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      07-09-2013, 09:00 PM   #3
djej
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By EDMNDS: http://www.edmunds.com/bmw/i3/2014/road-test.html

2014 BMW i3 First Drive

The electric car has long been touted as the future of personal mobility, but its evolution has been anything but straightforward. Held back by battery technology for decades, electric cars have, for the most part, failed to deliver on their nirvana-like promise of zero emissions for the motoring masses.

Other than the outstanding Telsa Model S, no recent electric car conceived for large-scale production has managed to live up to the hype and sales expectations heaped upon it at launch. Think Nissan Leaf, Mitsubishi MiEV and the Renault Zoe in Europe.

The 2014 BMW i3 hopes to change this trend in much the same way Apple altered the mobile telephone landscape with the launch of the iPhone. The i3 is being looked upon by the German carmaker as a whole new chapter in the age of the automobile — one in which new solutions in lightweight construction, a clever new production process, high levels of overall efficiency and traditional driving fun come together into one. Our drive of a preproduction prototype this week revealed it is perhaps the most engaging electric car of our times.

A Compact Package
Dimensionally, the 2014 BMW i3 is positioned between the Mini hardtop and BMW 1 Series hatchback with a length of 157.4 inches. The relatively tall stature is offset by generously dimensioned wheel wells and the inclusion of 19-inch forged aluminum wheels wrapped in narrow 155mm-wide tires. A generous 101.2-inch wheelbase and relatively wide tracks makes the most use of the vehicle's modest footprint.

It's the first ever BMW model to make use of a full carbon-fiber structure. In combination with other exotic materials such as magnesium for the support of the instrument panel and renewable raw materials for the door trim panels, the i3 tips the scales at 2,634 pounds. That's light by electric car standards. By comparison, the Nissan Leaf weighs 3,362 pounds while the Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid comes in at 3,130 pounds and the Chevrolet Volt at 3,781 pounds.

Entering the i3 is a different experience compared to most BMWs. You step up and into the i3 at which point you are met by a rather high dashboard that sweeps horizontally across the cabin. The cabin could be from the pages of a glossy architecture brochure, such is its style and eye-catching appearance. The door trims are also fashioned from natural plant fibers, helping to emphasize the new age feel to the cabin, which is otherwise spacious and boasts a pleasing ambience.

Although the preproduction prototype we drove continued to wear some disguise, it is clear the interior closely resembles the latest i3 concept car revealed at the Los Angeles auto show last November. This is good news, proving BMW is serious about reaching out to new customers with an eye as much on the style as the driving experience.

Electric Drive and Then Some
The 2014 BMW i3 will go on sale in North America starting in March of next year with the choice of two different drivetrain setups. The standard model uses an electric motor mounted at the rear fed by a 22kWh lithium-ion battery. It delivers 168 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels through a fixed ratio gearbox in one of three driving modes: Comfort, Eco Pro and Eco Pro+.

The second variant retains the same setup but adds a 650cc two-cylinder gasoline engine that nestles next to the electric motor at the rear. It acts as a generator to extend the vehicle's range and does not provide any kind of propulsion for the vehicle.

The official European Union test procedure credits the i3 with a range of 118 miles in Comfort mode. BMW itself indicates a worst-case scenario of 81 miles in wintery conditions, rising to 100 miles in summery climates. Those who choose the range extender option can expect to nearly double the range in comparison to the battery-only setup.

As with rival electric carmakers, BMW will offer its first zero-emission model with a so-called wall box that in its most basic configuration is claimed to provide a six-hour recharge. When connected to a 50kW fast charge station similar to the supercharger arrangement being touted by Tesla, the battery can be charged in a claimed 30 minutes.

Punchy Performance
The i3 offers punchy and lively acceleration. A heady rush of acceleration is unleashed the moment you introduce the smallest degree travel to the throttle. It is delivered seamlessly with just a faint whirring sound from the electric motor and a distant rumble of specially developed low rolling resistance tires.

The benchmark zero-to-62-mph (100km/h) is achieved in a respectable 7.2 seconds. The initial urgency away from the line has as much to do with BMW efforts in keeping weight in check than the electric motor's 184 lb-ft of torque, which by comparison's sake is 7 lb-ft more than the turbocharged 1.6-liter gasoline engine used in the Mini Cooper S.

The new BMW i3 is also impressively responsive and sensationally refined at highway speeds, offering enough in-gear shove that you're never likely to feel exposed when mixing it with other traffic. The silent surge of propulsion you experience on a loaded throttle comes at the expense of range and that initial urgency tends to trail off as speeds rise closer to the limited 93-mph top speed achieved in Comfort and Eco Pro modes.

A defining feature of the i3's on-road character is its energy recuperation. The setup slows the car quite dramatically the moment you step away from the throttle at lower speeds as the electric motor switches from drive to generator mode. The recuperation is speed-sensitive, though, so it coasts with little drag at typical highway speeds to take advantage of the inertia that has been built up under acceleration. At urban speeds, there's a strong braking effect for maximum production of kinetic energy.

Handles Well for an Electric Car
The 2014 BMW i3 is a thoroughly pleasant car in which to cover miles. Despite its relatively tall stature it corners with great conviction. Its turn-in characteristics are very sporting, with sharp response as you feed lock into the steering. There is a small degree of initial lean to the body but the i3 is wholly predictable in its actions. Once committed it settles nicely on its dampers midcorner and, despite the relatively narrow tires, resists understeer well, holding its line well even at fast cornering speeds.

Given the 155/70 R19 tires, we didn't expect it to offer anywhere near the grip it does. Granted, it doesn't match the focused handling nature of more conventional BMW models, but by electric car terms it hangs on remarkably well and displays real poise when pushed through corners at speed.

Heavy items, such as the battery and electric motor, placed as low as possible underneath the flat floor helps, of course, leading to a center of gravity similar to that of the X1 in combination with the lightweight carbon-fiber structure and other weight-saving touches. But BMW must also be commended for the excellent ride comfort, which has been achieved in part by providing the i3 with a greater level of wheel travel and softer springs than conventional BMW models.

A Real Electric Car
There is a pervading sense of completeness to the 2014 BMW i3. This is an electric car that you could actually consider buying and driving all the time. We have yet to experience it on public roads, but in the wide-open spaces of a BMW test track it managed to impress on many different levels.

There is little doubt the new BMW, with its high-tech carbon-fiber construction and stylish appointments, represents the direction personal mobility will take in the not-too-distant future. The question that remains is: Are customers ready for a BMW without an engine?
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