Torn between two I3's!

[Cappanda3]

I am in between two i3's, and its been bugging the hell out of me. I placed my name on an incoming i3 I liked. Since the new residual bump and innovation credit, it makes no sense not to get one, especially seeing I need a temporary car (24 months). Anyway Its been stuck at the port (for whatever god forsaken reason) for about 2 weeks and counting, but I checked on the update and it should be in inventory about another week or so. Wifey is starting school soon and I need to get into something ASAP. Today a new Capparis white i3 just came in stock, however it doesn't have the Harmon Kardon system I wanted, neither the 20s I liked.. but it does come with 19 inch turbines, which still look nice.

Option A:
Mega World (base trim)
Tech package
20 inch Wheel upgrade
Heated Seats (don't care for)
Harmon Kardon
ETA.. Another week

Option B:
Giga World
Tech Package
Comfort Access
Nicer Interior
Satellite Radio
19 inch turbine wheels.
Pay roughly 300-400$ over course of the lease.
STOCK SOUND SYSTEM

I am trying to justify it to myself, that I would be in the car for my daily commute about (12.3 miles) 15-20 minutes, and its not a purchase. Thoughts? Opinions? It would be much appreciated!

 

[elptex]

#rims There have been many reports of punctures/flats on the 20" rims and none on the 19". General consensus being the thinner rubber on the 20's pick up holes easier.

#sound system. We have the stock system and it is fine for me. There are no speakers in the back so it doesn't seem quite as 'full' as it could be but what's there is very high quality. Unless you're looking for a symphony orchestra concert hall experience, the stock sound system sounds great--I only listen to music in the car (no radio) so value my music and I have no problems with it.

 

[Dee123]

True about the 20" punctures but hey if that's what you like, you might choose to put up with the risk and buy a backup tyre. HK is really good. I ordered it.

One week isn't that long to wait for what you want. Could you just rent a car for a week while you wait? Probably cheaper than buying a Giga you could do without..

 

[Surge]

Given that your signature says "Capparis white", I guess you decided not to wait and already made a decision!

Enjoy.

 

[Cappanda3]

They're both Capparis White (I didn't want to compromise color)! I don't think I specified, but I am actually saving 300-400$ if I go with the Giga. The Mega with the 20's and HK comes out to be more lol. That is interesting has anyone from the US reported any problems/punctures in the 20s? I live in southern california, its mainly highway over here. Actually, My commute consists of 85-90% highway.

 

[Boxbrownie]

If both are going to the same dealer why not go for the 20" wheeler and ask the wheels be swapped for the 19" once it appears, they might be helpful to get the sale, and it would make the latter model look better in the showroom for them.

 

[pdurham]

We've got about 4,000 miles on ours. If you're tempted by the version with the 20" wheels, be sure the ride won't be too harsh for you. Based on a test drive and what I've heard others say, there is a noticeable difference. I find the ride with the 19" wheels to be fine, but would not want any more firmness or harshness.

 

[DAZ]

Don't compromise what you really want for the sake of one extra week. Interesting, most forums say 19" wheel would give you a harsher ride. I'm impressed with the smooth ride of my i3 with the 19s. Wouldn't imagine the 20s would be much different. The 20" wheels look great and would be worth the extra cost if you're into nice wheels. Compare the various options and decide which is best.

 

[tiburonh]

I am in between two i3's, and its been bugging the hell out of me. I placed my name on an incoming i3 I liked. Since the new residual bump and innovation credit, it makes no sense not to get one, especially seeing I need a temporary car (24 months). Anyway Its been stuck at the port (for whatever god forsaken reason) for about 2 weeks and counting, but I checked on the update and it should be in inventory about another week or so. Wifey is starting school soon and I need to get into something ASAP. Today a new Capparis white i3 just came in stock, however it doesn't have the Harmon Kardon system I wanted, neither the 20s I liked.. but it does come with 19 inch turbines, which still look nice.

Option A:
Mega World (base trim)
Tech package
20 inch Wheel upgrade
Heated Seats (don't care for)
Harmon Kardon
ETA.. Another week


Option B:
Giga World
Tech Package
Comfort Access
Nicer Interior
Satellite Radio
19 inch turbine wheels.
Pay roughly 300-400$ over course of the lease.
STOCK SOUND SYSTEM

I am trying to justify it to myself, that I would be in the car for my daily commute about (12.3 miles) 15-20 minutes, and its not a purchase. Thoughts? Opinions? It would be much appreciated!

First of all, it's important to note that you will love either one of these cars, so you should not over-stress on this decision!

That said, you probably do need to base your decision on one key differentiating factor - whatever factor is most important to you personally. Suggestions for this could include:
• Which is least expensive
• Which has the best ride quality (I personally think the ride with the 19" wheels is noticeably smoother than with the 20"'s)
• Which will you most enjoy driving in (I personally love to listen to music and NPR while I drive, and I find the listening experience on the Harmon Kardon sound system is significantly better than on the stock system).

Sorry if this only makes your decision harder -- just go back to my initial point, which is that the TOTAL experience of owning and driving the i3 is so amazing that you really can't go wrong no matter which of these two versions of the i3 you end up with.

 

[i3atl]

#rims There have been many reports of punctures/flats on the 20" rims and none on the 19". General consensus being the thinner rubber on the 20's pick up holes easier.

None on the 19's? There have been numerous examples of punctures with the 19's - please don't spread misinformation like this around, someone might actually believe it. The 20's do not "pick up holes" any more easily than the 19" tires do. They might be (very) slightly more likely to encounter damage from finding the bottom of a pothole, but none of the tire options on the i3 are going to do a good job of resisting damage in that scenario.

 

[jadnashuanh]

A taller sidewall generally will survive bigger ruts and holes better than shorter ones. TO hold the car up, generally, you need higher air pressure as well on bigger wheels, which also makes impact responses worse. WHen test driving, always make sure that the tire pressure was set properly, and that can make a big difference in both ride and handling. SOme dealers are not very good at setting and verifying that when prepping cars, or monitoring it if they've been on the lot for awhile.

If you live where it regularly gets colder than 40-degrees for days on end, and you opted for the performance, summer tire option (i.e., the 20" wheels), then winter tires should be in your future and the stock wheels in that package are not the best looking, IMHO. SOCal people probably won't be worried about that, but if you have the REx, and plan to take it on a longer trip where it does get colder, you should keep this in mind.

 

[DAZ]

I applaud BMW going with 19" & 20" wheels on the i3. They give the i3 a distinctive, cool look. The Prius comes standard with 15" wheels and the look sucks, unless wheels don't matter. Very little difference between 19" & 20" wheels in ride performance. I've heard the same debates on other forums between 15" vs 17" wheels, 18" vs 19", etc. It's great that BMW gave us a choice of four distinctive wheels.

There is a valid argument between all season tires standard on the i3, 19" wheels, and the performance tires on the 20" wheels. Some performance cars aren't driven in bad weather unless it's a daily driver. Performance tires are also less effective in dry, cold weather.

Still, I wouldn't shy away from the i3, 20" wheel option. More choices are always best.

 

[LivingBetterThurEV]

Out of the two options, I like the Comfort Access, 19" wheels, nicer interior, lower cost . The sound system decision - I would stay with Stock Sound for the lease and short commute.