Extended test drive-my thoughts and a question....

[merbella]

Just finished and extended test drive with base range extended. I am on the fence about the i3 and remain so (another extended test in early January)

Love the car-cute, fun, peppy (in comfort mode) and so quiet.
The range (before range extended kicked in) realistically seems to be around 60 unless I modified my driving. I did spend most time in comfort, mainly city roads. I did keep the heat off at times that I would have used it if I was in my current car.
Concerned about cloth seats. Looked like there was already a faint stain on the passenger seat and I wonder about keeping clean.
Had regular audio and miss my rear speakers, but could live with it. Wish they had a heated steering wheel-that would help with keeping heat off. Genius tells me that is coming in Europe 2015s. He said forget about sunroof here in US BTW.
Interestingly, I drove it to my local organic farmers market and BMW was there with two i3s-marketing to an intown crowd.

I am not sure with my work situation I can make it with non range extended but sure would like to avoid the expense and the loss of some of the tax credit here in GA. Wish charging stations were more prolific.

I did reach out to a few dealers about lease/owners choice as I am looking at a 24 month situation-do not plan to buy. The one response I did get was not the good deals some seem to be getting currently. If anyone has suggestions/recommendations please message me.

I remain undecided but enthusiastic and look forward to my next test drive in a couple of weeks!

 

[lencap]

The battery range issue is a potential concern, as you noted. In colder weather my experience is that the range falls significantly, often below 60 miles. The colder it gets, the lower the range. If you are in a position where your daily commute will be above 60 miles, and you don't have the ability to recharge at your destination, you may want to consider the Rex version of the i3.

Like you I'd prefer to have the BEV (which I leased last month for 2 years), but the risk of having a car that "almost" meets your needs may be too challenging to accept if you face being stranded, or fear being stranded.

One thing to consider - most employers don't provide charging stations at work, but some allow you to charge on a standard 120 plug. If you keep your car charging for 8 hours while at work on a standard plug that may be enough to complete your round trip.

Also, the Eco pro mode does extend range by 10% or so, another useful tool to complete your trip. Finally, the driving style for the i3 to maximize range isn't intuitive. The best way to extend range is to keep your foot on the accelerator. Look at the Performance Display (page 140 in the owners manual) and keep the "needle" centered directly in the center of the meter (between charge and ePower). When it is in the center you will have the highest efficiency - the difference is significant.

Another tool to use is preconditioning the car. Doing so conditions the battery pack,not just the climate control. That keeps the battery at optimal operating temperature regardless of the outside temperature - it cools or heats the battery as needed. This extends range, often significantly. To achieve this you will likely need a home charger operating at 240 volts. Factor that cost into your purchase decision. It may be that the Rex version of the car, even with a $3,750 price premium, is a viable choice if you won't need to spend $1,000 plus for a home charger and having an electrician install it. I went with the home charger, but your needs may be different.

You can monitor this by selecting eDRIVE through the controller knob and then selecting the Energy Display (page 78 - manual). When the car is operating at peak efficiency this display will show no activity - meaning that the regeneration equals the energy being used by the rest of the car. Your range will optimal at that point. Once you get used to driving like this you'll find your range will expand. It takes practice, but you'll soon get the hang of it.

With these tips and some practice you may find that the BEV works for you and you won't need the Rex version. Personally I prefer the BEV version for several reasons. One main reason is that the climate control in the BEV version uses a heat pump - a very efficient way of providing climate control in the car. It operates similarly to heat pumps for houses. The Rex version of the i3 doesn't have a heat pump - it uses a less efficient climate control process, necessary because the Rex engine takes up the space that the heat pump uses. BMW made this compromise because having the Rex provides the needed range, even if the heating/cooling process is less efficient.

Best of luck on your decision - despite my many frustrations with range, the i3 is light years better than the Nissan Leaf and other similar cars. The Tesla still can't be beat for overall range, but the i3 is a better match for me. I fit in that i3 better than in the Tesla, and I really like the lighter weight, innovative carbon fiber construction and purpose built engineering of the i3. I personally also like the Giga World interior look a lot - more than the Tesla's interior.

 

[Sparky]

I felt the same way about the tesla. I wanted a purpose built, light weight car. Also, I saw the tesla as a crappy, heavy, luxury car.