7 ms·

My abomination i3 is the best car I’ve ever owned. To each there own, I personally think it looks like it came out of Blade Runner and the only real complaint I

by evo_9 7y ago

My abomination i3 is the best car I’ve ever owned. To each there own, I personally think it looks like it came out of Blade Runner and the only real complaint I have is I wish it were AWD and had wider, less bicycle-like tires.

Ocerge 7y ago
I can't provide a source right now, maybe Matt Farah, but I've always heard i3s are of extremely high quality. Perhaps people like to project their range anxiety onto the rest of the vehicle?
- nvrspyx 7y ago
  I can’t speak for everyone, but it’s not so much the quality that puts me off, it’s the appearance. I personally think it’s ugly and there’s way too much “noise” in its aesthetics, for lack of a better term. But as the previous commenter said, to each their own. I’m sure it’s a fine car. It’s just not the aesthetic I’d go for, especially as far as BMWs go.
  - turk73 7y ago
    I know circuses are pretty much a thing of the past, but the i3 would fit right in at one. I always just figured that people who buy EVs really want everyone else to know it.
- evo_9 7y ago
  It really is. The entire body is carbon fiber. We had a major hailstorm about a year back and it trashed everyone's car except mine at my office. No damage. I also had a joker run a light and clip my left-rear quarter panel - moving me about 1.5 feet in the process - also no damage. I'm actually leasing mine and plan on buying one used. You can find them for sub-25k and quite honestly it's one of the best values EV-wise you can find.
mstade 7y ago
I’m sure it’s a great car but man it looks terrible, and I’m willing to bet a lot of consumers are just as vain as I am. It is of course just my opinion, and as you say: to each their own. I’m glad you like your car, but if I was to buy an EV I want it to look like a regular car – not like something out of blade runner.
- rhizome 7y ago
  Personally, it looks great if you think man-made stuff should look man-made.
  - chronic7382 7y ago
    Since we're playing this game, the BMW i3 looks bad to me.
    - rhizome 7y ago
      Of course not everything "interesting and/or unusual" is good design, but in this case I think it holds.
blattimwind 7y ago
Is electric AWD more like a low-end AWD (like Haldex) or can it actually compete with quattro?
- kozak 7y ago
  With fully independent powertrains for both alxes (and potentially, for each of four wheels), electric AWD is potentially better that anything that mechanical AWD can offer. I say "potentially" because one can always screw it up with bad (or poorly tuned) software.
maxsilver 7y ago
> I wish it (had) less bicycle-like tires. Agree completely. I absolutely love the i3 (especially the futuristic design, and the rex engineering), and was going to try to get one at some point -- until I discovered the bicycle tires. I'm not sure it's even safe to drive on US roads with tires like that. Did BMW forget that potholes are a thing?
- zwily 7y ago
  My bro-in-law had one and liked it, then moved to Nebraska. First snowfall they had to get rid of it - it was terrible on anything slippery.
  - injb 7y ago
    Then he had the wrong tires, guaranteed.
    - akmarinov 7y ago
      Exactly - bicycle tires.
      - javagram 7y ago
        Perhaps the parent meant to suggest https://www.bmwblog.com/2015/04/04/bmw-i3-winter-tires-review-bridgestone-blizzak-lm-500-vs-nokian-hakkapelitta-r2/ https://www.bmwblog.com/2015/04/04/bmw-i3-winter-tires-revie... for the winter. At least according to that review, using the winter tires would have been better in the snow. Of course if you’d rather run all-weather tires without the hassle of changing from summer to winter tires, it seems like the i3 is a bad choice.
        untangle 7y ago
        The 19" tire is "All Season" rated. The 20" performance tire is "Summer Only." So if you want an i3 "without the hassle" you simply get one with the more-common 19" wheels.
mwfunk 7y ago
Just to be clear, I do think the i3 and cars like them have a place in the market, and kudos to BMW for getting outside of its comfort zone and shipping something new that has found an audience. However, if I were running BMW (and it's surely best for everyone that I'm not), I wouldn't want the i3 to be the core of my EV business. The day-to-day bread-and-butter EVs should target the same demographic sweet spots as BMW's gas guzzlers: expensive but not too expensive, comfortable, attractive, high-performance vehicles with (at least perceived) consistently high quality for components, engineering, innovation, and some combination of classy design and sporty sexiness. People can argue whether or not they've ever consistently nailed all or any of those marks, but at the very least, that is the niche that BMW aspires to be in in the auto industry, and the niche it has had the most success in occupying. BMW has had great success making a certain type of motorcycle and certain types of cars, and I've got to think they'd have great success making a certain type of EV if they fearlessly applied themselves to doing it. Maybe they've realized their mistakes and are doing that now, who knows, but they're years behind where I wish they were. :( I still think they can catch up as long as they've at least gotten their vision together by now.
sunstone 7y ago
Yes that's the problem with electrics, even when they try to make them unappealing people still love them.

