Thinking about an i3

[PipPip]

Hello
I am seriously considering a BMW i3 and have enjoyed reading through this forum today. I think I am well suited to one, my situation:

- currently own a BMW 330d. It's 6 years old and has done 85,000 miles so I am thinking of changing it as it costs me £50 a week in fuel and is starting to need expensive repairs
- I commute 18 miles each way to the same workplace every day
- my wife is a stay at home mum and we have a family wagon (Focus Estate) which we use for weekend drives ferrying our two young children about and for long journeys/holidays. My car does not need to be big, it's for commuting essentially
- I have a private gated in driveway so a secure charging point is not a problem
- I like the idea of being more environmentally friendly
- I do 11,000 miles a year. Not much but I like a car with a bit of acceleration and torque (hence the 330d)
- I discovered that I can get an i3 Rex as a company car and having looked at the cost the base level Rex is cheaper than even a base model Audi A3 and similar cost to a Ford Focus diesel. In fact it's cheaper for me than almost any car on the scheme
- my boss is actually our UK corporate responsibility head and has agreed to put charging points in the car park if I get one.

So I am pretty sure it fits the bill. I will test drive on Saturday. My only dilemma is whether to upgrade the interior and/or wheels from standard (I like either the standard grey or white options for paint). The upgraded interiors look nice in theory but I fear my 4 year old and 6 year old will make mince meat of them. I might just go with base interior and change the wheels. Also I will need to look at home charging options as I will need a longer cable than 4 metres as I have a bit of distance from house to drive and might need 8 metres. Anyone know of a longer cable option?
Anyway, thanks for an informative forum.
David

 

[MikeS]

David

From what you have said I would have thought that the i3 would fit.

As for the various upgrade options I think that (if it is personally funded) besides the challenge of the children it could depend on whether the car will be leased or bought. I say this because I have chosen the leased route and saw little point in paying for upgrades like different wheel or leather as a waste of money given that the car will go back to BMW in 3 or 4 years! However, I guess that as long as the company is paying and there is no or little extra cost to you then get all the goodies you can. In the past I have always found leather easier to maintain than cloth seats.

As for this point = "Also I will need to look at home charging options as I will need a longer cable than 4 metres as I have a bit of distance from house to drive and might need 8 metres. Anyone know of a longer cable option?”. You can get the EVSE installed pretty much wherever you want - so get it installed in or just outside of the garage. You can get them installed from a few places other than BMW including http://www.chargemasterplc.com or http://www.britishgas.co.uk/products-and-services/energy-saving/electric-vehicles/electric-charging-offers.html . The 16 amp ones are a ‘free’ install - as long as the cable from your distribution unit to the EVSE is less than 10m, but you can just pay for a longer length. The 30 amp ( approx 3hr charge) cost extra (£95 from British Gas). It would appear that you can also specify the chafe cable to be tethered to untethered.

 

[PipPip]

I don't think the upgrades are too bad for me. If I choose a company car I lose my cash allowance which after tax is about £300 per month extra salary and I have to pay any "trade up" for a car above my allowance plus BIK tax. For the base level i3 I will lose the £300 cash allowance and pay £78 trade up and BIK. So for 3 years I would have fully insured, maintained, worry free use of an i3 for £378 per month. To upgrade to the different interiors adds small amounts - the top end suite interior would cost me £408 per month. So it's a range from £378 for base interior to £408 for suite interior before adding options. I quite like leather and have it in the 330d but that's my own car. For a company car I am less bothered as it will be replaced after 3 years.

 

[PipPip]

Did the test drive this morning. What a fun little car, very impressed. Took it out onto the Motorway on this very windy day and it was certainly less stable and more fidgety at speed than my 3 series due to the height catching the wind and the thin wheels, but it was still fine. I expect it will feel better when the wind isn't blowing a gale. Below 50mph on the minor roads it's a delight. So I have just ordered. I actually really liked the standard spec interior and the non-metallic grey so the only option I added was different wheels. My company car scheme says professional satnav is a free upgrade but the BMW garage told me it's not anymore, it's a £960 option now apparently, so I suspect my company car scheme has the wrong information. I ticked it as a zero cost upgrade on my order anyway and will see what happens. BMW dealer told me an order now is likely to be delivered in September!

