ELECTRIC BIMMER GETS SPORTY TWIN
BMW’s i3s REX tuned to deliver the kind of performance drivers have come to expect from German automaker
Since its debut a little over five years ago, the BMW i3 has been a spirited sales performer for the German automaker, ranking as the third best-selling all-electric vehicle in history, and the planet’s best-selling EV in the premium segment.
Of course, ‘all-electric’ is a bit of a misnomer in the case of the REX models — or those equipped with the range-extending, two-cylinder gasoline engine — that are included in that overall sales figure. That said, the 38-horsepower engine is on board to charge up the batteries when they run low, not power the wheels directly, so the i3 REX models do have many of the attributes of a pure EV. And with 2018 models boasting an all-electric range of around 160 kilometres, if used as an urban runabout — which is its design intention — that combustion engine could sit idle for weeks.
That proved the case for my weeklong road test of the 2018 i3s REX, the all-new sport model to join the base i3 in the BMW i stable. As soon as I hit the go button on the B-segment hatchback, a warning flashed on the dash indicating that the gasoline engine would soon fire up on its own as it had not run for a while and needed to do so to circulate fuel in its 8.7-litre tank. As it would turn out after a week of silently zipping around Metro Vancouver, it was the only time the engine came to life.
Before getting into how the new sport model differs from the base model — on the spec sheet and on the road — let’s get the i3’s proverbial elephant in the room out of the way. Every time I have driven an i3, invariably a BMW owner approaches me offering a similar refrain: “I love the idea of an electric BMW, but how could a company that makes such beautiful cars come up with this?” Yes, the polarizing looks of the i3, and now the i3s, continue to dog the otherwise remarkable little car.
One longtime Bimmer owner did concede, “At least it’s rear-wheel drive.”
It is indeed, and when behind the wheel of the i3, and particularly the i3s, you get many of the same handling and performance attributes that have made the German vehicles legendary. It’s got sharp steering, tight suspension and a first-rate EV powertrain that provides quick acceleration and precise regenerative braking thresholds, that when mastered allow for the kind of ‘one-pedal-driving’ that is all the rage in the EV segment these days.
So, how does this sport model differ from the base i3?
Well, mechanically it’s more powerful and more dynamic. And esthetically it flexes a sportier persona. On that latter note, contour tweaks to the front and rear aprons set the ‘s’ apart, as do black, blue and grey accent finishes on the front fascia, the signature BMW kidney grille, the roof line and the A-pillars. That new sports suspension drops the height of the ‘s’ by 10 millimetres, while the black wheel arch mouldings’ emphasize an increase of 40 millimetres track width.
Setting the inside of ‘s’ model apart are available seat belts in BMW iBlue, along with different colour schemes on the dash and seats. What the ‘s’ cabin does share with the base model is a commitment to sustainability, with over 80 per cent of the surfaces visible to the passengers are made from recycled materials or renewable resources. In addition, like the base version, occupants in the ‘s’ cabin benefit from the roominess created by the lack of fixed B-pillars and transmission tunnel.
But as with all BMW sport models, the real business takes place under the skin.
The all-new high-output electric motor generates 184 horsepower and a peak torque of 199 lbs.-ft — 14 and 15 more respectively than i3 — and its updated drive system features modified motor control and specific taper roller bearings, which have been utilized to optimize power delivery and the performance curve at higher rpm, an improvement of up to 40 per cent over the i3. This makes the driving dynamics and enhanced eDriving abilities really come into their own at higher engine speeds. That aforementioned suspension upgrade includes specially developed springs, dampers and anti-roll bars. Harnessing that full potential is achieved by selecting Sport mode, providing more direct accelerator response and tighter steering characteristics.
These sport enhancements spirit the i3s from a full stop to 100 km/ h in 6.8 seconds, a full half-second quicker than the i3. Top speed is 160 km/h, 10 more than the base version.
One final thought on the looks of the i3s. Don’t be surprised that if in the next half-decade the i3 lineup disappears all together from the BMW product list. With the reveal of the Concept iX3 in April at the Beijing Motor Show, the company signalled clear intentions to begin migrating its proven electric powertrains into more traditional-looking platforms, in this case a luxury sport crossover. No doubt plans are on the drafting boards in Munich HQ for a 3-series EV.
Love it or hate it, the i3, and now the i3s, will have played a major role in that transition, and I’m guessing will go down in history as very important, if not the sexiest, vehicles in the 21st century evolution of Bayerische Motoren Werke.