lupinsea
03-31-2015, 01:53 PM
A co-worker recently purchased / taken delivery of his new i3 and last week I had a chance to go for a ride in it.
I must say that it's quite a stunning machine. The interior looks fantastic in person. The attention to details and use of materials is great, especially the flowing wood trim on the dash board. The rear suicide doors work well for rear-seat access. There were three of us in the car as we went for lunch and everyone had plenty of room.
What surprised me was the acceleration. Granted, this is no Tesla Model S but it was also the first time I've been in an electric car. Dat electric torque . . . definitely addictive. Just a consistent, solid, silent shove up to speed. The i3 seem surprisingly fast to me. Seat-of-the-pants feel was probably about on par with my mom's new CTS AWD w/ the turbo-four (another surprising car to me). However, unlike the CTS there was zero delay or lag waiting for power from the motor. Stomp the throttle and it goes. No gear changes or anything.
What was further surprising is that as fast as it felt to me, my co-worker said he could tell a noticeable difference between when he drive's solo and having two extra passenger.
Anyways, other notables:
I get a kick out of the skinny wheels on it. I don't think I've see wheels that skinny . . . . hm, not on any car I can remember.
Ride was pleasantly firm but not punishing. About what I remember from the BMWs I've ridden in (probably a "duh" on this one).
I think all the exterior body panels are plastic it.
Open the door you can you see the carbon fiber chassis on the door sill. They didn't bother to cover it up.
My co-worker opted for the pure electric without the range extender. He's using it as his city car here in Seattle and keeps an older Mercedes as it long-distance car.
And I think he said the car uses a heat pump for the HVAC system instead of traditional heater cores and A/C compressor (which makes sense) further improving the efficiency of the system.
.
I must say that it's quite a stunning machine. The interior looks fantastic in person. The attention to details and use of materials is great, especially the flowing wood trim on the dash board. The rear suicide doors work well for rear-seat access. There were three of us in the car as we went for lunch and everyone had plenty of room.
What surprised me was the acceleration. Granted, this is no Tesla Model S but it was also the first time I've been in an electric car. Dat electric torque . . . definitely addictive. Just a consistent, solid, silent shove up to speed. The i3 seem surprisingly fast to me. Seat-of-the-pants feel was probably about on par with my mom's new CTS AWD w/ the turbo-four (another surprising car to me). However, unlike the CTS there was zero delay or lag waiting for power from the motor. Stomp the throttle and it goes. No gear changes or anything.
What was further surprising is that as fast as it felt to me, my co-worker said he could tell a noticeable difference between when he drive's solo and having two extra passenger.
Anyways, other notables:
I get a kick out of the skinny wheels on it. I don't think I've see wheels that skinny . . . . hm, not on any car I can remember.
Ride was pleasantly firm but not punishing. About what I remember from the BMWs I've ridden in (probably a "duh" on this one).
I think all the exterior body panels are plastic it.
Open the door you can you see the carbon fiber chassis on the door sill. They didn't bother to cover it up.
My co-worker opted for the pure electric without the range extender. He's using it as his city car here in Seattle and keeps an older Mercedes as it long-distance car.
And I think he said the car uses a heat pump for the HVAC system instead of traditional heater cores and A/C compressor (which makes sense) further improving the efficiency of the system.
.