not much money and I just swap the wheels myself twice a year. It's a bit of an investment initially but over time it spreads the wear over both sets of tyres and costs pretty much the same. More importantly you stay out of the ditches in the winter which is much more costly! :) Cost per mile is around 2p since we charge at home on the Intelligent Octopus Go tariff at 7.5p/kWh and get about 3.7 miles/kWh. By comparison, the 535d which does about 40MPG costs around 18p/mile at current diesel prices.
Hi Mark, great review of a great car. I bought an I3 last August and sold it in December…. Just to get me a newer I3s from Germany, this time with all bells and whistles but in exactly the same color as the first one. Love this car as a daily drive. Summertime will bring out my TVR Tamora!!
Mirror your comments Mark. What all EVs should be like. Engineered from the ground up.1340 kgs, not the 1760 kgs of a Peugeot e308. Remarkable passenger space for the overall size. Look forward to driving every time I open the door. So responsive in motor and chassis. With a turning circle not far off a London taxi, but only 2 turns lock to lock - a go kart. Great interior design and nice materials. Had a 440i before and much prefer the i3s. Only charge at home. A full charge is about £3.50 and that takes me on average throughout the year around 150 miles. My foot's lighter that yours and the car does about 3.8 miles per kWh. Only gripe is a rumble/rattle from the nearside front suspension. Had a front strut rerplaced at around 5k miles, but at 12k it’s back again. Nobody seems to know what the problem is. But overall, a really different and great car. Love it.
Great review Mark. My wife has a 21 standard i3 and it’s effectively her first performance car having come from small hatchbacks. She’s absolutely loving the driving dynamics and always telling me how she’s gapped a chav trying to race her! 😅
Very interesting and a similar story to mine having come from a m140i to an i3s. Totally agree with the pillar, on a shallow right hand bend you have to lean to look around it lol. Other than that its a great car. Range is not an issue charging at home but mostly due to the terrible charge network long journeys are more stressful, fortunately I dont do them that often. If I had my time again I'd buy another with the choices available in 2022.
I bought my i3 when my Toyota CHR lease came up. I love my i3 for all the same reasons. Mine is not the S but still very fun to drive. Also today I had to pick a new 55" TV up for my mum which would not fit in her car but this has a 59" depth flat boot with the rear seats down ! What the heck that is so useful. Its a very practical car. If I had a complaint I would say the ride is harder than most other cars and more like a real sports car. Nippy as hell. Love it too that I can park in carparks without the fear of dents and also no rust issues ever. Its a keeper.
Look into the electric Mini. It is made by BMW and in many ways is the evolution of the i3. You should do a review of one and compare it to your i3. I recently bought a 2014 i3 with 120k km on it and i love it , as does my wife. I have the smaller battery but it gets me around town on errands no problem even when the temperature is minus 10 Celcius. There are enough used newer units on the market that I'm looking at upgrading to a newer rex model, just because I want to drive it further and further.
I'm also loving my BMW i3 I have driven 150,000 kilometers without any problem only 100 euro in service. I'm missing a toolbar for my camper I'm looking at a bmw ix1. As number 2 car
Thanks so much for this wonderful piece. I too have a Porsche play thing, but have been debating the i3 as a daily driver, especially now that the kids are gone. I just always thought this was a brilliant piece of kit, but had read Consumer Reports that the reliability is merely average, which for a BMW, could get expensive. Great to hear that you've had a good go with it. These long term test are of much greater interest to me, because any car can have brio for a month. Living with a car over several years sometimes is a different story. Keep up the great work!
And this is exactly why I make things like this...if I can help anyone else make a decision, it's all good (well, that and the fact that considering what I can share makes me delve deep into and understand what really truly works/doesn't work for me). If you have any specific questions feel free to DM me on Instagram, I'm happy to discuss if it would help.
Don't have access to CR, but the earlier i3s are far less reliable than the ones they made after the model refresh. For example, earlier ones had a weak AC pump that, when it failed, would send bits of its blade down the AC piping, including the battery. That got expensive really quickly. Those things all got resolved in post 2017 models.
Love my i3s. Have you considered buying it out? Or getting a second hand one? I recently drove a Peugeot e208 (friend was buying one), and it was very slow, heavy and not like a go kart! The things you come to expect from a car after you drive an i3! Top mounts - same here. Slight creak on reversing into my drive on steering angle - but only then. There's nothing else i want so will keep this one for as long as possible!
The KYB or Kayaba damper struts come with play. It is never zero but some are better than others. If you wish to eliminate the play/knock in steering, order 3 pairs and put together one good par simply by trying to wiggle the top by hand.
Helpful update, thanks Mark. I think it's a heart over head car. I would love one but am now looking at a Kona Electric (mk1) to be our primary vehicle and first foray into EV land. Dull in comparison to an i3s but fewer compromises and feature-rich. Your 5 likes and dislikes are similar to what I would rate. I chuckled when you mentioned A pillars straight off the bat :-D You didn't mention tyre noise or fidgity handling at motorway speeds - neither an issue for you?
No issue at all for me, I come from dailying firmly sprung hatches so the ride of the i3 is no concern, and noise wise I find them as good as silent compared to the 265s on my Cayman 😂
I've done 10k in mine! Thanks again for your help! Also had to do my top mounts. Simple job. Also i can get android screen mirroring to work for you with some coding.
