Performance Tested - 2014 BMW i3 Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.com

Performance Tested - 2014 BMW i3 Long-Term Road Test

We brought our 2014 BMW i3 to the track. We first tested it in all-electric mode, then depleted the battery and ran it with the gas-fed range extender generating juice.

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chol92594

Wow, I had no idea that the i3 had such skinny tires. Pretty impressive numbers though, especially braking. Even so, if I was spending this much money on a BMW, I think I'd want a model with a bit more power and performance capabilities.

emajor

7.1 to 60 is pretty quick. 320i quick. Which is good, because once this thing is stopped at a light long enough for people to get a good bead on it, you are going to want the rapid getaway to escape their laughs and pointing fingers.

jmick1

So you couldn't achieve 75 mph in your testing running solely on the range extender. What was the max sustainable speed you observed?

grijon

I really like that the test was done again on REX; that's really good thinking.

kcai

It's a very attractive EV on the road with no doubt, but the 50k+ price tag just keep me think twice before getting the i3. I think it is a good choice for lease when you have extra $500 per month to spend.85 miles a charge only gets me from work to home. $55k commute EV is just too fancy to own.

gslippy

The uneven performance due to ReX is scary, even unsafe. It won't be long before we hear of an i3 ReX accident due to a driver being surprised with a sudden dropoff in power.

mythirdbmw

Fun tests - thanks for running them and posting this. As for the reader comments (why do I even bother reading reader comments? it just makes me sad for humanity), do any of these people own or lease an i3? I own a 2014 BEV (all-electric, no range extender) with the 20-inch alloys. I've owned two 3-series BMWs, two Acuras, and a Lexus SUV. My i3 is the best car I've had.

Forget track testing and professional car reviewers -- in the REAL WORLD, the i3 is a FAST car. Stop light or stop sign, floor the go pedal, beat everyone and anything to the next block, easy. And the only sound is a Star Trek-like whir from behind and below, exactly where the thrust noise should emanate from.

On a parkway or freeway in thick traffic (again, the REAL WORLD), spot a hole, push the pedal and juke the very firm steering wheel and *bam* you are there. For finding and moving forward into openings, this is the most telepathic car I've ever driven.

Parking lots, parallel parking spots, tight garage spaces ... my i3's size and steering give me the ability to quickly and evenly slide right in. And the one-pedal experience is pure genius once you get accustomed to it.

But best of all is that I'm doing all this, day in and day out, without the kind of environmental impact that an ICE car has. In soCal, my electricity is way cleaner than pumping the imported petroleum that my past cars have required to move.

The i3 brilliant. And it's the future.

dg0472

emajor said:

7.1 to 60 is pretty quick. 320i quick. Which is good, because once this thing is stopped at a light long enough for people to get a good bead on it, you are going to want the rapid getaway to escape their laughs and pointing fingers.

Yeah, I saw one on the road for the first time today and boy is it ugly, except from the front. It was turning left as I was turning right and all I could keep thinking is that I knew there was another car with that rear end. Then it came to me: AMC Gremlin. I guess if you're going green, you want to stand out and boy does this thing succeed at that.

barryhuber

Drove one at a BMW event. Fantastic car to drive. Interior is too cramped/low rent to put up with daily. Put this drivetrain and CF on a 3 series, and I'd buy it over a gas powered version in a second.

Don't get the comments on the appearance. It looks like a car. Not like the exterior matters one bit in buying a car.

anotherdrunk

its a real hoot to city drive

seriously quick off the line

instatorque