http://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/nz-autocar/66639030/bmw-i3-review BMW i3 is an impressive bit of kit KYLE CASSIDY February 25 2015
[images / Tom Gasnier http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/3/o/b/1/c/image.related.StuffLandscapeSixteenByNine.620x349.13ob06.png/1424830551975.jpg SMALL WONDER - i3 proved wizard in the tighter confines of the CBD’s shared spaces http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/3/o/b/1/d/image.related.StuffLandscapeSixteenByNine.620x349.13ob06.png/1424830551975.jpg EASY DOES IT – Most BMWs love corners, the i3 not so much http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/3/o/b/1/g/image.related.StuffLandscapeSixteenByNine.620x349.13ob06.png/1424830551975.jpg CITY SLICKER - It looks a bit weird, but is perfect for city environs http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/3/o/b/1/f/image.related.StuffLandscapeSixteenByNine.620x349.13ob06.png/1424830551975.jpg NO B-PILLAR - Rear door opens wide to help ease access to the rear. Plenty of space back there, particularly in the head room department http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/3/o/b/1/h/image.related.StuffLandscapeSixteenByNine.620x349.13ob06.png/1424830551975.jpg NEED TO KNOW - The ‘instrument binnacle’ tells you all you need to know. ] In many ways, the i3 is a more impressive machine than the i8 we drove last month. It follows a similar philosophy to the hybrid sportster with its design and build process but it's a more relevant car. It delivers on the EV ideals with its novel packaging and real world, everyday usability that, while it's designed with some of the biggest cities in the world in mind, is still very relevant in urban areas of little old New Zealand too. While the styling doesn't quite do it for us, we get that function dictates the form but there's just a bit too much of the look-at-me-I'm-different factor for our tastes. The build process is a new take on an old philosophy with a separate chassis housing all the drive bits and bobs, and a body bolted on top, though it's made of carbon reinforced plastics with thermoplastic body panels, and all manner of other recyclable/sustainable materials. Everything is just a little bit different on the i3. The door handles are hinged from the rear for example and open the pillarless portals for the front seat passengers. The rear doors are also rear hinged, like those of a cab-plus ute from the early 2000s. The design is more palatable inside with the flowing dash, the twin spoke steering wheel, and the clever column-mounted gear selector which also incorporates the ignition button as well as making start-up a one-handed affair. The twin LCD displays dominate the dash, the smaller one taking care of the usual 'instrument binnacle' functions. When you're on the go, it only displays what you need to know; speed, distance to empty (on both petrol and electrical reserves for this, the range extender version of the i3), and there's a gauge to show whether you're eating into the power reserves or recharging the battery. And come time to plug in, the estimated time to full recharge is conveniently displayed, as is the likely range too. For what is a complex car, the controls and displays couldn't be simpler. With no mechanicals to accommodate, the cabin space is generous, given the car's overall dimensions. The room in the rear is well considered for a car under four metres in length; it's a genuine four-seater this, with just a little foot space lacking under the front seats. The entry to the rear isn't exactly straightforward; you have to open the front door first, and then the rear one, and it's a bit of hike up into the elevated seating position while you can't wind down the rear window either. But it's the drive experience that impressed us more. The amount of instant, near silent urge on offer is quite amazing. The spec sheet says the motor has 250Nm on tap from the get go, but if BMW said it had 400Nm, we wouldn't query that. It really feels amazingly strong. It's pretty quick off the mark, hitting 50km/h in 3.5sec, but it doesn't run out of steam there, clicking 100 off in the claimed time of 7.9sec. And there's still enough urge left to push you back in the seat as you slip past slower cars. Yes, you can safely overtake in this little milk float without risking your life for too long on the wrong side of the road. The i3 really does crack along, particularly from 50 to 70km/h, which is something to watch in town. When you get off the throttle, the system instantly goes into energy recuperation mode and the retardation is fairly substantial; it's like you've started applying the brakes as the i3 immediately starts slowing. Even when descending a hill a little throttle is required to keep your momentum up. The brake pedal has a very normal feel to it, not that you