I leased two i3's for 5 years in total and I loved them very much. My first was a BEV and then I got a REX. I ended up getting a 2020 330i after my last i3 and as much as I love it I really do miss my i3. I aslo live in the midwest and really never had an issue even though I run the all seasons year round actually. They do chew up tires though and for some reason I to got a few flats. I was actually going to purchase one after my lease but the deal fell through my hands to another lucky buyer :(
@@MrBirgerB Tough one. The Model 3 might be the better looking one and has more range. The i3 might be had for great lease prices and it's super practical. And that carbon fiber is something you don't see anywhere
took delivery of a new one a month ago (company car) - really love it, even though I wont be able to drive it for another 3 months (medical problem). But great to be driven in. Just charge from a 3 pin, which in the current lockdown conditions is just fine for a once a week charge. But where I hope to see the big change is in my paycheck - with no company car tax!
It's a great car. It's actually got character and is fun. Owned one for 5 and a half years. Amazing sense of space in such a small car. Very relaxing to drive.
On my 3rd i3 ... 2014 REX 2014 BEV 2018 S BEV Like you said, it is a fantastic daily driver city car and all 3 of mine have been boat anchor reliable. I've enjoyed all your i3 videos!
Thanks for the vid. We've owned three i3 previously, such a great car! But it's nearly a crime that BMW never made the battery upgrade program a thing in the US - more than half of the installed base of i3s in the US were with the original small battery. Those cars can be easily picked up for $10K - $15K and if you could upgrade the battery, would be an awesome used car value even if the upgrade cost was $10K. BMW once had the lead in EV innovation, but now they are playing catch up...too bad.
We recently bought a new 2021 i3s and still retained the 2014 i3 in the family. It’s still an advanced and innovated car that many other EVs lack, even tesla.
@@tjnadah on the 2014 i3 it’s smooth on smooth surfaces and bumpy on primitive rough surfaces, I have the 429 rims or AKA - pizza cutter wheels. On the 2021 i3s, the tires are wider and the suspensions is firm, it rides better, even on bumpy surfaces. I recently did a 120 mile trip in the i3s and it’s much more a refined ride, feels like my old 2004 325ci. Our main reason for getting the i3s was for a wider tires and a better comfortable ride.
Nice video. I love my i3 - 43 kwh. I live in western part in Norway, i do easly 350 km in summer. In winter i miss to have heated steering weel, have to use gloves all the time. I also have Hakkapelitta on my i3, and they work very good on snow and ice. Have lots up and down hills here, so no trouble getting up hills. I think the the narrow tires, big wheels and the motor at the back of the car, is a good combination.
Some points: -Aero cx is not 0.29 (standar i3), is 0.32 for i3s. -turning radius is worst for the i3s, standar have shorter turn radius for the narrow front tires. -Traction control "a little better" is 50 times faster. -Maybe you have a problem with the fog up, because the car have a sensor for delete that, check the sensor in BMW. I will buy one soon.
Looking to get an i3s in the same exterior colour, especially as they just reduced the price here in the UK. I do about 100-120 miles each day so hopefully with the bigger 120 amp battery 44kw I won’t need to charge too often between appointments. Really impressed how good it is in the snow on winter tires!
The winter tires make a huge difference. I personally run on Nokians and they have been fantastic in heavy snow. Of course, you should always be cautious with RWD. But had no issues in 7 winters so far.
Electric just went up to 30p per KW. So 600 miles would cost similar to a small diesel car. When it cost 10p per KW before covid it was low cost, but not anymore. Where I live we have a 9p kw overnight tariff.
I have a 2014 i3, and a 2018 i3s, same blue color as yours... both bev’s - love them both. Drove 65k km in the 2014 before I needed to replace the tyres, so I think you must drive a bit aggressive to go through the rubber like you do 😂 - at least compared to us. Never had a single puncture... never had problems with the doorhandles either. Only had a issue with the locking mechanism in the chargeport, and a screen flicker... handled under warenty... Best cars I’ve ever had.... Have a 225xe hybrid as well... it’s fine, a bit more practical as a family car, but I prefer the i3’s for almost every drive I take
@@bmwblog No, you are absolutely correct. I have tires for winter use, that have been used for about 20k out of the 65k - so I ‘only’ got about 45k km out of the summer-tires before they needed to be replaced... But I still think it’s pretty decent 😉
2019 i3s BEV owner here and I enjoy every minute of driving it around the LA county area. We don't get much cold air but I definitely noticed the impact of highway real-world speed driving (aka 75-80mph) on range. It's significant. But the range has never caused a problem, we have Level 3 chargers all over around here and a Level 2 at home so I'm leaving with a full charge too.