Mark, wishing you a happy new year! Glad you're liking the i3s, I was pretty sure you would ☺️ And although Mini SE is probably a fun car too, I believe the i3 is actually a clear winner: funny looks, RWD and much more useable as a car. As to any other car that could give you a similar level of driving pleasure: i-Pace, Tesla or Taycan. i-Pace is not a good EV though, and Taycan is ridiculously expensive. If you don't have a hesitation against Tesla, the Model 3 is actually a pretty nice driver's car. Or should I say "it used to be", because I believe the current suspension setup is undrivable, really, really bad. Too soft in a very bad way. But there seems to be lots of people liking it, so what do I know... I don't think that Volvo (or Polestar, or Smart # - all Geely, actually) will give you a similar driving experience to the i3. But there's still time to decide, and happily the supply chain issues seem to have resolved, so you don't need to order a car one year upfront any more. One thing you said: you raised payments for more mileage on your leasing contract? Have you actually checked how much the excessive mileage would have costed you as an extra payment at the end? For where I am (Germany), getting lowest mileage on lease and then paying the excess at the end as "penalty" used to be the cheapest alternative, and that for many, many years. My recent cars I didn't lease any more, but I checked a few options recently and it was still like that. But maybe UK has a different price structure - just give it a try, maybe it saves you some money.
One of the fleet I have at work is an i-Pace, definitely not on my watch list! The Taycan would be if it were cheaper, and the Tesla? Meh. I see the appeal, would be happy if there were no alternatives, but there's many EVs I'd choose before one. The EV30 is where I'm at at the moment. And lease wise, yes of course, excess mileage rate vs increased monthlies was appropriately spreadsheeted 😂
@@MarkCup70 Why do you reject Tesla? I borrowed an i3S for a couple of days and loved it, but ended up with a Model 3 dual motor which shares some of the i3s driving characteristics. They accelerate fast (about 4 seconds to 60) and are fun to drive, with quick steering and flat cornering (like the i3). As a driving enthusiast, I'm surprised they are not on your list. They are also usable on long trips, with good range and fast reliable charging. The latest M3 with rwd is good value at £40k.
nice review, a have a i3 94 rex, most negative are true but as you say minor. For window cleaning you can buy a handle at Lidl (sometimes) that fits perfect for reaching. Love it can handle big items like a washing machine with the back seats down and also good for dogs in the back.
I agree with you the A pillar is too thick, I did not see a pedestrian who was completely hidden by it and I almost hit her. Good thing I was driving really slow.
Great video in details. We are actually planning to purchase i3S on used market to replace our 987.1 3.4BS as it does not get used. I also daily a Tesla Model 3 Performance as a commuter car. I don't know how to message you privately, but if you have the time, i can even meet you the next time when you are coming to Goodwood, and i will bring Tesla if you are interested to experience or review it if you have not been in one, and i can also learn more about i3S from you as well. I have not checked other small city EVs, but coming from many different BWMs in the past, i3 is in my radar.
i have a bmw i3 rex and unusual for me i agree, plus i dont like the rough ride, bur with the rex it makes this car a proper ev with no downside, i charge at home at night for 7.5p per kw so it costs me 2p per mile, the reason i love the rex is i seldom use it but it is there if needed i will never public charge i will never play hunt the charger and wait, i drive to suit me not the car. i also am sad this car, well mainly the rex has gone... good video thanks (i thought i was the only one to hate the indicator switch)
Our 2015 i3 also does the drive train error. Bong bong everything is broken. Turn off and back on... Completely recovers. No codes in the computer to suggest what was wrong.
Thanks for this video, very informative. I'm thinking of buying one of these (prob 2020/21) and I wondered what the wheels/tires are like from a pothole perspective. We live down a bumpy track (which I'm less concerned about as you can just take it slowly), but the roads around here are very badly maintained and my husband has a huge problem with his Mercedez cracking wheels regularly. Thoughts? Thanks!
As an i3 owner, i definitely agree with the dislikes. Don't get me wrong, the view is big inside the i3 but that pillar do get in the way in certain situation and also that indicator made me look like a fool at time. Fairly sure the car behind sees me signal left and right lol.
I've had an i3 now for a year and so far I can't say the pillar, infotainment or indicator unit has been a problem, guess that's a personal thing. For me it's more setting the airflow to manual and having it reset to automatic all the time. I'd rather keep control on the air myself. I also find the windscreen very large and much better than all my other cars, the short fall off of the nose making it harder to judge the front of the car would be a worse problem. I would say though that I vastly prefer the standard i3 to the i3s. You don't get a lot of extra for the money of them.
@@chrishyde1216 I can't say I've experienced that, other than the flared wheelarches it feels like the same car. There's a slight increase in motor power and top speed, but in city and motorway driving in the UK I can't say it's worth it.
@@Silverfoxwolfen That's interesting, thanks. There are less i3s' around and they are a bit less efficient with slightly worse range so useful to know there's no significant handling benefits. The benefit of the plastic panels for not worrying about parking dents is not to be underestimated. I also like the Mini as a fun electric, which is also efficient but has a smaller (32 kwh) battery.
@@chrishyde1216 Nay bother. I've enjoyed having an i3 and find it perfect for city and country driving. It's not as good on efficiency on the long haul motorway at high speeds, but we recently did a trip from Wales to Germany via Hull and Holland in an i3. It kept up all the time with traffic and pulled on the autobahn as well as any other car. The i3 and i3s have the same battery capacity so pulling it out quicker does sap the top range.
Hi Mark, great video, especially given your comments on CS prior to filming. Given your love for the car, would you consider buying a used I3? I’d be interested in your thoughts on this, as the wife is looking to buy a car and these used are within her budget. But buying a used EV sits well outside my comfort zone. All the best, Cads off of CS.
Not right now for me Chris, the salary sacrifice tax break is the only reason I've got one. Our C-Max has just reached 140,000 miles from new, and when it dies an EV will replace it. But I don't think that'll be for a good few years yet. Cheers matey 👍
What are your thought on the range extender i3 as a halfway step in to a first ' ev' ? As for the indicator stalk, I had the same thing on a company astra back in the day for 3 years. Seems for a moment in time designers attempted to improve something that was perfect to start with.