use it much; lifting off the throttle is enough to slow you down in most situations. Designed primarily as a city car, it's in the urban environment that the i3 works best. The steering is light and quick and the lock is amazing, the turning circle (under 10m) making for easy u-turns and parking too. The i3 can fidget over bumps, it's quite firmly sprung, but BMW probably didn't want it to rock and roll too much we guess. It's stable, not too nervous on its short wheelbase and, predictably, it changes direction quickly but with such skinny rubber upfront, the squeal of understeer is never too far away. The ESP is instantly on the case too, as is traction control should the rear wheels start to spin. So while it is not the most dynamic driving machine ever, it is strangely still quite fun. Could you have it as your only car? I think you could if (there's always an if) you didn't have a pastime or holiday home that required you to travel long distances frequently. But then if you can afford the 80 grand asking price, you probably own another more conventional vehicle anyway, for out of town jaunts. BMW NZ confirms its initial customers have multicar garages. The NZ spec i3 is the range extender version, which adds a 647cc, two-cylinder engine in the rear to generate power when the battery is finally depleted. This removes any 'range anxiety' but we found that if you were to recharge every evening, you shouldn't really need to fire up the petrol engine. We wouldn't have tapped into any fuel reserves during our time with it, but it was low on charge when we collected the vehicle from BMW, and so the range extender had to chime in to get us home. It's a tad noisy. We thought it would be well muffled but it thrums away in the background. At first I thought there was a scooter on my tail, but no, it's just a scooter engine beavering away in the boot. We guess it gives you peace of mind in case you forget to plug it in, or there's a power cut or something equally ridiculous. BMW reckons the EV range is between 120 and 150km, with the extender engine doubling that, so figure on a "full tank" lasting 240-300km, depending on how you drive. With a piffling nine litre fuel capacity, long distance work is really not an option as you'll be hopping from gas station to gas station, and will take forever to get where you're going. The day we spent the most time behind the wheel of the i3, we started with a fully charged battery, the system estimating a range of 112km. We commuted to the office, ran around town for the photo shoot, headed out to the secret test track for the performance testing and we took it on an admittedly much shorter drive loop than usual (given it's a city car and there's only so much understeer you can handle). We totalled 122km that day, with 3kms of EV range to spare as we rolled into the garage that night. Not bad going really, and highlights the effectiveness of the energy recuperation system to add kilometres to your range. As for recharge times, that depends on your house's wiring system, but it can take more than 10 hours to fully charge. Buy the BMW fast charger wall box ($2165 installed) and that reduces to six hours. Just whether I'd be willing to buy this over a similarly priced 3 Series is another thing. Am I ready to give up the combustion engine just yet? Probably not, but when the petrol burning dinosaurs die out, the EVs that replace them will be entirely acceptable if the i3 is anything to go by because it's a genuinely impressive bit of kit. BMW i3 Price $83,500 0-100 km/h 7.92s 80-120 km/h 5.66s (160m) 100-0 km/h 35.90m Claimed fuel use 0.6L/100km C02 output 13g/km Motor Hybrid synchronous motor Max power 125kW Max torque 250Nm Battery 360V,22kWh lithium-ion Range extender 647cc,2 cylinder, 28kW, 56Nm Gearbox single-speed auto Drivetrain rear-wheel drive Turning circle 9.86m (2.5 turns) Tyre size f-155/70R19, r-175/60R19 Tyres Bridgestone Ecopia EP500 Wheelbase 2570mm L/W/H 3999/1775/1578mm Drag coefficient 0.30 Fuel capacity 9L Luggage capacity 260-1100L Weight (full tank) 1401kg Weight distribution 44.1/55.9% (front/rear) [© 2015 Fairfax New Zealand] For EVLN posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ http://www.evdl.org/archive/index.html#nabble+template%2FNamlServlet.jtp%3Fmacro%3Dsearch_page%26node%3D413529%26query%3DEVLN%2Bbrucedp2%26days%3D0%26sort%3Ddate http://www.gossipcop.com/justin-bieber-lincoln-continental-new-car-birthday-present-gift/ Bieber abandons $100k Karma pih for $20+k Entourage-Styled 1965 Lincoln-Continental-ice ... http://www.tmz.com/videos/0_wkeofi2s Justin Bieber GAVE BFF Sean Kingston his old chrome-plated Fisker Karma simply because he got bored with it ... http://www.tmz.com/2013/03/07/lil-twist-wrecks-justin-bieber-fisker/ Lil Twist Wrecks Justin Bieber's Fisker -- Then Flees ... 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