Satisfaction Ratings for your i3

[JTM]

Hello world,
I'm new on this forum and somewhat new to the EV world, my wife and I just having ordered an i3 (BEV), and now in the waiting phase before delivery. Unfortunately have not heard a single report from the dealer about the production / delivery pathway as yet despite it being month ago that we ordered, and being told we would be kept up to date all the way - I suppose it is Christmas and all, so I will have to cut some slack.

Purchasing this car is not without risk for us, (new product and all) but especially here in sunny Australia where charging infrastructure is still in the first trimester and government support / incentives are totally non existent. Nonetheless we continue to live to our own values (including the enjoyment of driving) and not those of some luddite politicians, hence the move to the i3.

After reading some of the forum, I'm wondering what satisfaction rating those of you who already have your i3 would have around ownership, with 10/10 being completely satisfied and 1/10 being wish I'd never purchased the car. Any other comment would be appreciated.

Thanks
John

 

[elptex]

9.9.

I can charge at home (garage) and at work (parking garage). It would be a perfect 10 if not for the driver airbag continually pinging an alert/warning (been into the shop 3 times now, 1 day each time).

If you manage your expectations (this applies to all things in life), then you will not be disappointed. Expect a revolutionary new car to have some minor flaws, to have to adapt life a little bit around it (b/c of low range), etc. and you'll be 99.99% satisfied

 

[Sparky]

9/10. Wish I could have some goodies available on ICE BMW's and better color choices inside and out. But, look forward to driving it every time I get in!

 

[lencap]

Welcome John -

I think you'll find a wide range of satisfaction, largely related to how well the real world driving range meets your expectations. Here in the States BMW advertises the i3 BEV as having an 80-100 mile range. That well may be true in perfect conditions, but in cooler temperatures (under 50F) the range falls and continues to fall as the weather gets progressively cooler.

In my case the shortfall is enough to have me rate the car as a 5, with today's range under 60 miles in 40F temperature. We've not yet hit the really cold winter weather yet, and if range falls further my rating would fall as well.

Like you I bought the BEV version of the i3, preferring it to the ReX for both purity of design (pure electric) as well as for the heat pump climate control module - which is far more efficient than the unit in the ReX version. Unfortunately, despite my desire for the pure BEV experience, having to live with a 30 mile radius limitation in cold weather is more frustrating than I expected, and largely the result of BMW not providing adequate disclosure of the range shortfall in cold weather. I've purchased several BMWs from my dealer, but they are all ICE cars. The salesmen didn't know very much about the i3 BEV design, and had no idea that the car would only deliver 70-75% of the lower end range projections in cold weather.

If I knew that before purchasing the car I would have either not bought the i3 at all, or chosen the ReX version. Not having the information ahead of time I chose the BEV, and frankly I'm not happy with my decision. You can see my post in another section of this forum - lots of other owners have a similar experience to mine.

I'm not suggesting that you will regret your purchase, but do keep in mind that the projected range is in optimal conditions, and real world range in cooler weather is likely to not meet the projections BMW provides.

Other than that, the car is light years ahead of the Nissan Leaf, which I've also owned, and far more enjoyable than any of the 3 Prius cars I've owned. The instant torque of the BEV is addictive. The build quality is what you'd expect from BMW, and the features are also well designed and functional. There are some issues with charging, but BMW will eventually address them.

I'm hopeful that they'll find a way to precondition the car battery to extend the range to closer to the advertised range. I believe that is the real issue. The Nissan Leaf had far less range loss in cold weather and that battery pack isn't thermally conditioned at all, unlike the BMW battery pack. It seems to me that the amount of battery energy expended on charging the battery is likely responsible for the shortened range. You may want to consider a home charging unit to extend your range as far as possible. There is an issue with preconditioning, but that should be fixed shortly.

Best of luck - you'll enjoy the car immensely. Hopefully the range will work well for you.

 

[Gazza]

And again yes welcome John,

So good to see a post from someone being a near neighbour here in Brisbane. I tend to think you will need to send me a private message as I reckon we will have plenty to discuss including local knowledge. We took delivery of a BEV very recently on Xmas eve and have covered just 400 odd k's. Our choice of a BEV was based around similar thoughts to yours as well as having a second car in the garage and the hope that with time charging infrastructure with improve even here in Queensland, Australia. I certainly support the thoughts of others in that your intended usage will have a big bearing on your satisfaction. For me at this point ours gets a 9/10.

Give me that message if you wish to have a talk. I'm thinking Brisbane BMW, charging stations around the town, an ESVE or not to use at home and so on. I gather you must have ordered after the test drives became available on 21 November. Our order was made around end of July so we had a fair wait but it has been well worth it.

