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The i3 is ugly, but it's a lot of fun to drive. The only reason I don't own one is that it doesn't have enough range. I make 120-mile trips fairly frequently an

The i3 is ugly, but it's a lot of fun to drive. The only reason I don't own one is that it doesn't have enough range. I make 120-mile trips fairly frequently and it's just not practical for that.

varjag 10y ago
It's not really any more fun to drive than every other EV in this class (KIA Soul, Nissan Leaf, VW E-Golf). However it costs more and is really spartan inside.
- jeff_petersen 10y ago
  I've not tried the Kia or the VW, but I enjoyed it a lot better than the Leaf and found the interior to be nicer. It may be spartan in how it looks, but a great deal more thought was put into the layout than in the Leaf.
  - varjag 10y ago
    My only complaint with Leaf really is that it has more torque than its bobbly chassis can handle. Traction control has to kick in way too often if you are not accelerating carefully. The i3 interior is.. bizarre. Two tablets in a plywood holder? But I guess it can have its own novelty appeal. Still I'd suggest the electric Mercedes over this, if one gravitates towards premium German makers. Just my two cents.
- lagadu 10y ago
  For me it is. Where I live there are multiple EV car-sharing services so I got to try them all: between the i3, the leaf and the renault zoe the i3 is by far the nicest to drive and most fun to be in, in my experience. Zoe is also nicer than the leaf, though underpowered. I'm really into the i3's interior though: the steering wheel and the screen just look like they're floating and the dashboard looks so sleek.
  - geoka9 10y ago
    > there are multiple EV car-sharing services Where's that?
    - lagadu 10y ago
      In Copenhagen we have: letsgo.dk, gomore.dk, drive-now.dk (the latter also exists around Europe). I've never used Gomore though; it's the other two how I got to try the cars. edit: I should mention that gomore isn't EV exclusive, drive now is EV exclusive here though.
blub 10y ago
Also looking at an i3, and it looks like the range is too small for me. I think the new models have about 300km/186mi (ideal conditions probably), but for a vacation one would need at least 500km IMO.
nl 10y ago
I think it is worth noting that the e90 3-series was considered incredibly ugly when it was released. I find it difficult to imagine how the i3 could ever be viewed as a pretty car, but they have some history in picking trends.

The i3 is ugly, but it's a lot of fun to drive. The only reason I don't own one is that it doesn't have enough range. I make 120-mile trips fairly frequently and it's just not practical for that.

varjag 10y ago

It's not really any more fun to drive than every other EV in this class (KIA Soul, Nissan Leaf, VW E-Golf). However it costs more and is really spartan inside.

jeff_petersen 10y ago
I've not tried the Kia or the VW, but I enjoyed it a lot better than the Leaf and found the interior to be nicer. It may be spartan in how it looks, but a great deal more thought was put into the layout than in the Leaf.
- varjag 10y ago
  My only complaint with Leaf really is that it has more torque than its bobbly chassis can handle. Traction control has to kick in way too often if you are not accelerating carefully. The i3 interior is.. bizarre. Two tablets in a plywood holder? But I guess it can have its own novelty appeal. Still I'd suggest the electric Mercedes over this, if one gravitates towards premium German makers. Just my two cents.
lagadu 10y ago
For me it is. Where I live there are multiple EV car-sharing services so I got to try them all: between the i3, the leaf and the renault zoe the i3 is by far the nicest to drive and most fun to be in, in my experience. Zoe is also nicer than the leaf, though underpowered. I'm really into the i3's interior though: the steering wheel and the screen just look like they're floating and the dashboard looks so sleek.
- geoka9 10y ago
  > there are multiple EV car-sharing services Where's that?
  - lagadu 10y ago
    In Copenhagen we have: letsgo.dk, gomore.dk, drive-now.dk (the latter also exists around Europe). I've never used Gomore though; it's the other two how I got to try the cars. edit: I should mention that gomore isn't EV exclusive, drive now is EV exclusive here though.

blub 10y ago

Also looking at an i3, and it looks like the range is too small for me. I think the new models have about 300km/186mi (ideal conditions probably), but for a vacation one would need at least 500km IMO.

nl 10y ago

I think it is worth noting that the e90 3-series was considered incredibly ugly when it was released. I find it difficult to imagine how the i3 could ever be viewed as a pretty car, but they have some history in picking trends.