The REX increases complexity and is less efficient as you are lugging a petrol engine around (which you are not using most of the time) which needs typical petrol engine servicing. Reports suggest the REX is less reliable than the BEV version. EVs have a tenth of the moving parts of a petrol car, but that benefit is lost with a REX. Also most people find they don't use the REX as they learn how to plan trips for electric driving. Of course, it is a safety net if you are worried about running out of range.
At this point in time, as the i3 production is over, the issue of having a REx or not only depends on the second-hand opportunities. Don't forget that the last i3 model with the "largest" battery had no REx option. I bought a second-hand 94 Amp model with a REx 2 years ago, drove this car nearly 30,000 km now, and faced absolutely zero problems with the car, REx included. The fact that we live in Singapore imposes to use the AC permanently, which has a taxing impact on the range. So I find the REx a really clever option, as you never need to worry about range issues, even in sudden needs to drive. It's a bit noisy, but being basically a lawn mower engine, I don't think you have to worry about the weight. The car response is so zippy, and it doesn't take any space away. Filling up the tiny gas tank, which I did only 5 or 6 times since buying this car, generates interesting conversations with the chaps at the gas stations... Overall, it's a no-brainer, especially if with time we need to worry about battery range reduction (not yet the case at 55.000km and a 6 year old car).
I was considering an i3 until I've seen this. I had an Astra H back in the days, it had a very similar indicator switch. There's no way I'm going back there.
I’d love a range extender. Just unsure if they’d be suitable as a daily driver over 200-300km?. Are they robust enough to handle longer distances?. Are they prone to getting punctures?
I know you upgraded to 12k miles but wow. That’s very little use. I don’t mind leases. Turning them in after 3 years & paying rest of my life. But I can’t get over the small mileage limitations.
Re indicator stack, my 2012 520D was the same, but 2018 320D is "normal" while our 22 Mini SE is like the i3, note you can cancel by pushing in the same direction. As regards the windscreen pillars it could be because there's no central door pillar, but our 2004 Colt also had thick windscreen pillars (and a difficult to reach windscreen). Note your comments on the satnav, my 320 and Mini is just the same and on the Mini it's very poor at showing charging points (but very good on petrol stations!) what's the i3 like?
The satnav is 'Bing' based and is very poor compared with other satnavs. Never noticed your other negatives. Cleaning the windscreen is only done from the passenger seat. Still enjoy driving mine with 31K miles on the clock.
dude its obviously a good car if thats all you can criticise about it i've got an i3 and absalutly love it if I had a criticism it would be the tyre size it looks horrible and expensive😁😁😁😁😁😁
Yes the indicator stalk isn’t great. I’ve had my i3s for about 3 weeks, last car was an e39. I have no issues with the seats but have thought some kind of sport seats would have been pretty nice.
The indicators are brilliant once you know and get use to how they operate. To cancel you push the stalk in the direction of the flashing indicator, not the opposite way... Pushing the stalk in the opposite direction is designed for roundabouts etc. where you want to indicate right, then immediately switch to indicating left to leave the roundabout. The indicators monitor the steering angle very precisely and will auto cancel very accurately. You should only ever have to manual cancel if you have accidently pushed the lever to the full on position but have not made a manoeuvre, which will be rare. So just push in the same direction to cancel and your frustration be solved. Once mastered other stalks feel crude and antiquated.
We brought a i3 Rex new, in Jan 2015 - and have covered 101k miles in it. Just in the process of buying a 22 i3s, because we can’t find a better small car. Pretty much the same points as you for pros and cons.
I commend you on an excellent review. We also have a 2020 i3S in Red/Black with the 20" rims. TBH, we bought it to future proof ourselves and in the beginning my wife wasn't too impressed considering she loved her 325i convertible. Move on a few weeks and she's forgotten all about the the 325 and drives this car everywhere, she absolutely loves it!. One of her pet hates is filling up with fuel and since this came into her life she hasn't visited a garage once. We only charge from home and we get around 170 miles range during warmer months. We recharge when it drops to 30% charge and we only use the standard 2.2kw block 13a charger. It does us fine. We are about to invest in solar for our house, a decision which has been driven by the arrival of the i3. We hope in time it will cost us nothing to run this car apart from brakes, service etc. Make no mistakes, this is brilliant car, very much like my A2 90 Sport which it shares on the drive. I also like the Volvo C30 but there's no way a Chinese manufactured car is ever going to find its way into our lives...... one more reason why I love the i3S - well done BMW, you nailed it!
Lovely summary and i think we drive in a similar way and with similar "likes" ;-)
I'm 9 years into i3 ownership now, 6 years with an original 22kWh BEV (absolutely faultless over that time) and now 3 years and 30k miles or so with my '19 plate i3s, and there is still no car i'd replace it with for general day to day driving.
If i might be as bold as to add my 5 Likes and 5 Dislikes for others to consider
Dislikes:
1) Windscreen washer / wiper alignment for RHD cars.:
The overlapping wipers whilst clearing pretty much all of the screen do tend to let drips and dirty water trickly past after the last wipe and that dirty water gets blown back up the screen to streak and smear it. There is also not enough washer jet and pipework heating ime.With no hot engine up front this is something most EVs i've driven suffer from, but i find i need to run pretty much neat washer fluid to avoid it freezing when the temperatures fall even a little below zero
2) The Sat Nav dones't hodl enough level of detail of minor roads once you zoom out a little bit. As someone old enough to have been brought up on navigating on a paper map, the ability to simultaneously see the big picture (what general direction you are heading in) and the minutini of the minor road you are on at once is missing. In the i3s, i tend to spend more time going cross-country on minor roads than sitting on M-ways and DC's, and sometimes i don't want to set the NAV and follow it, so being able to see that one is say heading in the general direction one wants whilst also seeing that 90 deg bend upcomming is important. This is not just an I3 issue clearly, but was introduced on the later iDrive updates (my old F80 M3 didn't have this problem)
3) No "relaxed" or "totally off mode" for the DSC:
The car is so fundamentally well balanced that it is begging to get the normal BMW "1 step relaxed" mode for DSC, and you can only completely free the car up from DSC by using the hidden rollers mode that also kills the ABS. OK, for most drivers this is irrelevant, but for me it's not.
