I3 Test Drive.

Just emailed Joe Duffy motors, are there any other BMW dealers that stock the I3 ?

Can't wait, dying to test it for ages but got some holiday time coming up and I can't think of a better way to enjoy some time off than taking the I3 out for a spin.

Looking to test the 94 Ah version.

Can't get the Ioniq from Carlow they want to keep the one they have for a 172 plate.

I don't think anyone here has test driven the 96 Ah I3 yet ?

stesaurus

Kearys in Cork have them also. Might be better than heading up to DUblin

jerryg

Deleted User wrote: »

Just emailed Joe Duffy motors, are there any other BMW dealers that stock the I3 ?

Can't wait, dying to test it for ages but got some holiday time coming up and I can't think of a better way to enjoy some time off than taking the I3 out for a spin.

Looking to test the 94 Ah version.

Can't get the Ioniq from Carlow they want to keep the one they have for a 172 plate.

I don't think anyone here has test driven the 96 Ah I3 yet ?

I drive a 94 ah or 33 Kw Bev everyday and I wrote a review after 20k Km in the i3 section.
I bought mine last Sept 2016 and I love it.
Its difficult to get a test drive with Joe Duffy as you need your own insurance company to cover you for the test period.
Kearys in Cork also sell i3s .
Best of luck with your test drive.

I now have 24,000 Km on it and my only trouble was with a bumper sensor.

see my short report here
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=103723800

Dublin is closer , Joe Duffy about 86 Kms from me.

jerryg

jerryg wrote: »

I drive a 94 ah or 33 Kw Bev everyday and I wrote a review after 20k Km in the i3 section.
I bought mine last Sept 2016 and I love it.
Its difficult to get a test drive with Joe Duffy as you need your own insurance company to cover you for the test period.
Kearys in Cork also sell i3s .
Best of luck with your test drive.

I now have 24,000 Km on it and my only trouble was with a bumper sensor.

see my short report here
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=103723800

Yes I remember now looking at the thread.

Did you lease ?

Are you still happy with it ?

So you reckon 180 Kms , does it have the heat pump and 3 phase AC ?

jerryg

Yes as the article I am still very happy with it but I would have got the heat pump if I were to buy again. It does 200 Km/charge now pulling up in this weather.
I didn't go pcp I am in this for the long haul so I bought with a part credit union loan, savings, and trade in.

Sweet, I'm a bit concerned about the size, I know Cross says it's as much room as the leaf, maybe length but hardly width. It looks very narrow.

They only want to give me the I3 over night, but that would mean a trip from Joe Duffy motors to Carlow and back. Not even CCS charging in Carlow.

Trying to get 2 days , that's unreal and to think that Paul in Barlo Nissan went well beyond the call of duty to meet me , twice, with the test leaf , drove all the way from Kilkenny To Carlow on his own time too !!!

unkel

jerryg wrote: »

Its difficult to get a test drive with Joe Duffy as you need your own insurance company to cover you for the test period.

This might not be an issue. I needed to swap my insurance over the the Ioniq for the 24h test drive, but it turns out, I am fully insured on garage cars when my car is in the garage for up to 9 days or something like that (without having to do anything). My broker pointed it out to me. It's probably in the small print somewhere!

jhegarty

Deleted User wrote: »

Sweet, I'm a bit concerned about the size, I know Cross says it's as much room as the leaf, maybe length but hardly width. It looks very narrow.

The car is far bigger inside than it looks.

Only issue is that there is no middle seat in the back.

Well with child seats we can't really fit anyone more than the 1.5 and 3 year old anyway in the Leaf.

My Partner is due to change her car soon and we'll probably get something larger it would be convenient. At least to be able to fit Granny in the back. Even perhaps a small 7 seater or large 7 seater would be convenient for when her parent's are over and we all want to go for a meal or something, then again we could rent something if we want to go off though renting down in Carlow is difficult.

Does anyone know what car could fit 1 Adult in the rear with 2 Child seats and have a big boot ?

NIMAN

A lovely, ultra-reliable Honda FR-V

Now if only someone was selling one.

Looks like I might be getting the Rex version which I'm not too keen about but if it's the only one with 94 Ah 33 Kwh battery then there's not a lot I can do about it.

ELM327

Deleted User wrote: »

Looks like I might be getting the Rex version which I'm not too keen about but if it's the only one with 94 Ah 33 Kwh battery then there's not a lot I can do about it.

Wow talk about overkill. Didnt know they sold a 33kWh REX i3.
:eek:

You can understand having a rex in a 100-120km range car but the i3 with 33kWh seems to have a real world range of >200km.

thierry14

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Looks like I might be getting the Rex version which I'm not too keen about but if it's the only one with 94 Ah 33 Kwh battery then there's not a lot I can do about it.

Company i3 how bad

thierry14

thierry14 wrote: »

Company i3 how bad

?

lob020

[Deleted User] wrote: »

?

Are they doing any deals on the Bev or the Rex.I did drive the Bev and it's great

No idea what deals they have yet.

