BMW i3S

cros13

So the i3S is official.

New battery didn't make the cut due to issues with production ramp but should be along later next year, that will be a 44kWh pack.
Motor bumped from 125kW to 137kW, torque increased by 20 Nm
Since traction is now better the power curve has been remapped to put more power down - and Sport mode on the drive selector
Wider 20" tires as standard with flared wheel wells to accommodate them
40mm wider track which combined with above and suspension changes provides better wet weather and motorway handling
New iDrive system with LTE and higher res display (& apple carplay (no android auto))
New lighting setup with the high beams now integrated (on the current i3 even with LED main beams the high beam are provided by halogens beside the fogs) into the standard LED lights (previously optional)
An additional cloth/leather trim option and new grey cloth option
New colors a red metallic and a new metallic blue

I didn't think more Kwh was on the cards for 2017 anyway ?

They could have went to 200 Hp ffs.

Should still be a lot of fun especially if they haven't it as limited from 0 Kph as the current gen.

Leaf II will be 30 hp behind but only 20 behind the non S version. Not nearly as large a gap but the I3 will be lighter and obviously handle a lot better.

Apple car play will be very welcome the existing media player on the I3 is just pure dirt. No Android Auto though is a joke.

cros13

Deleted User wrote: »

I didn't think more Kwh was on the cards for 2017 anyway ?

It was, Samsung SDI has had the 120Ah cells in sample quantities for almost two years.

Deleted User wrote: »

They could have went to 200 Hp ffs.

Should still be a lot of fun especially if they haven't it as limited from 0 Kph as the current gen.

Up to 40% more power in the mid-range.

unkel

No Android auto is crazy. That would be a deal breaker for some people. And it costs near nothing to implement. What were BMW thinking???

So, what do you reckon, cros13? 0-100km/h real figure of about 6s?

40% sounds good alright. I wonder the premium over the non S ?

I don't think the 0-60 would be much better but rather the 80+ which is more important than all out 0-60.?

cros13

unkel wrote: »

No Android auto is crazy. That would be a deal breaker for some people. And it costs near nothing to implement. What were BMW thinking???

"we know better"

unkel wrote: »

So, what do you reckon, cros13? 0-100km/h real figure of about 6s?

Real world the current i3 can already do 6 seconds with the traction control off and a good launch. I clocked 5.5 once.... but I think that was a fluke.

Officially the i3S will have 0.4 seconds on the current i3... but it could be better in the right hands.

Deleted User wrote: »

40% sounds good alright. I wonder the premium over the non S ?

No info on that yet but I'd guess it could be up to €10k. Again a number of the options on the current i3 are standard on the i3S.

What's the base I3 again 37 k ? That would make it pretty much pensive alright particularly with leather.

cros13

cros13 wrote:

No info on that yet but I'd guess it could be up to €10k. Again a number of the options on the current i3 are standard on the i3S.

On the other hand BMW is going to be under severe pressure from the model 3 and the electric 3 series either won't be available until 2019 or only available in small quantities next year... i3 production has been profitable since day 1 so BMW might take the hit and cut prices.... It would be uncharacteristic... but they might...

cros13

Deleted User wrote:

What's the base I3 again 37 k ? That would make it pretty much pensive alright particularly with leather.

34k

thierry14

Sooner Tesla comes the better

Joke of an upgrade, bloody Chevy Bolt would be quicker and more range for a lot less money

Model 3 would walk away from it

What a wasted opportunity again by German giants, sheep will still buy it though

unkel

We won't get the Chevy Bolt here and even if we did imho it is too expensive for what it is and the standard spec is poor. I've driven neither the Bolt nor any i3 yet but I've no doubt the FWD Bolt is nowhere near as good to drive as the RWD i3. It is after all a BMW

It may or may not be as good to drive but it does have enough power to be somewhat enjoyable and the most attractive to most people will likely be the 60 Kwh battery.

unkel

I hear ya, but for most people it makes little difference if a car can do 0-100km/h in 12s (typical diesel saloon), 10s (Leaf), 8s (Ioniq), 6s (i3 / Bolt EV or the fastest ICE hot hatches around), 4s (Tesla S 4WD) or 2s (hypercars and ludicrous mode Tesla S)

For me the more power, and the quicker, the merrier

cros13

OK... UK pricing for the i3S is in... £32,475 base, which is about £4k more than the current i3 pricing.
I've asked about Irish pricing.

Irish site is up: https://www.bmw.ie/en/all-models/bmw-i/i3/2017/bmw-i3s.html

Not far off the former price of the options that are now bundled..

