Anyone got one? Fancy picking one up as a runaround/first foray in to electric and the reviews on them are pretty positive.
I love the interior styling.
Main downside I can see is they seem to lack a lot of the additional features most bmws come with now and the ride might be a bit harsh on the 20s.
I've driven a few normal i3's and done a few miles in them (3K+).
Overall, I like them, and whilst I'm undecided on what car to get next, I was toying with getting an i3 just to commute around in.
The negatives first
- Narrow/tall body on relatively skinny tyres (even the i3s), so will follow the road and side winds/passing lorries can be 'felt'..
- Styling is marmite (I love it!)
- Options are few/far between, my Mum found a well option'd i3 which was rare, Sunroof, travel assist, adaptive cruise, leather, heat pump are all options AFAIK and getting a car with all options is the usual BMW lottery.
- Battery options are a bit limited, OK, but just need to get the biggest you can IMO.
- The rear door needs the front door opened first.. Personally I love it, but a lot comment on how inconvenient it is. (you have to remove you seat belt to open the front door, then the rear passengers can get out.. hardly a chore IMO).
- The ride is harsh, the i3s I've only had a test drive, but had different suspension anyway, it felt around the same, just a little more fidgety.
The positives
- Fun, very nippy, proper old skool small car kind of vibe IMO
- Amazingly smooth drivetrain/motor, and they pioneered the simple drive select control (ape'd by the ID.3 we now have!)
- Carbon fibre tub is a nice petrol head thing.
- Ingress in the rear is excellent (due to suicide door).
- Looks are almost timeless, they still look fresh 10 years later IMO, the newer facelift is nicer, and the i3s is obviously that bit better.. (Red/Black is sublime).
- The one pedal driving is great, will come to a complete stop and hold, once you adopt this style, it's a game changer for smooth/easy driving.
If my Mum didn't have the i3, I'd never have borrowed it, realised EVs take that whole 'ease' of driving to the next level and it made the ZF auto on our X3 feel archaic and clunky!..
We eventually ended up in an ID.3 (again, not wanting to go mad, just test the waters), and it is that next level up in smoothness, same performance (sub 7s 0-60), and much more creature comforts as standard (or higher end trims), so much so, my Mum ended up getting an ID.3 to replace her i3, the 260 mile range also was a big factor for her, since as we all know, public charging is a bit hit/miss although IMO getting better every month.
However, as a first foray, and assuming you'll take the lack of range as just a feature of the i3s, then I'd consider one myself and probably look for something with 'options'.. the sunroofs aren't essential, just a nice to have, but adaptive cruise was good!