[ORIGIN M.]

Might be the 2016.5 MY i3 that gets the new battery.

[AndreyATC]

Originally Posted by edev

Yeah, and add weight to the car. No thanks. I'll stick with my 2,600lb car.

What's wrong with 3K+ Lbs?
What's the crash rating on i3?

[-c-]

Originally Posted by AndreyATC

What's wrong with 3K+ Lbs?
What's the crash rating on i3?

5 star technically but it got lowered because of pedestrian safety as the dummy would hit the windshield I guess because of the short hood.

That's what my dealer told me they could be full of it ;p

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by -c-

5 star technically but it got lowered because of pedestrian safety as the dummy would hit the windshield I guess because of the short hood.

That's what my dealer told me they could be full of it ;p

Not that simple.

i3 had issues with side Euro Ncap's pole impact and rear-end whiplash protection :
http://jalopnik.com/the-all-carbon-e...-ou-1473130711

4 out of 5 stars is not bad, but leaves room for improvement.

In the US, neither the NHTSA nor NHTSA have tested the i3.

a

[murderwasthebass]

Originally Posted by Rennsport3.2

Point taken, but I was moreso referring to interior materials. The Leaf just feels like an average B-segment Japanese compact inside (Not a bad thing, but I expect more for $30k). The i3 - at least in Mega World trim (what a silly name for a package) - felt like a premium car inside, at least to me. Not a difference that shows up on a list of standard equipment, but a difference in the way the interior feels and how the car presents itself. You can get a low-end car absolutely packed with gadgets, but it will still feel cheap inside.

I actually just realized the other day what the naming scheme means for the different worlds in this car. Mega, Giga and Tera. Megabyte, Gigabyte and Terabyte.

[Rennsport3.2]

Originally Posted by murderwasthebass

I actually just realized the other day what the naming scheme means for the different worlds in this car. Mega, Giga and Tera. Megabyte, Gigabyte and Terabyte.

Hey, you're right! That's pretty cool.

[RocketJohn]

Most people don't have long commutes. 30-40 miles total is very common, or 77% of all American Commutes. Having a 100+mile range seems plenty for most. And don't we all have more than one car?

[hyperzulu]

Originally Posted by RocketJohn

Most people don't have long commutes. 30-40 miles total is very common, or 77% of all American Commutes. Having a 100+mile range seems plenty for most. And don't we all have more than one car?

The target market for this car likely has more than one car. Isn't that the American Dream? But no. If EVs are going to be mainstream, they need to do more than just meet the demands of your average suburban middle class. I have one car. I take the train to work. On the weekends when I drive, 80 miles may not be enough for me. So my point before. 120 miles should have been the standard. BMW just needed to bring their emissions numbers down across their lineup though. Which is why they ramped up production of the i series cars when they weren't hitting demand. I can assure they won't do that with a car like the M2 when supply isn't meeting demand.

[RocketJohn]

So the REX is the model for you. My household has 3 cars, as I suspect most BMW households with more than one human.

EVs seem to be great for commuting.

Than get a Classic German car for cruising' around driving on the weekends.

[Imola.ZHP]

^ you could do that, but a few months into i3 ownership and you don't really care to drive ICE anymore. Or that's how it was for me. When I drive our CRV (a great vehicle) it feels like the thing is going to vibrate apart. There are all kinds of crazy sounds, vibrations and you have to use the brake pedal to stop! The i3 is silent, nearly vibration-less, etc, etc. it's a completely different (good) driving experience. Our CRV sits most weekends and we drive the i3 anywhere we want to go.

[ORIGIN M.]

Originally Posted by Imola.ZHP

^ you could do that, but a few months into i3 ownership and you don't really care to drive ICE anymore. Or that's how it was for me. When I drive our CRV (a great vehicle) it feels like the thing is going to vibrate apart. There are all kinds of crazy sounds, vibrations and you have to use the brake pedal to stop! The i3 is silent, nearly vibration-less, etc, etc. it's a completely different (good) driving experience. Our CRV sits most weekends and we drive the i3 anywhere we want to go.

