Hi Tech, Lo Thrills - BMW i3
In these efficiency focused times, it’s not unusual to see manufacturers launching hybrid or electric vehicles. For a company reared on high-revving big sixes and murdering tyres, BMW would not have been the first name you’d expect 20 years ago, but here we are; the brave new future. Featuring a 60 Ah battery, instant torque and 168bhp, this is an electric car that can get out of its own way. Featuring skinny tyres, eucalyptus wood on the fascia and hemp door cards, it’s sounding more like a product of Ikea than a typical, dynamic BMW passenger car. The exterior styling breaks with almost all BMW styling cues, except for the kidney grilles. It’s different - and to my eyes - pretty fascinating to behold. Finished in Soul Red via BMW Individual, it cuts a stylish dash, either in London or the Alsace testing ground where we explored the chassis’ depth.
You won’t often see an urban EV taken to extremes on a track, but as a BMW product, you would expect it to have some hidden talents and in some cases, that would be right. Acceleration is nicely linear, with the torque delivery of electric motors coming in right away. Top speed is limited to 93mph on a flat surface, more by gearing than any other factor. The gearbox is a fixed ratio unit, forward and reverse. Engine braking is regenerative, the traditional brake pedal controlling the rear wheels. Initial bite is moderate, but it keeps its composure.
Turn-in is crisp and typically accurate, in the Munich tradition. Aiming for an apex is instinctive, although cornering speeds are relatively low here. Driven within the confines of its economy tyres, there’s only mere hints of safety understeer. With the intended role and audience for the i3, that’s a wise decision. The view from the driver’s seat shows roll is controlled in most instances, but it’s a trait that helps gauge the available grip. Measuring a unique and totally baffling 155/70R19, what we have in essence is a Penny Farthing front wheel on a scooter. With so little width, the tyres don’t withstand much provocation.
A good old bung is required to get the tail mobile, naturally with the understeer dialled into the chassis. Any attempt at power oversteer is almost always thwarted, there simply isn’t the weight over the front axle to play ball. Terminal understeer will always set in, so a keen driver will find limited joy here. When the driver does pitch the car into a turn on a trailing throttle, a small amount of smoke is the only clue the rear tyres are rotating quicker than the fronts. With no real engine note, most sensations feel a little alien. When you have enough of trying to burn rubber, the understeer can be relied upon to pull you back to the straight ahead. Such an inelegant way to drive a car, by any measure. On that note, a day out at the Nurburgring beckoned.
On a technical, cambered place such as the Nordschleife, the last thing you look for is a wayward nature. You wouldn’t want to get a car too far out of its comfort zone, as the unforgiving green ribbon didn’t become known as Hell for nothing. Taken at face value, the i3 actually copes admirably here. The previously mentioned turn-in is your best friend, allowing you to place it accurately and efficiently. The car soaks up the adverse cambers well and those little tyres find plenty of grip.
The car can run into its bump stops in the tighter corners, but this is so well damped that the car doesn’t exhibit ill behaviour. There’s a general feeling of competence here, and it reveals the essence of its parent company in the way it steers. Where it was a fish out of water when driven aimlessly, here it felt like a lap of the Nurburgring was just something to take in its stride. On some level, that is high praise, but in the pantheon of cars, it merely means it can be driven quickly without falling off the road.
Give this car a city street and it will fit right in, very much a product of the 21st century. Show it the current measure of a car’s ability - a lap of the Nordschleife - and it behaves impressively well given its meagre rolling stock. What you don’t want to do anywhere but a track is to try and drive it like an E36 drift hack. There’s no joy to be had in manhandling the i3, it doesn’t even exist within its repertoire. Do I think it’s a good car? Almost certainly, but, it has nothing else about it. No sense of fun that even a warm hatch can provide when provoked. Churlish, but ultimately if EVs become the norm, then we require them to be a little more enjoyable away from straight line acceleration.
My brother has one..It is a fun Car to wiz about around town in. They love it 👍
