Two weeks ago I went out to breakfast with my Dad and my Grandpa. While out, I got the urge to visit a BMW dealership to find out what I could about the upcoming all electric BMW i3. Upon entering the dealership, I spoke with Joe (great dude) who informed me that on April 5th (today) they were going to be holding an i3 test drive event, and that I should stop by.
Cut to today. I got to the dealership at around 10am, right as the event was scheduled to start. I saw Joe right away who showed me around the car and informed me that a lot of test drive slots had been filled, but that there was an empty slot at 12:15. So, I drove over to the nearby Liberty Tree Mall and bummed around for a bit until noon-ish when I decided to head back to the dealership.
I arrived to find good news waiting for me, a slot had opened up and, once the car came back, I could take it for a spin. After grabbing a quick bite from the spread that they had laid out, I followed the salesman (I forget his name) out to the car and began my test drive.
The first thing you notice upon entering the car is that the dashboard and everything feels like you’re in a spaceship. The radio/navigation/vehicle control system is all contained on a center screen and controlled by BMW i-Drive. Though the car is high-ish up, the seats are actually very low. It’s hard to explain but they feel very close to the floor. The key and key fob are one; there is no need to put it in an ignition, simply leave it in the cup-holder or in your pocket.
Turning the car on is an experience in itself. Apply the brake and press the Stop/Start button; a little “bing” noise informs you that the car is on. Without it, you would have no idea it’s running because the car is silent. The gear shift is on the steering column and located right behind the wheel. In my opinion a bad location for it, as I was unsure of the best way to reach for it. Nevertheless, putting the car into gear is pretty cool, apply the brake and simply turn the lever away from you; the car is now in drive.
Pulling away for the first time is strange too. There is no noise to give you an idea of you’re throttle input. Additionally, letting off the accelerator does not allow the car to coast as a regular gas powered vehicle would. Instead, the car begins to brake on it’s own due to the regenerative braking system which takes the unused kinetic energy of the vehicle to recharge the battery. The brake is really only necessary for moderate to hard braking. Thus, driving a car like this requires the driver to adopt a completely different driving style than they are used to. Something you certainly could get used to, but not something I was able to fully get the hang of in the short time I had with the car.
The highway proved to be one of the most interesting aspects of the driving experience. Because the car uses an electric engine, 100% of the torque is available to you at all times. This means that when you have to accelerate or overtake another vehicle, the power is instant and immediately there. This is accompanied by a sort of Tron sounding whirr from the electric engine.
After a quick blast up and then back down the highway, we made our way back to the dealership. I got out and had to fill out a short survey about the experience, and then the test drive was over. Overall the experience was a good one. The only two things that I come away with as negatives were the regenerative braking -again, not so much bad as it was something you would have to get used to- and the inefficient ergonomics of the Stop/Start button and gear selector.
The i3 is a unique driving experience. You can read all you want and watch all the videos you want, but until you actually take it out, you can’t really appreciate or fully understand all the little quirks (acceleration, braking, lack of noise, etc.) of an electric vehicle.
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