4) No quite enough rear antiroll bar on the car to make sure it keeps rotating nicely after the apex:
Yes, like all modern BMWs it's (sensibly) set up to push the nose out first, but with just probably 8 to 10% more rear roll stiffness i think it would generally stay more neutral for a bit longer (experiments incomming with rear only wheel spacers to artificially boost the rear cross axle stiffness )
5) Zero speed hold would be terrific for it to work in both directions when zero road speed has been reached and you foot is completely off the pedal:
Drive in stop start traffic on a downwards sloping road and you need to use the friction brakes to actually prevent the car rolling forwards. The eDRIVE already stops the car from rolling the opposite way to the drive selector setting so why can't it actually do a full zero speed hold. True one-pedal driving would then always be possible
Likes:
1) the way it makes me smile when i drive it.
Honestly the is, by far, the most fun car ive ever driven in the real world. I should note i'm very lucky here as i work as an automotive engineer and have designed, developed on and extensively driven some pretty fun cars such as the Mclaren P1 and Rimac Nevera, but the little i3s just "fits in" with modern, busy road conditions. Enough performance and grip, but not so much you can never use it. My old F80 M3 by comparison was always doing well over 100 to have any fun, and whilst it could theoretically drift brilliantly, the space and opportunity to use it were simply never there on the public road. The i3s is small enough, subtle enough, and critically, quiet enough, that a bit is fun is pretty much always a bung and stab away, and the ability to rotate the car from the back to help it round stuff really is easy and appropriate. The fact that happens at sane speeds is also key here.
2) the performance:
The i3s must be by some margin one of the best sleeper cars there is. Sure on paper, a just sub 7 sec 0-62 mph time is not going to win it any silverwear, in the real world, the low mass and instant torque combine to deliver a very good power to weight ratio that means little gets past it. It's honestly still suprising even to me, when cars such as M3's or Golf R's and the like actually simply can't get past or away from it (until the 100mph limiter cuts in obvs). I love the the fact that you can swap from a gentle pootle off the line to a full on stamp to the carpet and the car litterally leaps off without so much as a blink . By the time anything with an ICE and gearbox has realised it's all too late for them unless they really want to surge deep into 3 figures. i tell people it's a quicky little car and they look at me like i'm an idiot. They look at it, see "noddys car" and think, "nah mate" but that imo, just adds to the fun of the car
3) The agility:
50:50 mass distribution, ultra low CofG, wheel at each corner, large contact patch (for tyre width) fast steering ratio and the stiff structure all combine to deliver a car that not only has incredibly yaw authority but thanks one that also has incredible stability. Yes, if you're rough with it it's a bit tall, a bit undersprung, and thanks to that low CofG combining with a high H point (the occupants centre of gravity) it's can lurch around in a somewhat uncouth way, but smooth you inputs, pour the car into the turns, let it settle, keep adding throttle and handwheel and the car just turns in and keeps on turning. if there is another car this side of a Lotus Elise that does this much with a set of tyres of such modest width i'm yet to drive it. If you can left foot brake (and it this car, why the heck are you still right foot braking??) then it gets even better. Aim the car to the apex, carry very good speed in, lean on the anchors hard and late, then get off them smoothly and turn in smoothly and it the way it goes into and around turns is honestly verging on brilliance. For a car that isn't really meant to be a hot hatch let alone a sports car of any type, what is leverages from it's fundamental physical correctness of it's layout is an envy to many a more sporting car ime!
4) The traction:
The fundamental rightness of the cars physics leads to it's brilliant traction. Yes a LSD across the back could be a benefit sometimes (but rarely) but it pretty much just puts down what it's got to the road most of the time, and when it does slip, the DSC responds so quickly to interviene and then critically, to let go again and return full torque, that it's a proper fast car in the real world. Ok, my dislike 4) above means i would actually swap 10% less traction for 10% more rear carrying of the dynamic loads to allow bit more positive yaw, but for most people the set up is pretty dam good
5) the rare-ness
BMS didn't sell many, they were expensive, and people were (and still are) stuck in an old fashioned mindset that they must have a car that can do 500 miles before having to charge so you just don't see many i3's out and about. This for me is a huge positive. For every i3 i see, i see probably 1,000 Telsa model 3's, numerous Hyundai's and Kias, and plenty of Taycans and eTrons.
I can't see any reason to change cars, if anything i may just actually engineer my own motor and battery upgrade in a few years time to keep the car up-to-date. IME, the vast majority of owners love their I3's, and it's a bit like the original mini or Golf Gtiu i think in that it's a car that simply fits into peoples lives and yet is interesting and fun enough to elevate the experience far above the normal motoring "white goods" experience 🙂
(it is also, im pretty confident, an absolute sure-fire future classic, so long term i think it's probably going to be retain it's value and appreciate)
Nice write up! Thanks for taking the time 👍
You made me to start searching to buy one, but just a moment, I already have one in front of my house. I can't add or remove a letter or a fullstop from what you wrote. Everything is just what I have in my mind for that car. Last time I had a smile everytime I got in a car was back on 1990s when I was 21 and I had my first car, a modded Peugeot Rally 1,3 with 2 double Webbers and just a pipe for exhaust.
Thanks so much for writing all this, you really know your stuff. I'm on the edge of buying an i3s having had a Leaf for 7 years. Had 4 BMs in the past and miss that real wheel driving experience. Bit worried about the tyres but the leaf was the same on the fronts at least though not on the back. I've paid 400 for two new fronts at 20k everytime.
