BMW i3 | 5 THINGS NOBODY TOLD ME...& 5 things I love!

Hi everybody!

Please note, I am not a car expert! I just wanted to share these 5 quirks (and 5 things I love) that I have learned about the i3 over the past 3 months of driving it.

[dankatz]

I have an early 2014 UK car in the same trim as yours, well the same interior. Mine doesn't have the sunroof and a couple of things look a bit different.

My 'things to know' added to your list.

1) range varies A LOT depending on outside temperature. If it's cold I'll get way less distance out of the battery, by up to 20%

2) my car has a lighter coloured footwell and carpets than your car and they show the dirt pretty badly.

3) the suicide doors, whilst they're cool, make it a nightmare to get out of the back if you're bay-parked in a tight space because you have to open the front door first and close it last. Probably not a problem in the US. But you can find yourself shimmying in and out very awkwardly!

3) The front seatbelt anchors are attached to the rear suicide doors, so even if you just want to quickly let someone out of the back, just cracking open the front door isn't enough to open the back door. You also have to remove your belt! (My guess is that this feature is to show off the pillar-less interior space afforded by the highly rigid carbon composite body)

4) the regenerative 'engine braking' doesn't operate as hard at full battery or when you confuse the traction control (e.g. going over potholes) and you come to rely on it, so that can cause a scary moment before you learn to anticipate it!

I know I listed all 'bad' stuff, but overall the car is wonderful and a lot of the good stuff you mentioned. One pedal driving, quiet, ready to go straight away, loads of usable performance in traffic, instant torque, great handling (RWD and 50/50 weight distribution), amazing interior. A very special car.

[TimC]

To answer your A/C question, when you said it went back to 132 but air was still blowing. The reason it went back up to 132 from 119 is because you pressed the green A/C button and turned off the air conditioning compressor so the range went back up. It was still blowing air because only the FAN was on blowing in outside air but not cooling it with the Air Conditioner. The fan uses practically no energy so you won’t see much if any decrease in range. You may have felt cold air was still coming in even after you turned off the green A/C button because there was still left over cold air in the unit which hadn’t come out through the vents yet, in a few minutes it would just be the fan bringing in air from outside, at whatever temperature he outside air happened to be.
However the salesman should have told you that using A/C or Heating drastically reduces range in all electric vehicles. Actually air doesn’t drain nearly as much as the heater. The heater will drop your range even more if it’s really cold outside. Also batteries get lower range in the cold as well so it’s reduced by that too.

[matthewbenton]

5:00 For the rear passengers I think of the i3 as basically a 3 door hatchback - can't get out without front door open, can't roll down the windows. The suicide doors just make it slightly easier to get in and out than tilting the front seats forward.

[imaadmalik]

very helpful.. i have just ordered mine. cannot wait!

[akceleracevideoblogy]

Greetings from Prague. As for the sunroof which is split into two separate windows. It has something to do with the rigidity and stiffness of the life module from carbon fibers. Safety for all passengers will dramatically decrease if there’s just one big sunroof.

[BMWSB]

The reason why you have so much room between the driver and passenger is not because there isn't a console but rather in the EV world there is no transmission as you would have in a traditional ICE vehicle is because that is where the transmission is typically placed. They put a console there to cover the bump there would normally be and a console over the area to add a place for the shift knob and to give you some extra storage.

[StephenTravisPope]

Great comments - thanks! The stiff headrests are part of the roll cage; they protect you like roll bars if you're in an accident. The divider in the sunroof is probably also there for safety's sake.

[TawanaTerrellDesigns]

I'm thumbs up #1! I enjoyed your honest review cute car thanks for sharing😊

[caliboyrob]

It’s perfect for a single person or a couple without small child. Otherwise the Leaf is the best option for a family. I love the i3 because you get all the perks of a BMW without the insane service cost (just tires & brakes)

[raymaas]

One-pedal driving is not a "feature", per se - it is a characteristic of regenerative braking. I agree, though, it's kind of cool once you get the timing down. The only drawback is that if I don't use the brake pedal occasionally, rust builds up as it does on any disc brakes.

[mikehughes]

I’m a new i3 driver. I completely agree with you on the lack of a lane departure system. I also agree with you on all the pros. The car is uniquely genius and the production and materials are revolutionary. Happy Driving to you! Nice video!

[pinkpet]

I enjoy watching you as it’s my first time to see your review as I’m considering buying a used 2017 BMW i3. I M a CA girl living in the UK. Your pros vs cons helps me a lot. Keep up the good work. You are very good at doing videos.

[selinajuse]

Congratulations on your new i3. I also have a 2017 I3 Rex and I love it too. Super fun.

[MeesterH]

How do you find it in winter conditions? I'm assuming you're from Canada so I'd like to know how it handles especially in highway with snow. Do you use winter tires? Thx

Good job. I test drive it and I love the feeling of driving it.

[theeddys]

Thank you! Great review and saved me some extra research!

[Rick_Retired]

I live alone in Florida, am age 74 and my travel is now limited mostly to 5 miles round trip every one or two weeks to Walmart for grocery curbside pickup. Hence, I last week I was able to get a great, absolutely spontaneous deal on an immaculate 2017 i3 in blue with moon roof. I'd never even set in an EV. I felt totally green casting off combustion range extenders and the maintenance costs of them. I do like the 33kw battery over the older version and made my 110 mile trip home from buying it with a 13 mile reserve on Eco Pro +. It was a great opportunity to really identify my car's max range on a 65 degree day and the 2+ hour trip experience that I now want to do again now that I know the steering wheel goes in and out too as well as up and down.
I have been into the Owner's Manual and Genius How to YouTube videos like I was back in college learning a new profession lol, and am amazed at the technology I was ignorant of. I once had a 427 Corvette so I won't call the i3 fast, but will say it is more spirited than any car I've had in the last 45 years including my current 2012 Chrysler 200 Limited 3.6 Convertible. (The i3 moon roof saves my sun soul) I see your points about the cons you observed, but my backseat will probably never be used. Since the entire body is made of carbon fiber, I believe the overhead divider is for structural integrity and did give BMW a good reason to design such a handy moon roof setup. The only con I can add, that is probably related more to my oversized stomach than the door design, is the pointed section just below the window sometimes rakes my stomach when I open or close the door in a standing position.
I hope you have been having, or had, a great time with yours as I am looking forward to a long and beautiful friendship with mine at least until I need to buy new tires way down the short road I travel.

P.S. My dog Molly is gone now but she would have had no use for the back seat either, or even the wonderful navigation system.

[manthony]

Love this car's interior! Nobody else does textures like this anymore. Great video!

[smileforever]

There is lane assist in your car. Do you mean there is no blind spot detection instead?

[karlpackham]

Air con makes air cold, this uses energy... even in a normal car. Turn it off and the coldest the air will be coming through the vents is the outside temperature. This uses less energy. 👍🏼