Taking this topic to a new post so as not to derail the other thread (https://www.mybmwi3.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=16619).
June 2010, at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, visionary Steve Jobs announced the iPhone 4. It would be their first phone with a friggin gLaSs BaCk! Crack city, amiright? It didn't even have wireless charging yet as a justification for the "feature."
September 2011 -- a scant 15 months later -- BMW follows suit in Frankfurt at the International Auto Show. The i3 concept is rolled out, with a glass tailgate. It doesn't even have wireless charging to justify it!
I don't know the "reason" for the glass back, if there is one. Clearly, the i3, as a concept and even in reality, took great strides in design: CFRP frame, "coach" style doors, Scandinavian interior influences, unconventional materials, "futuristic" not-an-ICE human transporter aesthetic with that stubby nose and those wacky, tall 'n skinny tires!
In fact, I could point out that, unlike the other conceptual elements brought to final production, the glass liftgate panel does not serve BMW's #1 primary i3 directive: Save Weight! The panel weighs more than carbon fiber, plastic, or steel. And it's susceptible to damage.
But despite this, I'm a fan of the glass. It's joked that BMW redesigns are 10% power, 10% performance, and 80% CHECK OUT OUR NEW LIGHTS!!! In a sense, this full integration of the tail lights into the tailgate is an extended element of lighting design. The glass rear certainly gets the bulk of the up-close scrutiny... by the guy sitting in traffic behind you. Compare the bulky red plastic boxes on every other car to the clean slate approach of the i3. And speaking of dimensionality, is it my imagination or is the i3's liftgate cross-section thickness somewhat slender compared to other tailgates? Does that equate to a skosh more room in the tiny trunk? The glass certainly gives the piece some heft, and causes it to close with a solid "thud" that imparts a quality build.
At this point, the glass back is what it is -- reality, perhaps unique -- but I'm curious... do you know the rationale behind it? Love it? Hate it? Found a cheap way to replace it? For what it's worth, I've never suffered a broken rear window or dented tailgate among the last five wagons I've owned, so I'd look at the replacement cost of the hatch glass as fluke event, should it be caused by a circumstance the insurance won't cover.
June 2010, at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, visionary Steve Jobs announced the iPhone 4. It would be their first phone with a friggin gLaSs BaCk! Crack city, amiright? It didn't even have wireless charging yet as a justification for the "feature."
September 2011 -- a scant 15 months later -- BMW follows suit in Frankfurt at the International Auto Show. The i3 concept is rolled out, with a glass tailgate. It doesn't even have wireless charging to justify it!
I don't know the "reason" for the glass back, if there is one. Clearly, the i3, as a concept and even in reality, took great strides in design: CFRP frame, "coach" style doors, Scandinavian interior influences, unconventional materials, "futuristic" not-an-ICE human transporter aesthetic with that stubby nose and those wacky, tall 'n skinny tires!
In fact, I could point out that, unlike the other conceptual elements brought to final production, the glass liftgate panel does not serve BMW's #1 primary i3 directive: Save Weight! The panel weighs more than carbon fiber, plastic, or steel. And it's susceptible to damage.
But despite this, I'm a fan of the glass. It's joked that BMW redesigns are 10% power, 10% performance, and 80% CHECK OUT OUR NEW LIGHTS!!! In a sense, this full integration of the tail lights into the tailgate is an extended element of lighting design. The glass rear certainly gets the bulk of the up-close scrutiny... by the guy sitting in traffic behind you. Compare the bulky red plastic boxes on every other car to the clean slate approach of the i3. And speaking of dimensionality, is it my imagination or is the i3's liftgate cross-section thickness somewhat slender compared to other tailgates? Does that equate to a skosh more room in the tiny trunk? The glass certainly gives the piece some heft, and causes it to close with a solid "thud" that imparts a quality build.
At this point, the glass back is what it is -- reality, perhaps unique -- but I'm curious... do you know the rationale behind it? Love it? Hate it? Found a cheap way to replace it? For what it's worth, I've never suffered a broken rear window or dented tailgate among the last five wagons I've owned, so I'd look at the replacement cost of the hatch glass as fluke event, should it be caused by a circumstance the insurance won't cover.
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