2017 BMW I3 vs 2018

What's the difference?

The i3 is actually reasonably priced for what it is; a compact, stylish, unusual BMW product. Unfortunately, the pure electric car will be, for the foreseeable future, hamstrung by the lack of infrastructure... and a lack of interest at both a government and a corporate business level in providing said infrastructure.

The i3, unfortunately, will end up being an auto curio of the decade. Those who own one and get the best use out of it will absolutely love its style, the normalcy of the driving experience, the handling, and the practicality, but for everyone else, it's still two steps away from being a viable alternative to a fuel-powered machine.

If you want an electric hatchback that looks like it's from the future, then you should totally look at the BMW i3. There are no real competitors at the moment, and if the Tesla Model 3 production puzzle doesn't sort itself out soon, the i3 could have this part of the market to itself for a while.

This isn't a car for everyone, and it might not be a car for everyday, either. But as a second or third car, it is very convincing. It is unashamedly aimed at city buyers, people who need a car to get around without using fossil fuels... well, if you buy the pure electric model, that is.

The world may not have 'needed' the i3s – but buyers are definitely better off for having the option of the new sportier version of the compact electrified hatchback. This car means they can be eco-friendly and still enjoy the drive.

The hatchback-sized BMW is an... interesting looking car. It's relatively conservative in its shape, but get closer to the car and you realise you're looking at something quite unusual.

The devil is in the detail; the wheels are quite concept car-like, and the regenerative brake arrangement is visible through the spokes. There's also a smattering of 'look at me' electric blue to announce the car's intentions.

BMW has straddled the line perfectly between having something that's interesting and something that won't scare the straights.

It's aged pretty well in the couple of years it's been on sale, too. There was a real danger that BMW could have overemphasised the car's unusual nature; look at Toyota's fuel cell Mirai, for example.

The i3 is sufficiently different to attract the eye, but it's not so unusual that it makes it uncomfortable or awkward to drive - or to be seen in. BMW has straddled the line perfectly between having something that's interesting and something that won't scare the straights.

It's amazing to look at. I'm probably not the only person in the country, or the world, who doesn't think 'wow that's what cars of the future look like' when they see a BMW i3.

That's despite the fact the first-generation BMW i3 is now more than three years into its life, and the rest of the automotive world hasn't shifted quite as far as the i3 pushed things.

From the pillar-less body, carbon-fibre tub, fishbowl rear windows and rearward-opening back doors, this is still a design icon.

And the newly added i3s model has a bit more going on for it than the regular i3, with distinctive blackened wheelarches to help hide the wider tyres (now 20mm wider) on the 20-inch wheels. The entire i3 range finally has full LED headlights - so it should, as a tech-lead car (previously the LEDs were low-beam, and the high-beams were halogen).

If you think this i3 looks a little sleeker than the previous one, that's because there's also been a revamp to the bumpers and daytime running lights, plus you can get it in a range of new colours. And sure, the new rims mightn't have fatty tyres like you get on the back of an X5, but the rims fill the wheelarches nicely.

The i3s model has a black-top finish, and it looks the part -  as much as a semi-sporty electric hatchback can. Forget the sporty bit, though, and it still looks more high-tech than anything else on the market aside from maybe its (actually sporty) sibling, the i8.

The inside? Well, it's next-level amazing in terms of its design... but the space on offer could be better.

The bluff shape of the i3 lends itself to being quite roomy. There is quite a lot of headroom and sufficient leg and foot room for rear seat passengers, while an almost complete absence of a transmission tunnel gives the rear seat passengers an extra measure of space.

It's strictly a four-person car only. There are cup holders for the rear in the middle of the rear seats, and there are two cup holders line astern in the front of the car.

BMW is rightly proud of the alternate materials that are used in the BMW i3.

Again, the lack of a traditional transmission means there's a great deal of space for both driver and passenger, but the door sills of the carbon fibre reinforced plastic safety cell are very high when getting in and out of the car.

BMW is rightly proud of the alternate materials that are used in the BMW i3. The dash, for example, is made of a recycled natural fibre, but unfortunately, it ends up looking like the underside of a luggage cover in a cheaper car.

It's easy to see what BMW is doing, but in this instance - and particularly in contrast with the eucalyptus wood dash laminates - it just doesn't ring true. Luckily, other material finishes can be optioned to bring it into line with the rest of the cabin.

Probably the most unusual element of driving the i3 is the jog-shuttle style gear shift. Once you get your head around the idea that you twist your hand towards the driver to engage D and away to engage reverse, it's actually quite easy.

The steering wheel spoke, however, can hide the start/stop button and the awkwardly placed parking mode button. If you're not familiar with the car, it can be confusing.