I know it's a basic question but it does have a speed limiter doesn't it? I don't think I could get a car without one now, given all the restrictions we all have to deal with.
Mine doesn't. It has cruise control, but there's no speed limit function...unless you drive it in Eco Pro+ in which case you have one user defined but fixed maximum speed limiter in place.
@@MarkCup70 Right, thanks. Can you set the cruise control to about 22mph? The Leaf will only do it around 24mph but it does also have a limiter..
What a fantastic video, been watching all your great I3s content which helped me decide to buy one myself, simply love the little thing, amazing fun to drive and own as my first EV. Thanks so much for helping me choose to buy one, we bought a used 2020 i3s a few months ago and I tell you what, it’s the best little car I’ve ever bought, and as a man in my early fifties that says something about how good the thing is! Everyone should just buy one. Thanks Mark 👍🏻
I'm really glad I could help 👍 😀
A really enjoyable video
I noticed when you exited what looked like a roundabout you pushed the indicator stalk upwards to cancel. If you push the indicator in the same direction that you indicate, the signal will cancel. That overrides the possibility of indicating the wrong way. I agree with the A pillar, I almost missed seeing someone crossing the road once, being hidden by it!
I forgot to say that in the video. I do try to cancel it by flicking it the same direction, but unless I positively think about it, muscle memory rules the day 😀
Hi Mark, greetings from Oxford. I bought a BMW i3 (not S) in 2019. By this date, the car had a circa 42kWh battery pack and no REx (petrol powered range extender). I’m now just short of 40k miles. To clean the windscreen, visit Halfords, they do a very effective glass cleaning pad on a telescoping stick, it is Velcro attached and does a super job. I did have to get 4 new tyres at 36k miles - I chose Continental over the factory fit Bridgestones, much better in terms of ride and noise - shout out to the Wisely Automotive RUclips channel. Very pleased with the i3, range and charging are not fantastic, but I don’t have any real issues in day to day use. I bought mine, and plan to keep it for 8 to 10 years; this makes for supper cheap and enjoyable motoring.
Best car I've ever owned. Closest thing you'll get to an 80s hot hatch.
Consider buying yours. It'll be a collector item IMO.
My thoughts entirely. Obviously depends on the terms of the lease whether purchase is an option but seriously consider it because these cars are future classics for certain. We've had our 2017 i3 BEV since new and it has done 83,000 miles exactly. It still looks and drives like it was new and even battery capacity/range doesn't appear to have declined significantly. We considered trading it in for a 120Ah model just before BMW discontinued production but decided against it. We preferred the protonic blue colour of our car which isn't available anymore, and the price of a new car was much higher than we paid in 2017 given that the government subsidy had reduced a lot. We would also have had to pay road tax on the newer car whereas our 2017 model is still exempt. And the trade in on our car was only something like £13k and that was a few years ago. Today our car is worth well under £10k and would be an amazing value second hand buy. So we decided to just keep the car we knew and loved!
In terms of cost of ownership, we had a 5 year service plan with BMW from new for £325 and since that expired I've just serviced it myself. It only needs fresh brake fluid and cabin filters every 2 years so no great cost there. In terms of repairs, we had an LCD screen replaced under warranty after it developed some dead spots and we had a wheel speed sensor replaced just outside warranty as a goodwill gesture. Since then I have replaced all the brake discs and pads, and the front strut top mounts and gaiters which was not a big deal and if you buy OE parts from someone like AutoDoc, it's not that expensive either. I also had to fix a broken wire on the rear PDC system which was cheap and straightforward.
The only major repair cost we have had is a replacement high voltage AC compressor which started to make some nasty whining/grinding noises about a year ago. This was not a DIY job for various reasons and having looked at the workshop manual procedure I decided it was worth paying BMW the £2940 to replace it rather than go with an independent garage. We have the heat pump option on our car and therefore the AC system is used for heating as well as cooling. It also heats and cools the battery modules so is much more important than on a typical ICE car. Also, if you delay replacement and the compressor starts to break up, you risk sending metal fragments into the cooling lines inside the battery pack which means you need a new battery pack as well as the other bits. That can be £10k+ so don't ignore a noisy AC compressor!
This car is my wife's daily commuter car and she does around 50 miles a day in it. She absolutely loves it and finds it both relaxing and fun to drive. It really is an absolute doddle to drive in all situations and is especially easy in the city where the tight turning circle, smooth drive controls and excellent visibility make manoeuvring a breeze. Handling on bumpy country roads is a bit skittish at times, especially when the regen cuts in and out over bumps or when traction is lost. But on the whole it handles pretty well. We use winter wheels and tyres between when the clocks go back in October until when summer time kicks back in in March, and I would highly recommend it to all i3 drivers. Our other family car is a BMW E61 535d and we do the same with it. Winter tyres make a huge difference in ice and snow, especially with a rear wheel drive car. We got a set of i3 wheels on eBay for not much money and I just swap the wheels myself twice a year. It's a bit of an investment initially but over time it spreads the wear over both sets of tyres and costs pretty much the same. More importantly you stay out of the ditches in the winter which is much more costly! :)
Cost per mile is around 2p since we charge at home on the Intelligent Octopus Go tariff at 7.5p/kWh and get about 3.7 miles/kWh. By comparison, the 535d which does about 40MPG costs around 18p/mile at current diesel prices.
Nice video, we love our i3 hands down one of the best cars we ever owned. The wifey loved it so much we has to get a second one. 😄👍
A BMW with an indicator stalk ! That must of been an expensive option 😮. Joking aside great review of living with the car 😊
I honestly think that those damn B;MW stalks are the reason for people not using it.
Hi Mark, great review of a great car. I bought an I3 last August and sold it in December….
Just to get me a newer I3s from Germany, this time with all bells and whistles but in exactly the same color as the first one. Love this car as a daily drive. Summertime will bring out my TVR Tamora!!