Regards.

 

[I33t]

+1 for Gazza's post.

We ordered in December 2013 (BEV) and delivery was early December, we beat Gazza by three weeks but he ordered ~7 months after us!

I think the satisfaction relates to your use. If you are pressing on the range limit every day it will impact your satisfaction. In the short time we have had it, this hasn't been an issue and I can't see it being one. I'm still mulling over whether to get an EVSE or not, I can charge overnight from near empty on the standard 240v evse that came with the car. This is an advantage we have over the 110v US delivered i3's. A decent 30A EVSE would knock it off in a few hours. I'm figuring, the longer we leave it the more reasonable the prices will become anyway, so no rush.

What options did you spec?

9/10 here.

 

[MikeS]

+1 for linkup’s post - on range i’ll give it 5, otherwise 9.

 

[ATXMARC]

Hi Everyone,
Got my new i3 10 days ago, really like it thusfar, white with dark leather interior..had a leaf and a first gen honda insight. Got the whole shabangybang with rex, terra, 20's, etc. did the oc option for financing giving me 7500 federal and 2500 texas rebate. Iremote app is virtually useless though (pun intended), suprising since they had nissan, tesla, chevy to copy from. Surely future updates will be better- can't get state of charge unless plugged in...really???? Almost bought a new fisker for almost the same price but got cold feet on reliability and service issues, plus like a model s just too big a car for my needs. Have a 70 mile round trip on freeways a few times a week so range extender is definitely needed, although if i keep the speed at 55 i make it easily. Ordered the heated steering wheel from hammacher for xmas but dont have it yet. Love the 1 pedal driving, do want to make a few long distance drives so if an update isnt forthcoming soon, will get the rex coding. Bmw austin chopped 5k of the msrp for me. Probably could have gotten a better deal out of state but the 2500 texas rebate stipulates the car be bought from a texas dealer.
Happy New Year,
marc

 

[I33t]

can't get state of charge unless plugged in...really????

I get it in the app as long as I don't park too far into the garage (loses phone reception):

Is that a US vs rest of world thing?

 

[ATXMARC]

Hi again,
Guess i meant updated state of charge, have been away for a week, left unplugged with 72% charge. App hasn't updated since i left...by design per other posts in the forum...sure would be nice to know what's going on right now.

 

[SDCAi3]

can't get state of charge unless plugged in...really????

I get it in the app as long as I don't park too far into the garage (loses phone reception)

The SOC is available in the app for me, too, when unplugged. The car seems to send an update to the BMW server when you shut down and leave it. It doesn't send an update until you get in the car again.

 

[ATXMARC]

Woohoo,
Can't wait to get back, start the car, shield my eyes from the gom, and fire up the app to check my state of charge. Bmw app designers...well done.

 

[stumbledotcom]

9.99/10
(nothing can be perfect)

I’ve had my BEV since May. Still look forward to driving it every morning. 

However, I fully accept that the i3 is a quirky car, not suitable for everyone and every type of driving. I’ve said it before but it’s worth repeating: The i3 is a city car, first and foremost. There’s a reason BMW dubbed the concept the Mega City Vehicle. By design it belongs in urban cores where trips are short, speeds low and congestion high. It’s perfectly suited for me because I live in, work in, and rarely leave a major city. If you are in similar circumstances, you’ll likely be satisfied with an i3 as well. But you must understand that the i3 is not an all-purpose vehicle. It’s out of its element on open highways at speed or as a people carrier on school runs just as a heavy-duty crew-cab 4x4 pickup wouldn’t make sense for my 10-mile roundtrip daily commute through the center of San Francisco. Sure the truck could do the job but what a misuse of a vehicle and resources. 

Unlike many of the fine folks who selfishly share their knowledge and experiences here, I did not buy my i3 because it’s an electric vehicle. My deciding factors were in order:
     -Design
     -Size and Packaging
     -Interior
     -Construction and Engineering
     -Maneuverability and Handling
     -BMW Brand
     -EV

I dare say that I’d have still considered the i3 even if it had a more conventional power train. 

So what would I change? Not much. The rear dome light is a bit dim compared to the front unit. The floor mats in the Giga/Lodge interior could be a shade or two darker to better hide dirt. And as an existing BMW owner, I prefer the brand’s historic details such as the locking system switch at the center of the dash, a manual temperature wheel on the center vent, and cruise control functions on a stalk. All in all pretty minor. 

Little wonder I’ve told anyone who will listen that the i3  ranks as the best car I’ve ever owned. 

 

[dlass0123]

with the Rex extended version did anyone try carrying a 5 plus gallon save fuel container in the rear area and stopping to fill up the tank and see how far they can get with a full battery charge, along with a full tank of gas along with the 5 gallon plus can in the back???