I like the shape of the i3 but can't BMW make one with a 4 cylinder gas engine like the one in my old 318ti? LA is such a huge town to be driving a short range electric car.
@@scooterbob4432 I agree it's huge, but we really do have fast chargers all over. The range is only a problem for crossing to the next metro area (San Diego is possible, anything else is iffy)
the lease on my 2018 i3 BEV is up in 3 months and I'm debating buying a 2018 S, or leasing a new 2021. Like you we just love the car, and no other EV out there now really tempts us. Looking forward to seeing vids of yours, especially in gold. thanks!
@@bmwblog You have the 94Ah, he has the 120Ah. In summer city and countryside driving, 320km (200 miles) is absolutely no issue. I once got more than 400km out of a charge. In winter highway driving, I get about 200km range. But today, I don't drive from full to empty, I charge in between.
Thanks for all the time you have spent on creating the pros and cons of the i3. Saw your video on the 2021, can you comment on how you have adapted to the 'terrestrial' noise coming from the i3 at speeds under 25 MPH?
I'll let Chuck respond, but I can share my personal experience. Went from 2018 to 2020 i3 and I get the sound also. Annoying the first few days, but I don't really hear it afterwards. And there are far less situations when I drive at 25mph and that's for a very short period of time. So in a nutshell, you will likely get used to it and not notice it.
one of the best bmw I3 reviews I ever seen. I'm about to buy one (2018 ) of course my wife is trying to convince me not to buy it lol. I also live in the Midwest . I was wondering what city were you driving by ? I live in MSN WI
We had a go in the id4 and id3 great cars but i3 felt more FUN! THE MOST UNDERPLAYED SUSTANABLE CAR IN HISTORY! Go cart fun good description i3 reminds me of the 1960s fun Mini with out dinosaur juice' 😁🌍💚 We have had our 2018 i3 3 years 55k faultless just 1 brief service! I give the i3 9 out of 10 it grows on you 😁 I quote'' car tester from London! Best electric car out! said the i3s was more fun around town than the Porsche Taycan or even a Tesla!!!! Would add BMW are doing some amazing deals on new i3's got our i3s cheaper than lesser BEVs 😁🌍 Keep up the good work. Buzz off toxic
I have had my “Litl’ Blue” 2017 BMW i3 BEV 33Kw 94Ah since 01/25/2021. I bought it in showroom condition from an original owner with 24k on the odometer. I’m 75, drive it about 30-100 miles a month mostly to pick up online ordered groceries and to visit the VA clinic. I use a 240V, 16A (3.84Kw) Level 2 charger in my carport routed inside as an alternate to my dryer outlet. I get 13.5 miles per hour of charging and at home my FPL electric cost at $0.031 per Mile. If there is a more perfect EV out there, I simply don’t want it. I don’t need more range, acceleration, styling, features, reliability, comfort, handling, or value. Litl Blue is obviously my Forever Car. Paid $16,500 but was offered $24,000 by Edmunds 3 months ago which tickled my worn out ego.
I had a 2014 Rex and a 2017 BEV...range actually was great in the BEV we avg 130-160mile/charge. Ideal for O’ahu. Only tires and wipers. The Rex had more problems ironically it had to do with the ICE components recalls on the engine mounts and the fuel pump sensor. Our 2017 nothing. I will never drive a ICE car again!Unfortunately our lease ended in Jan this yr. sure sucks no car I wants so will wait for the i4 or choose from the new offerings in 2022. Like the color and looks like you got it loaded. Maybe I’ll get me a used i3s!
Best video I've seen so far! How do you get the software updates? Do you a notification about the brake fluid change? So the rex does not need an oil change?
Thanks for the review. Another youtube person took an I3 on a long distance trip in the cold, with the REX, and it could not keep up at 70 mph. He had to slow down to 50-55 mph. So as an around town car it looks great, probably not so good for a long distance trip vehicle.
Do you know how cold it was? Cause I've been driving i3s in the Midwest and the only issue I had was when the temperature dropped below 10F. Other than that, REx worked fine.
