After seeing it in many stages of its production, I finally drove the i3 in Amsterdam recently. Odd little duck, but the connectivity support is fantastic.
Oh yeah... we walked through the red light district, it was bizarre. 
http://www.autos.ca/first-drives/first-drive-2014-bmw-i3/
Two questions for BMW PR: Why isn't this small city car badged as a MINI? And why is it so ugly?
Wow! Call the police! My eyeballs have been assaulted!
OMG, I LOL'd at that troll picture!
Meh... I think it's overall maybe better looking than my Leaf; definitely better in the front. Yes, I know that's not saying much. Actually the first thing the dropped beltline reminded me of was the BMW S1000RR's asymmetrical headlight arrangement, which I kinda dig.
I'd have thought they'd provide an option like on the Leaf to have the auto-regen be switchable. I like it in stop and go since I can make bigger adjustments without going to the brake pedal, but it doesn't bring it all the way to a stop, and you can turn it off completely.
Is 9.8m the turning radius, or the whole circle? As I attempt to convert to 'merican units (I do wish we'd all go metric, but for now my intuitive feel for SAE/Imperial is much better-developed), I'm coming up with needing over 60 feet to get U-turned... That doesn't seem right.
Ever write companion travel pieces to go with the car reviews? Hoping to make it to the Netherlands at some point, but so far have only changed planes there...
Rats, I thought that link was to Red Light pictures.
It looks heavy and clumsy for an all electric vehicle. Definately no Leaf, but unmistakenly BMW. I like the idea of suicide doors.
The turning radius is 9.86 meters (32.3 feet). Really tight, and very manoeverable.
I would love to write travel pieces, but they don't pay. Occasionally I'd write accompanying blog pieces for one of my outlets, Auto123. Those are fun.
The Netherlands is odd, yet compelling. Like Bizzarro World. Incredible architecture, and interesting people who speak impeccable English. There seem to be almost as many canals as there are roadways, and bicycle and rickshaw traffic is almost equal to cars. The topography is interesting; predominantly flat with what look to be sand drifts covered with tufted grasses. The food ranges from fabulous to downright weird (I don't even want to think about the bright orange fish tartare cannelloni we experienced).
In reply to 914Driver:
It's far from clumsy - in fact we were surprised at how nimble it is. I drove down one narrow corridor that ran alongside a canal, with store fronts that abutted right against it. A delivery truck blocked one end, forcing us to back up all the way, and do a j-turn on a tiny patch of open pavement. You've got to keep your wits about you in Amsterdam - there are several lanes of traffic converging at each intersection and they're not patient drivers.
What's the i3 weigh?
1,270kg or roughly 2800 lbs.
Lesley, that's a Gamorrian Guard, not a troll.
Lesley wrote: The turning radius is 9.86 meters (32.3 feet). Really tight, and very manoeverable.
Sorry, I was thinking of a literal radius, as in half the diameter of the circle.
berkeley, I don't know. I'm an artist, not a numbers girl.
yeah, the i3 is a lightweight, RWD EV made mostly of Carbon Fiber. Supposedly priced about where the Volt is, but with a MUCH nicer chassis and interior. I like it a lot...
"What's it like to drive?
Most electric cars are more entertaining to drive than you'd think, with their underpowered but torquey motors. However, most are heavy and nearly all prioritize on economy far ahead of driving dynamics. Economy was indeed a focus in the i3, but the most important thing is that it hasn't lost all of its family lineage. This is not the Ultimate Driving Machine, but it certainly is a machine that is very fun to drive.
Despite the city-car stature, it offers RWD power, which leaves the steering pleasantly light and never compromised by torque steer. Handling is taut and surprisingly neutral. The front does yield before the rear when pushed, but particularly intrusive traction and stability control (that cannot be fully disabled) will shut things down well before anything gets out of hand.
