I’m obsessed with BMW i3s. Obsessed.
Ever since buying the Cheapest One In America last year for $10,500 and putting about 10,000 miles on it, I cannot stop talking and thinking about i3s. I shop for them daily even though I already have one. I’ve joined every i3 owner’s forum, I’ve purchased the official BMW i: Visionary Mobility book, I stop by BMW dealerships just to look at their i3s, and I even bought a hideous BMW i3 T-shirt that my girlfriend isn’t the biggest fan of. And while I’ve been obsessed with many cars before, this time feels different, because there are very few people who get it like I do; most car enthusiasts have absolutely no interest in talking about i3s, and it feels weird.
As most of you know, I’ve been a car enthusiast for pretty much ever. I’ve owned everything from a 1948 Willys Jeep to a 1958 Jeep Forward Control to a 1965 Plymouth Valiant to multiple Grand Wagoneers to a 1966 Ford Mustang to Jeep Cherokees and five-speed Grand Cherokees and on and on. All of these are cars that traditional car enthusiasts love. Many have carburetors, all burn gasoline, their vintage design looks awesome, many are excellent off-road machines, and they’re fun to tinker on. Most people have some kind of connection to them or are interested in learning more, so they make for good conversation pieces.
The BMW i3, though, is different. It’s a relatively new, small, pug-nosed luxury compact car. Most people think it looks hideous, it only makes 170 horsepower, it’s doesn’t sound good, it has way less range than most EVs, it doesn’t handle that great, it isn’t easy to tinker on, and I could go on and on. The BMW i3 is, when viewed through the lens of many old-school car enthusiasts, not a car-enthusiast’s car.
Then how is that I, a diehard car enthusiast — someone so obsessed he studied engineering to develop cars in Detroit, then became a car journalist, then started a car enthusiast website — am so into this non-enthusiast car? I think the answer is a combination of two things: 1. You know how your friends who are the most diehard music fans tend to listen to music that normal people think sounds like garbage? Music that may be “technically” the best, but that is a bit odd to the masses? I think there’s some of that going on here. I think I’m in so deep that I see things in a way the average person doesn’t. And 2. What I’m seeing is just marvelous engineering: a carbon fiber body on an aluminum skateboard chassis; a rear electric motor coaxial with a little twin-cylinder scooter engine built in Taiwan; an insanely advanced and gorgeous interior made of sustainable materials; a crazy small turning radius thanks to skinny tires; ridiculously advanced interior features for a good price tag, and on and on. These aren’t things the traditional car enthusiast cares about.
I feel like I’m on an island. Nobody gets me! My old crew of friends whom I normally tell all about my cars — they don’t care about the i3. I don’t really care that they don’t care, since I don’t buy cars for anyone but myself, but this is a new feeling for me, and I now understand what my friend Nick feels when he talks ad nauseum about Pontiac Vibes (small cars that, like i3s, are just excellent at what they were designed to be). Here’s Nick at an event for members of the Genvibe Pontiac Vibe club:
To be sure, like Genvibe, there are plenty of BMW i3 owner’s forums, Facebook pages, and other support groups for the afflicted, but it’s not the same owning a car that isn’t something a traditional enthusiast would be interested in. I was recently on the phone with a BMW dealer inquiring about an i3. I made small talk; he told me he owned an E92 M3, I told him I owned a bunch of classic cars. “So, you’re a car enthusiast and an i3 fan, eh?”
What the … ? I’d heard similar things before when I talked about the i3. I guess people figure: How can a little compact car with little power, no manual transmission, no sound, and polarizing styling possibly be an enthusiast’s car? Isn’t this the same as liking a Toyota Prius?
I think it’s very different. I think the BMW i3 is the modern Citroen DS.