If I were to consider it I'd wait for the facelift due later this year and more battery capacity.

I remember last year Joe Duffy motors wanted to give me 8K for the Leaf so they were obviously not interested in the sale or taking the Leaf but I'd rather they be honest about it and tell me they don't want to take in something with a Nissan badge and that would be fine....... So we'll see what they tell me this time.

lob020

Keep me posted.I have an Audi to trade in which might be of interest
Thanks

will do, I'd imagine the 4 rings would be more appealing to have in their yard.....

unkel

List price is €€€€€€€ so I can imagine it will be a lot more expensive than your Leaf on PCP

Would make more financial sense to import one from the UK, benefiting from the zero VRT.

lob020

My problem is that I have the A3 to trade in otherwise I would be heading to UK to buy .it's very hard to sell privately even though it's only 1.2 l low mileage etc .so probably stuck with trading in here besides it's nice to get home charging socket installed free as well

Not sure how much cheaper I'd get the 33 Kw I3 with decent spec in the U.K ?

More expensive than Leaf indeed but a lot more fun, much better quality, toys etc.

Fun commuter car and 0 commuting costs as I wouldn't need to charge this at home at all and all the Kwh saved on commuting I'm considering getting a storage heater for the sitting room for when I'm off shift but don't want to heat the whole house on the Oil.

Anyway if I were thinking of the I3 I'd be waiting on the facelift. I should be paying half the interest too that I was on the Leaf, however I do know Joe duffy Motors would not give me PCP with 30 K Kms a year last year so might have to go HP.

peposhi

Would you not go for Leaf 2.0, Mad_Lad?

I've no Idea, possibly. Depends on how good the Pro Pilot is, it's of particular interest to me after working nights, especially on the 72 hr week of 3 days and 3 nights. If it means it could potentially get me out of a risky situation then maybe.

The I3 and Ioniq are due upgrades by then so who knows.

Soarer

Saw a new i3 today. 171 C 12 thousand and something. Could only be a few days old.

A lot of money shelled out there, especially with 172 starting next week!

A lot of people don't care about the 172 reg.

A lot of money but it's a lot higher quality than Leaf , Zoe , Ioniq etc and a lot more fun.

I would have waited for the facelift but many people just can't wait.

Matt Simis

Out of interest, how do you guys view the 2014 gen I3 with REX? Id kinda be tempted at the prices in the UK (or where they are headed soon enough)..

Ive been in the Leaf a couple of times and it just wasnt for me. And an I8 is currently too expensive!

The Rex is fine if you don't mind slightly slower acceleration than the Battery only version and higher maintenance.

I think it's good for about 80-90 miles in Summer and 70 odd in Winter, the Rex version doesn't have the heat pump so it will be harder on juice in cold weather, then of course you have the Rex to keep you going until you can get to a fast charge point.

unkel

Matt Simis wrote: »

Out of interest, how do you guys view the 2014 gen I3 with REX? Id kinda be tempted at the prices in the UK (or where they are headed soon enough)..

Ive been in the Leaf a couple of times and it just wasnt for me. And an I8 is currently too expensive!

Long time no see on these forums, Matt Simis, welcome back

I'd have thought a UK import Tesla Model S (from about £40k plus €2k-€3k VRT) would be more up your street?

Still got the 850CSi?

jhegarty

Matt Simis wrote: »

Out of interest, how do you guys view the 2014 gen I3 with REX? Id kinda be tempted at the prices in the UK (or where they are headed soon enough)..

Ive been in the Leaf a couple of times and it just wasnt for me. And an I8 is currently too expensive!

I have the car 6 months now. Three times I would not have been able to complete my journey from Cork -> Dublin (without a 4 hour stop) without the Rex due to problems with chargers.

And those and they only 3 times I have used it.

jhegarty

jhegarty wrote: »

I have the car 6 months now. Three times I would not have been able to complete my journey from Cork -> Dublin (without a 4 hour stop) without the Rex due to problems with chargers.

And those and they only 3 times I have used it.

Do you also have the 33 Kwh (94 Ah) ? and did you get the 11 Kw AC charger ?

Matt Simis

unkel wrote: »

Long time no see on these forums, Matt Simis, welcome back

I'd have thought a UK import Tesla Model S (from about £40k plus €2k-€3k VRT) would be more up your street?

Still got the 850CSi?

Well, there is room in my life hopefully for both a Tesla and an I3 one day. Though an alternative I might be more keen on is an I3 daily with an I8 as a toy. Would be nice to have a noisey car for fun times.

Left (as in cashed out) the CSi in New Zealand sadly, couldnt keep dragging it behind me on my worldly travels. Kinda think I should buy a high performance and unique ICE car now and put it in a garage to wow future generations tho..
We digress, for purely technical reasons the I3 has wormed its way into my mindset:
- RWD
- good performance
- good interior
- interesting engineering Carbon FRP
- the combustion bit is there solely to bail me out if I screw up in the REX model, not cutting in and out like my dad's hybrid.