Take the next step... Sell that CR-V.

[RocketJohn]

Originally Posted by red-sauerkraut

Take the next step... Sell that CR-V.

Yep, trade that Honda in for the i8

[ORIGIN M.]

Originally Posted by RocketJohn

Yep, trade that Honda in for the i8

Cash in the bank is better than pumping another penny into the CR'V's fuel tank.

Love the i8. I'd love to see a 100% Electric i8 even more.

[Needsdecaf]

Originally Posted by murderwasthebass

I actually just realized the other day what the naming scheme means for the different worlds in this car. Mega, Giga and Tera. Megabyte, Gigabyte and Terabyte.

Originally Posted by Rennsport3.2

Hey, you're right! That's pretty cool.

That's where most people know it from, but it's really just the metric prefixes:

deca, hecto, kilo, etc. Any scientist is familiar with them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metric_prefix

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by hoyasaxa

Honestly, both the Leaf and the eGolf are more practical solutions for people who want an all-electric city car. Looking forward to the Model 3

Agree on eGolf - I was going to buy it, until I priced the cost of entry about a year ago. I forgot the exact residual values, but they were in the 38-40% range after 2 years for eGolf vs. 63% for i3. Consequently, eGolf's monthly lease was roughly 2x that of i3-REX !!

Leaf's performance is just too anemic to get over its looks.
i3's looks are also questionable, but I got over it. 0-60 in low 6's will do that.

Model 3 promises to have all 4: EV with range + looks + performance + practicality.

Originally Posted by Imola.ZHP

^ you could do that, but a few months into i3 ownership and you don't really care to drive ICE anymore. Or that's how it was for me. When I drive our CRV (a great vehicle) it feels like the thing is going to vibrate apart. There are all kinds of crazy sounds, vibrations and you have to use the brake pedal to stop! The i3 is silent, nearly vibration-less, etc, etc. it's a completely different (good) driving experience. Our CRV sits most weekends and we drive the i3 anywhere we want to go.

You are bench-marking to a wrong (mediocre) ICE car.
Every time I get into the M3 after driving the i3 for a while, M3 makes me want to sing outloud... ... and people normally pay me money not to sing ...

The sounds of an aggressive exhaust, the brakes that work properly, the suspension that hugs the road like car is on rails - those are the joys of driving.

i3 is an awesome commuter EV, but it's miles away from delivering "Freude am Fahren".

a

[-c-]

Originally Posted by afadeev

Agree on eGolf - I was going to buy it, until I priced the cost of entry about a year ago. I forgot the exact residual values, but they were in the 38-40% range after 2 years for eGolf vs. 63% for i3. Consequently, eGolf's monthly lease was roughly 2x that of i3-REX !!

Leaf's performance is just too anemic to get over its looks.
i3's looks are also questionable, but I got over it. 0-60 in low 6's will do that.

Model 3 promises to have all 4: EV with range + looks + performance + practicality.

You are bench-marking to a wrong (mediocre) ICE car.
Every time I get into the M3 after driving the i3 for a while, M3 makes me want to sing outloud... ... and people normally pay me money not to sing ...

The sounds of an aggressive exhaust, the brakes that work properly, the suspension that hugs the road like car is on rails - those are the joys of driving.

i3 is an awesome commuter EV, but it's miles away from delivering "Freude am Fahren".

a

Yea I hear you, Remember not everyone is a car guy and engine sounds and wicked handling don't excite all people. I miss my engine note on my 135is very much, but my 700hp classic charger makes up for it but driving that everyday is exhausting and also causes deafness lol.

I can see where driving the i3 would change the mind of driving a normal ICE car like a normal 3 series or normal car of the like.

Comparing the i3 to an M3 or other sports tuned car is also not quite fair as that's about 70g's vs 40 so right off the bat your paying dearly for those noises and also a very special car that won't get the pants off your typical driver that sees transportation from point a to point b the point of vehicles. All the m3 is to them is a loud polluting mess of a car.


