Practical experience BMW i3: This is what owners think of their electric pioneer

Initially, BMW offered a choice of two battery packs with 60 Ah (approximately 22 kWh) and from 2016 94 Ah (approximately 33 kWh) capacity. At the end of 2018, a version with 120 Ah, about 42 kWh, appeared. And although the i3 was basically designed as an electric car, it was one cheat code. As an option you could choose the BMW i3 REx, with a compact two-cylinder petrol engine from Kymco that serves as a range extender. Although this version seemed interesting, it disappeared from the scene in 2018 – apparently it was range anxiety less of a problem than previously assumed.

Space, seating comfort and ‘suicide doors’

The BMW i3 was designed as an EV from the start, which sometimes results in remarkably spacious cars. Speaking of striking, so do the ‘wrong way’ hinged rear doors. “The suicide doors are sometimes awkward in the parking lot, especially when people find it necessary to park their car almost tightly against yours for no reason,” notes the owner of no fewer than two BMW i3s (and an Aston Martin). “As a result, the entry to the rear is an immensely large gap, which is nice! You can also sit in the back as an adult, but we have two highchairs. Children are fine, with a good view outside.” The customer review has been automatically translated from Dutch. And the trunk? “In the back there is room for one large suitcase and some small stuff. Or two Jumbo crates and some space. Neatly shielded with a parcel shelf.”

The special doors therefore have their pros and cons, as this owner also experiences. “The rear doors are a disadvantage: As nice as it is from a design point of view, it is just too much of a hassle to properly open the rear doors when parking if someone is parked next to you.”

The effective space is therefore a must, although BMW has also worked on the space perception. “How spacious it is inside when you are behind the wheel. You wouldn’t think it’s just a 4-meter city car,” says the owner of an i3 94Ah from 2018. “I think it’s nice and spacious and I’m fine with my 1.90 meters. The seats are not even in the rearmost position. Steering wheel adjustment, seat high/low, tilt, etc., but not electrically. And if I adjust the driver’s seat to my height, I can still take a seat in the back seat myself, without too much hassle.” The owner of an i3 with the largest battery pack goes into more detail: “As an adult in the back, you sit a bit upright. Can be done, but longer rides in the back as an adult are not very nice. Anyway, that hardly ever happens with us”, is the perspective. And the front seats? “The thin seats are surprisingly comfortable, even over long distances,” writes an i3s driver enthusiastically.

How does one experience driving the BMW i3?

The BMW i3 was intended by its makers as a city car, but given its price it is not surprising that buyers also use it for other journeys. “Driving an electric car is extremely intuitive and direct. Gas means accelerating, releasing braking. Always torque, never shift moments. This is extremely suitable for traffic jams and city traffic, the i3 is also designed for that,” writes the owner of a fairly early i3 with the smallest battery pack. “We also make long journeys by car, for speeds higher than 110 km/h I don’t find the car comfortable. Then wind and tire noise becomes clearly audible and the car is also restless and sensitive to crosswinds,” he describes. The owner of a 2013 copy experiences the same, although it could be a bit faster there: “The car drives well up to speeds of 130 km/h. After that – even with light wind – it becomes somewhat unsteady. You can only drive it at 150 km/h when it is completely windless. A certain degree of unsteadiness also occurs when approaching the maximum speeds (90 km/h, 130 km/h) of the two economical driving modes (Eco Pro Plus and Eco Pro). That feels annoying.”

Judging by these reviews, you might already reject the i3, but there are many positive reactions to it. “I still enjoy the dynamic qualities every day,” says the owner of a somewhat sportier BMW i3s. He continues: “And the i3 also proves to be comfortable to drive, despite the low-profile 20-inchers. At most, it behaves a bit ‘jumpy’ on short successive bumps, but that is unavoidable with a length of barely 4 meters and ditto wheelbase.” It does not alter the fact that this driver also mentions the sensitivity to wind as a disadvantage.

Another i3s rider starts with different aspects. “From a standstill, it holds back a bit for the first few meters to spare the mechanics, but after that the acceleration is impressive. The response to the accelerator pedal is ultra-direct and downright aggressive in sport mode. Unlike the regular i3, the i3S also pulls smoothly at higher speeds, up to the limiter at 162 km/h.” And driving faster than that? “The i3s also remains stable on the highway, I found the regular i3 rather mediocre on the highway, but it is certainly not a travel limousine, it drives a bit too nervous for that. Consumption is also rising rapidly, partly due to the poor fairing.”

BMW i3: range

Although the driving range of an electric car is now less and less an issue, it still appears to be a point of attention with the i3. To start with the i3 60Ah, with the smallest battery pack: “Sufficient or not depends strongly on use and preparation,” writes the owner. “In addition to the i3, we have another car for long distances. Yet we have also driven distances of more than 250 km with the i3. That requires planning (where is Fastned located on the route) and mental rest (charging 3 times 20 minutes, the children like it). Locally it is of course no problem. I count on a range of 100 km and I always save that, except in severe frost. Sometimes it means that the pace has to be slowed down.”

With the larger 94Ah battery, the range increases considerably, although the cold continues to pose challenges. “In the summer I managed to get up to 255 km out of it,” writes the owner of such a car, “in the winter the bad score is 145 km (2 degrees outside temperature and only highway, the battery does not like that) . The longest ride was from Utrecht to a village above Assen, also in winter. Then I pre-planned a ‘coffee stop’ at a pump with a fast charger, exactly halfway through the ride. After about 18 minutes, the battery is back to 90+ percent.” It will come as no surprise that the version with 120 Ah comes the furthest. Anyone interested in foreign travel stories with the BMW i3 120Ah would do well to read this review.

Finally, there is of course the BMW i3 with range extender, of which the owner writes: “After 2 years of service, I can say that the REx really takes the i3 to another level in terms of usability: You have the advantages of electric driving, but then without the restrictions: you do not have to plan or charge if that is not possible or does not fit… Without the range anxiety you can use the full electric range, because there is always a plan B. No matter how large the range is, there will be there are always journeys where that is not enough. Otherwise I would never take the i3s for extended family rides.”

Maintenance, malfunctions and irritations

BMW has done its best on the i3, according to the experiences of drivers. They report no structural problems, although the owner of a 2016 copy reports peeling plastic. One driver stranded with an empty 12V battery, although he indicates that it is a known problem. In a 2018 i3s, the steering rack was replaced due to ‘sticky steering’: “The steering wheel no longer centered properly, resulting in poor straight-line stability. This was remedied by the dealer (two days of work in which the entire steering rack was replaced), fortunately under warranty).” A more common annoyance relates to the adaptive cruise control, as the next owner describes: “The adaptive cruise control does not work with radar waves, but with only 1 camera, and always fails in backlighting.”

Based on user experiences, the i3 is not a car for everyone. The idiosyncratic design choices have an effect on daily usability, although the car appears to be spacious enough in most cases. In the technical field, the i3 barely drops stitches and it drives as one would expect from a BMW, although the strong chassis and crosswind sensitivity detract somewhat from the driving experience. For those who require a large driving range, the i3 with 120Ah battery is actually the only right choice, although it is also worthwhile for a few to opt for the version with range extender. Despite the i3, for the masses, BMW’s renewed, more conventional electric strategy seems to be the better choice.