I bought a 2020 i3S and it's totally exceeded our expectations. We charge it every 10 days so it's mostly doing local work but my wife absolutely loves it... in fact, she hasn't visited a petrol station in over 6 months and we charge for almost free on our solar installation, to give you an idea the last 200 miles cost us £3.00. It's brilliantly comfortable, the tech is pretty much up to date and it's a quirky but very interesting vehicle... right now I cannot think of anything which would replace it.
Greetings from the U.K. I got my i3 new in 2019, still have it, still love it. The technology in the i3 is now quite old, but is solid and reliable. 99% of the time I charge overnight at home, so 50kW DC charging speed is not an issue for my usage. As an engineer, I appreciate the i3’s radical design and use of materials.
I purchased a 2020 BMW i3 about four months ago after doing a lot of research about electric cars and for my needs living in the city of Seattle. Used prices were very attractive and I was able to get one off lease with relatively low mileage that was well cared for. In the four months that I have been driving I have been absolutely pleased with the vehicle and everything about it. It was definitely the right car for me.
You missed some important information: The Nisan leaf has no active cooling and for this is unsuitable for longer roadtrips. Building quality is , let's say different as well. In the part about charging you missed the most important thing. Yes, charging starts at 45, but build up to 51 at 87%. This takes 39 minutes. Charging more at roadtrips doesn't make sense. So, what you missed to mention is the extreme flat charging curve. Next is about battery degradation. It's almost 0 with this car. I have a 2019 I3s with 45000 km and still having a battery capacity of 122Ah. This is more normal than an exception with this car. No Tesla ever achieved that! About the tech: you forgot to mention the App. Always working and nice to use. You forgot that you can use the key to start the pre- heating. You can do that from Inside your house if you're in reach of the car. Very nice, because you don't need the phone. There is also a trunk extension available. Very useful to store all stuff you won't need regularly. And tire wear... you said that the wear fast?! We're in 2024 and still on your first tires? I think that's a pretty good job;) Take care of your car. It's much better than you think! ;)
In the UK prices for the i3 have dropped a lot on the used market which makes them a real bargain IMO! Unfortunately I bought a 2 yr old one just before the big drop !! We also have a Tesla Model Y and I much prefer driving the i3 because it's such fun! It's much more suited to our narrow roads and small parking spaces with it's smallish dimensions and tight turning circle. It's actually 4m long so not really a city car, but still only a 4 seater! It's quick but very economical and costs little to run. I absolutely love it! If you are looking for an only car and you do more than the occasional long trip I would probably go for something else. However, If you are looking for a 2nd car for more local stuff I think the i3 is very hard to beat.
We're making the most of it and getting an i3s to go alongside our model 3 long range. Just picking up a 2021 i3s, 23k miles, imperial blue, dark truffle leather interior, black wheels, heat pump model for £17,250 approved used from bmw. Original sale price just over 3yrs ago.. £36,600. From my perspective it's a bargain, picking up on Saturday 😀
@@abegosavi6462 Heat pump is not standard ? I have been thinking about getting one , how do we know that the car has heat pump ? Now you have the car, do you think it is worth it ?
@@bengoey heat pump is listed as auxiliary cabin heating system in the spec, option pack 4t9. In the winter it's probably better to have it than not, it will warm up the cabin quicker and maintain cabin temperatures more easily compared to conventional resistant heaters. Saves a bit of energy too but probably not as noticeable on a short drive. But it will definitely warm up and get to temperature faster.
Too much talk about the infotainment system! Apple CarPlay works flawlessly and of course the apps are updated regularly and it's the same as your phone. I could care less about the native infotainment and therefore don't subscribe and pay for connectivity to the i3 so that is another savings.
You don't have to release the parking brake. If your seat belt is on the brake will automatically release when you put the car in gear and touch the accelerator.
I know that from other BMWs, yes - but not on the i3. i3 will beep at you and show the message "release the parking brake". We've had a 2018, a 2019 and a 2021 model, and I'm pretty sure they were all the same in this regard.
My daughter in California has inherited an i3 REX, when her husband bought himself a Tesla Y. She even suggested we buy one for use in Norway, but we bought a Buzz instead. Now, the only thing she needs is a driving licence!