Watch that video above, and you’ll see YouTuber “Classics World” explaining why the Citroen DS is “The Greatest Car Ever Made.” Sure there’s some discussion about styling, and perhaps the DS has the i3 beat in that regard on the exterior (the i3’s interior, though, is a masterpiece), but design isn’t the DS’s biggest strength — it’s the car’s technology. You’ll see in the video that, what makes the car so impressive more than anything is its advanced tech — its unibody design and its self-leveling hydropneumatic suspension, which is part of a hydraulic system that powers all sorts of subsystems including power steering, brakes, turning headlamps, and on and on.
The DS was an engineering marvel when it arrived on the scene in 1955, just as the i3 was when it joined the party in 2013. It’s the little Bavarian compact’s carbon fiber body, it’s the rear scooter engine tucked right up against the electric motor, it’s the eucalyptus wood interior, it’s the door panels made of Kenaf fibers, it’s the absurdly skinny wheels — the i3 was, as engineering expert Sandy Munro put it when the i3 came out, “The Model T of our time.” It may lack some of the DS’s elegance on the outside, but look inside and under the skin, and what you see is pure magnificence.
But that’s not what most car enthusiasts care about, so for the first time I find myself obsessed with a car that is largely unloved. Folks, when asking me which cars I own, will show interest in all the old cars and then, when I mention the i3, will think it doesn’t fit in. But that’s fine.
But just because no one likes the music I like doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy it. It’s just a bit different going from rocking out with your friends to quietly listening to your tunes all alone with your headphones on.
As an engineer/car enthusiast/musician/music enthusiast, your analogy about die hard music fans is spot-on. The thing about the i3 is it is absolutely not an enthusiast’s car. It’s an engineer’s car.
Engineer and 3-time i3 owner, here!
Another engineer, here, and can confirm this. Perfect take. I tend to get fixated on lots of mundane things that feature some neat engineering and catch myself boring the crap out of people talking about them. I’m specifically obsessed with old mechanical stuff that was designed for infinite life that is still used way past its supposed expiration date. A great example are the screw machines we still run at work. There is just something so damn cool about a concept developed over 100 years ago that is still cost-viable to run. The problem now is we are running out of skilled people to set them up. In my car-life, it’s the glorious lump under the hood of my F150 – the 300 inline 6.
Yes ha ha YES!!! I want to hear about all of the overengineered doodads. They’re not boring! You just have to frame it in a way that isn’t boring sometimes and lead with the interesting part.
I’ll tell you what it’s like loving a car/motorcycle/anything that someone else doesn’t care about:
You know all the facts and figures, you can explain all the little interesting features, you can put whatever it is in some sort of social/technical context. But everyone thinks “This guy is nuts…”
Then you meet someone who REEEALLLLLY loves the car/motorcycle/anything that you love, and they can tell you exactly how many threads are on the bolt that holds on the license plate, the orientation of the slot for the screw that holds the tag on the steering stem, etc., and you think to yourself, “This guy is nuts…”
My neighbor owns an i3 and likes to park it near the end of her long driveway so passersby on foot can get a good look at it. The overall size/shape, interior, and especially the front end are actually quite nice. The rear is an acquired taste and the odd side windows is an unnecessary attention grabbing styling exercise which probably doomed it as a vehicle to be taken seriously in the eyes of many, else the i3 would’ve made a popular city car on the used market for those seeking a nameplate with some panache.
As for enthusiasts, any vehicle can have an active enthusiast community on the internet. Even Fisker.
https://fiskerati.com/
Oh, wait! It’s gone now…nevermind.
I’ve loved the styling and interior of the i3 since they came out
Vans, especially the Pacifica/Voyager that I go on and on about. But I have the opposite problem I suppose. Enthusiasts like vans. Regular people tend to hate them and would rather be shot into the sun than own one.
Regular people do not want to hear about vans. Despite vans being the ultimate regular people vehicle.
Fully agree. And while hybrids are now in style, back when I got my 1st gen Fusion it did seem a bit odd that as the ‘car person’ in in my group I would be going for one. Glad to be a cautionary tale about overly simplistic labeling/pre-conceived notions, even as a reminder to myself.