@@schmidt28117 What you do in a situation where you know that the demand is higher than what the Rex engine can deliver, example fast driving, is to engage the Rex early on, thereby giving the possibility for the battery to deliver the excess load for the engine and other consumer’s.
@@bjarkethanner9263 I believe he had to slow down to keep the charge up and heat up to the level to be comfortable. But it did not keep up with the power demand at 70 mph for both motor and heat.
@@bmwblog no they imported a batch of 10 cars and tested it and they wanted to price it at a stratospheric 90000 pounds and no one would buy it at that price. So they made no effort to be very honest.
I’m on my second one and I love this car so much. My only issue is the tire/wheel size. Now that they’ve discontinued it I’ll be looking at an i4 or iX. Tesla is great but kind of basic at this point (for me).
Great review-just what I needed as I’ve been considering a used 2018 i3 s Rex for a while. I’ve also had my eye out for a used 2019 i3 s Rex with the bigger 42 kWh hour battery, but there just aren’t any on the market in my area. Since some of you had the previous 33 kWh battery and now have the bigger battery, do you think the difference in range and performance is worth me waiting for a 2019 to come on the market? Thanks! P.S. I have a garage where I could charge every night.
@@bmwblog Thanks for response! I have about a 42-mile round trip commute, but occasionally have to tack on another 20 miles or so to go watch one of my kid’s sports events in another part of town at the end of the day. On a Saturday, I might put on up to 100 miles driving back and forth to an event on the other side of town.
EVs tend to become 'Fog Monsters' because they don't make much 'waste heat' to evaporate all of the moisture that collects in them over the Winter and rainy months. Purchase a Peltier-style dehumidifier (especially if you park in a garage) and it'll pull out much of that moisture in a day or so.
The tyre issue is common in the i3 (replacing very quickly). They are only 5mm from new and not 7-8mm on a standard petrol or diesel car. Perhaps you should have mentioned that.
@@bmwblog NO. NO incentives here in Australia. NONE. ZERO. NOTHING. NOTHING WHATSOEVER. FACT. NO incentives or rebates. NOT even spoken or talked about by our (useless) politicians. (who are the HIGHEST PAID in ALL the world!!) Regards.
I have a question how would you compare to the Chevy Bolt ?? Also for a first time EV buyer any recommendations?? I also wanted to ask is your I3 the one with the REX ?? Thank you for a great video!!
Hi William I did a big review of the two - review here. Both great EVs www.bmwblog.com/2017/02/13/test-drive-bmw-i3-vs-chevy-bolt/ We have the pure electric i3, not the Rex. But it is not our only car. First-time buyer - depends on if it needs to be your only car or not. Also, you have to have a plan where you are going to charge. Home charging is definitely the most convenient. For an only car solution w/ cross country travel, Tesla Model 3 is hard to beat. Here's my video comparing i3 to Model 3 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-LVX2eYIlmII.html For us, we use the i3s as a daily commuter usually no more than 100 mile/day. But have put 78k miles on i3s. Great city car!
@@chuckvossler9010 Hello sir thank you very much for replying.. My idea for my car is for a bit of everything meaning highway driving and city driving my Issue I have with Tesla is price I understand the I3 is almost the same price however BMW fit and finish is much better and the other issue I have with Tesla if you think about you don’t really own it what I mean is if Tesla decides not to allow you to charge nor get updates you are out of luck and the other is everything is preparatory with them and to get things done as far I know with repairs it’s difficult so I have some things to figure out … I am between the i3 with the Rex or the Bolt .. Thank you again for you time ..
On your 240 mile drive what was the weather like, what speed did you travel, how long did it take and what miles per kWh did you manage to get I have a drive of this distance every 4/6 weeks and wondering how to approach should I buy an i3s Cheers
240 in a day will require hitting a DC charger to do it in an efficient manner. We hit a DC charger 2x on that trip. The weather was pretty decent maybe 30's/40s? Not too cold. We traveled mostly on the interstate except for a 25-mile loop at 20-30 mph. Over 65mph the car is less efficient compared to short city drives. Chuck from the vid
Did you consider other EV's, such as the Nissan Leaf or Hyundai Ioniq Electric, and if so why did you choose the i3? I love the i3 but the Leaf is cheaper and the Ioniq is packed with equipment and has great efficiency, though they lack the design novelty, driving fun and acceleration of the i3. Interested in your thoughts on the comparison.
