The BMW i3 Is A RWD Electric Car You'll Actually Want
Ignore the fact that we've seen it already in last week's leaked pictures. BMW has given the i3 its official unveiling and let slip the full details of the new urban animal, including CT-worthy stats like 168bhp and 184lb.ft. That’s 10bhp less than a Mini Cooper S, but 5lb.ft more. It’s rear-wheel drive, too, making this the first production electric car we might be able to get properly sideways.
It's also as light as Victoria Beckham's breakfast by plug-in car standards. The basic electric i3 weighs just 1195kg thanks to a carbon fibre-reinforced plastic monocoque safety cell that BMW calls the Life Module, helping the car to jog silently up to 62mph in 7.2 seconds. That’s right in hot hatch heartland.
The jury’s still out on the way the i3 looks. Some think it’s innovative and fresh, while others, me included, think it looks like it was styled by accident in a crushing machine. And check out the garish interior, whose novelty factor will last about five minutes before you realise that you actually hate it. Fortunately you don't have to have it like that.
BMW has confirmed more about the range-extender (REX) version too. A 650cc twin-cylinder motor from one of the Germans’ maxi-scooters, with an admittedly dull 25bhp and 41lb.ft of torque, gets mounted at the back. Drawing unleaded from a nine-litre fuel tank underneath the front bulkhead it simply generates extra electricity for the motor. At least the rear-engine, rear-wheel drive layout means you can pretend you’re in a very quiet 911. It's slower than the normal i3 though, dropping to 7.9 seconds for the 0-62mph run.
The all-electric i3’s theoretical absolute maximum range is 124 miles in perfect conditions using the EcoPro+ driving mode, which limits the electric motor’s torque and caps speed at 50mph. The £2000 pricier i3 REX will increase that to 211 miles, but electric car range is massively sensitive to the way you drive. Like mothers-in-law.
The problem here is the price. The i3 is northwards of £25,000 before you add any options, and after the British government gives you £5000 off its original price. Basically it’s still about £3000 more expensive than the new Skoda Octavia vRS, so you’re really going to have to want one.
We got hold of a video of one of the simultaneous world-wide unveils. To save you sitting through endless PR drivel, skip to 22:25 to see the covers come off.
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