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Is the BMW i3 a decent city commuter EV? (piefed.zip)
submitted 1 week ago by to c/electricvehicles@slrpnk.net
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I see a couple of i3s in buy&sell sites in my city. They're usually 2016-2018 models selling from $9k to $15k and mileage ranging from 40k to 80k. Some of them are pure EVs and others have the range extender (~80 miles of gas range). Some have upgraded infotainment that supports wireless Apple carplay, and some have only like 80 miles of range left.

Just from the visual POV, it looks like a fun little car to use for general city driving (work, groceries, errands, etc.). An EV for less than $15k that isn't an older generation Nissan Leaf is pretty rare to find too. Are these models any good?

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[–] 10 points 1 week ago* (24 children)

Good summary. Also, the “S” versions have a bigger battery. These were very advanced, basically a test bed for EV tech for BMW and they sold every one at a loss. The chassis is molded carbon fiber, unfortunately, if that gets damaged in an accident, it can’t be repaired.

I am a BMW tech, and always wanted one. Unfortunately they are only RWD, and thus would be far from ideal in my area that sees heavy snow/ice.

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  • [–] 5 points 1 week ago (6 children)

    Isn't RWD less of a problem on an EV than with ICE vehicles? The vehicle's mass is more evenly distributed across the vehicle instead of being concentrated under the hood, thus moving the vehicle's center of mass closer to the driven axle.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 week ago (5 children)

    You still have only two wheels for acceleration. Two extremely narrow wheels.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 week ago (2 children)

    It's not a dragster.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 week ago (1 child)

    … ok. But they’re talking about in snow/ice. Have you ever driven a rwd car on ice up a hill? It’s not fun. You need all the grip you can get.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 week ago

    Because RWD ICE cars have poor weight distribution and most morons don't fit winter tires.

    I've been driving 2WD vehicles in CDN winters for decades. The tires are 100x more important than the drive wheels.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 week ago (1 child)

    That's no different than a FWD vehicle. The grip difference between the front and real axles (assuming you don't have staggered or different wheel sizes) is primarily going to be a function of of the weight distribution.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 week ago (8 children)

    RWD doesn't change braking (primary cause of understeer in winter, unless you enjoy accelerating in corners on ice) and actually lends you more control in oversteer scenarios. Correcting oversteer in an FWD car is harder.

    You have to actively be trying to do something stupid if RWD gets you in trouble in a car with ESP and proper winter tires.

    AWD that actually drives both axles all the time is even better, but it seems EVs often tend to switch one motor off when they can anyway.

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  • [–] -1 points 1 week ago* (7 children)

    Enjoy being the slowest car on the road in the winter I guess. I have a RWD car, and even with the best winter tires you can get it sucked ass in the snow. Tried it for one month, said fuck that, parked it for the winter and bought an AWD winter car.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 week ago (6 children)

    Most people in northern Europe know how to drive with 2wd (being able to drive in slippery conditions is a prerequisite for getting a license in the first place), so honestly that's more of an American issue than RWD issue.

    And do you honestly expect a tiny economy car to have dual motor AWD? I thought you were advocating for FWD for some reason, not a much heavier and more expensive car. Just get a wagon or sedan if you want AWD. Tons of options out there and even more if you want an SUV.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 week ago* (5 children)

    Never said I couldn’t do just fine with RWD in the winter. I am a licenced race car driver, including doing ice racing. There is a reason why we have different classes for AWD and RWD because there is such a big performance gap. I want the best performing car for the winter as well as the summer. I would rather take the bus than drive an SUV.

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  • [–] 0 points 1 week ago (3 children)

    Sure buddy.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 week ago (3 children)

    The chassis is molded carbon fiber

    Great for salted roads, I guess... As it delivers all it's EV torque to the rear axle...

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  • [–] 0 points 1 week ago (3 children)

    We had one in Edmonton and it was great in the winter with proper tires. Heavy and low set weight did well. Unfortunately, that carbon fiber frame resulted in a write off after a fairly minor collision.

    I've got a RWD i4 going into my fourth winter and it's amazing in the winter.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

    If you tried an Xdrive version, you would probably be shocked at how much better it is. I am actually surprised BMW even sells a RWD version in Canada. Like the SUVs, here in Canada you can only buy an Xdrive version, while in the US, you can get RWD only versions. We almost never sell RWD anything anymore. Even the 3 series and 2 series are AWD only now.

    Edit: and the i4 is being discontinued, and the new i3 is coming out, which I believe will be AWD only here.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 week ago (1 child)

    I have no doubt AWD would be even better, but the weight of the i4, low centre of gravity, and traction control make it surprisingly excellent in the winter. Not sure if I'll ever buy new again (depreciation is a bitch), but I'd definitely look to jump to AWD electric. Plan right now is to drive this one for another ~6 years at least. The new i3 looks pretty damn nice.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

    Ya, we just had a really nice loaded i4 M50 traded in that I tried to buy, but a customer scooped it up before I got the chance. The i3 is a giant leap in EV tech over all our current offerings. Be a while before I can get one though. 😉

    Bonus, the i3 is much cheaper than a comparable i4 was new.

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