A BMW i3 the right choice for me?

[SuperM]

Hello, my first post on this forum.
By the end of the year, I will have to pick a new company car. A the moment, I'm driving a BMW 520d F11 (touring/estate), but I want to reduce my footprint.
I'm still considering two cars, the Audi A3 e-tron or a BMW i3 with REX .

The Audi A3 is by far the most practical deal : it can be equiped with a towbar, is a regular car with a range of around 900 km (600 miles), I could even mount a roofrack if I want to.
The BMW i3 is much less versatile, has a far more limited range but is by far my preferred choice: it is eccentric / odd and more of a statement/example. And it is a stunning looking car, I know it some dislike it but I simply adore it. I think the A3 is boring in comparison. But the most important point : it would allow a much higher share of 'electrical' km/mi (80 miles <> 30 miles).
My typical monthly mileage is 3500 km / 2200 mi:
- daily commute : 2 x 50 km (2 x 30 miles) on secondary roads (major share 70km/h - 45 mph), I typically get 55 mpg on this road, so I guess one charge a day would suffice to get almost 100% electrical commute with the i3.
- every two months a trip of 500 km (300 miles) and a trip of 1400 km (900 miles)
- on average 200-250 km over the week-ends, rarely trips exceeding 300km on a day

When purchasing the I3, the long trips to the center of France (1400 km / 900 miles) could be replaced by another car (thanks to the BMW Add-on Mobility). But all the other trips (including those of 500 km) would be trips to be made with the i3.
I'm not sure I can arrange a charging point at work, so the I3 would probably be 100% electric, the E-tron less then 50%.

I tell myself that I must learn to live with the constraints of a car like the i3, if not there are always excuses keeping us burning Dino all the time.

The big car I have today is very practical for holidays, but my children will no longer go on vacation with us, I'm not sure I can fit our racing bikes and luggage (for 2) in the back of the I3 but I guess it should be do-able (I will try this one of these days). My wife's car is even smaller then an i3, and is, as a consequence, not a back-up.

So here comes my question : are there other people on this forum that switched between a large car towards an I3, as their 'only' car? Does it work? Do you have any regrets?

 

[elptex]

To answer your final question: We came from a VW Passat Estate, so virtually the same size as a BMW 5-series estate. Only annoyance on the i3 has been no roof racks, resulting in having to use our 2nd car when taking the bikes. We will eventually get some Seasuckers to resolve that. Day-to-day life has effectively been unchanged, though, with plenty of room for passengers (4 adults) and luggage (most so far was 4x gym bags + 4x yoga mats + 4x small overnight bags; these were all 'mashable', so rigid luggage might not be so generous).

To comment on your mileage. 100km/60mi round trip is very safely covered on electric. Even below 0C in winter you'll get that if you precondition. If you require your heat to run at 24C, though, you won't get that range on electric and will hit the REX. Your longer trips (500km and 1400km) would definitely be a change of pace than what you are used to. Yes, you can infinitely stop and fill up the REX tank but at 9L, or about same range as a full electric charge, you're likely going to have to make 2 stops on a 500km trip (if you quick DC charge and fill up the petrol tank, you may be able to only stop once, though that will be tight). If you set your expectation for 2 stops and are happy with that, you'd be fine. For a 1400km trip, that's triple the distance so triple the stops. That feels like a bit harder of a reality to swallow.

If the reasons that attract you to the i3 are enough, you'll be comfortable/happy to live with the potentially small adjustments required. Best possible advice anyone could give though: Arrange an overnight/2-day test drive with it and experience the size for yourself.

 

[PluviaPlumbum]

I had precisely the same dilemma and was about to put an order in for an eTron when I decided to have a two day test of the i3. Having driven both albeit not back to back, I felt that if I was going to go electric for a 60 mile commute then the i3 was a no brainer really. Yes there are compromises on passenger/luggage space, but unless you absolutely have to carry 5 people then they are not a deal breaker. I found the SUV like ride height of the i3 much more preferable to the Audi. While the performance on hand is astonishing, an eTron would need to fire up the ICE quite a lot to keep up. Interior design is quite good in Audis, the recycled material look of the i3 is something of an acquired taste, but honestly the car is such FUN to drive so you end up not noticing the interior much.

As the previous poster said, get one on Test for a couple of days and then make your mind up I don't think you will be disappointed.

 

[SuperM]

Thank you for the input. I just want to clarfiy that I have testdrivren both cars, and I found the i3 an absolute joy to drive. The A3 was a boring car to drive compared to the i3 (but I am biased).
The 1400 km trips would be done with BMW Add-On Mobility (so hiring a BMW3 or something alike for those trips).