Anyone know when the i3 will be in Dallas for test drives?

[cab]

I found out they had a couple making their way between our 4 DFW dealers last month during our annual ice storm for 4 days, but missed it! The Dallas auto show is in about 4 weeks...minimally, I am hoping they will have one there to sit in. I have driven an ELR, but that's beyond what I'm willing to spend.

 

[cab]

Still no news on this, but I did read - in a local mag - that the i3 will be at the Dallas auto show (Feb 19-23 at the Dallas Convention Center). At least I'll get to see one in the flesh.

 

[stillageek]

FWIW I flew from DFW to Detroit in January for the North American International Auto Show primarily for the I3 (I go every year...work for a local airline in DFW).

Much to my disapointment there was only one I3 and it was locked up. I was able to get a good feel for the size, but it would have been nice to sit inside. Hoping DFW this weekend is different.

 

[cab]

FWIW I flew from DFW to Detroit in January for the North American International Auto Show primarily for the I3 (I go every year...work for a local airline in DFW).

Much to my disapointment there was only one I3 and it was locked up. I was able to get a good feel for the size, but it would have been nice to sit inside. Hoping DFW this weekend is different.

Ugh! Unbelievable. LA gets 20 of them driving around, and NAIAS gets one locked up? That doesn't bode well for Dallas, since we are just an also-ran in car shows. The i3 is one of the fe cars I'm looking forward to seeing. I mean sheesh, they are taking orders on the dang things. I really think BMW is behind on getting cars out there...makes me wonder if they weren't quite ready for production yet.

 

[tiburonh]

FWIW I flew from DFW to Detroit in January for the North American International Auto Show primarily for the I3 (I go every year...work for a local airline in DFW).

Much to my disapointment there was only one I3 and it was locked up. I was able to get a good feel for the size, but it would have been nice to sit inside. Hoping DFW this weekend is different.

Ugh! Unbelievable. LA gets 20 of them driving around, and NAIAS gets one locked up? That doesn't bode well for Dallas, since we are just an also-ran in car shows. The i3 is one of the fe cars I'm looking forward to seeing. I mean sheesh, they are taking orders on the dang things. I really think BMW is behind on getting cars out there...makes me wonder if they weren't quite ready for production yet.

For what it's worth, I first saw the i3 at the Silicon Valley Auto Show in San Jose. That is definitely a second tier auto show, but the one i3 on the floor there was unlocked and I was able to crawl all around the inside. The person manning the BMW desk was totally uninformed and useless, but at least she did not stand in the way of those of us who wanted to explore the car's interior.

I hope you can get into the car in Dallas.

 

[stillageek]

Just got back from the Dallas show. The I3 is off to the side...all locked up...the reps didn't seem to care about the car at all.

 

[cab]

Just got back from the Dallas show. The I3 is off to the side...all locked up...the reps didn't seem to care about the car at all.

Typical. I'm headed over there tomorrow. I did see pics of the M3/M4 on Bimmerpost so at least I'll get that fix. Sad though since they've been running the i3 commerical pretty regular during the Olympics.

 

[cab]

Just got back from the Dallas show. The I3 is off to the side...all locked up...the reps didn't seem to care about the car at all.

Typical. I'm headed over there tomorrow. I did see pics of the M3/M4 on Bimmerpost so at least I'll get that fix. Sad though since they've been running the i3 commerical pretty regular during the Olympics.

Well, finally got to see the i3 in person today at the Dallas auto show. Actually, spent quite a bit of time looking at it, and, well...one surefire way of putting the i3's looks into perspective is to see it next to hundreds of other cars on display, and, frankly...it doesn't stand up IMO. Is it interesting to look at? Sure, OK, let's say it is. Is it pretty? Beautiful? Sleek? Cool? Man, that's a stretch. I know some people say they like it, but I would pose this question to them "If it weren't electric, and were just a regular 4 cylinder car with modest power and mileage....do you still find it attractive or does it fall completely off your radar?". I suspect if most were honest, they would admit this car doesn;t even get considered w/o the electric drivetrain, and that's OK. Heck, a similar question posed on the Tesla forum had most people say they would not have chosen the Model S w/o the awesome Electric drivetrain...instead, for the same money most would have chosen an Audi, BMW, etc. Heck, I'm not even overly impressed with the style on BMW's current ICE line-up, but seeing the new M4, 7 series, etc. shows the stark reality BMW is up against. Heck, I even appreciated my own Volt more as I walked up to it after the show.

Oh, and hey BMW, every other electric at the show was UNLOCKED and people were allowed to climb all over them....that included:

Ford Cmax Energi, Fusion Energi
Chevy Volt (2 of them)
Smart ED
Nissan Leaf
Cadillac ELR
Porsche Panamera E-Hybrid (yes, even the $100K plus Panamera Hybrid was open)

Would have been nice if BMW could have done the same...

A a side note, they had a 228i there and it felt pretty nice to sit in,,,I would just prefer a 4 door.

A few pics (sorry, cell phone quality):

 

[jgetz]

Count yourself as lucky. At least you got to see one, even if it was locked. The San Antonio show didn't even have a BMW display! The 7th largest city in the United States and BMW didn't even show up...

 

[cab]

Just an FYI for the USA crowd. You can register for a test drive event from the BMWUSA web page. There is a rotating banner and the i3 test drives are one of the pics. The Dallas area events are in mid April with each of the 4 dealers in the area having the cars for one day. You sign up in 30 minute increments.