Interior Space Experience

To the owner of the I-3's who made a sound, bold choice.


- What is your personal experience while sitting and driving in this car?

- What are the things you love the most about the interior? and what are the things that you don't like?

- How does this car fits your lifestyle?

- At the personal level how would you verbalize your experience while in the car, in three words?

Your taking time and answering any of the above questions , will help us, a group of senior car design students in California, to improve the user experience of the interior of a i-3 concept project by implementing empathy, and improving user experience.

- Darius
Transportation Design Student

- What is your personal experience while sitting and driving in this car?

The car feels open and airy. Lots of light, some Eucalypt on the dash. Different and a pleasant place to be. Much better than the generally dark interiors of other cars we have had.

- What are the things you love the most about the interior? and what are the things that you don't like?

+ Dashboard, light colours and real timber on the dash, quietness, stereo, direct steering.
- Reflections on the windscreen, the light carpets that picked up dirt too quickly (replaced them)

- How does this car fits your lifestyle?

Best car ever. We have several short trips per day that are within the range of the car. We have excess solar electricity even after charging the car.

- At the personal level how would you verbalize your experience while in the car, in three words?

Best car ever.

DariusIND said:

and what are the things that you don't like?

Click to expand...

I wish that the front seats would recline fully. When the seats are slid completely forward, I wish that the seat backs could be reclined to meet the folded rear seats thus extending the flat cargo space.

I wish that the sun visors were wider so that they could block the sun the full width of the side windows as well as all the way to the rear view mirror.

I wish that the rear side windows were openable.

I wish that there were rear climate control vents, and that they could be shut when not needed.

I wish that the roof rejected rather than absorbed solar radiation.

DariusIND said:

- How does this car fits your lifestyle?

Click to expand...

Our household includes just my wife and me. We use our i3 as a compact, maneuverable, efficient cargo carrier with its rears seats folded down except on the rare occasions when we have rear-seat passengers.

DariusIND said:

- At the personal level how would you verbalize your experience while in the car, in three words?

Click to expand...

Our ideal vehicle

Airy, openness of the lounge inspired cabin.

Very quiet, and smooth ride.

Powerful little car.

Wish the rear doors are a little wider.

Better integrate the front side windows with the rear. That big drop is a little awkward looking.

"Worth every penny".

ASUN said:

Airy, openness of the lounge inspired cabin.

Very quiet, and smooth ride.

Powerful little car.

Wish the rear doors are a little wider.

Better integrate the front side windows with the rear. That big drop is a little awkward looking.

"Worth every penny".

Click to expand...

Thanks for taking time.

So the rear door not being that wide makes it less spacious?

Good to know that about the drop.

The actual width of the rear door is somewhat misleading...there is NO center pillar between the front and rear doors, and, to open the rear, you must have first opened the front. So, the opening is quite adequate, and the rear door does open pretty close to a true 90-degrees and the front seat back does fold forward easily. The only issue, and that's only in a few circumstances, is if there is not much clearance between the side of the car and something else beside it. With both doors open, you can't slide by one or the other without compromising the gap to get into the car. A handy design, though, is that the floor is flat with no central hump on both the front and rear, so you can slide across the car and enter or exit from either side fairly easily. The front console does not run from the firewall back, so there's a gap there to get your legs by.

1. Personal driving experience
A feeling of wonderful, control, power, smoothness and serenity - all at once. I feel like king of the world. Smarter than other ICE owner who literally 'don't know what they don't know'. Quite remarkable really. After 18 months and 27000km, I still take it out just for an evening drive occasionally - just because it is such a pleasure to drive.

2. Interior design is one of the cars strong points. All conventionally designed interiors, especially in upmarket cars look so 'try hard' in comparison. Interior design in the i3 is really a case of less is more- 'sublime' says it best. I find the rear seat fold up to 90 degrees to the boot floor very convenient, for carrying large prism items like guitar amplifiers. We treat the car as a two door. The rear doors are very convenient except when parked close beside another vehicle as all ready described by another contributor. Really wish it had memory seating though as my wife and I have different settings - a big miss for an upmarket car. Also storage for sunglasses- don't believe this is not considered when coffee cup holder are.

3. The i3 fits our lifestyle almost perfectly. We measured our daily commutes over 12 months prior to purchase and new it would easily meet our needs , except for the 6 times a year when we take longer trips, but with have contingency with our daughters car - no sense in all of us burn fossil fuels when no need. I hate drive petrol powered cars now - there is no comparison in driving pleasure. ALL energy consumed is produced via our PV panels - the i3 costs us NOTHING to run.

4. sublime, composed, precise, effortless (oops couldn't help myself - it's too good)

I33t said:

- What is your personal experience while sitting and driving in this car?

The car feels open and airy. Lots of light, some Eucalypt on the dash. Different and a pleasant place to be. Much better than the generally dark interiors of other cars we have had.

- What are the things you love the most about the interior? and what are the things that you don't like?

+ Dashboard, light colours and real timber on the dash, quietness, stereo, direct steering.
- Reflections on the windscreen, the light carpets that picked up dirt too quickly (replaced them)

- How does this car fits your lifestyle?

Best car ever. We have several short trips per day that are within the range of the car. We have excess solar electricity even after charging the car.

- At the personal level how would you verbalize your experience while in the car, in three words?

Best car ever.

Click to expand...

Thanks for taking time. Is there anything on the screens that made you think it is hard to use? Like the legibility of the commands, or the flow of the interface?

DariusIND said:

Thanks for taking time. Is there anything on the screens that made you think it is hard to use? Like the legibility of the commands, or the flow of the interface?

Click to expand...

Nope.

Try an Olympus camera. Now you have an interface problem

Right on!