Mirror your comments Mark. What all EVs should be like. Engineered from the ground up.1340 kgs, not the 1760 kgs of a Peugeot e308. Remarkable passenger space for the overall size. Look forward to driving every time I open the door. So responsive in motor and chassis. With a turning circle not far off a London taxi, but only 2 turns lock to lock - a go kart. Great interior design and nice materials. Had a 440i before and much prefer the i3s. Only charge at home. A full charge is about £3.50 and that takes me on average throughout the year around 150 miles. My foot's lighter that yours and the car does about 3.8 miles per kWh. Only gripe is a rumble/rattle from the nearside front suspension. Had a front strut rerplaced at around 5k miles, but at 12k it’s back again. Nobody seems to know what the problem is. But overall, a really different and great car. Love it.
Hilarious turning circle! I knew I'd miss something 😅
The Volvo EX30 sounds like the Swedischinees evolution of the i3..? Great content Mark, greetings from the Lowlands.
Great review Mark. My wife has a 21 standard i3 and it’s effectively her first performance car having come from small hatchbacks. She’s absolutely loving the driving dynamics and always telling me how she’s gapped a chav trying to race her! 😅
Ha ha ha. It's so effortless!
Don't blame her, I do the same thing every time I return home. I am glad that my wife is so patient.
Very interesting and a similar story to mine having come from a m140i to an i3s. Totally agree with the pillar, on a shallow right hand bend you have to lean to look around it lol. Other than that its a great car. Range is not an issue charging at home but mostly due to the terrible charge network long journeys are more stressful, fortunately I dont do them that often. If I had my time again I'd buy another with the choices available in 2022.
I bought my i3 when my Toyota CHR lease came up. I love my i3 for all the same reasons. Mine is not the S but still very fun to drive. Also today I had to pick a new 55" TV up for my mum which would not fit in her car but this has a 59" depth flat boot with the rear seats down ! What the heck that is so useful. Its a very practical car. If I had a complaint I would say the ride is harder than most other cars and more like a real sports car. Nippy as hell. Love it too that I can park in carparks without the fear of dents and also no rust issues ever. Its a keeper.
The practical usability of it is why I've increased the lease miles...my wife is forever grabbing the key!
I settled the final payment at the end my PCP. My i3 is a keeper!
Bought one yesterday. Really happy with it. Didn't know it would cost 3/4 of a K to re-shoe it though! 😢😢
Great video, thank you.
Your reviews are awesome mate, you should be on 📺
Look into the electric Mini. It is made by BMW and in many ways is the evolution of the i3. You should do a review of one and compare it to your i3. I recently bought a 2014 i3 with 120k km on it and i love it , as does my wife. I have the smaller battery but it gets me around town on errands no problem even when the temperature is minus 10 Celcius. There are enough used newer units on the market that I'm looking at upgrading to a newer rex model, just because I want to drive it further and further.
Great channel. Thank you got making honest real videos. I’ve just bought an i3s and you gave me a lot of confidence to do so. So thank you 🤩
I'm also loving my BMW i3 I have driven 150,000 kilometers without any problem only 100 euro in service. I'm missing a toolbar for my camper I'm looking at a bmw ix1. As number 2 car
What yours batery?
My favorite thing about my i3 is passing dangerous drivers with no effort also
Thanks so much for this wonderful piece. I too have a Porsche play thing, but have been debating the i3 as a daily driver, especially now that the kids are gone. I just always thought this was a brilliant piece of kit, but had read Consumer Reports that the reliability is merely average, which for a BMW, could get expensive. Great to hear that you've had a good go with it. These long term test are of much greater interest to me, because any car can have brio for a month. Living with a car over several years sometimes is a different story. Keep up the great work!
And this is exactly why I make things like this...if I can help anyone else make a decision, it's all good (well, that and the fact that considering what I can share makes me delve deep into and understand what really truly works/doesn't work for me). If you have any specific questions feel free to DM me on Instagram, I'm happy to discuss if it would help.
Don't have access to CR, but the earlier i3s are far less reliable than the ones they made after the model refresh. For example, earlier ones had a weak AC pump that, when it failed, would send bits of its blade down the AC piping, including the battery. That got expensive really quickly. Those things all got resolved in post 2017 models.
Love my i3s. Have you considered buying it out? Or getting a second hand one? I recently drove a Peugeot e208 (friend was buying one), and it was very slow, heavy and not like a go kart! The things you come to expect from a car after you drive an i3! Top mounts - same here. Slight creak on reversing into my drive on steering angle - but only then. There's nothing else i want so will keep this one for as long as possible!
I love that..."The things you come to expect after you drive an i3!" 😂 It's so true, every time I drive another they're just so cumbersome!
The KYB or Kayaba damper struts come with play. It is never zero but some are better than others. If you wish to eliminate the play/knock in steering, order 3 pairs and put together one good par simply by trying to wiggle the top by hand.
If I had space on the drive I'd love to own one of these, a genuine characterful car in a world of dross cars.
To clean the windscreen inside use a microfibre cloth with a handle or extension arm
Helpful update, thanks Mark. I think it's a heart over head car. I would love one but am now looking at a Kona Electric (mk1) to be our primary vehicle and first foray into EV land. Dull in comparison to an i3s but fewer compromises and feature-rich.
Your 5 likes and dislikes are similar to what I would rate. I chuckled when you mentioned A pillars straight off the bat :-D
You didn't mention tyre noise or fidgity handling at motorway speeds - neither an issue for you?
No issue at all for me, I come from dailying firmly sprung hatches so the ride of the i3 is no concern, and noise wise I find them as good as silent compared to the 265s on my Cayman 😂
I've done 10k in mine! Thanks again for your help! Also had to do my top mounts. Simple job. Also i can get android screen mirroring to work for you with some coding.
