Stevei3
Well-known member
Hi i3 aficionados,
I was happy to be present at the Dutch introduction of the i3 this weekend since I'm on the production list for 2013 and am ready to order our i3/REx (if at all possible because of limited availability of REx initialy). We had the opportunity to get the feel of the car during an hour after the obligatory video and bubble-talk.
FYI, here are my first impressions of the i3. Please mind that the pros and especially the cons mentioned below are only my opinion and should be interpreted as praise nor flame in the direction of BMW or others. I am still very pleased that one of my favourite brands of carmakers is trying to find a new road towards our future. Feel free to react in agreement/disagreement…
Plus:
The outside of the car is nice, albeit a bit busy. The proportions are excellent, rendering a sturdy, compact and modern impression. The rear is not its best feature, as expected, but not *too* bad. The large wheels and skinny tires suit the car very well.
The outside skin flexes nicely so it should be hard for antisocial drivers to damage it with their doors on the parking lot.
The doors and boot sound ok when closing. Not flimsy at all, although it sounds a long way away from our 3 series.
The interior space in front is quite ok. The dash is nice and deep, the windscreen a good distance away from you. Visibility around seems good because the B pillar is set towards the rear of the car. One could lightly criticise the bulk of the A pillars though.
The centre screen seems excellent.
The front seats are good, the back seats are more than adequate.
Boot space is more than adequate as well. I myself like the relatively high floor of the boot as it saves one's back getting heavy stuff out.
The backseats fold easily to create more luggage space.
Minus:
The interior is far to busy for my taste. It does work nor feel as nicely as it should for me. Chances to score are missed here in my opinion.
Perhaps due to the stage lighting, the brown leather of Suite does not combine well with the black and grey of the dash and doors.
The plastic used to upholster the B pillar, the backside of the front seats and around the rear windows is really low grade and easily scratched. This is supposed to be a different material in the actual production i3. I sure hope so. ADDED sept. 10, 2013: I'm glad to see, in pictures taken at the IAA, that the plastic upholstery of the B pillar is not the same material as in the demo's we've seen at the Dutch introduction. It seems to be regular BMW plastic, which is good.
The space for rear passengers is cramped and claustrophobic, made worse by the lack of opening windows and the (understandable) impossibility to open the back doors from the back seat. Sitting behind myself (1m85) is *just about* possible, with my knees on both sides of the back of the front seat, but only acceptable for short trips. Headroom is nothing to complain about though.
The rear suicide doors are not very practical, as to be expected. It is not that easy to get out from the back seat (again, sitting behind myself), especially for ladies wearing skirts, and it is all but impossible to get out if you have less then a meter or so between the car and a wall or other obstacle. You will find yourself 'trapped' between the front and back doors.
The front luggage-space is not easily accessed, one has to feel around for the hidden safety latch of the hood (like an ordinary car). This won't be a lot of fun with a wet and/or dirty car. The cables you are going to use will go in a crate in the boot I would guess. The coverings left and right of the front compartment, hiding the washer fluid and other fillers, are a bit flimsy (but lightweight
)
The flap covering the charge port is far to large, made worse by a 'wobbly' impression.
The visibly carbon roof (nice in itself) could be coloured darker.
The sunroof (top slider) does open only +/- 20 cm.
Observations:
The front of the car can't be seen from behind the wheel. If you park a lot in tight spaces, front sensors (eg. the park assist package) should be big advantage.
The sunroof adds welcoming light to the darker interiors.
Conclusion from the static presentation: ok but not great, alas. Our party of four (all prospective i3 drivers) gave it an average of 7 out of 10. It will be a step down from our 3 and 5 series in some ways. It did not tickle our 'I want it at all cost' senses. Especially the lingering feeling of missing some chances to excel in the interior execution of this flag-bearer of our motoring future (amongst other makers of course) seems a pity. The final word: still buying one ? Because of the driving pleasure to be expected: I guess so…
Greetings from Holland,
Steven
I was happy to be present at the Dutch introduction of the i3 this weekend since I'm on the production list for 2013 and am ready to order our i3/REx (if at all possible because of limited availability of REx initialy). We had the opportunity to get the feel of the car during an hour after the obligatory video and bubble-talk.