The i3 since it's very green and efficient brings a different buyer and or enthusiast to the BMW forums I've noticed, their not all gear heads and see tuning or even putting modified wheels on the i3 pointless which i see that argument as silly, let people do as they please to their cars!

I get to enjoy both ends of the spectrum and enjoy all my vehicles for what they do for me. I bought the i3 firstly for its design statement and secondly for its other attributes.

But given the placement of the i3 if you base it off cars in its segment I would agree that it makes other cars less of a thing to want in the long run. Sports cars on the other hand and the like will always have a place in my garage and nothing will ever change that.

[Imola.ZHP]

Originally Posted by red-sauerkraut

Take the next step... Sell that CR-V.

We are a two person, two vehicle household. My better half drives it to work M-F.

Originally Posted by RocketJohn

Yep, trade that Honda in for the i8

Yes, isn't it the american dream to have two vehicles in the garage that collectively cost more than the house? lol

Originally Posted by red-sauerkraut

Cash in the bank is better than pumping another penny into the CR'V's fuel tank.

Love the i8. I'd love to see a 100% Electric i8 even more.

The CRV is used, too and from work m-f, 2.5 miles each way; we also take it out of town. I bought the i3 in ATL and drove it back to Memphis using REx, but I'm not so confident about taking it out of town now that it is in Memphis. It doesn't have a spare tire and the tires are not runflats. We are taking a trip to NOLA in two weeks. Yes, we could use the mobility program, and although I didn't buy in Memphis and the local dealer doesn't advertise that they participate, they did offer us a vehicle to go to Oklahoma in at Thanksgiving. We were going to use theirs (for free) but timing wasn't good to go pick it up so we respectfully declined. Fuel is so cheap here that it is actually very cheap to fill up and we don't even do that very often. After getting back from OK December 3rd'ish, it wasn't filled up for nearly 6 weeks. It is a 2007 EX-L Nav FWD, its long been paid off, original owner, 120k on the clock, still lots of useful years left in her. We're hoping for a decent AER on the upcoming x1 PHEV. The M-F commute is 2.5 miles each way, so even if its AER is only ~20 miles, it should be able to be driven all week using no fuel. My thinking is to not give into the hype when the X1 PHEV finally gets to dealers, wait another 6-12 months to strike a deal. The CRV will last us fine up to that point and well beyond for the future 2nd owner.

Originally Posted by afadeev

You are bench-marking to a wrong (mediocre) ICE car.
Every time I get into the M3 after driving the i3 for a while, M3 makes me want to sing outloud... ... and people normally pay me money not to sing ...

The sounds of an aggressive exhaust, the brakes that work properly, the suspension that hugs the road like car is on rails - those are the joys of driving.

i3 is an awesome commuter EV, but it's miles away from delivering "Freude am Fahren".

a

To each their own, the i3 puts plenty of smiles on my face, daily. If you can afford both, then more power to you. I wish I could have kept my e46 ZHP and bought the i3, but it just didn't work out that way.

Originally Posted by -c-

Yea I hear you, Remember not everyone is a car guy and engine sounds and wicked handling don't excite all people. I miss my engine note on my 135is very much, but my 700hp classic charger makes up for it but driving that everyday is exhausting and also causes deafness lol.

I can see where driving the i3 would change the mind of driving a normal ICE car like a normal 3 series or normal car of the like.

Comparing the i3 to an M3 or other sports tuned car is also not quite fair as that's about 70g's vs 40 so right off the bat your paying dearly for those noises and also a very special car that won't get the pants off your typical driver that sees transportation from point a to point b the point of vehicles. All the m3 is to them is a loud polluting mess of a car.


The i3 since it's very green and efficient brings a different buyer and or enthusiast to the BMW forums I've noticed, their not all gear heads and see tuning or even putting modified wheels on the i3 pointless which i see that argument as silly, let people do as they please to their cars!