The rest of the switch gear is familiar territory for BMW, and features a three mode drive select switch featuring Comfort (or normal), Eco Pro (which accentuates efficient driving) and Eco Pro+, which strives for maximum range by turning off climate control and limiting the car to 90km/h.

With a large glasshouse, the i3 is supremely easy to look out of, with large three-quarter glass and good visibility out of the smallish rear window.

The view through the steering wheel lands on a narrow, tablet-style instrument screen.

No visibility issues with the system and all its vital information, including a digital speedo, range, percentage of battery life left, how many kilowatts per hour, or kilowatt hours for 100 kilometres, you're using. It's a weird way to measure economy, but that's what you get when you run a proper EV.

There are two ISOFIX baby seat mounts in the back, and the rear seats do flip down to give you more cargo room, although the floor of the cargo area is raised quite high thanks to the electric motor in the rear of the car.

There is 260 litres of luggage space on offer with the seats up, and a practical and useful 1100 litres with the seats down.

When it comes to practicality of use, the EV has a fatal flaw – it's relatively inflexible. For example, I wanted to do a 90-minute round-trip before our photo shoot with the i3.

Vehicle charging infrastructure in Australia is in its absolute infancy, despite the decade that electric cars have been on sale.

If I had taken the i3, I would have depleted the battery to the point where we wouldn't get to our shoot, and there was no time to recharge between tasks. Result? I had to take another car.

This is the reality of an electric car owner's life in a nutshell. If you have a fixed route, say between home and work, and you can access a reasonably fast charging system, then the i3  - and all electric cars - work spectacularly well.

However, vehicle charging infrastructure in Australia is in its absolute infancy, despite the decade that electric cars have been on sale. In my hometown of 400,000 people, there are less than five commercial chargers, and not all of them work on any given day.

It isn't a family car, and nor should it be considered one. This is more likely to be a second, third or even fourth car - the one that is used to get around town rather than hit the open road for a long-distance trip.

As a car for couples, or an occasional family shopping cart, the i3 has some really positive attributes. And, undeniably, my favourite part of all is the cabin finish and design. It's like sitting in an expensive furniture shop.

It's all very European and chic, and it seems even fancier when you learn that the so-called 'Lodge' interior trim that is fitted as standard uses "natural leather tanned using an olive leaf extract" and that the cabin also has "wool-based textiles" and recycled plastic on the doors and dashboard.

Seriously, if this is where BMW design is heading, I'm all in.

The cabin also benefits from a new 10.25-inch media screen with the brand's latest multimedia system, 'iDrive6', which is a big improvement on the old system. It's easy to use, the screen is clear, and you can get Apple CarPlay - but, cheekily, BMW asks you to pay an optional fee for it. On the plus side, this version is wireless, so no messy cables - a bit like a furniture showroom, really, you never see any exposed wires there!

Storage is really well sorted as well, with a big cubby on the dashboard, a bunch of storage holds and cupholders between the front seats, and big door pockets as well. In the back there is a fold-down armrest with cupholders, and there are door pockets on the rear doors, too.

Let's talk about those doors - suicide, rear-hinged, whatever you want to call them: they're not conventional, and while they might seem fiddly (you have to open the front door to open the rear one, and that can be annoying) the space is surprising in there.

An adult of about my size (183cm tall) can easily climb in the back with less awkwardness than in say, a three-door hatchback. If you have younger kids, loading them in and out could be a bit more difficult than in a small conventional five-door hatch - but there are ISOFIX anchors and top-tether points for kids. Also, it's worth remembering this is a four-seater, not a five-seater.

Coming back to what I said earlier - this isn't the car you buy if you want to move a family and all their stuff. The boot is still quite small at 260 litres, meaning you might have to limit the luggage you take with you. But for a couple heading (not too far) away for a weekend, it could be perfectly suitable.

The interior has three different styles - or "Interior Worlds" - it can come in, too: 'Lodge' (the standard); 'Loft' (a greyer look, at no cost); and 'Suite', a more premium version with brown leather and oak trim ($2000).

I don't envy BMW's product team when it comes to laying out the groundwork for the pricing and specs for its 'i' product range. Electric cars are expensive, but buyers are taking a risk... so finding the middle ground can be hard.

I mean, a city-sized, efficient hatchback is an easy thing to come by, and there are some seriously good-value offerings out there. Think the Kia Picanto, which you can get for less than $15,000.

And at the other end of the scale there's the i3s, about five times the price of the Picanto. The battery version (called 94Ah in BMW speak) is listed at $69,900 plus on-roads, while the version with a petrol engine (94Ah with Range Extender) is $75,900.

