Long-Term Test: 2015 BMW i3 – Final Verdict
Story and photo by John LeBlanc
Abraham Lincoln once said, “The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time.” And in the case of our 2015 BMW i3 Range Extender (REX) electric car, we had 60 days to experience what many believe is the future of motoring.
Beyond being the German automaker’s first-ever, pure-electric production vehicle, the i3 compact hatchback (which starts at $47,395, including freight and predelivery inspection fees) is the tip of the wedge for BMW’s all-new i brand, which also has the i8 ($152,095) plug-in gas-electric hybrid 2+2 sports car in its barn, with both vehicles representing a whole new way of building, marketing and selling cars for the automaker.
Taking up about the same amount of space in your garage as a typical small car, the four-passenger, i3 veers hard from the norm with rear-wheel-drive, a plastic-panel-wrapped carbon fibre and aluminum structure, creatively designed interior—and in the case of our i3 Range Extender (REX) tester—up to 130 kilometres of gas-free driving and around another 90 km using a small, gasoline motor to charge the batteries on the fly.
Somewhat overwhelmed by the BMW’s uniqueness, we wanted to answer a few questions that a typical weeklong test drive would not encompass. What would the i3 be like as a daily driver, both from the driver’s seat and as a people and stuff hauler? How easy would it be for BMW’s futuristic electric car to be integrated into today’s immature electric charging infrastructure? And, most importantly, is “the future of motoring” all it’s cracked up to be?
Whether powered by a straight-six gas engine, a battery pack or pixie dust, any BMW wearing the brand’s well-known flying blue propeller logo and twin-kidney grille is expected to offer a premium driving experience. And over the course of our two months with the i3 REX, the small electric vehicle (EV) did not disappoint.
Combined with its lightweight body, the i3 REX electric motor’s 170 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque serenely zips the small car to 100 kilometres per hour in a relatively quick 7.9 seconds. (The lighter battery-only i3 is 0.3 seconds quicker). Plus there’s no shifting involved, as the i3 uses a single-gear direct-drive transmission.
As an urban traffic assault vehicle, the i3 REX shines. It nips in and out of traffic like a four-wheeled scooter, with quick steering that gives more feel than most front-wheel-drive compacts. And even with relatively narrow tires (designed for low-resistance), the i3 has plenty of grip.
Where the i3 goes like a 3 Series sedan, the way it stops needs some getting used to. The i3’s regenerative energy brakes decelerate so quickly the car can slow all the way to a stop by simply lifting off the throttle. In around town driving, you can essentially drive with only one foot on the accelerator, letting the re-gen brakes slow the vehicle down at stoplights and corners.
If the i3 does the job mimicking a “normal” BMW when it come to its driving characteristics, the EV’s cabin is truly unique. And after eight weeks, we think it’s for the better.
For starters, the i3’s carbon-fibre upper body allows for better visibility and more available space than comparably sized compact cars or crossovers. There’s plenty of glass to see out of, and the vehicle’s flat floor allows for some unexpected extra storage space between the front seats. And while the rear cargo space behind the rear seats is not deep due to the rear placement of the drivetrain, we quite often folded the rear seats for our golf clubs or ringette equipment bags to easily fit.
That said, the use of rear-hinged rear doors on the i3 seems more like a gimmick than a solution. Like the same complaint with other vehicles with this setup (see Honda Element), having to open the front doors before the rear is a pain.
Where BMW has nailed it, though, is the architecturally inspired design of the i3’s cabin. The pair of large, “floating” digital screens handle the majority of the functions and gives the car a futuristic yet functional feel.
Contrast to all of these futuristic features, because of the way it drove and felt, it was easy to forget the BMW i3 REX was only being powered by electricity. But after two or three days of urban errand running and trips to the outer edges of suburbia (instead of the week or so between fill-ups for our family’s gas-powered Audi Q5), the need to find someplace to plug-in the i3 would arise. Which is why having a Level II home charging unit is almost a “must have” for an electric car like the BMW. Installed on the outside wall of our home, the BMW-branded unit allowed us to charge the i3 whenever it was not in use and could be programmed via a smartphone app for less expensive off-peak electricity rates.
Due to my work-at-home status, Ottawa’s relatively small geography, and not using the BMW as our family’s primary mode of transport, in total, we only drove the i3 REX 1,342 kilometres. The maximum distance on one charge was 102 kms. On average, the car consumed 15.8 kWh/100 km; just below the 16.0 average other BMW i3 owners achieved according to info provided by the BMW i app. The app also said the car recuperated 5.3 kWh/100 km on every trip, on average. And take this for what it is, but we also “saved” 253.2 kilograms of CO2 if our electricity came from 100 percent renewable energy sources, or 43.0 kg if from conventional energy if compared to a comparable gas car.
As much as BMW has made the most of available technologies to maximize the i3’s driving range, any EV owner looking for power away from home still faces many hurdles in Canada due to this country’s immature recharging infrastructure. That means if we wanted to make the 450 kms drive from our home in Ottawa to downtown Toronto in the i3 REX, after the batteries ran out about half-way, we could either look for a Level II charger and wait for a couple of hours for a recharge, or continue driving using the range extender engine. But with its fuel tank holding only nine litres that would mean stopping for gas every 90 kms. Possible, but not very convenient if you are relying on the i3 as the only vehicle in your fleet.
Yet that reason alone is not reason enough to take the BMW EV off your next new vehicle wish list. Despite its obvious range limitations, we would be happy to sign up for a longer stay than the mere 60 says we had in the i3 REX.
With its exotic-material body, stylish interior and cutting-edge powertrain, even at its $60,195 as-tested price, the 2015 BMW i3 REX delivers supercar technology for the price of a midsize luxury sedan. Its quiet, roomy, stylish and functional interior is much more relaxing to be in than the typical compact car. However, if BMW is reading this, we think a more conventional exterior styling, a larger fuel tank for the REX option and a rethink of the side door design would broaden the BMW EV’s appeal even more.
As the inventor of the battery-powered electric starter, Charles F. Kettering once said “my interest is in the future because I am going to spend the rest of my life there.” For buyers who want can’t wait for the future, the 2015 BMW i3 REX is available right now.