BMW i3 Driving Event

"Flat Six" (flat-six) 03/27/2014 at 11:11 • Filed to: Bimmer, Electric, Tesla

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Yesterday I stopped by BMW for a BMW i3 driving "event". It was not a big hoopla although they did have !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! white hors d'oeuvre trays. There weren't any DJ curated spotify playlists or blue LED illuminated warehouses though.

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I drove a silver "Giga World" trim. Pictures below are from an adjacent "Tera World" trim. The inside looked great, much better than pictures on the web. BMW used interesting materials with contrasting textures that you must see in person to appreciate. I especially liked the weird molded hemp panels and dashboard.

Dash had lovely stitching, with lots of fascinating swoopy curves:

The central swoop is big enough to be functional. It would be a convenient place for sunglasses, parking stubs, etc... The navigation screen was big and bright.

The steering wheel was a little synthetic and squishy for my tastes:

I only got to drive for a couple of miles so I won't pretend to review it. I'll say that the ride is very Tesla-like at a much lower price. You get that great electric torque and acceleration, as well as the low center of mass. You also get the strange "one-pedal driving" style where the car rapidly slows down as soon as you take your foot off the accelerator; you don't use the brakes very much. One thing I did not like were the convex side view mirrors which hurt my eyes. I don't know if those are standard but I hate them. Otherwise the car has good visibility.

On style alone, there is no way I would get a Leaf or Volt over this, and it is quite a bit cheaper than a Tesla.

On my way out they gave me some sort of hemp/burlap tote bag that smells like an antique store:

jariten1781 > Flat Six 03/27/2014 at 11:18

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Convex drivers side mirrors are not US DOT approved so at least that one will be swapped out.

Burrito de EJ25 > Flat Six 03/27/2014 at 11:20

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I think the inside of this thing looks fantastic.

CAR_IS_MI > Flat Six 03/27/2014 at 11:22

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So what all does this display?

Flat Six > CAR_IS_MI 03/27/2014 at 11:28

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Speed, range, charge cycle, etc... I think it is configurable. Something like this (not my picture):

No RPM unfortunately :)

Flat Six > Burrito de EJ25 03/27/2014 at 11:44

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Me too. It was comfortable too; I didn't want to get out :)

Flat Six > jariten1781 03/27/2014 at 11:45

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Good I hope they are not the future

Textured Soy Protein > Flat Six 03/27/2014 at 12:20

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Well if there were cupcakes, now I have to buy an i3.

I wonder if my local BMW dealer will be holding one of these events for previous buyers like, ahem, me.

Flat Six > Textured Soy Protein 03/27/2014 at 17:21

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I think it depends what market you are in: "The American market launch will only include Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, San Diego, Austin and New York City, plus the suburban areas of New Jersey and Connecticut"

Textured Soy Protein > Flat Six 03/27/2014 at 17:45

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Yeah I'm in Madison, WI. Which has plenty of granola eating, tote bag carrying, public radio listening people who drive tons of Priuses, Leafs, Smarts, and Volts. But it's only like 250k people.

Surprised Chicago and DC aren't on that list though.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > Flat Six 03/27/2014 at 19:28

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I like it alot! It's like the modern version of Geoff. I knew the guys at top gear were on to something.

I would totally drive one of these with the REX

Flat Six > Luc - The Acadian Oppo 03/27/2014 at 20:18

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I'm sure the Hammerhead Eagle iThrust was an inspiration :)