You can still get a regular version of the i3 if this sportier S model isn't for you – and it's $1200 cheaper in both guises. But if you're asking me, that $1200 is well worth spending to get the S model.

It's easy to justify that extra splurge because - there is no question about it - this is an expensive car. But it's a technological powerhouse, and that famed rondel has plenty of badge cred.

It isn't like the i3s is packed with equipment when you delve into the options list. Obviously Apple CarPlay at $623 is a bit rude, but other things like heated seats ($730) a sunroof ($2920) and tyre pressure monitoring ($370) are items that could arguably be fitted to a high-spec car.

The comfort package is something I think should really be included as standard - it bundles keyless access (unlocking for the doors), seat heating and a 12-speaker harman/kardon sound system. It costs $2000. It should be on the i3s, right?

Still, the standard kit list includes some good (but not ground-breaking) safety inclusions, a new 10.25-inch media screen with sat nav, a four-speaker stereo with DAB+ digital radio, auxiliary jack, USB and Bluetooth, plus BMW's 'ConnectedDrive' online services system, single-zone climate control, LED headlights, auto-dimming mirrors, and auto wipers and lights. All of that is identical to the regular i3.

The i3s - specifically - adds 20-inch light alloys (19s on the regular one), sports suspension (lowered by 10mm), a revised traction control system and a sportier exterior design with flared wheel arches to help tuck those wider wheels in.

As for colour choices, there are two no-cost options, 'Fluid Black' and 'Capparis White', and four metallic versions at a cost of $1090, 'Imperial Blue', 'Melbourne Red' and 'Protonic Blue' (all with 'Frozen Grey' highlights), and 'Mineral Grey' with 'BMW i Blue' highlights.

A liquid-cooled 360V electric motor (which is also used in the i8 sports car) resides under the boot of the i3, revs to 11,400rpm and produces all of its torque output of 250Nm in full from rest, before tapering off at about 6000rpm. Its power figure of 125kW peaks at around the same value.

It's directed through the rear wheel via a fixed-ratio single speed transmission.

The i3 and i3s 94Ah models are separated by way of different power outputs from their electric drivetrains.

The regular i3 has 125kW/250Nm available from its electric motor, while the i3s pushes that to 135kW/270Nm.

There's no engine in the regular model - but there is in the range-extender version: a two-cylinder (647cc) unit mounted mid-rear.

All i3 models are automatic - a single-speed transmission, so there are no steps or gears to worry about - and rear-wheel drive.

This particular test of the i3 was designed around the idea of the longer commute of 75km over varied terrain. In that guise, it is surprisingly practical, capably allowing me to cover the 150km round trip with an indicated 20 to 25km of charge to spare.

This equated to a dash-indicated average of 12.9kWh/100km, not far from the claimed 12.6 figure supplied by BMW.

The route includes about 400m of elevation change and about 40km of freeway, with the balance being urban and suburban roads, while I tried to drive each of the six journeys as I would in a petrol car.

However, if I were to stray from the parameters of that commute, then it's not so practical.

DC charging is not common, but it's nice to know that the car is ready for it.

Charging the i3's batteries from a regular 10amp home socket takes 14 hours to charge the car to just 80 per cent - which is simply too long. Adding BMW's Wallbox to your house lowers that time to eight hours.

Public chargers with a higher rating can reduce that time, again charging to 80 per cent, to four hours.

The i3 also has built-in DC charging ability, which increases the rate at which power can flow into the batteries by a factor of seven, reducing 80 per cent charge time to about 40 minutes. DC charging is not common, but it's nice to know that the car is ready for it.

It's a simple procedure to plug the recharger in, and the i3 lights up around the recharging port to tell you what state the charge is at.

Of course, you can simply pull into any brand of service station in a combustion engine car, and refuel your car much more quickly and conveniently.

BMW, along with other electric and electric hybrid manufacturers like Audi and Mercedes-Benz, has long lobbied the Australian government for assistance and for a way forward for electric cars, but the pleas are falling on the deaf ears of a constantly rotating government.

Running costs could be very low in the BMW i3s, particularly if you have your own solar set-up. Even if you don't, the cost of recharging the battery (33kWh x $0.22c) is very cheap: $7.26 for 200km of driving. By my maths (with fuel being about $1.35/L) a petrol or diesel car would have to be getting 2.7L/100km to be close to that.

And to speak in geeky electro-talk for a second, the i3s's power consumption is rated at 14.3kWh per 100km.

Bit more geek-talk coming up: charging can be done by way of a Type 2 CCS plug. You can recharge using a regular powerpoint (single-phase, 7.4kW), a three-phase charger (which you can get as a wall-box from BMW, 11kW) or a 50kW fast charger (if you can find one).