by evo_9 7y ago

Ocerge 7y ago

I can't provide a source right now, maybe Matt Farah, but I've always heard i3s are of extremely high quality. Perhaps people like to project their range anxiety onto the rest of the vehicle?

nvrspyx 7y ago
I can’t speak for everyone, but it’s not so much the quality that puts me off, it’s the appearance. I personally think it’s ugly and there’s way too much “noise” in its aesthetics, for lack of a better term. But as the previous commenter said, to each their own. I’m sure it’s a fine car. It’s just not the aesthetic I’d go for, especially as far as BMWs go.
- turk73 7y ago
  I know circuses are pretty much a thing of the past, but the i3 would fit right in at one. I always just figured that people who buy EVs really want everyone else to know it.
evo_9 7y ago
It really is. The entire body is carbon fiber. We had a major hailstorm about a year back and it trashed everyone's car except mine at my office. No damage. I also had a joker run a light and clip my left-rear quarter panel - moving me about 1.5 feet in the process - also no damage. I'm actually leasing mine and plan on buying one used. You can find them for sub-25k and quite honestly it's one of the best values EV-wise you can find.

mstade 7y ago

I’m sure it’s a great car but man it looks terrible, and I’m willing to bet a lot of consumers are just as vain as I am. It is of course just my opinion, and as you say: to each their own. I’m glad you like your car, but if I was to buy an EV I want it to look like a regular car – not like something out of blade runner.

rhizome 7y ago
Personally, it looks great if you think man-made stuff should look man-made.
- chronic7382 7y ago
  Since we're playing this game, the BMW i3 looks bad to me.
  - rhizome 7y ago
    Of course not everything "interesting and/or unusual" is good design, but in this case I think it holds.

blattimwind 7y ago

Is electric AWD more like a low-end AWD (like Haldex) or can it actually compete with quattro?

kozak 7y ago
With fully independent powertrains for both alxes (and potentially, for each of four wheels), electric AWD is potentially better that anything that mechanical AWD can offer. I say "potentially" because one can always screw it up with bad (or poorly tuned) software.

maxsilver 7y ago

> I wish it (had) less bicycle-like tires. Agree completely. I absolutely love the i3 (especially the futuristic design, and the rex engineering), and was going to try to get one at some point -- until I discovered the bicycle tires. I'm not sure it's even safe to drive on US roads with tires like that. Did BMW forget that potholes are a thing?

zwily 7y ago
My bro-in-law had one and liked it, then moved to Nebraska. First snowfall they had to get rid of it - it was terrible on anything slippery.
- injb 7y ago
  Then he had the wrong tires, guaranteed.
  - akmarinov 7y ago
    Exactly - bicycle tires.
    - javagram 7y ago
      Perhaps the parent meant to suggest https://www.bmwblog.com/2015/04/04/bmw-i3-winter-tires-review-bridgestone-blizzak-lm-500-vs-nokian-hakkapelitta-r2/ https://www.bmwblog.com/2015/04/04/bmw-i3-winter-tires-revie... for the winter. At least according to that review, using the winter tires would have been better in the snow. Of course if you’d rather run all-weather tires without the hassle of changing from summer to winter tires, it seems like the i3 is a bad choice.
      - untangle 7y ago
        The 19" tire is "All Season" rated. The 20" performance tire is "Summer Only." So if you want an i3 "without the hassle" you simply get one with the more-common 19" wheels.

mwfunk 7y ago

Just to be clear, I do think the i3 and cars like them have a place in the market, and kudos to BMW for getting outside of its comfort zone and shipping something new that has found an audience. However, if I were running BMW (and it's surely best for everyone that I'm not), I wouldn't want the i3 to be the core of my EV business. The day-to-day bread-and-butter EVs should target the same demographic sweet spots as BMW's gas guzzlers: expensive but not too expensive, comfortable, attractive, high-performance vehicles with (at least perceived) consistently high quality for components, engineering, innovation, and some combination of classy design and sporty sexiness. People can argue whether or not they've ever consistently nailed all or any of those marks, but at the very least, that is the niche that BMW aspires to be in in the auto industry, and the niche it has had the most success in occupying. BMW has had great success making a certain type of motorcycle and certain types of cars, and I've got to think they'd have great success making a certain type of EV if they fearlessly applied themselves to doing it. Maybe they've realized their mistakes and are doing that now, who knows, but they're years behind where I wish they were. :( I still think they can catch up as long as they've at least gotten their vision together by now.

sunstone 7y ago

Yes that's the problem with electrics, even when they try to make them unappealing people still love them.