My IAA Frankfurt experience

[Parker]

Just back from Frankfurt and I suppose I’m a bit like Steven from the Netherlands in so far as I thought the i3 was good but I wanted to be blow away by it.
It didn’t help that the place was absolutely mobbed and BMW were either completely unprepared for the volume of people or they were just happy to let people pop in and out of the cars ..... there were very few BMW staff actually around the cars.
Plus the very limited number of rides in the i3 had already been “won” the day before on German radio so no non German was going to get a ride in the i3 the day I was there ..... which was a big disappointment......
Incidentally many other manufactures were offering rides en mass all day in the area round the back of the exhibition hall which just added insult to injury.... it did make you feel BMW didn’t want the general public to ride in it ..... was there something wrong with it?

Here are my impressions.
First thing to say is the standard interior is fine and the metallic dashboard top actually fits in better with the Standard colour scheme than it does in the Loft ....IMO.
TBH the Loft interior was probably my biggest disappointment ..... to my eyes it is in effect the standard interior but with light Grey bits instead of Black / Dark Grey .... the fabric looked the same as the Standard interior ...just lighter.
So to charge £1000 – when in all other BMWs and most other premium brands you can choose different colours of fabric FOC.... feels like BMW is taking the p*** IMV.
What’s also interesting is I went to the Renault stand to have a look at the Zoe and lo and behold the same fabric as in the Standard & Loft interiors was in Zoe too – so the pool of sustainable car fabric is obviously a small one.

I must say it has been a bug bear of mine this self imposed restriction of sustainability that BMW has put on this project ...... by contrast at the Tesla stand (which was even more mobbed) they had a full range of leathers and interior colours and not one mention of sustainability..... just the quest to build the best electric car in the world ...... which I think was BMW’s aim too but that message has unfortunately been subsumed by the environmental message turned up to 11 ...... and one which may come back and bite them. Bizarrely seeing the i3 surrounded by other BMW’s (including the i8) made you acutely aware the interior was not up to BMW’s normal standards...... the Suite interior approaches this but even that had recycled door covers which under the glare of all the spot lights looked anything but premium.
I have mentioned elsewhere but most people paying over the odds for Eco friendly goods don’t want “hair shirt” products ....those door coverings are exactly the sort of thing I was talking about.
The fact that one of the few BMW people that were around said they thought “all that” pointing at the recycled sisal “will probably be covered in leather at the first opportunity ..... people REALLY don’t like it” he said ..... which confirms I’m not the only one to think that way.

Ok next up is stuff people might know but I’ve not seen written down before.
None of it is earth shattering ..... but it might help with decisions.

Not only do you NOT get the illuminated door handles with Standard interior you also don’t get the illuminated interior door handles, door pulls and vanity mirrors either – which I think is a bit stingy on a £30k car .... and as far as I can see you can’t add them as an option either.
Also all the interior illumination on the cars at Frankfurt were standard filament bulbs - i.e. not LED’s.
Also if you choose LED headlamps ..... you actually only get LED low beam ...... High beam is still an ordinary bulb ....as are the front indicators (i.e. not LED)

Rear Seat / Boot Space
The rear seat back has 2 positions 1) normal passenger position ..... and 2) a locked at 90 degrees to the boot floor position. This is ideal for someone like me, as there is usually just the 2 of us ...plus the dog in the car. So with this arrangement the Dog can go in the boot and all the luggage can go on the back seat. Tipping the seat forward those few inches and locking it in place makes the boot a much more usable size.

Here are some dimensions.

From ground to boot lip is 710 mm (28 inches)

Boot depth (from lip to base of back seat) 690mm (27 inches)
Boot Width at widest point is 970 mm (38 inches)
Boot Height ie Dog standing up height 660 mm (26 inches)
Boot Length seats down 1170 mm (46 inches)

When the seat is locked in the upright position the distance between the top of the back seat and the back window is 510 mm (20 inches)


I really liked the Lodge interior but my concerns about its longevity were confirmed by the grubby steering wheel s, stained seat corners and filthy light grey carpets after a relatively short period of time on the stand. I think Lodge will sell very well new (out of the showroom) ...... less so used.
So if your leasing your i3 go for it ...as it will be someone else’s problem come resale.
The Suite interior looked great ...... just its very dark in the back for passengers. ..... also at £2k when large parts of it aren’t leather ....... again I question whether its good value.

A Lodge with full light Grey leather seats (like the i8 – no mention of what natural organic dye was used on its seats!), a Black Steering, and dark carpets would look great and be practical too ..... shame it’s not an option.

Like I said at the beginning I wanted to be blown away by the i3 .... maybe a ride in the car might do that for me .... but for the moment the i3 looks like a very expensive small hatchback – constrained by artificial parameters- ..... ones that you’ll pay dearly for.

 

[SanSerif]

I agree it's an expensive hatchback - it is, after all, a BMW hatchback; I expected nothing less! If I wanted a cheap hatchback, I'd go for a Fiat Panda - in fact, I already have one (very good car, by the way).