Great review full of great information. I have i3S although i guess not driving as fast :)
Mark, wishing you a happy new year! Glad you're liking the i3s, I was pretty sure you would ☺️ And although Mini SE is probably a fun car too, I believe the i3 is actually a clear winner: funny looks, RWD and much more useable as a car.
As to any other car that could give you a similar level of driving pleasure: i-Pace, Tesla or Taycan. i-Pace is not a good EV though, and Taycan is ridiculously expensive. If you don't have a hesitation against Tesla, the Model 3 is actually a pretty nice driver's car. Or should I say "it used to be", because I believe the current suspension setup is undrivable, really, really bad. Too soft in a very bad way. But there seems to be lots of people liking it, so what do I know... I don't think that Volvo (or Polestar, or Smart # - all Geely, actually) will give you a similar driving experience to the i3. But there's still time to decide, and happily the supply chain issues seem to have resolved, so you don't need to order a car one year upfront any more.
One thing you said: you raised payments for more mileage on your leasing contract? Have you actually checked how much the excessive mileage would have costed you as an extra payment at the end? For where I am (Germany), getting lowest mileage on lease and then paying the excess at the end as "penalty" used to be the cheapest alternative, and that for many, many years. My recent cars I didn't lease any more, but I checked a few options recently and it was still like that. But maybe UK has a different price structure - just give it a try, maybe it saves you some money.
One of the fleet I have at work is an i-Pace, definitely not on my watch list! The Taycan would be if it were cheaper, and the Tesla? Meh. I see the appeal, would be happy if there were no alternatives, but there's many EVs I'd choose before one. The EV30 is where I'm at at the moment.
And lease wise, yes of course, excess mileage rate vs increased monthlies was appropriately spreadsheeted 😂
@@MarkCup70 Why do you reject Tesla? I borrowed an i3S for a couple of days and loved it, but ended up with a Model 3 dual motor which shares some of the i3s driving characteristics. They accelerate fast (about 4 seconds to 60) and are fun to drive, with quick steering and flat cornering (like the i3). As a driving enthusiast, I'm surprised they are not on your list. They are also usable on long trips, with good range and fast reliable charging. The latest M3 with rwd is good value at £40k.
Regarding the indicator stalk, cancel it by pushing the way you indicated, not the opposite.
not if you push it firmly.....
nice review, a have a i3 94 rex, most negative are true but as you say minor. For window cleaning you can buy a handle at Lidl (sometimes) that fits perfect for reaching. Love it can handle big items like a washing machine with the back seats down and also good for dogs in the back.
I agree with you the A pillar is too thick, I did not see a pedestrian who was completely hidden by it and I almost hit her. Good thing I was driving really slow.
Those shoes look sporty, and comfortable. Are they as comfortable as they look? And what's the name and style? Thank you!
Great video in details. We are actually planning to purchase i3S on used market to replace our 987.1 3.4BS as it does not get used. I also daily a Tesla Model 3 Performance as a commuter car. I don't know how to message you privately, but if you have the time, i can even meet you the next time when you are coming to Goodwood, and i will bring Tesla if you are interested to experience or review it if you have not been in one, and i can also learn more about i3S from you as well. I have not checked other small city EVs, but coming from many different BWMs in the past, i3 is in my radar.
Best method is to DM me in Instagram, would love to experience a Model 3 😀
i have a bmw i3 rex and unusual for me i agree, plus i dont like the rough ride, bur with the rex it makes this car a proper ev with no downside, i charge at home at night for 7.5p per kw so it costs me 2p per mile, the reason i love the rex is i seldom use it but it is there if needed i will never public charge i will never play hunt the charger and wait, i drive to suit me not the car.
i also am sad this car, well mainly the rex has gone... good video thanks (i thought i was the only one to hate the indicator switch)
Ww drive the i3s poor cousin the mini cooper se (electric). It has the drive train of the i3 in reverse. Not rear wheel drive, bur so much fun!
100% future classic. I’ll be keeping mine till a catastrophic failiure and even then it’ll be on the drive
Agree. Had mine from new since 2017 and would normally look at upgrading but the thing looks and drive so well going to keep it.
Our 2015 i3 also does the drive train error. Bong bong everything is broken. Turn off and back on... Completely recovers. No codes in the computer to suggest what was wrong.
Thanks for this video, very informative. I'm thinking of buying one of these (prob 2020/21) and I wondered what the wheels/tires are like from a pothole perspective. We live down a bumpy track (which I'm less concerned about as you can just take it slowly), but the roads around here are very badly maintained and my husband has a huge problem with his Mercedez cracking wheels regularly. Thoughts? Thanks!
As an i3 owner, i definitely agree with the dislikes. Don't get me wrong, the view is big inside the i3 but that pillar do get in the way in certain situation and also that indicator made me look like a fool at time. Fairly sure the car behind sees me signal left and right lol.
I've had an i3 now for a year and so far I can't say the pillar, infotainment or indicator unit has been a problem, guess that's a personal thing. For me it's more setting the airflow to manual and having it reset to automatic all the time. I'd rather keep control on the air myself. I also find the windscreen very large and much better than all my other cars, the short fall off of the nose making it harder to judge the front of the car would be a worse problem.
I would say though that I vastly prefer the standard i3 to the i3s. You don't get a lot of extra for the money of them.
I've driven an i3s but not the i3. Isn't the i3s more stable for cornering and less twitchy on the motorway?
@@chrishyde1216 I can't say I've experienced that, other than the flared wheelarches it feels like the same car. There's a slight increase in motor power and top speed, but in city and motorway driving in the UK I can't say it's worth it.
@@Silverfoxwolfen That's interesting, thanks. There are less i3s' around and they are a bit less efficient with slightly worse range so useful to know there's no significant handling benefits. The benefit of the plastic panels for not worrying about parking dents is not to be underestimated. I also like the Mini as a fun electric, which is also efficient but has a smaller (32 kwh) battery.
