A Spin Around London in the BMW i3, the Perfect Electric Car?
Recently, I took the BMW i3 for a spin. It’s seen as one of the best electric cars in the world right now. I compiled a short review of my time in the car, check it out here:
Motor
The big selling point of this car is that it’s electric. In fact, BMW dubs it a ‘luxury electric car’, so it must be good. There are a couple of variations that you can go with, propulsion wise. If you want
to go fully electric, you can! The electric motor packs in 162 bhp and makes the car feel very nippy at times. Obviously, with a max speed under 100 mph, you won’t be going too fast. But, the electric motor makes the car quite fun to drive. Fancy adding a little bit extra (like 50+ extra miles of range) and you can get a gas engine generator along with your electric motor. All in all, it’s a very good powerplant, and it’s good for the environment too.
Comfort
The i3 is perfect for making quick trips around the city; that’s what it was made for. It’s a car that you can zip around in and feel relatively comfortable. Granted, there’s not a great deal of legroom in the back, so it’s not ideal for families. But, the driver’s seat is comfortable enough, so you can’t complain as long as you stay there. When you step out of the city and take this thing on a longer drive, you get a different story. The ride feels quite firm, which is not what you’d expect, given how good it is in the city. I’m not sure about the tires either; I find they offer worse traction that the standard Goodyear tyres on my regular car. This adds to the lack of comfort on long drives.
Looks
Like every BMW, the i3 looks great. You have the iconic front grill and a super modern car design. It looks like something from the future. When you see one drive by you, have to check twice because you half expect it to be hovering. I found that a lot of people stopped and stared at me when I drove by in this car. It’s a head turner; it looks great. The problem with some electric cars is that they don’t look particularly good. But, with this beemer, you get one of the best-looking small cars out there.
Tech
As you can imagine, the i3 is packed full of great tech. There are dual displays inside that tell you everything you need to know while driving. There’s built-in satnav too, to help you navigate around the city even better. Like most cars, it has a DAB digital radio, and a great sound system to boot.
Conclusion
So, is the BMW i3 the perfect electric car? In short, no. Although the car looks great and is brilliant at what it’s meant to do, it costs too much. You can pick up much cheaper electric city cars that are just as good. After all, that’s what this is. It’s a car designed to zoom around the city. If you want a car that takes you on long trips, look elsewhere.