This is something aggressive drivers will likely find out quickly, thanks in large part to the ultra-skinny 155/70/19 tires. There simply isn't much rubber on the road. With all that torque, this thing could probably be quite a little burnout machine, but at the first hint of wheel spin, any thoughts about acceleration are immediately banished by the traction control.
Keep the wheels from slipping and you'll have a pleasant time, thanks to the i3's nimble feel. The 2,630-pound curb weight is reasonably light for a battery-electric car: 1,470 pounds lighter than the 1 Series-based ActiveE that came before and more than 1,000 pounds lighter than the Ford Focus Electric. Meanwhile, the two heaviest parts of the car, the 22 kWh Li-ion battery pack and the motor, are placed very low to augment handling. Finally, much of the structure is made of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic, or CFRP, which likewise helps to reduce weight yet still has enough strength to facilitate the absence of a B-pillar.
Acceleration is strong, even at highway speeds, where some other EVs linger. The seven-second 0-60 time doesn't represent the sense of urgency you get when applying the throttle in this car. It is legitimately quick, which makes it perfect for squirting into openings in traffic and making brisk passes of the sort that will make your children cheer in the back seat. However, the upright position and flat seats up front put a serious damper on cornering fun."
ransom wrote:Lesley wrote: The turning radius is 9.86 meters (32.3 feet). Really tight, and very manoeverable.Sorry, I was thinking of a literal radius, as in half the diameter of the circle.
It is a strange way to say that though, right?
I mean, if the turning radius is 32 ft, then if you have 32 ft to your side, you can do a 180 deg turn right? If you keep going and do a 360 and end up where you started, then drew a line in your tire tracks you would get a circle. If you measured across that circle, you would get 32 ft, but that would be the diameter of the circle, not the radius.
Shouldn't the cars turning radius be 16 ft? The turning diameter should be 32 ft.
You just made my head blow up...
But yeah, you're correct. 
nderwater wrote: Two questions for BMW PR: Why isn't this small city car badged as a MINI? And why is it so ugly?
Let's leave Ron Perlman out of this.
Edit: forgot the hotlink.
It doesn't really look like that.
Kind of more like this:
Chris_V wrote:
What is the appeal of plastic lumber glued to your dashboard? Lumber belongs in walls, under something smooth and clean like gypsum board, not out where you can see it.
I'm going to guess I'm in the minority here. I love my 80's melamine cupboards, and hate the look of oak.
I don't know if it's the color (colour?) or the camera angle, but the copper i3 appears less SUV-ish.
It's a nice write up Lesley, don't let these guys get in your head.
In reply to Streetwiseguy:
It looks like they were running out of time and sent someone down to Ikea for the dashboard
Lesley wrote: The Netherlands is odd, yet compelling. Like Bizzarro World. Incredible architecture, and interesting people who speak impeccable English. There seem to be almost as many canals as there are roadways, and bicycle and rickshaw traffic is almost equal to cars. The topography is interesting; predominantly flat with what look to be sand drifts covered with tufted grasses.
At the first company worked for, we were closely affiliated with a Dutch company. They would send a rep over for our annual R&D conference they were always polite and pleasant to be around. The Dutch were tough negiotators in business and would generally eat your lunch after which you would thank them. Someone in our R&D group would get to go over there every year and visit. It woud take them less time to show you the COUNTRY than it would for us to show them our COUNTY. When it got to be my time to go over, our company got bought out and I went elsewhere.
Streetwiseguy wrote:Chris_V wrote:What is the appeal of plastic lumber glued to your dashboard? Lumber belongs in walls, under something smooth and clean like gypsum board, not out where you can see it. I'm going to guess I'm in the minority here. I love my 80's melamine cupboards, and hate the look of oak.
I love the wood on car dashes, from vintage to modern. I also love the wood on classic speedboats, which is really where this takes some of it's inspiration from. In this case, the light wood looks more open and airy than darker wood might.
With the exception of the Volt and the high end electric cars, why do they insist on make electric cars and hybrids that are stand alone models so ugly. The Leaf, the Prius, the i-MiEV, this thing.
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