Clamshell Doors/Entry and Egress - 2014 BMW i3 Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,315
edited March 2015 in BMW
imageClamshell Doors/Entry and Egress - 2014 BMW i3 Long-Term Road Test

Other than being powered by electricity, our long-term 2015 BMW i3 has a few unique design features. One of the unique features on our 2015 BMW i3 is its clamshell doors.

Read the full story here


Comments

  • misterfusionmisterfusion Member Posts: 471
    I didn't realize "clamshell" was the polite term for "suicide doors". I thought "clamshell" referred to doors that flipped upward, i.e. some variation of gullwing or scissor doors. (And I will always refer to this type of door as "suicide door"...strange as it may seem, the term has been around long enough that it has lost any negative connotation, at least for me.)
  • kirkhilles1kirkhilles1 Member Posts: 863
    That's pretty cool. Of course, then you notice that you have to squint to see the leg room in the back. I doubt you're fitting much than a toddler back there.
  • cjasiscjasis Member Posts: 274
    BMW provided my family and I with one of these for a weekend when they first came on the market as part of their marketing push and I was shocked at how good this set up is. I fit my then nearly 4 year old in his full size car seat in the back (and it was surprisingly easy to get the car seat in and him in and out), a cooler, all his sand toys and chairs in the back and my longboard on the top (with soft racks). It's really a great use of space.

    The one downside is that if you're in a tight parking space, having to open the front doors and then the back doors can be a challenge.
  • karmonkarmon Member Posts: 7
    I had a Honda Element once with clamshell doors. The biggest issue was people that always tried to close the rear door first, slamming the front door on top of it, potentially causing paint chips on both. Never happened to me because I always warned passengers in advance but, car wash staff was always a concern. I would never use valet parking, in any car, under ANY circumstance, but they would be a potential problem too!
  • fordson1fordson1 Unconfirmed Posts: 1,512
    "You can't open the rear doors without opening the front doors first, which is a potential annoyance for passengers, but I don't think it's a huge issue."

    No? Try carpooling with it for a week and get back to us.
  • anotherdrunkanotherdrunk Guest Posts: 30
    i think the disappearing b pillar is cool
Sign In or Register to comment.