Embarrassed by the horn?

OK, is it just me or do others also feel that the horn sounds like that used by a circus clown? Come on now, I've owned BMWs for years! This is the best they could come up with for their latest technology forward vehicle?

BMW4Me said:

OK, is it just me or do others also feel that the horn sounds like that used by a circus clown? Come on now, I've owned BMWs for years! This is the best they could come up with for their latest technology forward vehicle?

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Yes it is poor effort, I was hoping for decent sound since planning on using more often to warn people near road when they are not looking.

uktechie said:

BMW4Me said:

OK, is it just me or do others also feel that the horn sounds like that used by a circus clown? Come on now, I've owned BMWs for years! This is the best they could come up with for their latest technology forward vehicle?

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Yes it is poor effort, I was hoping for decent sound since planning on using more often to warn people near road when they are not looking.

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I'm surprised there is no feature that warns approaching pedestrians or cyclists?

Zzzoom3/ said:

I'm surprised there is no feature that warns approaching pedestrians or cyclists?

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It's an option in Europe, not in the USA. I think it only works up to a certain speed (maybe 30km/hr).

No it is no option here in Austria and Germany. And you do not need it. There are no problems with pedestrians. Not more than with a non E-car. ..

It's available in some markets, I do not know which, but not (at this time) in the USA. Now, whether you need it or not is another question altogether.

DeJay58 said:

No it is no option here in Austria and Germany. And you do not need it. There are no problems with pedestrians. Not more than with a non E-car. ..

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Low speed situations (under 25mph) in parking lots and streets are problems around here. Pedestrians here have a cavalier attitude coupled with not hearing you coming .. not good. Having said that, the world will continue to spin ...

This option has only just become available in the UK priced at £95.
Pedestrians including me, use ears to gauge whether something is behind them before looking so as a i3 driver, I give them right of way ALWAYS

Zzzoom3 said:

DeJay58 said:

No it is no option here in Austria and Germany. And you do not need it. There are no problems with pedestrians. Not more than with a non E-car. ..

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Low speed situations (under 25mph) in parking lots and streets are problems around here. Pedestrians here have a cavalier attitude coupled with not hearing you coming .. not good. Having said that, the world will continue to spin ...

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Don't you have cyclists there? How do they manage those situations?

There are so many cars now that are extremely quiet. Both ICE and more frequently Hybrids, especially at low speeds. Yes, I will admit that a quiet car can certainly "sneak up" on you, but pedestrians and cyclists need to take responsibility and uses their eyes as the final arbiter of lane changing or street crossing decisions. Put it another way, we don't expect motorists to make driving decisions by what they hear, rather by what they see.

I'm not concerned about the lack of noise this car makes; it only concerns me if I see a red-tipped white cane at the curb.

OTOH, that horn...you beat me to it suggesting that it is low-rent. Does a second-tone unit weigh so much or draw so much electricity that it is prohibitive? May I suggest that we examine Fiamm Italian horns for motorcycles for a reasonable noise maker.
http://www.fiamm.com/en/northamerica/avvisatori-acustici/applicazioni/automobile.aspx

BUMWA said:

I'm not concerned about the lack of noise this car makes; it only concerns me if I see a red-tipped white cane at the curb.

OTOH, that horn...you beat me to it suggesting that it is low-rent. Does a second-tone unit weigh so much or draw so much electricity that it is prohibitive? May I suggest that we examine Fiamm Italian horns for motorcycles for a reasonable noise maker.

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Actually, so far I have found the unusual sound of the horn is actually a good thing. It seems to stand out and get more attention, both from bad drivers and from bad pedestrians, than a regular horn does.

tiburonh said:

BUMWA said:

I'm not concerned about the lack of noise this car makes; it only concerns me if I see a red-tipped white cane at the curb.

OTOH, that horn...you beat me to it suggesting that it is low-rent. Does a second-tone unit weigh so much or draw so much electricity that it is prohibitive? May I suggest that we examine Fiamm Italian horns for motorcycles for a reasonable noise maker.

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Actually, so far I have found the unusual sound of the horn is actually a good thing. It seems to stand out and get more attention, both from bad drivers and from bad pedestrians, than a regular horn does.

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I'm thinking maybe another possibility for the "wimpy" (as others call it) horn, is because you can sneak up on people, the engineers didn't want us to scare the crap out of the pedestrians/etc. when you honk

Personally, I have no problem with the horn. It's a quirky car, with a quirky horn (modern day VW Bug?).

I'm embarassed by the horn - it's wimpy. why not the regular BMW horn?

However, I'm more upset about the latency of the horn - hit the horn on the steering wheel and there is a noticeable delay to actually get noise! I think it's because the horn switch is networked (ethernet) on the car switch to the horn in front - the delay bothers me even more than the sound...

DHP said:

I'm embarassed by the horn - it's wimpy. why not the regular BMW horn?

However, I'm more upset about the latency of the horn - hit the horn on the steering wheel and there is a noticeable delay to actually get noise! I think it's because the horn switch is networked (ethernet) on the car switch to the horn in front - the delay bothers me even more than the sound...

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Hmmm - I have not experienced any latency in the horn. But I am at sea level. And in a place where pot is still illegal. Could the altitude height and/or the THC height of Colorado have any impact on the sound of the horn?

I had an occasion to use the horn twice this week in situations that required a good horn. Admittedly the horn sounds a bit like something we expect in Paris or Hollywood's view of a horn on a Parisian car, but the horn did its work well when I had to use it for which I was more than happy. Don't really see a problem with it--indeed, in some ways it fits the car. Of the things that BMW should address in future iterations of the i3, the horn is way down my list if it even makes my list.

I'd quite like a nice bicycle bell sound (driver controlled) for politely and safely manoeuvring in areas crowded with pedestrians and or cyclists (where legal to drive, of course, such as a car park) where pedestrians should have priority, but may be cowed because they are the ones at risk of injury.

Although this idea carries the risk that the driver fails to spot a vulnerable user in such a shared space, I don't want a mandatory automatic warning sound, I like the quietness.

BUMWA said:

I'm not concerned about the lack of noise this car makes; it only concerns me if I see a red-tipped white cane at the curb.

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+1. In my town, we have a college for the Royal National Institute for the Blind, where those who have recently lost their sight come to be trained. So I think I'll be getting the pedestrian warning noise on my i3.
It would be helpful if BMW were to post an .mp3 file of the noise on their website so we know what it is like - I don't expect any dealer will have a demonstrator car with it fitted.

At least for now, the pedestrian warning option is not available in the NA market, so I've not had an opportunity to hear it. It's my understanding that it only operates at low speed (up to about 30km/hr) then shuts off. I think that they felt that above that speed, the tire noise would be enough to alert someone to its approach.

jadnashuanh said:

At least for now, the pedestrian warning option is not available in the NA market, so I've not had an opportunity to hear it. It's my understanding that it only operates at low speed (up to about 30km/hr) then shuts off. I think that they felt that above that speed, the tire noise would be enough to alert someone to its approach.

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I am glad the i3 does not have it. It's borderline obnoxious on my Leaf and I wish it was not there at all.