BMW claims that you will see 'everyday range' of up to 200km for the regular i3 and i3s - not bad, but not Tesla-rivalling... but nor is it Tesla-priced.

The range-extender model has 330km of claimed range thanks to its nine-litre fuel tank and two-cylinder petrol engine. Claimed consumption for that drivetrain is 0.6L/100km for the i3 and 0.7L/100km for the i3s.

The trick with any alternative style of vehicle is to make it as normal as possible to live with, and the i3 achieves that for the most part. The shifter is unusual, granted, and the strong regenerative braking effect – where the car slows by up to 80 per cent by just coming off the accelerator - can be quite off-putting for a new EV driver.

On the whole, the i3's biggest trick is the instant response from the electric engine. There is 150kW and 250Nm of torque, and they're both all available all the time. There are few other city runabouts that can come quite close to its level of pace in an urban environment.

The carbon fibre reinforced plastic chassis is built like a safety cell.

Once you're used to the braking, too, it's hard to go back. Simply lifting off the throttle brings the speed of the car down quickly, and you just apply the brakes right at the end of the stop to prevent the car from rolling any further.

The carbon fibre reinforced plastic chassis is built like a safety cell, and its suspension components are mounted to the very stiff structure. You can actually feel the articulation of the individual suspension components at each corner.

The ride, though, can be fidgety at times. We put that down to BMW's choice of tyres, the weight of which detracts from the ride. There is no space for a spare tyre of any sort, either.

Enjoyable. That's the word that sprung to my mind. Not sporty. Not crazy fast. Not unpleasant. It is really, really enjoyable.

We didn't spend time in the range-extender version - instead, our short drive was limited to the plain EV model.

Either way, though, you get that whooshy feeling of instant torque from a standstill because it's an electric car (the range extender model will just kick its two-cylinder engine into life to help charge the batteries up and keep you moving on electric power alone).

Apart from a slight whirring from the electric motor when you push the throttle, there's not a lot of noise to speak of - a bit of wind noise from the side mirrors (it was a gale-force windy day in Melbourne at the launch), and a little bit of tyre roar from those new shoes.

Speaking of the tyres, they're now 20mm wider to enhance the stability and handling of the i3. Not only does that add extra width to the car's footprint, the i3s has lowered sports suspension with new springs, dampers and anti-roll bars.

The existing model looked like it was rolling on bicycle wheels, but the new rubber definitely has an impact on the levels of grip available and stability in corners. The previous version (and the regular regular i3 below this one) were/are fitted with slimmer tyres that can make it feel a little skittish at times, but these new broader contact patches help out a lot.

Being rear-wheel drive, and because it doesn't have gears to get in the way of driving like in a conventional car, the i3s is a pretty sporty experience. There's even a Sport mode to help justify some lead-footedness, which is pretty exciting if you like to drive... and I do.

You put your foot down, and it throws you back in your seat - not quite to the degree a Tesla does, but it's definitely rapid enough. BMW claims the i3s can now sprint to highway pace in just 6.9 seconds - which is four tenths faster than the regular i3.

And with its aggressive regenerative braking system you pull up pretty swiftly too. It can take some getting used to, because it slows you up faster than you might think.

Just like any sporty car, though, you can only have fun in it for so long before you start to think to yourself 'wow, I'd better go easy or I'll run out of juice'... it's just that in the case of the i3s, you run out quicker because its 'tank' isn't that big, and you're refill isn't as easy as heading to the servo and topping up in a matter of minutes.

The BMW i3 was awarded the maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating in 2014 when it was tested. It remains a five-star car with this update.

The i3 includes six airbags (dual front, front side, curtain), an integrated roll-over sensor with a battery shut-off function, a reversing camera, parking sensors all around, forward collision warning and pedestrian detection, auto emergency braking (AEB), active cruise control, and lane-keeping assist.

The i3 base model gets semi-automated parking assist, but the i3s misses out on that. And, oddly, no i3 model comes with lane-keeping assist or lane departure warning, and nor can you have one with blind-spot monitoring or lane-keeping assist.

The i3 is covered for three years and unlimited kilometres, while the battery array warranty runs to three years or 100,000km.

The i3's consumables are minimal; even the brake pads will last longer, thanks to the regenerative braking system.

Service intervals are suggested every two years or 25,000km, and prices are determined on a needs basis.

That said, the i3's consumables are minimal; even the brake pads will last longer, thanks to the regenerative braking system.

BMW uses a so-called 'condition based servicing' program, whereby the car alerts the driver as to when maintenance may be required. And with fewer moving parts than a conventional car, costs should theoretically be lower.

The car itself is covered by a three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, while the battery has a 'certificate' for eight years/100,000km.