“Small cars that, like i3s, are just excellent at what they are designed to be”
So how is that not the Prius? The Prius is excellent at what it is designed to be. I dare say it is the “ultimate transportation appliance”.
It has never been particularly expensive to buy, cheap to own/operate, has great utility as a hatchback, and most are very reliable. I regularly see Prius owners saying they’ve had no issues as they approach 200k miles. If the traction battery does require replacement, it is a relatively manageable repair cost. Not out of line with other repairs you might have to make to a car.
I think the reason the Matrix (the vibe’s badge-engineering roots) is gone is that Toyota thought the Prius was ready to fill its shoes.
However, having recently helped cross shop used Vibes, Priuses, and other cars for a family member for whom low cost of ownership and operation is VERY important. I would take the Vibe. The Priuses on offer were all in rough shape, and if anything IS wrong with the hyrbid drive system, it can be quite expensive. Aside from the traction battery, there’s the rather complex brake master cylinder/actuator/force feedback system, which is known for having problems and costs thousands in parts alone. It was clearly toast on the $10,000, 180,000-mile car we test drove. A problem-free 140k-mile ’09-Vibe was more like $6k.
We didn’t buy that either. A rust-free Cruze won out. I don’t expect it to live as long as the Vibe, but it was 8 years newer and 100k miles younger. It doesn’t have to. There’s also something to be said for putting people you care about in small cars with safety systems engineered in this decade.
It’s interesting because I drove an i3 for like 30 minutes when I rented it from car sharing service. I don’t recall anything special about driving it besides being quick and all the controls being weird and complicated. However I was in a rush and nervous about being late for my flight so it mightve blocked out special positive features of the i3
I’ve owned MANY non-popular vehicles. Cars and motorcycles alike. I used to think I just didn’t fit in, but as I’ve aged, I realized it never mattered to start with. Do I care about what vehicle my neighbor drives? No… We’ve owned 2 EV’s. Currently back to hybrid. Own what you want. As you’ve discovered, outside the box is an OK place to be!
I think they are super interesting. I get it
I’m still waiting for that i3 vs Smart Car comparison test at Sonoma Raceway.
> I think the BMW i3 is the modern Citroen DS.
That’s it, I’m calling an intervention on DT.
I wouldn’t quite say that – it’s unlikely that an i3 will foil the attempt to assassinate a right-wing elected president by an even more right-wing rogue(ish) military group or be the subject of an essay by a prominent philosopher, literary critic and public intellectual – but as far as a technological showcase and preview of a conceptual future, yep. And I’ve searched for them a few times before and after you bought and became enthusiastic about yours, although since my wrenching skills lie at the bottom of the toilet down which my motivation to do anything has long since been flushed, I’d have to go certified, and there are few of those around at all, even fewer within a reasonable radius, and all too ’spensive for my broke ass to consider.
“… skills lie at the bottom of the toilet down which my motivation to do anything has long since been flushed…” That some great COTD allusion there, and a keeper, thank you! LOL.
I 100% understand your love of them. They are cool AF and my head still turns every time I see one. Not because of the styling (meh), but out of envy. I’ve always been i3 Curious and still want one. However in the Chicago area they’ve always been too pricey for my taste. You got one of the best deals on earth on yours so even more envy. Lol
But I bought five 10mm Crescent brand sockets for $1.50 each on Amazon today, so small victories. I’m set now for at least six months. Yeah!
David, I never knew I needed a new shirt until I saw that picture. – we need the link.
Like Daniel, it was your articles that got me to really consider an i3 when I needed to replace my ICE car when the transmission went out on it. I found one of the first 700 made, the Electronaut edition, with REX. Before switching to work from home role, I had free charging at work. I was able to get home and back to work the next day, unless I had a bunch of errands to run, without having to plug in at home or use the REX. Battery is original and after 10 years is still between around 80% capacity. Would I like to get a larger battery in it, yes. But for what I need it to do, it works perfectly. I am still trying to convince my wife to let me road trip with it using a 5 gallon gas tank to refill the small REX tank just to see how long I can go. It is simply the best car I have ever owned.
