Test drove one of the fleet of BMW i3s being offered for test drive in limited markets. For perspective:
- Currently own a BMW hybrid and love it
- Love the BMW family of products
- Have a deposit on a Tesla Model X
- Own Tesla stock
This marketing event was initiated in large-part to pre-test i3 interest from current BMW owners and those who have expressed initial interest. BMW does not want this i3 product to fail from a sales perspective in the USA.
Test Drive - Likes
- Like the suspension tuning - compliant but not soft
- Open spacious feeling interior
- New BMW design elements are interesting
- Good performance and NVH management
Test Drive - Concerns
- The looks - body architecture and surfacing is good
- Only two-tone paint and eco blue highlights are too limiting
- Give me monchrome and sporty - Less color mix and match
- Increase the interior color pallet - too limiting
- Keep the 'world' interior themes but offer a full color interior pallet option like all BMWs
- Options will be expensive for what the car is designed to do - City Car
- A 2015 Leaf with 20% more range, improved battery management, and slight exterior visual updates would might give BMW some unwanted competition.
I did not leave the test drive ready to order an i3. I sense the choice to offer a smaller battery pack due to weight savings may be a problem if 100-115 MPe is hard to come by. The delay in the MPe rating for the i3 gives me concern that the range will be equal to the Leaf (not a good thing). 125 real world MPe is the best balance from my perspective.
After watching and reflecting on the video below, I am not prepared to deal with an EV where range is a constant problem when temperatures drop. I think the MPe rating should be adjusted to reflect the worse case example (lights on, heat or air-conditioning on). Underpromising and Overdelivering is always a good thing.