CNET On Cars - On the road with the BMW i3

cnet.co/19cz99N
The BMW i3: a savvy step into the future, or just not a BMW? CNET's Brian Cooley checks the tech on this new electric car.

[@tOki3y0xpoP]

6:15-6:18 that lady was walking backwards!!!! :O

[@green_technician]

And the traffic light went green after being yellow...

[@20ilunga]

you can really see ...umm i didnt even pay attention to that..lol...yeah she is

[@marvinmarshall8884]

Glitch in the matrix

[@allenissuperman]

I can hear it on my iPhone. Great review as always

[@efraing726]

It’s now worth $15k in 2019 used with 30k miles.

[@djgate]

Tester stated BMW eliminated coast, WRONG! The coast feature is indicated by a white square on the speed-o- between the power and regen indicators. This feature really aids efficiency and is intuitive to use once a driver realises how it works. Get "ham footed" with your right foot and you will continually accelerate and brake. The accelerator requires finesse when backing off power as it hits the coast segment before going into the regen section. Use coast for increased efficiency on downgrades or approaching known stops before backing off to a graduated regen and full stop. Once accustomed to this feature friction brakes are used very little.

[@Lololol24LA]

I got to drive this at the LA Auto Show it was amazing

[@johnnyzee383]

"They've deleted coast"...incorrect..you can get the car to coast simply by backing off the accelerator until the white gauge is in the middle..takes a bit of practice but its a very intuitive thing to do. Its funny how many people get things wrong on this car.

[@The_action_is_the_juice]

Cooley is King. Concise and to the point. I love the idea of electric cars and even though I could afford to have this sit around for short trips and going to work. I wouldn't. Because, I could put the ~35k towards a gas powered vehicle that can do everything.

[@DC89]

Cooley making a WHO reference just made my day :)

[@Jerod_Helt]

This car AND video have aged very well

[@i2really1der]

Sad that this car is no more. They should have made it a bit larger.

[@kingaza7734]

Do you have one or something

[@i2really1der]

@@kingaza7734 I had seen it Up Close and found it Appealing. But, I do not have one.

[@ThinkOutsideTheCube]

I would love to hear the video.

[@DustyJaeger]

me too

[@alextheromanian]

got a chevy volt...im happy with it...happier than i think id be with this thing. not perfect but very usable

[@xchopp]

4:23 Yes, yes Americans do do that! He says he's in San Francisco -- look on the street sometime! You'll see lots and lots and lots of bicycles.

[@roguedogx]

I can't explain why but I kind of like it, and I like to drive (I go to track days for heck sake). If I had to guess it might be what while its efficient, its not a Prius (a plastic box completely devoid of any character). I still can't picture buying one (maybe because there is no chance in the I could possibly afford one unless its really used has something to do with that), but I do like it.

[@Dave23547]

Did you get a real-world range of 110 miles? How far did it go?

[@_-_-_-_9407]

+Dave Zykerman more like 80-90 and 60-70 in winter

[@CebuLightsandMusic]

does it come in hyperthreading?

[@Gr1dlock0]

They already uploaded this?

[@flyingrv6]

He made a mistake. You can keep the car running as long as you keep it fueled up.

[@emodateplus]

0:41 Kudos to the Doctor Who reference! :D

[@dake2k]

smart driverless car with smart phone control will surely be the future. surely this is 1 step and looking forward to it.

[@MrEnergyCzar]

Good review.

[@MatthewShermanHappy420]

like the new bmw, I think people will buy many! This car is awesome!

[@DougHNuts-ee3vn]

i3 leads the pack in fit and finish. Check out Autoline "BMW i-3 teardown for full details! Tesla scored way lower and they discuss why.

[@FearedByKittens]

Who else thought the name 'BMW i3' indicated that it consisted of an intel i3 processor? lols

[@freddymedina7430]

Is there a tax break in this vehicle?

[@linuxman0]

A real big difference between the i3 and a Leaf... the i3 is rear wheel drive and the leaf is... not

[@KillroyX99]

The i3 is obviously not main stream styling. I actually like it. I like the idea of the composite chassis. Yet, years later both the i3 and the very expensive i8 have very poor sales compared to its EV and PHEV competition.

[@HWC98]

A BMW employee told me that the dashboard is made of recycled milk jugs Although I don't believe it

[@danielhuffman]

HWC98 That scratchy, thread looking “plastic” on the dash and door panels is called Kenaf, it’s actually a plant material. It’s lighter than plastic and more environmentally friendly. There is a lot of recycled materials throughout the cabin, though.

[@techtim123]

No audio! :(

[@khunopie]

They should have named it the 'BMW This Guy'

[@blueonblack83]

I can see this car working in Germany just fine. Integration with public transportation, bikes, etc. Other countries... not so much :P

[@HammamFaeq]

As long as you can charge it . you can drive it in any country . I think your talking about countries with bid desert areas

[@blueonblack83]

Sure, I mean, it wouldn't be feasible in Anatolia or Middle East, for example. Germans usually see renewable energy as a really important topic and you have a lot of charging stations on the roads, etc.

[@SuperUsername35]

I can hear it

[@leoncuesta793]

god bless apple pies and chips also I'm a Turian from Palavan

[@voodoomelons]

I spent 3 minutes fiddling with my sound options, FFS!

[@justanotherdrunk]

on my 2nd i3 ... best daily driver city car available ... sad how some people are so clueless !