The buttons to program whatever you want are great. I have one coded to turn the REX on whenever I want once the battery is less than 75%
If you come up to Las Vegas again soon, I would love to show it to you. Especially if you bring one of the cats for my son to pet.
And WHERE IS THE LINK FOR THAT SHIRT! I need that now.
I’m with ya David, both generally (I’m way more interested in old civics than super cars and other “unobtainium”) and specifically (the i3 is a fascinating bit of engineering!)
There was an iMiev for sale locally for $1200 recently and I really wanted to pull the trigger just to treat it like my own personal changli, but alas just can’t justify that sort of thing at the moment
🙁
My hope is that you wield the megaphone just right and bmw realizes what a hit they’ve got, and brings it back with a 64kWh battery and half price tires.
It’s almost like the answer to the question ” what if aptera wasn’t a scam?” but in a more durable package. I really do think that toecutter fellow is right about how our cars need to be lighter, simpler, more aerodynamic, and stronger. The i3 goes a good distance in that direction.
I feel like this should help you understand some of Torches weird car stuff better. I get a similar feeling when I start to wax poetically about Volvos around other car guys so all good bud. I think most car people have some off the beaten path vehicle they appreciate but many don’t let themselves own and appreciate those cars or be vocal about their appreciation, so it’s great you are embracing the i3. I appreciate them but I’ve seen too many BMW repair bills (including the cost of replacing the roof on an i3 due to rock chips in the carbon) for me to ever fully fall in love them. PS, maybe get some xpel put on the i3 to protect that carbon fiber.
Yeahhh… It seems DT has turned into a car-goth. “Nobody understands me. ugh. So alone.”
Torch is just insane and doesn’t expect people to understand his weirdness as he blazes through the universe going “Wheeeeeeeeeeee!”
I truly feel your pain, David. Though I learned to drive in an ur-Mustang, the cars I’ve mostly loved have been has-beens, obscured by the fog of history. One of them I still own, a 2017 Ford C-Max Energi. Ford sold about a quarter-million C-Maxes, but they left only a fossil-sized footprint in the auto-social media. There’s one owners’ forum, with almost no mods reported. Perhaps because it’s almost perfect. This is a hybrid with a 2.0 liter engine, peaking at 188 hp. Zero-60 is about eight seconds. That’s all the power I need, and it’s always instantly available, so it feels faster. The steering is as good or better than my last car, a MkV GTI. The two cars even fit the same tire size. Ford missed the main selling point of this car; they should have called it the Focus Hybrid, and tossed in an STI version for good measure.
My C-Max PHEV succeeds as a hybrid, too – it’s given me 65 mpg over 72,000 miles, with nightly recharges. It’s needed no major repairs. But who knows? With a name that sounds like a surgical procedure, who cares?
I have a C-Max Energi too, and also love it. It’s actually my second one, as my first one got rear-ended and totaled and then I went out and replaced with another one. It’s a great mix of handling, acceleration, and economy just like you say, and the interior is what I would deem the perfect blend of real buttons with a modest touchscreen and the benefits that gives.
My first one made it almost 120k miles with the only real repair being fuel injectors at about 80k miles, but my current one just rolled over the 100k mark and has already needed a transaxle replacement at 92k. (some bearing in there is designed wrong, and a part starts to rub against the inside of the case. Everything will still work until it rubs through all the way and the fluid runs out, and then Bad Things happen quickly. Fortunately I caught it before that point) The big battery was also getting pretty limited capacity and throwing errors, so I sprung for a new one last week. Yes those repairs were a bit spendy, yes that shows how much I love this car.
The only mods I’ve really done were getting a good tint job, and making a thing for the back seat so we could leave it down in “dog mode” and still have the separated cargo area. The only other things I’d want different about it are beyond modding, and I still love it as-as. (Bigger electric range like 40 or 50 miles, more cargo area, ideally room for a full size spare)
I have yet to meet anyone in real life that cares about the C-Max, but that’s what’s great about the internet!
