The Wheelspin Journal: Test Drive: BMW i3

By Jonathan Mellberg
Photos by the author*

Per BMW’s website, “i is for Innovation”…gag me. It’s not that I don’t like electric cars (actually, my attitude concerning them has recently done a 180-degree turn). It’s that the marketing for these automobiles is so damn holier-than-thou. And while I don’t deny there are loads of “innovation” packed into the new BMW i3, their seemingly self-righteous go-green-or-go-home stance seems slightly hypocritical. After all, we’re talking about the same company that simultaneously builds eight M vehicles (BMW’s in-house performance division who seems less than concerned with its carbon footprint), the least powerful of which makes 425 horsepower from a twin-turbocharged inline-six cylinder engine.

BMW i3

Of course, BMW is entitled to steer its company any direction it wants. And while its bread and butter will always be neat and tidy, leather-clad driver’s cars with good power, it’s only smart of BMW to shift a percentage of its focus to alternative means of transportation. Which brings us to the BMW i3, a full electric; BMW’s first. You may have heard of the i3’s sexier big brother, the i8. Unlike the stubby little singularly-purposed i3, the i8 is a supercar in its own right, with a base price of around $135K. But it’s only a half-blood electric, as it features both an electric motor and a gasoline engine to produce its method of propulsion. Back to the i3...

BMW i8

The i3 hasn’t been around that long. I haven’t even seen one on the roads yet (which makes sense as they’ve only been in dealerships a few weeks now). Sandwiched somewhere between the pedestrian Nissan Leaf and the pompous Tesla Model S (both full electric vehicles), the i3 prices start at $41,350. For this you get the following: aluminum chassis, full LED headlights and taillights, and a full carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) shell called a LifeDrive module (gimme a break) which is fancy talk for the vehicle’s frame. Power is a healthy but not astounding 170hp and 184lb-ft of torque. As with every electric car, torque delivery is immediate, no build-up required.

BMW i3

BMW’s powertrain aside, there’s nothing too earth-shattering about its features. HD radio is standard (satellite radio optional), there’s four seats, and keyless entry. You can opt for BMW apps that work with your android or i-phone to monitor both the car and your driving style (you can also program the i3 via your phone to turn on while charged and adjust its climate control at any time…say, on a hot summer day ten minutes before you leave the office). Also optional is a 12-speaker, 360watt Harmon Kardon speaker system ($800), 20” sporty alloy wheels ($1300), and parking assist ($1000), which helps you steer clear of objects but will not park the car for you. Other than being a gas-free vehicle (sans the range-extender), the only feature I found mildly impressive was the i3’s electronic climate control, which lets you vary the vertical temperatures throughout the car (for instance, your can keep your head cool while keeping your feet warm). And then I found out that all BMWs feature this. The i3 can also communicate directly with BMW concerning any issues with the vehicle. This can be configured as an automated feature or a driver-controlled function. But then again, the Tesla can and does do that as well.

LED lights and cool-blue grill accents!

But I suppose there’re only two things you really want to know. How far can it go, and how much does it cost? The aforementioned base price of $41,350 does not include the optional range extender (nearly $4000 more), which, depending on conditions, driving style, etc., can extend the i3’s range by 12-24% above standard range of 70-110 miles by utilizing a small engine (which runs on gasoline) that recharges the battery for you while driving. The i3 isn’t a pig; it can dart from 0-60mph in seven seconds but may defeat the purpose of squeezing the most life from the lithium-ion batteries. And when depleted, the i3 can be fully re-charged in 3.5 hour by BMW’s at-home charger (provided it’s hooked up to a 240-volt, 30-amp outlet). And don’t forget about your $7500 tax incentive for buying an electric vehicle!

BMW i3 wall charger

But how does it drive???

To answer that, I set an appointment with my local BMW dealer: BMW of Minnetonka (Minnesota). A fresh, new building, BMW of Minnetonka is quite intimidating; it looks more like an upscale office park than a car dealership. The show floor spans multiple levels, as does the indoor parking ramp. The facility, which opened in 2010, is four times larger its former home. It’s posh; I mean, how often do you seen an escalator at a dealership? For me, it was a first.

BMW of Minnetonka (MN)

My contact for my test drive was sales associate Andre Prasad. We started by taking the tour of the i3 on the show floor. He showed me the cool-looking fast charger (wall-mounted) as well as a nifty trick about the charger gun. Once plugged into the i3, if the vehicle is locked, it locks the electro-gas pump as well, meaning no one can come by and unplug (or steal) your charger. Cool!

I won’t deny the styling is….unique. If pressed, I’d say I like it very much for a cool, little eco-car. It’s definitely unlike any BMW I’ve seen (aforementioned BMW i8 aside). BMW’s classic dual kidney grills are spiced up with cool-blue accents, as is the sunken BMW logo on the hood. Multi-color body panels really set apart the i3 from not only any other electric vehicle but every other car, period. The i3 is compact, but not small. Yes, cargo volume is limited, but seating four adults is problem-free; my 6’2” frame easily slipped into the rear seats, thanks in part to the i3’s suicide doors. I could totally see this vehicle driven by patrolling storm troopers in the next Star Wars movie.