But while I don't mind paying quite a bit more for a car, I do want the quality to be commensurate with the price. From what I saw of the car, I thought it passed that test. However, I do share some reservations about the "recycled" material used on parts of the door lining. It's actually OK - but they've patently put "eco" appearances ahead of "premium" - as seems to be the general marketing message and positioning of the vehicle.

Hell, if I wanted "eco" above all, I'd buy a bike - I already have one of those as well (very sensible mode of transport if the commute's under 15 miles e/w). Tesla have got it spot on; forget "green" and sell on performance and luxury. Even though it's not a Model S competitor, there's a huge number of non-eco factors that the i3 has but BMW are overlooking in their positioning.

 

[Stevei3]

Hi Parker,

like you quoted, I know the feeling. Good effort but not entirely there.
But... as in so many cases, after the feeling about all that it is not has settled, reality kicks in. And it ain't bad, I have to admit. Give it some time, sleep on it and let us know

Economizing on the courtesy/vanity lights with standard trim is really cheap, I'll give you that. Brings back the days of the first VW Polo of my brother (first gen Polo) that did not have a right-hand sun-visor as standard (nor right-hand rear-view mirror or assisted brakes). Cheap. And not having full-LED implementation is rather backwards one could say.

Thanks for your extensive report,
Steven

PS: on a personal note: I, for myself, rather like the eco-production-angle and do not mind the fibre material in the interior. However, they could have used it in a better way I expect. But look at me, who am I critisizing professional designers....

 

[Parker]

I do really like the i3 it’s just that weirdly at a motorshow where you can hop out of one car into another it really puts into sharp focus what other manufactures are doing (and they are not standing still) – so to get out of a Standard i3 and get into a Skoda Rapid Sportback and for the Skoda to feel the more premium product was a bit of an eye-opener. I think if you look at the i3 as more of a hand built bespoke item ..... like a 1980’s Aston Martin or dare I say a TVR then all that exposed material is easier to live with...... mind you the fact that the i8 was there with its standard BMW interior, you do have to think why it’s OK for the i8 to have typical BMW fit and finish but not the i3. I’m not saying that there shouldn’t be an Eco trim level, it’s just that I feel it should be a choice..... and if it was, BMW would see what percentage of people would actually go for it.

I put it to you; if there was an option of a full Black or Cream leather interior for £1,295 – as per 1 series / 3 Series would you go for it? I know I would.

I don’t want to get too hung up on the interior of the i3 as BMW’s are more than that .... but as that was all we had to judge at Frankfurt .....that’s all I can really pass comment on.

 

[AndrewDebbie]

We both were wondering about just that. BMW's main line cars have slipped a bit.

A few weeks ago Debbie and I went to a BMW drive event. We had the opportunity to drive current BMW and competing cars. The cars we looked at were all high spec with leather and satnav. The BMW's were all top spec M-Sports loaded with many options.

We both noticed that the current generation BMWs 3 series has gone a step backwards from the previous generation. In a battle to improve fuel economy, reduce weight and reduce cost BMW have lost what made the 3 series the best car in class.

In terms of interior quality, I'd rank the cars:

e89 Z4 (2009 - present) What we drive now
e91 3 Series Touring (2006 - 2012)
e84 X1 (2011-Present but based on the e90 platform)
Audi A4 Avant (B8 2008 to Present)
e87 1 Series 5 Door
F31 3 Series Touring (2012 - Present)
F20 1 Series 5 Door (2011 - Presen)



The current 1 series feels cost reduced and not like a luxury car at all.

The new 3 is better. Just compare the glove boxes. But it just isn't as nice as the previous generation car. The biggest immediate difference is the old vs. new sport seats. The new model is not as nice to drive either.

The A4 hasn't changed much since 2008. It used be the 3 was better. I very surprised to find myself thinking the Audi was the better car.

 

[Stevei3]

I put it to you; if there was an option of a full Black or Cream leather interior for £1,295 – as per 1 series / 3 Series would you go for it? I know I would

Yes, guilty. I would too.

Steven

 

[Parker]

The current 1 series feels cost reduced and not like a luxury car at all.

The new 3 is better. Just compare the glove boxes. But it just isn't as nice as the previous generation car. The biggest immediate difference is the old vs. new sport seats. The new model is not as nice to drive either.

The A4 hasn't changed much since 2008. It used be the 3 was better. I very surprised to find myself thinking the Audi was the better car.

I mentioned many moons ago before I'd sat in a production i3 that I hoped it would be 5 Series quality not 3 series as I felt the latest 3 wasn't the best quality. The jury is still out as far as I'm concerned as to which level the i3 is ..... but I must say sitting in the Audi e-tron it did feel like it was in a different league interior wise..... and to think it will be the same price as the pure EV i3 before options :shock:

 

[Plug]

You guys have seen the i3 in person now which is more than I have but are the kenaf fibre door trims & instrument panel surround really that bad ?

I've never owned a BMW before so maybe my expectations are lower but the close up pics I've seen don't look excessively fibrous/hairy ?

Or is it that they are lightweight/flexible therefore feel cheap ?