More EV range would be nice, but more battery weight wouldn’t be. Imagine 400 lbs of additional battery eating all the trunk space and raising the center of gravity. That’s no longer practical, and probably unenjoyable to drive. When EV range won’t complete a trip, I don’t care. Every day’s driving starts with a first 20 miles (15 now), and that adds up. FYI, we had an identical C-Max Hybrid that gave 38 mpg overall, so that small PHEV battery made a LOT of difference.
BTW, where did you get your replacement Energi battery? At what cost?
Yeah, I listed battery and cargo knowing it’s a trade off, but I still get jealous of Volt or i3 electric ranges sometimes. I test drove a Volt and a Clarity before getting my second C-Max, but the driving was just very meh in comparison so I couldn’t make the sacrifice for better range. And the less said about Prius driving dynamics the better…
I got the battery from Greentec Auto, they have two versions on their website and I sprung for the $6k one with all-new cells and the longer warranty. I was down to 7 or 8 mi of electric range on a good day, and the guess-o-meter was getting more erratic (several times jumping from 1 mi of range to zero battery panic mode where the gas engine won’t shut off while the ignition is on) so it was time. The experience was overall good, I’d recommend them based on what I’ve seen so far. I was also super lucky that their local shop was so close to my house, looks like they have less than one per state. I just got the battery installed literally last week so I can’t speak to longevity etc. yet.
Have you had to replace your 12v battery yet? If so, where did you go? I’ve had no luck finding any place that has them other than the shop at the dealer, QuickLane I think it’s called around here?
I had that replaced at about five years, for $200. The dealer’s done my work so far, not that there’s been much work to do. Surprisingly, their $200/hr matches the independent Mercedes shops I use, but the Ford’s actual maintenance bills have been smaller.
If you really like the car, a $6K battery replacement is a good idea. I’m nowhere close to wanting a replacement. Though if it was totaled tomorrow, I might glance at an Escape. That’s another low-buzz vehicle. Or maybe a BMW i3? a strong case was made here…
Me? Regular, everyday commuters and grocery getters. Super cars and muscle cars, hey they’re interesting. But show me an early Datsun/Nissan Sentra or a 2nd Gen Toyota Camry and I’ll lose my shit!
This is why I’m gung ho on saving Renault Alliances and Encores. Yeah they’re really nothing special but they have their place in history!
> I’m gung ho on saving Renault Alliances and Encores. Yeah they’re really nothing special but they have their place in history!
That’s a very peculiar choice of how to deploy your talent and energy.
You are not alone. After criticizing my son’s Bolt as a rolling styrofoam cooler, I found the i3. Love it
It is because of the articles here, that I bought an I3 myself. No regerts! No regerts at all, it is the best commuter car I’ve ever had. Have not seen mentioned anywhere: the very clever controls. There are 8 buttons below the screen… which you can program for radio stations; as with any car. BUT ACTUALLY YOU CAN PROGRAM THEM TO DO ANYTHING! If it’s in the system, if you can find it in the manual, the car will let you save it as a shortcut. So for example I can toggle instantly between the Bimmer map, and Apple Maps, as often as I want. No need to hunt through screens or menus. Likewise, the HVAC is onscreen, but it got real buttons as well. It’s simply an excellent, flexible set of controls. After decades of cars with useless ‘blank’ buttons, this is a huge boon, IMHO.
Yup, this is a BMW thing (not i3 specific) and it’s awesome. Crazy to me that other brands haven’t done it.
Speaking of cars with a very specific fan following, I think David said a while ago to expect a Cybertruck deep-dive. Cybertruck gets a lot of flak on this site, so maybe it was decided to nix on the idea.
How did I not know about Pontiac Vibe clubs
I get you! I owned two on 2-year leases (2015 Orange & 2017 Blue) and loved them both. It was recently new car time and strongly considered purchasing a used i3, but blacked out and woke up with a new Defender 90. i3s are amazing and I hope to be reunited with another one someday.