That's me driving the BMW i3. This will be a very quick review since the drive was just a short loop near the convention center of the auto show.
Exterior
Divisive, that's for sure. It's quite busy and makes some odd-looking choices, like the lower window line for the backseat passengers. I, for one, like it just fine, even though it is a bit overwrought. They could have conveyed the 'futuristic' message they wanted to without resorting to the pig face and complicated lines.
Interior
Big. Airy. Comfy. I would like input from anyone who owns or owned a luxury car for any significant period of time, as my perception is screwed from only having daily'd mass market cheap cars. But I thought the interior was fine. Cleaner than the outside, lots of light going in from the huge windows (and the split moonroof).
Tech
Lots of toys. This was my introduction to iDrive, now on version 4.2, and it wasn't bad. Took some adjustment, had some confusion (couldn't find the volume knob at first, until Leadfoot found it completely separate from every other control near the screen), but once I got it figured out it was nice and intuitive. Lots of menus, so knowing the system in and out would take a week, but for quickly hopping in it for a drive the shortcut keys were fine enough to navigate the important items. Also included were heated seats, auto climate controls and nav.
Driving
As a RWD electric car, it
flies when the pedal goes down. That was fun. Outside of that, it's a city car, so it was pretty damn nimble. Also very comfortable. I hit one of the deep potholes in the city on accident, but it cushioned out the blow much better than my Dart. Steering wheel feel was a bit dead, but light. Again, city car.
What took more than a bit of adjusting to was the small changes not common in US cars. BMW envisioned a one-pedal operation, so they set the car to go into regenerative braking and light the brake lights when the foot comes off the gas. I only ever needed to push the brakes once at a stop, the car slowed down to lights on its own. For most of the loop I actually had to accelerate a bit forward again as the regenerative braking stopped the car earlier than I anticipated. Another small change was the signal stalks. It has two detents, first for the 3-flash lane change assist and the second for the actual turn signal, but the stalk returned to center once the mode was selected. This tripped me up, as I would correctly set the turn signal, then when the stalk followed my hand back to center I thought I cancelled it and quickly pushed it up again. Must have looked like an amber disco party for the first few turns while I set, "cancelled", and set the light again. Last change was the instrument cluster. Maybe there's a setting to change it, but it only displayed a digital speedometer, which I don't like. Below that was a tach-looking instrument that described how quickly you were using up charge or reclaiming it in regeneration. And below that was a segmented line with a readout beside it approximating the charge left in miles.
I didn't sit in the back seat, though Leadfoot had some difficulty climbing in through the suicide door.
Conclusion
I like the i3. I think I could use one for my daily driving. The problems come whenever I go back to the spec sheet. It doesn't go far, even with the range extender, and just the base model with no options is more than twice as much as any city car. Sure, BMW paints itself as a midluxury brand, but it's a hard sell on the i3 when Audi and Merc have nicely-optioned entry level cars with no range limitations and likely better highway driving for the same amount of money, and not even half the money buys you competent city cars from other manufacturers like the Ford Fiesta, Kia Rio, or FIAT 500. This is a vehicle that greatly highlights the differences in Europe and the US. I'm sure there's a more solid case for the i3 in Europe, where congestion charges are bypassed by EVs, city centers are tight, and public transit solidly works for commuters. Here, in the land of open roads, spotty transit, great distances, and no pollutant-based tax structure? It's likely to be only a second car for those with an M car as their daily, or for those who really want an EV city car, or for lottery winners.
I still really like the i3. Maybe one day my lottery ticket will hit.
my company has built such systems for some German ports
