[eurobear]

Hi all,

I'm about to change job to a role that is around 50 miles away and not serviced well by public transport from where I live.

I recently replaced my 430d with a X3 M40i thinking my next role would probably be back in London so almost no miles would be put on the car each week. This is now not the case and commuting miles are going to be about 25k per year. And with a 24mpg and lease mileage excess, it means commuting costs are going to be about £700 a month.

So I thought that maybe an option would be to get an i3S for commuting as the cost of the lease, insurance and maintenance would be less than what I'd pay for running the X3.

Now, I've loved the i3 for years but it's not been practical for me as my sole car as me and my dog go away a lot at weekends and the range and boot space is too small for us.
Last summer I had an i3 hire car for a week while in Spain and loved it. Especially driving around the hills south of Barcelona.

So now I'm thinking this would be a good commuter car, but wondering what it's like on longer journeys and majority of it being motorway speeds (70 mph)?

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by eurobear

Last summer I had an i3 hire car for a week while in Spain and loved it. Especially driving around the hills south of Barcelona.

So now I'm thinking this would be a good commuter car, but wondering what it's like on longer journeys and majority of it being motorway speeds (70 mph)?

i3 is a great, and highly economical commuter car.
However, I would not voluntarily take on a highway for regular use.

It wont fall apart, but the motorcycle-width tires and tall vehicle profile make it a handful at speed due to cross winds, wind whip from passing trucks, and tramlining. Note that I had taken my ex-i3's on multiple 200+ road trips, so it definitely can be done. It just requires a lot of corrective steering inputs at highway speeds, which I found tiresome.

The only way to find out if those concerns apply for your commute is to rent an i3, and test-drive it along your rout.

YMMV,
a

[tankertoad]

Supposedly, the i3s' revised suspension geometry and wider tires result in a much improved highway ride.

[Obioban]

I do ~100 miles per day on mine, mostly highway. My only complaint with it is the 94mph top speed. The cost savings are very real vs a gas car!

[jmg]

I do 80 miles a day all highway. It's fine for highway driving under 90mph. As a pure commuter, I think it's perfect!

[SF_E60]

40 mile round trip for me mostly highway, great commuter vehicle! Agreed it's fine for highway under 90mph, though I rarely even push it to even 80mph while on the freeway due to traffic.

[TimeFor]

Yes.

[AWE46M3]

Yes perfect commuter. If you get a 2019, it has a great battery range