 

[BoMW]

Great to hear that you had an enjoyable drive!
What speed were you doing on the motorway, did you use adaptive cruise?

That free professional sat nav is an issue which has annoyed me since November. Apparently it ended just after my test drive and I was extremely peeved off as I wanted to place an order before the test drive. the local dealer was actually insisting that I not place an order until driving the i3, as a result I abandoned my interest as delivery had moved from Feb to July.

I then heard that orders up till January 9th would have the Proffesional Sat Nav for free. (

 

[PipPip]

I'll just see what happens re the professional sat nav. Seems unprofessional that a massive fleet company would have the wrong options on ordering but I guess it all changes too quickly.
I might pick a fight with the fleet company and try to get them to pay for it!
On the motorway I was going 80 to 85mph most of the time. I killed some battery today! I didn't use the cruise control, traffic was quite heavy and to be honest I didn't think about it.

 

[BoMW]

I'll just see what happens re the professional sat nav. Seems unprofessional that a massive fleet company would have the wrong options on ordering but I guess it all changes too quickly.
I might pick a fight with the fleet company and try to get them to pay for it!
On the motorway I was going 80 to 85mph most of the time. I killed some battery today! I didn't use the cruise control, traffic was quite heavy and to be honest I didn't think about it.

Good luck with that, I did try to get the dealer to accept responsibility but nothing, in the end I managed to take over a cancelled order, made in December with delivery in April

Which interior did you test and which one would you order?

 

[PipPip]

I'll just see what happens re the professional sat nav. Seems unprofessional that a massive fleet company would have the wrong options on ordering but I guess it all changes too quickly.
I might pick a fight with the fleet company and try to get them to pay for it!
On the motorway I was going 80 to 85mph most of the time. I killed some battery today! I didn't use the cruise control, traffic was quite heavy and to be honest I didn't think about it.

Good luck with that, I did try to get the dealer to accept responsibility but nothing, in the end I managed to take over a cancelled order, made in December with delivery in April

Which interior did you test and which one would you order?

They had 3 cars to look at: the base level, lodge and suite. I drove the base version in Arravani grey. Lodge interior was not to my taste and I was not keen on the bit of wood on the dash. The suite leather was nice but the interior felt quite dark and gloomy so actually my favourite was the entry level interior. The blue flashes on the seats gave it a nice sporty feel and works well with the Arravani grey paint. So I went for the base interior, Arravani grey and only added the 428 wheels. Didn't feel the need to add anything else.

 

[BoMW]

I'll just see what happens re the professional sat nav. Seems unprofessional that a massive fleet company would have the wrong options on ordering but I guess it all changes too quickly.
I might pick a fight with the fleet company and try to get them to pay for it!
On the motorway I was going 80 to 85mph most of the time. I killed some battery today! I didn't use the cruise control, traffic was quite heavy and to be honest I didn't think about it.

Good luck with that, I did try to get the dealer to accept responsibility but nothing, in the end I managed to take over a cancelled order, made in December with delivery in April

Which interior did you test and which one would you order?

They had 3 cars to look at: the base level, lodge and suite. I drove the base version in Arravani grey. Lodge interior was not to my taste and I was not keen on the bit of wood on the dash. The suite leather was nice but the interior felt quite dark and gloomy so actually my favourite was the entry level interior. The blue flashes on the seats gave it a nice sporty feel and works well with the Arravani grey paint. So I went for the base interior, Arravani grey and only added the 428 wheels. Didn't feel the need to add anything else.

Yes I was also keen on the base level interior but it is not available if you opt for the Drivers Assistant Plus package, jumps to loft adding an extra £1000!

Just can't decide whether to have light interior (shows dirt) or full leather (dark and cold feel)?

 

[PipPip]

If it was not a company car and I was buying with my own money, ie. resale value matters, I think I would go for Suite. We have two 6 year old cars currently, one with lightish grey cloth seats and one with black leather. Our young children have probably spent equal time in both cars and the leather is still in great condition while the cloth seats are worn and badly stained.