So, further to earlier posts, I went for a prearranged test drive yesterday. Having read much on the internet, and knowing what we need/don’t need (with regard to my wife’s mobility/health issues) and likes/dislikes I had a serious checklist to work through. I should add that I had driven our other shortlisted car (XC40) 48 hours earlier, and that ticked every box, so the i3 had a lot to do.
The dealership/salesperson were great. However, the experience got off to a bad start because apparently their charger had broken (allegedly for the second time in 24 hours) and consequently the i3 only had 60 miles on the range indicating. So, for someone new to a EV, immediate range anxiety! They could have got round this by using the domestic socket slow charger, but they didn’t. Anyway, the salesperson explained that I was unlikely to use all that due to the regenerative braking etc. to I was reassured. After a basic instruction course I was let loose for the afternoon.
OK, the important first impressions:
Entry/exit/wow factor: The car looks small when parked next to other (mainly) BMW’s. However, when you open the door there is a lot of room. I am 6’2″ and 18 stone, and entry/egress is easy, lots of headroom and seats are adjustable for height as well as the usual fore/aft and recline. I was quickly able to get comfortable. There is NO lumbar support though, not even as an option, which may trouble some people.
The windscreen is large and sits well ahead of the front seats, this adds the the spacious feel. There is no transmission tunnel at all, so again this adds to the spaciousness in the front. There is a wow factor as the design is very minimalist, and the materials used throughout are high quality and different. A concern for me, being rather old school, is that “lightweight” is everywhere, which means things flex a bit in places and there was the odd creak from the door panel with my elbow rested on it. Similarly when the doors/boot are opened/closed they feel very light without the reassuring clunk of a conventional car. Not a criticism, just something to get used to.
I wanted to pair my phone to check the sound quality of the standard set up, and also wanted to use the sat nav just to get a feel for it. I have not used BMW idrive before, but I can see why people say its the best on the market. Really simple and intuitive to use. Fantastic. I also like the simple/uncluttered driver display, very well thought out. The sound quality was just good enough for the basic system, but audiophiles would definitely want to upgrade. On the other had I received an incoming phone call and the sound quality was excellent. Horses for courses.
OK, so what about the driving? This is where the ‘WOW” starts. Simply an astonishing and fun experience. Moving off in silence and building speed as fast or slow as required, all very controllable. The one pedal driving for me was amazing, very easy to get used to in all three driver modes. I used the car on a mix of A, B and badly surfaced country lanes. Overall I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, the set up is relatively hard, but the soundproofing is very good and consequently for me the fun factor outweighed anything else. It is a car that I could easily live with and enjoy driving every time.
With regard to my wife’s standard wheelchair, it does fit in the boot without the seats folded. (The rear seats to recline slightly as well as fold, but I left them in the standard position). There is no boot lip, so I found it easier to put the chair in and out than with our current car (a Qashqai).
I did over 30 miles, and the range was still 45 when I returned it, so for me range anxiety should not exist and could be easily managed.
I did not want to hand the car back because I really did enjoy driving it so much.
In summary I would echo Ian’s words, “try one to see if it works for you”, it is an amazing car.
Having said that, for me there are a few issues that are important to me. At the price it is the BMW does lack some safety features. There are fewer airbags than on many conventional cars, and some safety systems have to be specified as extras, even autonomous emergency braking.
The heater, whilst adequate, is not as powerful as from a combustion engine, and is degraded in two out of three driver modes. I could easily live with this, but my wife couldn’t with her health issues.
Finally, we live on a hilly, windy lane which is not gritted in bad weather, so I would worry about the rear wheel drive and narrow tyres. Again, I could live with getting stuck, but not with a wheelchair user on board.
In conclusion, it was a close decision, but mainly for the reasons above I’m going to order an XC40 this afternoon. I’ll have to carry on paying for petrol for the next few years! I hope that I don’t put people off, the car really would work for many (including me if my wife did not have the issues she has).