 

[WoodlandHills]

I believe the record posted here is 400+ miles. It's kind of a big so what, you know? Like any other car: you put gas into it and it goes..... It's no big deal. It's a bit harder in NA what with the lack of a REx Hold option and the possibility of the car suddenly slowing to 6mph, but people have done it here too. Lots of folks in the Rest of the World routinely log 200 mile trips using gas stations as opposed to gas cans. Of course they can start their REx at 75% as opposed to NA where you have to wait till it drops to 6%. And they have a slightly bigger gas tank too.

 

[JTM]

Thanks very much Lencap. I appreciate your frank and comprehensive response. I have been aware of the issues temperature makes on range but had no idea it could be so severe. I guess my main concern will be more regarding the higher summer temperatures (40c/100F) and battery longevity, as we barely get any winter to talk about here. Temperatures might get to 12 degrees C(53F) in the mornings but days are usually in the 20Cs . Can get the odd 5 - 7 C (44F) mornings so I may notice this then , but I have looked closely at our commutes and week-end travels. Daily commutes rarely more than 30 km (18 m) and if I add a round trip to parents or band practice I'm adding another 60km (40m) at most - that makes 90km (about 55m). So it seems I will be okay even in winter, but I am not keen to have to be hyper-miling the car all the time either. As you and many have alluded to, driving this car is addictive and we are certainly keen to enjoy all the satisfaction this car offers in that aspect.

Like you I chose the BEV for the purity of EV, and to avoid the maintenance costs of another ICE. Have access to a second car for longer journeys so couldn't see the point in the Rex. Love the innovation and design at many levels, but can understand why some don't like the appearance. I think its a bit about the meaning that people attribute to it.

Thanks again for your feedback and pleased you find the car satisfying (range issues excepted).

John

 

[JTM]

Thanks elptex.
Good advice indeed. I am disappointed in some of the range issues as mentioned by elptex, but even with these limitations our needs should still be easily met, and we are really looking forward to the new driving experience, the innovative features and the sense of quality that goes with this car. Nonetheless when you are sold a 130-160km car I do expect at least 130km. Some reviews even talk of almost 200km with eco-pro+. Anyone got this out of their BEV yet???

Thanks
John

 

[I33t]

I share the concerns about battery longevity in hot weather. It's early days yet, but the fact that we have a temperature managed battery pack is a step in the right direction.

I ordered a Leaf in May 2012 but after realising it did not have active thermal management and the Arizona Leaf owners were seeing early degradation, all it took was some poor customer service to tip me over the edge and cancel. Very glad I did because Nissan has since dropped the prices here, are still selling the 2012 models and I would be unable to get out of it and into an i3 without throwing away a lot of cash.

For me, the i3 is everything the Leaf should have been: A creative ground-up re-imagining of the car using modern design and materials. I don't really mind the Leaf but the reality is that it is a re-engineered ICE body and interior equipped with electric drive.

 

[JTM]

Yes 133t,

Some of the same thinking here. My first EV experience was with a LEAF and very good car. HOWEVER, when I spend a lot of cash I certainly want to feel enthused by my purchase. I think to buy the LEAF I would alway be regretful despite there being nothing wrong with the car, there is not a lot to say "wow" either- too bland. There are a huge list of factors (beyond my environmental values) that tilted me clearly to the i3. I think a lot of these factors are a direct function of the clean slate design and the advantages this approach by BMW has brought.
- performance
- the driving experience
- aluminium and carbon fibre
- RWD++++
- far more sustainable build
- most efficient EV / km. (With 5kW of PVs I am wanting to make the most out of the excess power we produce)
- style and design (love it)
- BMW quality
- desirability
- liquid cooled battery
- large diam. wheels (can't get used to the cake-cutting width though)
- no transmission tunnel
- we only need a two door ( This is how I see the i3 - a 2 door hatch with better back seat accessibility that most two doors)
- Frameless doors (love 'em)
- large centre screen.


Putting it all together the i3 seems worth the whopping 30K extra over the LEAF.

Would I prefer a Model S ??? Yes but only for the range and that only helps me out for 5% of my trips. Otherwise the performance of the i3 is more than adequate and we don't need nor want such a big car- it's a completely different market niche. I am actually growing to like the styling of the i3 more than the Tesla, but I think that is a personal bias developing for what I own.

 

[JTM]

[Little wonder I’ve told anyone who will listen that the i3  ranks as the best car I’ve ever owned]

So many comments as above and plenty of 9/10 ratings....I will certainly have to manage some high expectations, but reassuring to hear everyone so satisfied with their i3 range issues excepted.
Thank you
JTM