Sranger
Well-known member
I have really been thinking about the BMW i3 a lot lately. First, I have to say that I really like the i3 and think it is an excellent design. However, I know that the BEV model does not have enough range to suit my daily driving. I have to keep a milage log and about twice a week I exceed 100 miles in a day with no easy way to charge. So that puts me in the model with the REx. It is frustrating in that I only need an extra 5-20 miles on those days so I believe that the REx would handle the extra miles but because of a complete lack of info from BMW I honestly do not know for sure.
The problem is that I just don't want an ICE engine in my electric car. I don't want to have to deal with oil changes, air filters, etc... I do not really want to go to gas stations even if it is a short two gallon fill up. The REx just takes away much of what I love about electric vehicles. Also I am quite frustrated in that BMW will not simple say one way or another how the REx can be used and how it can't be used. Would me using it a couple times a week for an extra 20 miles be an issue or not? I know Tom has tried his best to find the answers for us, but the ONLY official word from BMW is that "it is not for daily use". Will it wear the engine out too fast if you use it for a few extra miles every day? Will it make a long trip if you keep putting gas in it? Will it hold 70 mph on a roughly level road and keep the battery at 5%? I think it will, but I want an official answer to these questions BEFORE I agreed to buy a $45-50k car...
I also can't stand the fact that CARB rules won't let people in the US have some control over when to engage the REx. It is not BMW's fault, but it is still irritating.
Also I can't stand the material around the dash and in the door panels. It looks like something you would insulate a trunk with and then cover with carpet so it does not look so bad. It is not something that should be visible in a $40-50k car. I guess it is a petty issue, but it is rather in you face on the dash all of the time and you constantly would have to answer the "what happened to your dash question" every time a new person gets in the car. It is unnecessarily and in you face ECO in my opinion. (as if driving an EV is not ECO enough in the first place)
And then there is the seating materials. I prefer leather, but hate dark colors here in the sun belt. Dark seats in the sun can give you a nasty burn with shorts on in the summer. You have to use a sun shade or towel here in the south with dark seats and I just don't like that aggravation. I would have to get the Giga trim as a result. Now it is only partial leather and mostly white wool. White cloth in a car? Does anyone see any reason why white cloth might not be the best color choice in a car? If they made a full leather option the color of the leather inserts in the Giga trim it would be ideal in my opinion. I could live with the white Giga seats, but not the trunk insulation looking dash surround and door panels.
So, I have more or less decided to pass on the i3. I am going to get A Tesla Model S or wait a couple of years for the Model X. They are stupidly more expensive and makes no practical sense, but they do easily cover 100% of my daily driving needs and qualifies for an extra $5000 state tax credit that the i3 with the REx does not. And I can configure one with the colors and materials that I like. I will probably get a lightly equipped 60KWh Model S with a realistic 140-180 mile range. That will easily cover 100% of my daily driving on electricity an even most short out of town trips like to my mom's lake house that is 70 miles away without having to worry about charging.
I think you guys and gals are going to love the i3. It is a great car. It is just not what I really want in my next car. I do hope that BMW sells all they can make and I think that they will...
The problem is that I just don't want an ICE engine in my electric car. I don't want to have to deal with oil changes, air filters, etc... I do not really want to go to gas stations even if it is a short two gallon fill up. The REx just takes away much of what I love about electric vehicles. Also I am quite frustrated in that BMW will not simple say one way or another how the REx can be used and how it can't be used. Would me using it a couple times a week for an extra 20 miles be an issue or not? I know Tom has tried his best to find the answers for us, but the ONLY official word from BMW is that "it is not for daily use". Will it wear the engine out too fast if you use it for a few extra miles every day? Will it make a long trip if you keep putting gas in it? Will it hold 70 mph on a roughly level road and keep the battery at 5%? I think it will, but I want an official answer to these questions BEFORE I agreed to buy a $45-50k car...
I also can't stand the fact that CARB rules won't let people in the US have some control over when to engage the REx. It is not BMW's fault, but it is still irritating.
Also I can't stand the material around the dash and in the door panels. It looks like something you would insulate a trunk with and then cover with carpet so it does not look so bad. It is not something that should be visible in a $40-50k car. I guess it is a petty issue, but it is rather in you face on the dash all of the time and you constantly would have to answer the "what happened to your dash question" every time a new person gets in the car. It is unnecessarily and in you face ECO in my opinion. (as if driving an EV is not ECO enough in the first place)
And then there is the seating materials. I prefer leather, but hate dark colors here in the sun belt. Dark seats in the sun can give you a nasty burn with shorts on in the summer. You have to use a sun shade or towel here in the south with dark seats and I just don't like that aggravation. I would have to get the Giga trim as a result. Now it is only partial leather and mostly white wool. White cloth in a car? Does anyone see any reason why white cloth might not be the best color choice in a car? If they made a full leather option the color of the leather inserts in the Giga trim it would be ideal in my opinion. I could live with the white Giga seats, but not the trunk insulation looking dash surround and door panels.
So, I have more or less decided to pass on the i3. I am going to get A Tesla Model S or wait a couple of years for the Model X. They are stupidly more expensive and makes no practical sense, but they do easily cover 100% of my daily driving needs and qualifies for an extra $5000 state tax credit that the i3 with the REx does not. And I can configure one with the colors and materials that I like. I will probably get a lightly equipped 60KWh Model S with a realistic 140-180 mile range. That will easily cover 100% of my daily driving on electricity an even most short out of town trips like to my mom's lake house that is 70 miles away without having to worry about charging.
I think you guys and gals are going to love the i3. It is a great car. It is just not what I really want in my next car. I do hope that BMW sells all they can make and I think that they will...