QUICK, CLEVER, SMOOTH AND REFINED
BMW’s electric i3 proves your drive can be fun and frugal at the same time
We are now halfway through our 60-day test drive of the new 2015 BMW i3 plug-in electric vehicle equipped with the range extender, a two-cylinder gas engine. So far, it has been all too easy to geek out about driving one of the most technically advanced vehicles you can buy starting under $50,000, with its lightweight carbon fibre/aluminum chassis and powerful electric powertrain.
However, after the initial behaviour adjustments required for driving any range-limited plug-in electric vehicle (up to 230 kilometres for the BMW i3 with Range Extender), we thought it would be best to don our more objective toques. We wanted to assess the i3 on its merits as a compact urban vehicle first — what it is like to drive, to be driven in, buy groceries with, park in tight spots or take the dog to the vet in — and as a technical wunderkind second.
One aspect we think other cars need to copy is the i3’s cabin design. As we mentioned in our first instalment, the four-door, four-passenger i3 hatchback’s interior is not only nothing like any other vehicle from the German automaker (save for the equally futuristic i8), but also unlike anything else on the road.
The BMW i3 compared to its rivals, the Chevrolet Volt, Ford Focus Electric, Nissan Leaf and the plug-in Toyota Prius, is like the contrast between having an architect design your home or buying a tract house. The cabin of the BMW i3 feels intelligent, is user-friendly and makes good use of a small space, and the BMW’s stylish and functional interior helps justify its $47,395 luxurycar starting price.
From the i3’s firm-yet-supportive driver’s seat, you sit relatively tall, with the front windshield screen set far ahead. BMW designers have eschewed any kind of traditional round-dial driver instrumentation. Instead, there’s a rectangular digital screen ahead of the driver. Most other functions are found on an even larger 6.5-inch touch screen display in the middle of the dash. The limited number of dials and knobs for audio and climate control feel up to the regular high-quality standards you would expect in this price range.
As we found in our first few days, the i3’s carbon-fibre upper body allows for thinner-than-normal roof pillars. That means more glass, which gives excellent external visibility. Unlike in a lot of small crossovers, you really don’t need the i3’s rear-view camera to back into a parking spot.
At first, the i3’s column-mounted PRND gear shifter garnered some strange responses. It didn’t help that to get Drive you have to twist forward and to get Reverse you twist backward. It seemed counter-intuitive at first, but like most new gear interfaces, after a few days we never had a problem going in the proper direction.
The column-mounted shifter and lack of central drivetrain tunnel also free up appreciated space between the front seats, creating an open area below the central dash that’s perfect for tossing knapsacks or purses.
The i3’s unique construction also eliminates any B pillars, which prompted BMW to create clamshell doors. In most instances, the design works. Once the front door is open, the back door opens almost perpendicular from the rear hinge. Mated with the light, thin and easy-to-tilt front seats, it makes for easy access for your dog or children to climb in. However, the front doors have to open first before the rear doors can, so if your kids in the back are too young or too small to reach the front door inner handles on their own, you’re on the hook to get out of the car and open the front door.
The i3’s rear-seat area offers plenty of headroom and legroom. I’m nearly six feet tall and had no problem sitting back there with the front seat adjusted for someone my size. That said, compared to other front-wheel-drive and front-engined compacts, the i3’s rear-mounted powertrain eats up valuable rear cargo room. The BMW’s 334 litres of space behind the back seats is greater than what you’ll find in the Focus Electric, but almost half that in a Prius Plug-in.
The other area the BMW i3 Range Extender performs like a premium car is in the way it drives. For the majority of the time, it is easy to forget that electrons and not fossil fuel are powering the compact hatch.
Subjectively, acceleration from the BMW’s single-gear directdrive transmission is smooth and serenely quiet, with the electric motor’s 184 pound-feet of torque giving a good shove in your back. As you may have figured out by now, though, the BMW has a distinct power-to-weight advantage over its mainstream rivals. The i3 we are testing takes only 7.9 seconds to go from a standstill to 100 km/h, which is about two seconds quicker than the 10-second club of other electric compacts and only 0.4 seconds slower than a gas-powered BMW 320i.
We found ourselves constantly taking advantage of the i3’s trio of Comfort, Eco Pro and Eco Pro+ driving modes — accessed via a toggle switch between the front seats — to maximize our precious on-board battery power.
For said acceleration runs and highway driving, where the electric BMW happily keeps up with 120 km/h drivers on four-lane highways, we’d use Comfort. To save a few kilowatts per hour, Eco Pro limited the vehicle top speed to 130 km/h and for strictly urban driving. Eco Pro+ blows only unconditioned exterior air and caps the vehicle’s top speed to 90 km/h — admittedly, a mode we avoided during some recent 30-plus degree Celsius summer weather.
Of course, being a BMW and sending its power to its rear wheels subjects the small electric car to some lofty ride and handling expectations and for the most part, it behaves accordingly. Although it sends its power to its rear wheels only, tire-squealing burnouts and parking-lot doughnuts are not part of the i3’s driving repertoire.
Keen drivers will like the i3’s steering because it is heavier than most front-wheel-drive compacts. In town, the short car feels nimble in tight turns but the steering feels a bit darty out on the highway, with lane changes happening quicker than expected. However, one area traditional BMW drivers will feel familiar with is the i3’s ride. Like many BMWs with optional sport suspensions and low-profile tires, the i3 feels firm — all the time.
While its handling and steering are relatively traditional, the i3’s braking action is not. Because the i3’s regenerative braking system converts kinetic energy into electricity to recharge its batteries, as soon as you release the throttle, the brakes begin to engage — whether your foot has touched the brake pedal or not.
In use, the i3’s regen brakes can decelerate so quickly the car can slow all the way to a stop. At first, the feeling is jarring, but when under 60 km/h or so, I found I was essentially driving with only one foot; I kept it on the accelerator and let the grab brake system slow the vehicle down at stoplights and corners.
Putting down the BMW’s plug for a minute, what’s the verdict on the compact when graded purely as day-to-day urban transportation? Well, aside from its distinctive braking behaviour, the range-extending BMW i3 is a standout. For starters, the roomy, stylish and functional interior is much more relaxing to be in than the typical compact car. And if your trip length is within the BMW’s electric driving range, the drive can be both entertaining and frugal at the same time.