And Autogefühl has a BMW PR overview video up:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HahtoUJnmWA

And for that what do u get ?

cros13

Deleted User wrote: »

And for that what do u get ?

A base i3S which has LED headlights (previously an option) and Pro Nav (the larger screen & upgraded computer... previously an option).

I was shocked the I3 had halogen lights.

unkel

i3 launched in 2013, right? Very few cars had LED as standard back then, even high end luxury makes. Things are moving on fast. LED is now standard on many econoboxes, like the Ioniq. No doubt standard on new Leaf too.

I'm not talking 2013 , I'm talking 2016, on the test Leaf I drove.

cros13

Until today with the exception of the battery upgrade in 2016 the current i3 was from 2013. This is the first refresh of the i3.

That may be but they could have included the LED headlights later on.

cros13

Deleted User wrote: »

That may be but they could have included the LED headlights later on.

€1000 option. And the high beams stayed halogen (of course I switched mine).

The i3 has actually been pretty profitable for BMW. A good margin per unit from day 1.

unkel

Deleted User wrote: »

That may be but they could have included the LED headlights later on.

Cars tend to not change their standard spec levels until at least a mid life facelift

la ultima guagua

cros13 wrote: »

... i3 production has been profitable since day 1 ...

BoatMad wrote: »

.....Secondly , as BMW finance officier has stated, current EVs are loss makers, and likely to be so for 10 years.......

I'm confused

cros13

la ultima guagua wrote: »

I'm confused

It's true that the Nissan Leaf wasn't in the black (i.e. profits having covered R&D & marketing expenses) until 2016 and that EVs from most carmakers don't make an overall profit (unless you count emissions credits).

That doesn't mean that some EVs don't have high margins. Tesla's per unit margin is as good as Porsche's (~25%). The i3 was priced to repay it's R&D costs in 4 years, but BMW sold more than twice the expected production in the first four years so they've recouped that cost.

Some EVs come off the line making negative margin, so each additional unit costs more to build than it is sold for. Fiat famously lost $7k on each Fiat 500e sold. That generally happens only to compliance cars though.

But in general the "high" volume EVs like the Model S, Leaf, Zoe and i3 make a profit.

peposhi

unkel wrote: »

We won't get the Chevy Bolt here and even if we did imho it is too expensive for what it is and the standard spec is poor. I've driven neither the Bolt nor any i3 yet but I've no doubt the FWD Bolt is nowhere near as good to drive as the RWD i3. It is after all a BMW

Unkel, the minute you try the i3s you'd be already thinking of changing your sports car 🚗

If you find your Hyundai nippy, the Beemer will surprise you quite nicely, just ask cross13

unkel

I have every intention of taking an i3 for a long test drive. Just haven't booked it yet!

Mooooo

No offence to anyone driving it and of course it's subjective but could they not have made a better looking car, don't like it at all.

jimmycrackcorm

Mooooo wrote: »

No offence to anyone driving it and of course it's subjective but could they not have made a better looking car, don't like it at all.

Yes, It's like someone in Bavaria said - "Well, we did create the X6, lets go all in with the electric".

The I3 is a lot of fun alright. Would like to try the I3 S.

I noticed the I3 turned heads, the Leaf never turned heads except when people realise it's electric or are surprised by it's silence.

peposhi

[Deleted User] wrote: »

The I3 is a lot of fun alright. Would like to try the I3 S.

I noticed the I3 turned heads, the Leaf never turned heads except when people realise it's electric or are surprised by it's silence.

That is the truth

zilog_jones

I think I like its looks better than I used to, but maybe I'm broken. The interior is certainly the best out of the (reasonably affordable) EVs.

unkel wrote: »

i3 launched in 2013, right? Very few cars had LED as standard back then, even high end luxury makes.

They were standard on my 2012 Prius Plug-in, but the UK launch price was about the same as the i3S! :eek::eek::eek: Glad there's some people out there mad enough to buy new PHEVs...

Nissan LEAF mk1 was the first model in the world with standard LED headlamps.

unkel

samih wrote: »

Nissan LEAF mk1 was the first model in the world with standard LED headlamps.

Are you sure about that? I was looking at buying a brand new Leaf in late 2016 and I seem to remember it didn't have LEDs. I could very well be wrong though.

KCross

unkel wrote: »

Are you sure about that? I was looking at buying a brand new Leaf in late 2016 and I seem to remember it didn't have LEDs. I could very well be wrong though.

Its standard only in the SVE, I think.

unkel

unkel wrote: »

Are you sure about that? I was looking at buying a brand new Leaf in late 2016 and I seem to remember it didn't have LEDs. I could very well be wrong though.

