2019 bmw i3 usa web site released

[i3daytonoh]

https://www.bmwusa.com/vehicles/bmwi/i3/sedan/overview.html

 

[i3daytonoh]

Still no heated steering wheel. Heat pump is now a $150 option.

 

[alohart]

Still no heated steering wheel. Heat pump is now a $150 option.

Fine with me! Living in Honolulu, I would save $150 by not choosing a heat pump.

A 2019 Giga BEV optioned identically to our 2014 Giga BEV costs $1,245 more. I could drop that to $895 more by not including the heat pump or parking assist.

The curb weight for a 2014 BEV was listed as 2,634 lb. on the BMW USA Website compared with 2,972 lb. for a 2019 BEV. I know that the 120 Ah battery pack is a bit heavier than the 60 Ah battery pack, and that some equipment that was optional in 2014 is standard in 2019 (e.g., DC fast charging, backup camera). Also, the 2014 Giga BEV has some standard equipment that was unavailable on the lighter base Mega BEV (e.g., Comfort Access, universal garage door opener, heavier 429 wheels, wider rear wheels and tires). However, the 2019 base Deka is likely a bit lighter than the Mega. Do those differences really add up to 338 lb.?

The 2019 BEV is only ~416 lb. lighter than the considerably larger 2019 Nissan Leaf. Seems like the i3's expensive aluminum/CFRP/thermoplastic construction doesn't save much weight compared with the Leaf's conventional steel construction. Or maybe something else in an i3 could be put on a weight loss program.

 

[jadnashuanh]

One thing to be careful about...BMW sometimes tends to put up the Euro specs and then corrects them to the US version. The Euro spec includes the weight of a typical driver, the US specs do not. That could account for at least some of the weight difference.

 

[gt1]

A BEV identical to the one I purchased last month is $750 less despite the new battery. If they will run another $10000 off promo next year I'll be jealous. IIRC, the Park Distance Control option was $750- it is probably standard now.
Also noticed that they finally switched to the KWH battery rating.

 

[EVMan]

A BEV identical to the one I purchased last month is $750 less despite the new battery. If they will run another $10000 off promo next year I'll be jealous. IIRC, the Park Distance Control option was $750- it is probably standard now.
Also noticed that they finally switched to the KWH battery rating.

People should not forget , the thousands of dollar off they got off , or should get off on older models which they will not get on new models.

 

[gt1]

$50k price point isn't competitive even with the new battery. Not many will pay the BMW tax for the small poorly equipped car which has no power seats, heated steering wheel, blind spot warnings or lane keep assist. The base stereo doesn't even have the rear speakers- this is unheard of even in the cheapest cars.

 

[i3Houston]

True so they sell few thousand a year.

ps. some do appreciate carbon fiber frame which makes i3 unique in this price range.

 

[gt1]

I like that i3 is a slow seller. Five years into production it still feels like an exotic and is turning heads.

 

[TheMK]

I like that i3 is a slow seller. Five years into production it still feels like an exotic and is turning heads.

Every time I stop to fill up the REx tank, someone comes up and asks me about my car.

The other day I was sitting in my i3 at the grocery store, I was catching up on a message or two before driving, and I could hear a guy who was walking down the parking lot row say to his buddy "Wow that's a cool car, " his buddy said "I think it's battery electric or something", "Oh look the badge says E-Drive on it.".

I have Tesla owners wave and give me thumbs up. I've also had a Nissan Leaf driver come and ask me questions when we were both at the DC fast charge, he was shocked when he learned the BMW i3 was a RWD vehicle.

I was talking to my neighbor a week ago and she said "That's electric, right?". My other neighbor who has a GM Volt always brags when I'm around about how I have a "cool electric BMW".

I've also had my picture taken with my car. That goes a little too far IMO, I don't mind talking to other people about my i3, but I'm not fond of having my picture taken while I'm stopped next to you at an intersection.

Seeing another i3 around here is a somewhat rare occurrence, however Teslas are starting to become a daily occurrence.