When are you going fully electric?

[TW]Fox said:
Things are getting good though - presumably as its on the 3/4 Series platform it will have the 3/4 series interior, too. I wonder if we could see a 340e on the same platform - ie, a 3 series, just electric. I'd be all over that.
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Surely BMW know the world is crying out for an electric 3 series. No messing around with stupid styling, just an electric 3-series. I've been a BMW fan for over a decade and the only reason I switched from a 3 series to a Model 3 was there was no sign of BMW doing it soon.
 
Basher said:
I'll let you know. The VAST majority of my cars have been BMW (320, Z4 35i, M135, 530) so keen to see how it compares.
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My last 4 cars have been 1 Series x2, Golf R Estate and 520 Touring. I've also driven a 640D about 10k miles.
As I mentioned above - I think the best way of describing the driving feel of the P2 is the magnet in the floor comparison. With so much weight in the bottom of the car it feels stuck to the ground. The suspension is pretty stiff so there isn't much body roll but it's not crashy like the 5 Series, the suspension feels plusher. You really feel the weight when the car is 'bouncing', or getting a little airbourne when going over larger bumps / hills.

The steering feel can be adjusted from light, medium & heavy and feels much like the sport & comfort modes on BMW's.

With no gears to flick through and instant max torque (660 Nm, same as the new BMW M3) available at any time, acceleration is nice :)

One pedal re-gen driving is amazing, making driving in towns effortless. The max setting 'standard' is fairly hard braking to a stop, so takes a little getting used to. There is a softer 'low' setting which is good to start learning the braking vs pedal lift. Or you can turn it off completely - in this mode you still get brake re-gen when pressing the brake pedal up to 0.3g.

I imagine the Porsche Taycan Turbo S, RS Audi GT and Tesla S Plaid+ must feel like rocket ships. Not just from a standing start but from any speed.
 
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SDK^ said:
Forget body height - The battery weight (around 1000kg) is in lowest centre section of the car. It drives and feels like there are magnets under the car sucking it down to the road. You notice this weight when you go over a hilly section of road, as the car 'jumps', but otherwise it's planted.
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it's the height,as it impacts seating position(ergonomics) too, what angle you have your legs(comfort/control), and,
for parents, also, sill height getting in/out of car, they don't really want to get(trip) up, into an suv style, either. ..
if the car is taller you're impacting aero some.

seeing the g20 cutaway - reminds you that versus the bev flat pack - the yaw inertia is, beneficially, less without the transmission/engine out at the extremities, so turning should be 'easier', 911 pendulum rip.
 
Jonnycoupe said:
Yeah. Well choose between high and low. Seems to result in more sickness complaining from passengers.
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Now you mention it, my wife has said if we drive fast in the Tesla it makes her feel sick, and I've noticed it myself sometimes. The rapid acceleration makes it tempting to 'boot it' at every opportunity, then almost immediately use regen to slow down for the next corner (not needing to brake).

It doesn't happen in normal driving with regen on high, but it does on more spirited driving.
 
I thought they had controversially removed (ota) regen levels on m3 supposedy because of breaking traction problems when it was too aggressive (the wet,....),

compared to application of the brakes to balance the car in and slow it coming towards a bend, it/one-pedal does sound harder to sense what grip you have availible, without over braking - what is the upward force on the pedal like - you need to have some reactionary force to modulate your foot pressure,
 
[TW]Fox said:
It's very tall though - how does it compare to something like a 3 Series to drive?
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The way an ipace can go around a tight roundabout with hardly any body roll and fire the car out speed on exit is something a M3 would struggle to match, let alone a normal 3 series. The centre of gravity is so low that it really doesn’t feel the way you expect it too.

regarding regen braking I gave an ipace some relatively hard braking earlier around some country lanes and was surprised the brake disks were still cool to the touch. Regen braking is impressive as to how much energy it can pull out (as long as the battery is warm and not full !)
 
jpaul said:
I thought they had controversially removed (ota) regen levels on m3 supposedy because of breaking traction problems when it was too aggressive (the wet,....),

compared to application of the brakes to balance the car in and slow it coming towards a bend, it/one-pedal does sound harder to sense what grip you have availible, without over braking - what is the upward force on the pedal like - you need to have some reactionary force to modulate your foot pressure,
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I remember that being mentioned but I don't think I noticed it become less aggressive at any point last year. I have it set to 'normal' (think it only has off, low and normal), and I also have one-pedal switched on. Upward force of the pedal is hard to describe - it feels fine and you can make very subtle adjustments to speed very easily.

One-pedal is something that sounds like it would be hard to get used to but it isn't, it takes a couple of minutes then it feels normal. (Though some people don't like it and turn it off).

On a related note, this morning's software update has enabled better regen whilst the battery is cold. It's quite noticeable, regen straight away at 5 degrees C with no pre-heating!
 
Putting your foot down and lifting off enough so there’s no more accel and no regen is actually quite hard compared to an ice which will just roll.

one pedal is ok for casual driving but on a motorway you use cruise and to be honest. Hard regen is still no better than rolling up to traffic etc. Keeping your foot on the power when slowing down (but you don’t want full regen) is a bit alien too. Plus regen depends on battery state of charge and temperature so it’s not consistent.
 
Simon said:
Putting your foot down and lifting off enough so there’s no more accel and no regen is actually quite hard compared to an ice which will just roll.

one pedal is ok for casual driving but on a motorway you use cruise and to be honest. Hard regen is still no better than rolling up to traffic etc. Keeping your foot on the power when slowing down (but you don’t want full regen) is a bit alien too. Plus regen depends on battery state of charge and temperature so it’s not consistent.
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As with anything you just get used to it, occasionally getting in an ICE car just feels like something is broken.
 
OLEV grants changed as of 7am today.

Car rates:
  • From 35% of purchase price, up to £3,000
  • To: 35% of purchase price, up to £2,500

  • From: Cars must cost less than £50,000. This is the recommended retail price (RRP), and includes VAT and delivery fees.
  • To: Cars must cost less than £35,000. This is the recommended retail price (RRP), and includes VAT and delivery fees.

  • No grace period. Orders already placed prior to today can be claimed at original rate

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/..._1L6Cnzwm1DAgEH52ev5b_QaAgwENeLVk-_-u8qY1xdOs
 
This might sway a lot of potential Model3 buyers in the direction of the ID3..!

I suppose it makes sense to use the subsidy on more affordable EVs -- though I don't think they should have reduced it by £500
 
Well if they are credible products they shouldn't need as many incentives. Plus we have a big Covid bill to play. Rather than £500 goes towards my trip to A&E on Monday rather than somone buying a luxury car.
 
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