If intending to get the I3 wait for the facelift and battery upgrade.

thierry14

[Deleted User] wrote: »

?

Sorry read it wrong

thierry14

[Deleted User] wrote: »

If intending to get the I3 wait for the facelift and battery upgrade.

When's that due?

Thought BMW just upgraded battery

Matt Simis

Deleted User wrote: »

If intending to get the I3 wait for the facelift and battery upgrade.

Yeah but Im not dropping EUR40k on an I3 in a million years! As noted, thats 2nd hand Tesla money. Whats wrong with the sub-20k first gen?

jhegarty

Deleted User wrote: »

Do you also have the 33 Kwh (94 Ah) ? and did you get the 11 Kw AC charger ?

No , I am on a 142 reg.

Matt Simis

Matt Simis wrote: »

Yeah but Im not dropping EUR40k on an I3 in a million years! As noted, thats 2nd hand Tesla money. Whats wrong with the sub-20k first gen?

Not a thing, at least you got the Rex, to make up for the lower range and BMW said they'd start offering the upgrade to the 33 Kwh. I could go that route myself though I really don't want any form of ICE again and the extra maintenance.

The Model S is another route. It would be great if the Sandyford Tesla dealer imported a few 2nd hand ones.

thierry14

thierry14 wrote: »

When's that due?

Thought BMW just upgraded battery

They did but they're working on a facelift due for release in the Autumn. Rumoured to have an even larger battery.

thierry14

[Deleted User] wrote: »

They did but they're working on a facelift due for release in the Autumn. Rumoured to have an even larger battery.

Nice

What I am looking forward to is the 3 series EV announcement

Over in the m forums they are saying 200bhp or more and 50Kw battery

0-60 6 secs, 300km range, if it's around 40k that's decent

Drove behind a BMW 335i today and had a realisation

Why it hadn't dawned on me earlier I don't know.

The Tesla model 3 will have 335i pace, it will match the acceleration and guts of a 3ltr twin turbo petrol all out motorway monster, have zero of the running cost and will be bought a good few thousand cheaper

That is amazing

Yes it's amazing, wait until 2nd hand Model S cars start appearing at decent prices, even more amazing !!!

KCross

thierry14 wrote: »

What I am looking forward to is the 3 series EV announcement

Over in the m forums they are saying 200bhp or more and 50Kw battery

0-60 6 secs, 300km range, if it's around 40k that's decent

Is that all? Surely better than that?

Matt Simis

KCross wrote: »

Is that all? Surely better than that?

Getting noticeably lower than 6s to 60 is hard (for any power train, outside super lightweights).. he wasn't describing an M3, just an electric 3 series. If they put the batteries and motor into an EV-3 series to do say 4.5sec to 60 and 300km range and say EUR70k then there wouldnt be any M3 or 335i / 440i at all anymore, they would be pointless.

Those specs sound killer, likely it would be 10% worse on all them and 25% more expensive tho. :pac:

goz83

KCross wrote: »

Is that all? Surely better than that?

Sounds ok to me. The Model 3 is supposed to be 5.6 seconds.

There's no doubt in my mind BMW can make a car as fast to 60 and faster than the Model S but they're not going to make something that sell better than ICE, not a chance in hell. ICE is BMW's bread and butter and they will make much more profit from ICE than BEV until battery costs come down.

ABC101

I believe less than 6 seconds is performance territory, and less than 5 seconds is exotic?

But once you are into those times you are leaning more towards 4 wheel drive systems. 4 wheel drive adds weight and if full time it also adds transmission losses, which is not really what you want for your battery etc.

I can't help noticing from the posts so far, but I was under the impression people were choosing EV for low running costs, and the environment.

But that does not seem to be the case.

Obviously it depends on mileage done / year and EV's are relatively new, so one has to buy a relatively new one or a actual new one.

So how is the depreciation working out on a 3 or 4 year old Leaf?

Borrowing money on a depreciating asset is not good financial advice. Drivers may be happy about extremely low costs of motoring (or batterying!!), but generally these costs are small compared to depreciation which can by 5-6 or 7 grand a year.

ELM327

My EV is costing 250 per month, versus old fuel costs of >300
Cheaper to tax - 120 vs 710
Cheaper to insure - approx 300 difference
Maintenance - nil


Therefore even if my car depreciates to 0 after 3 years of my ownership, I am in the black.

ABC101

Deleted User wrote: »

There's no doubt in my mind BMW can make a car as fast to 60 and faster than the Model S but they're not going to make something that sell better than ICE, not a chance in hell. ICE is BMW's bread and butter and they will make much more profit from ICE than BEV until battery costs come down.

I think the 330e (petrol hybrid) is less than 6s?

ABC101

ELM327 wrote: »

My EV is costing 250 per month, versus old fuel costs of >300
Cheaper to tax - 120 vs 710
Cheaper to insure - approx 300 difference
Maintenance - nil


Therefore even if my car depreciates to 0 after 3 years of my ownership, I am in the black.

So how much did you buy the car for? Was it a cash sale, or did you borrow money etc