Hi Chris (Chuck from the Video) It was more of a decision between the i3s and a Tesla for us actually. I never considered the Nissan Leaf as it lacks a thermally managed battery pack and would be tough for us here in the winter. I haven't looked at the Ioniq Electric. Here are my thoughts on the BMW i3 vs the Tesla Model 3 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-LVX2eYIlmII.html
@@chuckvossler9010 Hi Chuck - Thanks for that, and your comparison between the i3 and Tesla is another informative video. You make clear that the Tesla Model 3 is the best all-rounder, though the i3 is good for city use. I assume you have another car(s) for long-distance driving (the Model 3?) and you are now on your 3rd i3 because it suits your needs for city use? Maybe I should rewatch it but just intrigued that you concluded the Tesla was the best overall car and yet you have good reasons for buying the i3. Thanks for the excellent videos and your reply.
Try to select Comfort mode next time you have the fog problem. The climate control then becomes more “aggressive “ and immediately lowers the humidity and thereby the fog should disappear.
@@bmwblog I'm guessing it largely depends on how efficient is the car to begin with at driving. It's probably 10-15% for smaller more efficient car but might be bigger difference for less efficient car. Battery Life channel did id.3 comparision and drove together two id3's with and without pump, got ~10% difference, at +3C. If temp drops below freezing the difference grows.
I have been looking at possibly getting a 2017 or 2018. I understand that the tires need to be replaced more often than regular tires. What is the general cost to replace them, and can they only be replaced at the BMW dealership? Also, mulling over getting just a BEV or getting one with a REX. Obviously, I get more range with the latter, but have there been any issues with the REX? Would it be safer to stick with a BEV and avoid repair costs if something were to go wrong with the REX?
You can always buy the tires from TireRack or similar sites. The install can be done by any shop. Some people choose to install them themselves. Whichever router is convenient for you. No real issues with REx, but of course, the BEV is the simpler car so less things to break. I've only had RExs, 4 of them, and no issue. I once got a drivetrain malfunction on the REx, but it cleared itself.
BMW designed the battery so you don’t have to deal with that management issue you have to on other EVs. You just charge it to 100% whenever you want, they left a buffer in the SOC.
Oil and filter change once a year? Transmission oil change. Spark plugs? Battery change if you're not using the big battery. And worst, the risk of a major breakdown like a cracked headgasket or malfunction of the cooling system. Granted your REX track is pretty impressive.
@@MrBirgerB Maybe just got lucky and also the fact that it was always under warranty. But never really had an issue in 7 years with 4 different ones. That doesn't mean things can't happen.
Brilliant video. The BMW i3,i3S is perhaps the most underestimated and sometimes overlooked EV car. It’s not always about range : quality of fittings and high end luxury are perhaps more important when choosing a vehicle. I have a RU-vid channel where I talk about BATTERY CARE. Looking after EV BATTERIES. ‘ ABC ‘
@@bmwblog it is just that from my experience the normal i3 has an awful ride already so I can't understand why someone would want it even worse for no benefit at all. The looks are awful with the bigger wheels and tyres completely out of place in a city car and it handles worse because the increased stiffness makes the car very nervous and the directional stability decreases a lot. But I still think that a normal i3 even with the awful ride quality, gimmicky doors and lack of rear space is a great town commuter. Every journey in it is special in a way few normal cars can deliver.
I’m trying to decide Between the I3 and the egolf. Dead heat. reviews say the i3 is more fun to drive but egolf more settled handling. I was leaning to wards the practicality of the egolf but your Reviews don’t make it easy!!
For me, it was between BMW i3 and Tesla M3, but I had a look at the eGolf as well. If you go for a higher trim level, the i3 is a clear winner with exquisite materials and instruments. I guess the eGolf will win in the lower trim levels.
@@LilaKuhJunge thanks. I think you’re right. I’m going for a used car so with that in mind likely to get more bang for buck with the egolf in terms of equipment. But must admit being a BMW driver (never driven a different brand) it’s a tough transition to consider ! I’m a bit unnerved by the i3 not taking pot holes well either.
@@tjnadah The i3 has equipment which is unavailable in the Golf, like e.g. the TJA or the matrix LED light. For the pot hole topic, the i3 is a bit softer than the i3s. The i3 is also less likely for some typical used-cars complaints like e.g. rust and dents...
BMWBLOG check out LION Smart in Munich. They offer a 100 kwh 435 miles range upgrade battery for the i3 or i3s. Even with a 7kw home charger it takes a long time to charge.