BMW i3 drive selector (i.e. the shifter)

The interior is as much a tribute to the future as it is to eco-sensitive tree-huggers (I’m being as nice as I can possibly be). Materials used are 100% recycled; from the upholstery to the plastics, it’s as guilt-free a car as it could be. Also of note is the German factory where the i3 is built, which is powered entirely by four wind turbines. This is important to know because the interior, which is nicely put together and pleasing to the eye, would appear cut-rate if you weren’t learned in the origination of its materials. It’s not a turn-off, certainly not to those who take their carbon footprint seriously. Fit and finish is on par with the rest of the brand, and cool do-dads include two tablet-looking screens that account for all dashboard info, from speedometer and electric reserves (fuel) to radio, HVAC, and other miscellaneous notifications and monitoring data. The seats are sportingly comfy, and adjust via manual controls only. Power seat controls add weight, and are appropriately absent in the i3. Opening the doors will reveal part of that impressive LifeDrive module made of carbon fiber visible in the door jambs. Are you rolling your eyes? Well, don’t; aside from significant weight savings (the i3 weighs just over 3000 pounds), BMW has invested $10 billion (that’s billion with a “B”) in the technology of fabricating and applying this light-weight and extremely strong material for future applications outside of electric cars.

Carbon Fiber LifeDrive frame is clearly visible in the door jambs

Driving impressions are not unlike the Tesla Model S I drove (but that’s another story). Of course, there is no noise. One simply goes. Using the steering column stalk, you select “D” for drive and take off. The i3 uses aggressive regenerative braking when throttle is absent. How does this affect the driving experience? The moment you lift off the gas, the i3 virtually begins to brake on its own. Think of it like coasting with a 30-foot boat hitched to your bumper. This coasting will bring the car to a halt pretty quickly. If I were an i3 owner I could easily see myself adopting a driving habit in which I barely ever use the brake pedal. Acceleration is brisk. I easily overtook another motorist three car-lengths ahead of me by darting over into the carpool lane with Andre and zipping onto the freeway. Don’t let the electric-powered, mini-BMW profile fool you; you won’t be left wanting more zoom-zoom for a car this size. Noise is isolated but not eradicated. Since there’s no engine note your ears will focus more on the sounds of the road you’re on. There’s one other noise to note, but it’s a fun one. While coasting, the sound of the regenerative braking makes a wooo-wooo-wooo-wooo sound, as if a UFO were hovering over you. It’s not loud, but it’s there. The ride is otherwise compliant and comfortable. There’s plenty room in the cabin and of course the modern convenience of cruise control and navigation are ready at the helm.

BMW i3's suicide doors offer easy ingress/egress for rear passengers

But would I buy one? I asked myself the same question after taking the Tesla Model S for a spin. No, I don’t think so. When your all-time favorite car is a smog-blasting Ferrari 288 GTO with 400 angry Italian horses under the hood, the i3 can’t help but represent the last thing on earth you’d own. But my predilections aren’t that black and white. For one, I find the BMW i3 surprisingly affordable. Or maybe I mean that I expected it to be a lot more expensive than it is. For $41K, it’s nearly $30k cheaper than an entry level Tesla Model S. No, the two are not really comparable, other than both being full electric cars. I like the i3’s optional range extender, which means you don’t really need to stick too close to home, though you will need a gas station every 100 miles. The i3 isn’t beautiful, but neither can you ignore it (the cross-shopped Nissan Leaf electric car is hopelessly unattractive). What you also can’t ignore is the fact that current electricity rates (nation-wide average) equate to costing $.01 per mile in an electric car vs. $.14 per mile in a gas-engine car. Whether you charge at home, at the office, or anywhere else (many places for free, currently), re-charging instead of fueling will save you big bucks. And no, I’m not going to get into the argument of government subsidies and true-cost analysis and the like.

For me, the (current) bottom line is that for all their technology and pollution-free attributes, electric cars are simply not as versatile as their gasoline counterparts in terms of freedom. The day I drove the BMW i3 I ended up driving my Nissan Altima over 100 miles. The i3 would’ve needed a re-charge by then (sans a range-extender). The Nissan still had 2/3 of a tank left. That doesn’t mean I think the i3 is a bad idea. It represents an amazing ideal that’s been amazingly executed; it’s just not my ideal. But it could be yours; and if it were, I’d probably be a little jealous.

PS: A word of thanks

I want to thank my sales associate, Andre Prasad of BMW Minnetonka. I’ve literally driven thousands of cars, and worked at four different dealerships in my day, so I know a good sales associate when I see one. Andre was very professional, friendly, courteous and knowledgeable; a consummate assembly of traits that makes a salesperson pleasant to work with. While I don’t see myself with the necessary means of ever owning a BMW, should that status ever change, I’ll be going back to BMW of Minnetonka to visit my friend, Andre. Thank you for taking the time to show me what the future of the automobile is!