FYI, here are my first impressions of the i3. Please mind that the pros and especially the cons mentioned below are only my opinion and should be interpreted as praise nor flame in the direction of BMW or others. I am still very pleased that one of my favourite brands of carmakers is trying to find a new road towards our future. Feel free to react in agreement/disagreement…
Plus:
The outside of the car is nice, albeit a bit busy. The proportions are excellent, rendering a sturdy, compact and modern impression. The rear is not its best feature, as expected, but not *too* bad. The large wheels and skinny tires suit the car very well.
The outside skin flexes nicely so it should be hard for antisocial drivers to damage it with their doors on the parking lot.
The doors and boot sound ok when closing. Not flimsy at all, although it sounds a long way away from our 3 series.
The interior space in front is quite ok. The dash is nice and deep, the windscreen a good distance away from you. Visibility around seems good because the B pillar is set towards the rear of the car. One could lightly criticise the bulk of the A pillars though.
The centre screen seems excellent.
The front seats are good, the back seats are more than adequate.
Boot space is more than adequate as well. I myself like the relatively high floor of the boot as it saves one's back getting heavy stuff out.
The backseats fold easily to create more luggage space.
Minus:
The interior is far to busy for my taste. It does work nor feel as nicely as it should for me. Chances to score are missed here in my opinion.
Perhaps due to the stage lighting, the brown leather of Suite does not combine well with the black and grey of the dash and doors.
The plastic used to upholster the B pillar, the backside of the front seats and around the rear windows is really low grade and easily scratched. This is supposed to be a different material in the actual production i3. I sure hope so. ADDED sept. 10, 2013: I'm glad to see, in pictures taken at the IAA, that the plastic upholstery of the B pillar is not the same material as in the demo's we've seen at the Dutch introduction. It seems to be regular BMW plastic, which is good.
The space for rear passengers is cramped and claustrophobic, made worse by the lack of opening windows and the (understandable) impossibility to open the back doors from the back seat. Sitting behind myself (1m85) is *just about* possible, with my knees on both sides of the back of the front seat, but only acceptable for short trips. Headroom is nothing to complain about though.
The rear suicide doors are not very practical, as to be expected. It is not that easy to get out from the back seat (again, sitting behind myself), especially for ladies wearing skirts, and it is all but impossible to get out if you have less then a meter or so between the car and a wall or other obstacle. You will find yourself 'trapped' between the front and back doors.
The front luggage-space is not easily accessed, one has to feel around for the hidden safety latch of the hood (like an ordinary car). This won't be a lot of fun with a wet and/or dirty car. The cables you are going to use will go in a crate in the boot I would guess. The coverings left and right of the front compartment, hiding the washer fluid and other fillers, are a bit flimsy (but lightweight
)The flap covering the charge port is far to large, made worse by a 'wobbly' impression.
The visibly carbon roof (nice in itself) could be coloured darker.
The sunroof (top slider) does open only +/- 20 cm.
Observations:
The front of the car can't be seen from behind the wheel. If you park a lot in tight spaces, front sensors (eg. the park assist package) should be big advantage.
The sunroof adds welcoming light to the darker interiors.
Conclusion from the static presentation: ok but not great, alas. Our party of four (all prospective i3 drivers) gave it an average of 7 out of 10. It will be a step down from our 3 and 5 series in some ways. It did not tickle our 'I want it at all cost' senses. Especially the lingering feeling of missing some chances to excel in the interior execution of this flag-bearer of our motoring future (amongst other makers of course) seems a pity. The final word: still buying one ? Because of the driving pleasure to be expected: I guess so…
Greetings from Holland,
Steven