[@thepinkpanda818]

january161992 I’m thinking about buying a used 2014 I3. I’ve been doing a lot of research on it and I’ve test driven one. So far I’ve seen very few negative reviews. Since you own one is there any downsides are complaints you have about the car?

[@danielhuffman]

Simone Shaw I have a 2014 with REx, and I love it. The biggest issue I have with it is winter range. Using very little climate control, the range drops to about 55-65 miles depending on driving. I live in northwest, so your experience may vary based on the climate. That being said, it drives really well in the winter.

[@andreshates]

the car is so quiet....... lol

[@Benzoiin]

that design tho......

[@johnbenton4488]

A front-wheel-drive Beemer! Whatever next? Indicators that drivers bother with?

[@knubbelidoo]

+John Benton Sorry to crush your dreams, but it's still RWD. I mean, of course it is. The moment a BMW engineer mentions the word "Front" he's immediately sacked.

[@johnbenton4488]

RWD = old technology. Alec Issigonis saw to that. (RWD is useless in slippery conditions!)

[@3940David]

No sound

[@lidsman2221]

No volume!

[@vryzenok]

we all know one BIG issue :) it have battery ! only 80mil? how about air con, stereo wipers and so on? if you put everything on? how long can you go? then is battery... we all know from the phone, first year is running ok.... then in second year, just half time, and on third year you have no chance to have even 30% original :) no? then next Q: how about heavy rain? or flood? snow ? if it will be -20C battery dies? then how about lightning, not attract? how much is cost charge? how long is warranty on battery life? how much cost to replace battery? And finally, if you have heart implant, no issue via battery magnetic field? your credit or debit card not will be effected if left on floor for night(magnetic field from battery)?

[@danielhuffman]

vryzenok So this is 5 years late, but: The range is based on your driving, I’ve seen 110 or 50 miles. Range is affected by all of the above (not really wipers, though) Car batteries are far more resistant to degradation, mine’s only lost about 5% over 4 years. EV’s don’t have trouble with rain or floods, they’re well sealed. Low temps affect range but won’t kill the battery. Lightning is not an issue. It’s about $2 to charge it up at home, varies at public chargers. The battery warranty is 8 years/unlimited miles. Battery replacement is unknown as no i3’s are out of warranty. The battery doesn’t produce a magnetic field strong enough to affect medical implants or credit cards.

[@davide30541]

100 miles on a plastic car with 170 HP? why not 50 hp and 200 miles range? i dont get it...

[@iwearleatherjackets1]

+davide30541 Horsepower doesn't kill the range. It's the size of the battery that determines its range.

[@davide30541]

Leo the Weirdo right. that is why my toothbrush runs on 2 AA batteries and my power drill needs a 18v battery with lots of times the number of amps/hour 2 AA batteries to have 1/10 of the run time...

[@TimYoung817]

God bless this guy that can get this excited over an electric car. Im bored just looking at the thing

[@kyriakoskyriakou6449]

When the rx8 came back in the day everybody hated the back doors .. Now bmw copies it and nobody hates them .. Seems that mazda is ten years front of bmw

[@jkacvbhijfn]

$10 says Mazda brings it back with another car and everyone will go "Oh Mazda copied BMW"

[@kmo1200]

Suicide doors have been around for nearly 100 years folks

[@rochadson]

i like the i8 more not really feeling this car.

[@mcn2000mcn2000]

Big fan of Cooleys reviews but this one was a bit too much promotion if you ask me. And still dont get this i3 with the terrible range and reinforced impression of that internal combustion is just keeping most of the carworld in mental hostage with the range extender and some stupid petrol car loaner program for the weekend. One word Tesla..

[@toyotaprius79]

Cooley did fine as always, it's just that you don't like the car. So don't accuse him of promoting it.

[@Seriesxnation]

tesla shits bricks on this

[@computerguy5437]

but it costs like 30-70k more depending on the configuration of battery size and rwd/awd

[@bustex1]

+MrBvirk yea you can legit buy two of these for each tesla you buy, but you cannot compare the two. An i8 comes closer to comparison but still vastly different vehicles.

[@TheZACKZO]

+bustex1 wait for tesla model 3

[@bustex1]

RunningThruThe6WithMyHoes Oh wow 35k and 200 mile range thats very reasonable, might have to look into that car for my next one, cannot wait!

[@TheZACKZO]

bustex1 yes but the good thing is nissan and chevy are coming up with same price range cars too so you even have a choice. and that's 35K before tax incentives and savings on gas that you'll make. There is 10k off on that tax incentive alone in Cali so the price is $20-25K and if you factor in no gas payments and no servicing then you really are getting a great product. who knows maybe it has autopilot too like the other new models?

[@airhorn2111]

Dinky dump box

[@radb94]

Electric cars would be a lot more appealing if they weren't designed to look so damn dopey and goofy. Its as if they make these cars look ugly as shit on purpose. They should take note from Fisker and Tesla.

[@slettebjorn]

Why do they always make elektric cars futuristic or ugly looking :/

[@pojdiavaj1422]

Fail car. No heart and love built

[@leesantos9711]

Overpriced and not appealing !

[@thecauseandfx]

Hideous. Seems like Tesla is the only company that can build decent looking electric cars

[@Deadpoolmasterchief]

Pos

[@EliseoRocha]

I can't wait until he gets into an i8...