Let’s get this out of the way right now: The i3 is the fastest BMW ever from 0-30 mph. At 3.5 seconds, it’ll beat most anything on the road up to the typical city speed limit, and taking another 2.5 seconds to make it to 60, it’s not going to have any trouble hitting the highway, either. Stomp the accelerator, and the torque on tap is simply scary. Passengers yelped in shock as the little Bimmer leapt away from the line, quietly scooting its way to the posted speed limit.
Weighing just a couple hundred pounds more than your typical smart car, the i3 exhibits a nimbleness limited only by its tall, skinny tires. At a base size of 19 by 5 inches, they’re like nothing you’ve seen on a car this century. Hell, they're like nothing put on a car since before I was born. Pizza cutters come to mind here, and even with the larger 19-by-5.5-inch rears you can get with some of the more upscale trims and options, you’re going to look like you’re rolling along on beer coasters.
What this means is that at the limit you’re going to get some skittishness. Nanny systems engage to keep things composed, but you’ll still notice when you’re pushing too hard. This isn’t a complaint, though. Some drama is welcome here, as most cars today seem to keep the driver only peripherally involved in the act of driving. With the low center of gravity, rear-wheel drive (RWD), and balanced chassis of the i3, I had more fun behind the wheel of this little EV than most conventional cars can even offer.
That said, the i3's low weight means you’ll be pushed around a bit at highway speeds, by both wind and buffeting from passing tractor trailers. That will be alarming if you’re used to cruising around in a tank of an SUV, but nothing new if you’ve spent any time in compacts or riding motorcycles. My main concern would be how that light weight and those skinny tires would affect performance in the snow. I grew up in Western New York, driving all manner of vehicles through snowstorms that would make an Inuit wince. I’d love to see how the i3 would perform in those conditions, but I could see how some would find it uncomfortable.
The biggest difference in the way the i3 drives—beyond the gobs of torque just waiting to be abused—is in the way the power is delivered. Extreme engine braking means the i3 slows to a stop simply by releasing the accelerator. In order to “coast,” small amounts of pressure need to be maintained on the pedal, otherwise the i3 will come to a full stop. This is such a foreign concept to most drivers that BMW included a visual guide on the dash to help you understand what amount of pedal input was necessary to coast along, neither gaining nor losing speed. The system is so efficient that other than in emergency situations, I rarely used the brake pedal, as the i3 would come to a full stop even while pointing downward on many of the steep hills in the Bay Area. This is great for energy saving, but the engine braking can be so abrupt that I can see it surprising drivers following behind, who would suddenly see the i3 come rushing toward them without the added benefit of brake lights blazing. Be warned. The good news is that the i3 avoids the usual electric/hybrid bugaboo of grabby brakes thanks to fully hydraulic units.
And while you most likely won’t take the i3 on any cross-country trips, its 75-mile electric-only range is plenty for city use. Sadly, that range is just as optimistic here as it is for the rest of the electric crowd, even when in Eco Pro+ mode. Decide to have any fun with all that torque and you can watch that range drain like a bathtub. The range-extender option here adds a 2-cylinder, 647-cubic-centimeter engine stolen from BMW’s C600 scooter, used solely to provide additional power to the electric motor when the batteries deplete. To be clear, it never powers the rear wheels. As such it’ll add around 300 extra pounds to the i3 and another 75 miles to the range. If you have the BMW charging station ($1,080) installed at your home, you can get around 30 miles of range for every hour of charging, and if you’re lucky enough to find a DC fast-charge station in your city, BMW claims 80% charge in just 30 minutes. That sounds wonderful, but I had none of that in my home. The i3 was delivered to me with around 30% charge, and with a full-charge time of 20 hours from a conventional 120-volt socket, I spent a good portion of my 4 days with the i3 plugged in. Still, when the generator kicked on to keep the i3 scooting, it was barely noticeable. Step outside, however, and the coarse drone of that tiny twin was evident—kudos to BMW for proper sound insulation in the cabin.