Thx for the video! I'm currently looking into the i3 after being recommended it by a senior manager responsible for range of a well known car brand. I was eying the VW e-up previously. Personally, I love that the i3 is light and essentially rust proof. Makes me think of it as a modern electrical variant of the Audi A2. If I'll get the car, I'd rarely use the back seats. So I would have liked to see you fold the back seats and given us a sense of the load space. Other than that, very happy with your content!
i have a brake fluid tester, much cheaper and you can check it every 6 months which takes a couple of mins, these cost about 30 euros. Cabin filter is another 10 min job. so you can service whole car in less than 1/2 hour and cost less than 60 euros, no mechanical knowledge required, i think a 10 year old could do it. the Air con is main issue that i need garage to do.
You can get a Chademo CCS2 adapter for Leaf. Costs about 1k€. Some links are in @Dala's EV garage channel. It's slower charging than i3, if you count range achieved per time. About same max power, but i3 is more efficient and Leaf is famous for rapidgate. People have changed 60 Ah batteries to 120Ah. There has been even 120Ah with rex for that reason. I have seen in Finland wider rims and tyres in i3. Not sure if it's legal. 60 Ah model is not for roadtrips. 90Ah with Rex might be. I looked that 200 km is moderately easy, if not driving in highway 120km/h. Driving 90 to 100 km/h saves a lot range, and Rex allows to drive the battery empty without risk. But the ICE needs maintenance, and Rex models don't have heat pump. One can look ABRP (a better route planner) for favorite routes. 60Ah was that time a pain in the ass.. for 200 km it needed 2 charging sessions and it was faster to drive 90 km/h in 120 speed limit road. 120Ah most likely goes without changing @100 km/h. The route I was going to drive didn't have very good charging infra that time. If range is 100 km, 30 km distance between chargers is quite a lot.. that time I was driving for weekend 200+200 km, no destination charging, but of course if you stay two nights, it's easy to slow charge from household socket. Or visit a supermarket for charging. 120Ah would be now good enough for me. I still would go 200 km to see relatives. In winter one must likely drive slower and charge close to destination for 15 min (10kWh) and offer to drive to shopping mall to charge full before leaving to home. The shopping malls chargers are often quite low power, so the efficiency is issue, i3 gets range faster because of efficiency.
We like our i3 until it it developed an ignition issue that BMW claimed it was unable to fix, but wanted $2700 to replace the REX motor for. It looks and drives great, until it doesn't...
Bought our i3 120 as a used car a year ago. We love it. The first car my wife has sat in that gives her easy visibility over the dashboard without needing cushions. Range is no problem for us. When you get to our age it becomes a question of which has the greater range, the i3 battery or my bladder. Just a question of choosing your stops, then connect to the charger. By the time we are back from the necessary facilities, the battery is near enough charged. Problem with setting up the sat nav? Why not use the “say address” facility? Alternatively, we use google maps on the ipad. always up to date info.
The i3 will automatically release the parking brake when the seatbelt is attached. Attach seatbelt, engage drive or reverse, press accelerator and parking brake releases! Happy trails! (2014 REx, USA)
Probably most car to dribe that i habe eber owned! Love it, funky interior, also added an after market box under back seat which gives me android auto, Apple car play i have built in. This is a future classic car in my opinion!
I leased a 2018 i3 Rex, it still the only engineering first EV design (i.e. big narrow wheels, cabin forward, monocoque manufacturing. If they put CATL gold batteries in it , same weight double capacity then its perfect.
A 60-70Kwh battery and another BMS to catch 100-150 Kw on charging!!! I am 55 and I love that car so much, that I don't want to buy another car in my life, so, take my money now!!!! I could spend £10-20k to do it right now.
I have a '17 rex and love it ... All but the cost of the tires. If you stay with the sizes that came on it you'll pay around $1000(us) for a set of tires. The front and back are dramatically different sizes so you can't rotate them With the fantastic instant torque and if you have a lead foot you'll go through 2 sets of rears to a set of fronts. Ohh and the flat remote is a pain. With it in your pocket you'll be sitting at a traffic light, shift your leg and wind up unlocking the doors or popping the truck. It can be frustrating.
Hello! It should be possible for you to have a different tire size entered into your papers, just like here in Germany. Because they are not nearly as expensive as the original size and you have a much wider choice of manufacturers, especially for different seasons!
