2018-01-25 Test-driving the BMW i3

25 January 2018

I’ve let a few friends drive my electric i3 from BMW, and I would generally let anyone give it a try, because it’s just so much fun.

Here are the most amusing features to test:

  • Electric torque: Kick it into Comfort Mode and floor it!

  • One-foot driving: The car will immediately start regenerating power to nearly bring the car to a stop when you lift your foot off the accelerator.

  • Adaptive Cruise Control: Engage the cruise control in traffic and watch it maintain a distance from the car in front of you. It’ll even bring the car to a stop automatically as traffic stops. (It takes a little practice to trust it.)

  • Self-parking: I admit this is a trick that I don’t often use in practice, but it’s exciting and scary to show off.

  • Check out the cool eDrive displays: It shows energy flow, consumption graphs, etc.

  • It’s oh so quiet: Drive down a quiet street with the windows down.

  • Check out the plug: it can do J1772 and CCS/DC.

  • There’s no engine in the front!

  • BMW Connected app: It offers remote controls, including heating or cooling.

  • Storage and accessories: there are nice modular ports for cup holders and 3D-printed accessories and nice elastic straps in the back which make it easy to stow gear.

Filed Under: Make365 BMW-i3