@@chrishyde1216 Nay bother. I've enjoyed having an i3 and find it perfect for city and country driving. It's not as good on efficiency on the long haul motorway at high speeds, but we recently did a trip from Wales to Germany via Hull and Holland in an i3. It kept up all the time with traffic and pulled on the autobahn as well as any other car.
The i3 and i3s have the same battery capacity so pulling it out quicker does sap the top range.
Hi Mark, great video, especially given your comments on CS prior to filming.
Given your love for the car, would you consider buying a used I3? I’d be interested in your thoughts on this, as the wife is looking to buy a car and these used are within her budget. But buying a used EV sits well outside my comfort zone.
All the best, Cads off of CS.
Not right now for me Chris, the salary sacrifice tax break is the only reason I've got one. Our C-Max has just reached 140,000 miles from new, and when it dies an EV will replace it. But I don't think that'll be for a good few years yet. Cheers matey 👍
What are your thought on the range extender i3 as a halfway step in to a first ' ev' ?
As for the indicator stalk, I had the same thing on a company astra back in the day for 3 years.
Seems for a moment in time designers attempted to improve something that was perfect to start with.
If the Rex works for you then go for it. I can't comment on reliability etc. though. I don't think you get the £0 VED break either.
The REX increases complexity and is less efficient as you are lugging a petrol engine around (which you are not using most of the time) which needs typical petrol engine servicing. Reports suggest the REX is less reliable than the BEV version. EVs have a tenth of the moving parts of a petrol car, but that benefit is lost with a REX. Also most people find they don't use the REX as they learn how to plan trips for electric driving. Of course, it is a safety net if you are worried about running out of range.
At this point in time, as the i3 production is over, the issue of having a REx or not only depends on the second-hand opportunities. Don't forget that the last i3 model with the "largest" battery had no REx option.
I bought a second-hand 94 Amp model with a REx 2 years ago, drove this car nearly 30,000 km now, and faced absolutely zero problems with the car, REx included. The fact that we live in Singapore imposes to use the AC permanently, which has a taxing impact on the range. So I find the REx a really clever option, as you never need to worry about range issues, even in sudden needs to drive. It's a bit noisy, but being basically a lawn mower engine, I don't think you have to worry about the weight. The car response is so zippy, and it doesn't take any space away. Filling up the tiny gas tank, which I did only 5 or 6 times since buying this car, generates interesting conversations with the chaps at the gas stations...
Overall, it's a no-brainer, especially if with time we need to worry about battery range reduction (not yet the case at 55.000km and a 6 year old car).
I was considering an i3 until I've seen this. I had an Astra H back in the days, it had a very similar indicator switch. There's no way I'm going back there.
I’d love a range extender. Just unsure if they’d be suitable as a daily driver over 200-300km?. Are they robust enough to handle longer distances?. Are they prone to getting punctures?
Ww drive the i3s poor cousin the mini cooper se (electric). It has the drive train of the i3 in reverse. Not rear wheel drive, bur so 15:25 much fun!
I know you upgraded to 12k miles but wow. That’s very little use. I don’t mind leases. Turning them in after 3 years & paying rest of my life. But I can’t get over the small mileage limitations.
Re indicator stack, my 2012 520D was the same, but 2018 320D is "normal" while our 22 Mini SE is like the i3, note you can cancel by pushing in the same direction. As regards the windscreen pillars it could be because there's no central door pillar, but our 2004 Colt also had thick windscreen pillars (and a difficult to reach windscreen). Note your comments on the satnav, my 320 and Mini is just the same and on the Mini it's very poor at showing charging points (but very good on petrol stations!) what's the i3 like?
I never use the satnav to find charge points so can't comment on it. Good point re. the lack of B pillar...I missed that!
Is it expensive to maintain given it’s a BMW? Thinking about getting a second hand one.
Hi … do you have the REX ? Seems people have more problems and expenses to avoid range anxiety. What year is your i3s
The satnav is 'Bing' based and is very poor compared with other satnavs. Never noticed your other negatives. Cleaning the windscreen is only done from the passenger seat. Still enjoy driving mine with 31K miles on the clock.
Just bought one , like the car , is the recuperation fixed or can it be altered ?
The level of regen is fixed Tony, it's only variable using your right foot on the throttle. You soon dial into it though 👍
dude its obviously a good car if thats all you can criticise about it i've got an i3 and absalutly love it if I had a criticism it would be the tyre size it looks horrible and expensive😁😁😁😁😁😁
I kept my i3S and got an EX30 Twin. Just cant part with my i3 but I can't recomend the EX30 more.
Yes the indicator stalk isn’t great. I’ve had my i3s for about 3 weeks, last car was an e39. I have no issues with the seats but have thought some kind of sport seats would have been pretty nice.
Seat wise that's the thing, it would have taken no effort at all for BMW to give at least some thicker foam around the edges!
I deeply suspect the indicator design is the main reason for the joke about BMW drivers not using indicators.
The indicators are brilliant once you know and get use to how they operate. To cancel you push the stalk in the direction of the flashing indicator, not the opposite way... Pushing the stalk in the opposite direction is designed for roundabouts etc. where you want to indicate right, then immediately switch to indicating left to leave the roundabout. The indicators monitor the steering angle very precisely and will auto cancel very accurately. You should only ever have to manual cancel if you have accidently pushed the lever to the full on position but have not made a manoeuvre, which will be rare. So just push in the same direction to cancel and your frustration be solved. Once mastered other stalks feel crude and antiquated.
The only thing I don’t like is that windscreen. It felt like you’re driving a minivan.
The turn signal is turned off by pressing again in the same direction
A decent EV that was left to become outdated. A light, simpler EV like this would suit many buyers. It has to be under £30,000 though.
the inside of my windscreens don't tend to get dirty
The best car I ever owned.