I don't know how much you script your videos, but you repeated yourself several times, instead, mention pros and cons once in detail, and as a note in your conclusion. This video should have been shorter and more concise. Maybe 15 minutes instead of 26. And you need a lot more B-Roll footage (and some very subtle background music) to keep viewer engaged. Show us the BMW i3 driving on the street while you narrate your experience. You also missed on many modification you can do with your i3; frunk cover, trunk extender (giving you more space where the range extended would be) and the retrofit module that allows for Android Auto and Car Play, which is way more important for older versions of the car. From a production standpoint, this video felt rather rushed than a high quality buyers guide for the BMW i3 in 2024. I know you can do better.
It's a pretty funky car for sure and its has the premium badge. I was looking to buy one of these as a second car for short town trips, but eventually I gave up on it. The latest models(with the 42KwH) are still way too expensive and not offering enough range and charging speed as you mentions and the tech is outdated. And the older models are even worst on range so only the Range Extender was an option but I didn't wanted to go down that route to do the engine servicing and etc. Not to mention the suicide doors as a big inconvenience and a small boot. So I made a sensible decision and bought the Hyundai Ioniq Electric 28kw, which is not as funky (its very invisible on the roads) but unbelievably efficient 6-7miles/KwH and half the price. After 6 years and 60k miles still can do 134-145 miles on a full charge. And its got all the safety features, adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist and Android auto and Apple Carplay and an up to 70kwh DC charging speed on CCS. But I know the more relevant competition for this BMW i3 S would the newer 38kw Ioniq whit a more modern interior and tech and its still a good few thousands cheaper than this BMW. But the Ioniq is like a secret favourite. Not many people know about it and realising that this is an option. I came across to it as an accident but I'm glad I did. It should have been mentioned between the competition beside the LEAF .
Hi! nice and informative video! What spacer size and brand for the front and rear do you advise for the 3s? You mentioned the charging flap exchange, same company provides trunk load expansion when you don't have the rex and also a lid for the frunk to keep the contents dry these are nice additions/mods to the car as well.
I have I3s in London, for parking smaller is better, the Leaf and Tesla are a bit longer (maybe 0.5M). You mention slow charging, but i dont find this a problem 30 mins gives me 100 miles which is fine for me, 50Kwh is not super slow with a 33Kwh battery. Those front tyres do not look I3s standard. I agree they are pricey but i think you can get rear michelins. "A tiny bit of electricity" not overloading us with facts, i get around 4.5 miles Kwh.
Ive driven this WEIRD BMW. You only want to buy this car in the 🇺🇸 usa if your car has been stolen multiple times. I can jump into most cars and start them.... but this damn thing is the hardest to figure out to start the first time you get in it. I spent 20 minutes working at a auto auction trying to figure it out.
My son wanted to move it once, while I was sleeping and he spent an hour. He finally got the idea to search a video on You Tube. If hte steering wheel is turned 20-30 degrees to the left and covers the power button, there is no way to see it.
Why buy Cars from Manufacturer’s that are trying and failing to catch up. If You want an Electric Vehicle buy a Tesla. I’ve had a Model S since 2018, done over 78k miles and it’s the best car I have ever owned and been driving since 1968.
Personally i never like that tablets glued as screens in any car,look cheap and like a toy ,also that I3 dashboard tablet screen is actually only 20% screen ,rest is just signal lights , i never notice it until i drove it but when i notice if was annoying to me and put me off buying one used
Was looking for an EV as a commute/second car. Thought about the i3 for a second but can't stand it, way to weird and ugly. Went for the Megane E-Tech instead, cool car that ismuch more likeable on the surface.
@RoamingNorway Well, at least the initial impression was that it was a cool and well thought our car without any "weirdness" or ugliness so many budget EVs suffer from (except matbe the 3 stalks to the right of the steering wheel). And after 3 months I still like it but as all budget cars it does has some limitations.
I recently paid $15,500 USD (after incentive) for my 2019 S version with 16K miles. Flawless. Sure a leaf is cheaper but obsolete. Wouldn't ever consider a Tesla as it's an awful company. With the REX generator my max range is 235 miles not that I care.