All of the mk1 cars, which were made in Japan, had LEDs. On mk1.5 2013-> only SVE/Tekna has them.

OSI

OSI wrote: »

The elephant man turns more heads than my wife, but I still know who I'd prefer to wake up to every morning

It's a shame because I think the i3 is 80% of the way to being a very good looking car, but BMW seem to think it needs to be edgy as **** to prove it's modern. Those doors just look like a serious afterthought for a start.

zilog_jones wrote: »

I think I like its looks better than I used to, but maybe I'm broken. The interior is certainly the best out of the (reasonably affordable) EVs.

The I3 isn't bad at all really, the doors would be a pain if you had people getting in and out of the rear all the time but most of the time I commute and it wouldn't bother me for the few times I'd have to open both doors and take my seat belt off.

Believe me, once you get behind the wheel of the I3 all will be forgiven very quickly and the driving will be the only thing on your mind.

I might be persuaded to think about the S but really, knowing a longer range version is on the way would put me off, yes yes , I know " a longer range version is always on the way" but, the next upgrade is quiet important really and a big step up for existing ev owners just like Leaf II should be.

The 33 Kwh I3 could be a lot easier to live with if they only allowed it to charge at least at 70 Kw, for a liquid cooled battery it just baffles me why they have not allowed more than 45 Kw which is pretty old school now.

170 Kms at 110 Km/hr isn't really that great as I said if it could charge faster then it would be ok. I was driving the rex , the BEV should go another maybe 5-7 Kms further.

Really at the end of the day 60 odd Kms up from the Leaf 24 Kwh isn't worth it.

EVBrewer

2018 BMW i3 and i3s prices are up on BMW Ireland's website now. Just go to Build now and Price at the top of the homepage. Select i3 and away you go. There are four models to choose from. i3, i3 REX, i3s and i3s REX

enjoy!

jhegarty

Surprised it's still on the 94Ah.

Only things I would change on mine is a bigger battery and a few more inches leg room for the back seats.

Still no heat pump as standard, no Apple car Play as standard is taking the absolute Piss.

Driver assistant over 1K,

No Keyless entry as standard.

So, you're talking 58 K for Leather on the "S", the above and the Harman Kardon stereo. Yikes.

I don't know whether this is including vrt relief and grant ?

I would not like to see the cost of a 3 Series electric and the 3 series is not a big car either.

unkel

i3 is a niche car and some people are evidently prepared to pay way over the odds for its uniqueness. BMW can't get away with pricing / spec levels like that with the upcoming 3-series EV which will be in direct competition with the Tesla Model 3, which is very keenly priced (as long as you order it white with no options )

Lol give over on the White, it's a good colour. Black is just too common.

It's like BMW price the I3 not to sell.

thierry14

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Lol give over on the White, it's a good colour. Black is just too common.

It's like BMW price the I3 not to sell.

Just like VW then

thierry14

thierry14 wrote: »

Just like VW then

Exactly, though at least you could say the I3 is different in the sense it offers a lot of driving pleasure. You really should take it for a spin.

Does the I3 calculator give you the price with the Grant and VRT relief ?

TBi

Deleted User wrote: »

Does the I3 calculator give you the price with the Grant and VRT relief ?

When i got a quote for a 330e (a fantasy) the grants weren't included in the final price. They had to 'add' them in after.

I suppose that's a deliberate attempt to try fool people into thinking the price is higher that otherwise might not know any better and buy a "Diesel" instead !

mylesm

cros13 wrote: »

€1000 option. And the high beams stayed halogen (of course I switched mine).

The i3 has actually been pretty profitable for BMW. A good margin per unit from day 1.

Hi Would be interested to know which LED High Beams you switched to

I have LED dipped on I3 and when I switch to main beam Halogen its like you went to parking light

Thanks Mylesm

cros13

mylesm wrote: »

Hi Would be interested to know which LED High Beams you switched to

I have LED dipped on I3 and when I switch to main beam Halogen its like you went to parking light

Thanks Mylesm

Yup I have the "adaptive LED headlight" option too... The big issue I found is when I switched to the OEM high beams because they were halogen the color was way off.

I used these:
https://www.carid.com/2015-bmw-i3-led-lights/lumen-led-headlight-conversion-kit-334287118.html

CarID also offer some i3 specific suspension upgrades:
https://www.carid.com/2015-bmw-i3-suspension-parts/bilstein-b4-series-replacement-shocks-112118787.html
https://www.carid.com/2015-bmw-i3-suspension-systems/h-r-sport-coil-spring-lowering-kits-90670759.html

It's also possible to add a rear sway bar to improve handling in the twisties.