Looks aside, what is your impression so far?
I posted a modified version of this on another site, so I have lifted much of the content, but at nearly 300 miles, my thoughts are still largely the same. Iām really enjoying it - definitely way more than I expected to.
Styling. This thing is darn quirky. But I seriously like it and I have no explanation as to why. The dimensions are bizarre for sure, but it works and it seems to get a lot of attention. The interior is a really nice place to spend time - mine is equipped with the dark truffle Vernasca leather, oak wood, the Tech package and HK radio. It looks upscale and feels upscale. The backseat is reasonably usable and holds my sonās front facing car seat nicely. Even doing the suicide door shuffle to get him in isnāt so bad. One minor nit is that neither of the front seats has power - all manual adjustment to conserve weight. Personally Iād have sacrificed a tenth of a second to 60 for a power adjustment option for the front of the lower seat cushion to tilt. The dash controls are a bit of a stretch from the driverās seat but not terrible. Itās all laid out in a well organized and easy to access manner. The heated seats will set your rear on fire at the highest setting.
Technology. Itās got one of the more recent iterations of iDrive which I could operate in my sleep at this point. Love it or hate it, it is what it is. Since I know it well, Iām very happy with it. One nice feature is that with the Tech Package you get CarPlay that works both wired and wirelessly. Basically when I turn on the car, CarPlay is immediately accessible. CarPlay is definitely faster via USB, though. The HK stereo is fine - fills the car nicely but nothing to write home about and probably well worth the upgrade from the base stereo. One feature I did use on the drive home was ACC. It was really easy to use and made a long drive much more enjoyable.
Driving experience. The electric driving experience is truly unlike anything else. The single biggest adjustment challenge Iām having is no engine noise. Beyond that, it is a total hoot to tool around in. Downright quick up to 40-50 mph and then the responsiveness slows a bit. The more you get on it, the worse the efficiency is. No surprise there. Because the car is RWD the handling is really quite good, even with the narrow width tires. The turning radius is comically tight.
Range. Too early to call given how light my driving is. The other day I drove about 40 miles and it took the batter down 26%. If that held weād be seeing about 140 miles per charge which seems more than reasonable and higher than the BMW estimate. The range extender is designed to kick on at 6% battery remaining. I tested it out briefly on the way home from the dealer - it kicked on as I was getting off the highway to fast charge. At highway speeds you donāt even hear it, but at around town speeds you will know you have a scooter in your backseat. Itās annoying so Iām not planning to use it more than absolutely in a pinch.
5 Likes
By leasing the REX version you lost your right to complain about rangeā¦itās in the contractā¦lol.
Great summaryā¦very surprised to hear about the manual seats. Anyway, you got a great deal so enjoy the car!
Great deal! Glad you are enjoying the car. Thatās the most important thing. I might try to dip my feet into EV ownership (leasorship) when my Tacoma lease is up.
1 Like
Reading that (again lol) intrigues me as well. Range wise it would be fine for commuting/errand purposes but for the former it would sit for 8+ hours outside with no charging capability, which is fine for spring/summer but Iād be worried how much power is sapped by the cold. Then there is the topography here, many hills and valleys which would impact efficiency as well.
So Seattle is pretty hilly itself, too - different ways from Pittsburgh, sure. Iād be more concerned with the cold sapping the battery.
My $.02 is that if my commute was 30-40 miles or less each way and I had an L2 charger at home, Iād be comfortable with it. My experience so far is that parasitic drain while parked is near zero and in traffic is very low. Leaves some cushion for loss of range due to cold and then of course youād have the range extender as an emergency backup.
Another thing in your favor is that it is way more efficient at lower speeds sitting in traffic than at consistent high speeds. Driving back from Portland, my efficiency went way up under 70 mph and even then, it was still pretty good.
1 Like
Never noticed any of thisā¦sure iām in CA but we do have bone chilling low 30s in the winter 
Given my tendency to over analyze Iām sure if I made the leap every scenario was considered, haha.
Right now I go to the office 3 days/week and spend $15 each week to do so commuting via bus. The garage next to my office charges $12/day but it has about 10 dedicated charging slots. I may pay more to actually park but between getting a āfreeā charge during the day and no fuel consumption I may at least break even over the course of the week. Hmmmmmā¦
I donāt know how far your commute is, but I doubt youād come out ahead by driving into downtown vs. taking the bus. The question is whether youād save money by driving an EV to the park and ride.
Also, I donāt know if your route uses the East or West Busway, but if so there is significant traffic bypass by taking the bus, too.
To me it would be worth a significant price premium to avoid the indignity of bus life.
To whomever flagged this as inappropriate/against forum guidelines: Iāve lived the indignity of bus life.
Do you take the bus to Pens game? Maybe you can save some more money! The i3 drives very nice, itās been a week since I got mine. Like @28firefighter said, itās got the latest idrive which I really like. I would prefer the styling more like the eGolf but it doesnāt bother me that much. Once in awhile youāll get a snicker from some Tesla driver which is abundant where I live.
1 Like
Ask them to compare lease costs and they will suddenly start fiddling with the radio and be otherwise detainedā¦ā¦ 
Maybe itās the Sharks stickerā¦i would give you a dirty look too. Quack!
For those who need heat a lot, getting an i3 with the heat pump should help range notably. An electric heater SAPS battery energy big time.
Range on the 19ās is def up very noticeably versus my 15, 16, and 17ās. With a BEV and my around town mixed driving (typically 35-55 mph) I am getting close to 200 miles per charge.
1 Like
Same hereā¦ā¦.there is just something about an i3 that intrigues me.
Itās about 20 miles r/t, wifeās is about that one way. I could align with the South Busway but thereās better alternate routes that route me along 2nd Ave past Bates Street. I would definitely save money to the park and ride, to downtown I would have to see. In the morning itās early enough thereās little traffic, in the afternoon itās stop nāgo for a good bit.
I had a beer league hockey game in Oakland last weekend, they let me charge for free for 4 hours. Felt a little guilty getting all that free electricity, usually costs me 8 bucks round trip for 2 gallons of gas in my 07 328i. BTW, Ducks have a great junior program.