I get to enjoy both ends of the spectrum and enjoy all my vehicles for what they do for me. I bought the i3 firstly for its design statement and secondly for its other attributes.

But given the placement of the i3 if you base it off cars in its segment I would agree that it makes other cars less of a thing to want in the long run. Sports cars on the other hand and the like will always have a place in my garage and nothing will ever change that.

Good points. I have modified my i3 though, its lowered on H&R springs and now with 15mm front and 20mm rear TPI spacers. The handling has been transformed from stock. Still not like my e46 ZHP, but much more close. I keep bugging VMR about making some wheels for the i3, they keep saying no, lol.

[-c-]

Originally Posted by Imola.ZHP

We are a two person, two vehicle household. My better half drives it to work M-F.

Yes, isn't it the american dream to have two vehicles in the garage that collectively cost more than the house? lol

The CRV is used, too and from work m-f, 2.5 miles each way; we also take it out of town. I bought the i3 in ATL and drove it back to Memphis using REx, but I'm not so confident about taking it out of town now that it is in Memphis. It doesn't have a spare tire and the tires are not runflats. We are taking a trip to NOLA in two weeks. Yes, we could use the mobility program, and although I didn't buy in Memphis and the local dealer doesn't advertise that they participate, they did offer us a vehicle to go to Oklahoma in at Thanksgiving. We were going to use theirs (for free) but timing wasn't good to go pick it up so we respectfully declined. Fuel is so cheap here that it is actually very cheap to fill up and we don't even do that very often. After getting back from OK December 3rd'ish, it wasn't filled up for nearly 6 weeks. It is a 2007 EX-L Nav FWD, its long been paid off, original owner, 120k on the clock, still lots of useful years left in her. We're hoping for a decent AER on the upcoming x1 PHEV. The M-F commute is 2.5 miles each way, so even if its AER is only ~20 miles, it should be able to be driven all week using no fuel. My thinking is to not give into the hype when the X1 PHEV finally gets to dealers, wait another 6-12 months to strike a deal. The CRV will last us fine up to that point and well beyond for the future 2nd owner.

To each their own, the i3 puts plenty of smiles on my face, daily. If you can afford both, then more power to you. I wish I could have kept my e46 ZHP and bought the i3, but it just didn't work out that way.

Good points. I have modified my i3 though, its lowered on H&R springs and now with 15mm front and 20mm rear TPI spacers. The handling has been transformed from stock. Still not like my e46 ZHP, but much more close. I keep bugging VMR about making some wheels for the i3, they keep saying no, lol.

Gotta send picks man! I bet it looks hot as hell! B

[ORIGIN M.]

Yea mon !

Originally Posted by -c-

Gotta send picks man! I bet it looks hot as hell! B

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by -c-

Yea I hear you, Remember not everyone is a car guy and engine sounds and wicked handling don't excite all people.

Ain't that the truth.

There seams to be a very very very small over-lap between the populations of car guys (already a dwindling category of car owners) and i3 owners...


a

[Imola.ZHP]

^ Lowered, no spacers.



^ Lowered with spacers.



^ before spacers and after spacers from the back.

Car also has 35% ceramic tint all around, 80% on the windshield, wheel arch reflectors wrapped in smoked vinyl, mirror mounted signals wrapped in smoked vinyl, rear lower bumper lights wrapped in smoked vinyl, front LED turn signal bulbs and lots of coding.

[ORIGIN M.]

Absolutely love it - Nice job !!!

Originally Posted by Imola.ZHP

^ Lowered, no spacers.



^ Lowered with spacers.



^ before spacers and after spacers from the back.

Car also has 35% ceramic tint all around, 80% on the windshield, wheel arch reflectors wrapped in smoked vinyl, mirror mounted signals wrapped in smoked vinyl, rear lower bumper lights wrapped in smoked vinyl, front LED turn signal bulbs and lots of coding.