Every now and then a car will come along and make you think “yeah, I’m going to remember that one”. The BMW i3 clearly falls into that category. Whether you are a fan or not, the BMW i3 is such a distinctive vehicle that it will be instantly recognisable wherever you see it.
As of 2022, BMW has stopped producing the i3. This, to me at least, seems to be a great shame. I can understand why they have made the decision, but the BMW i3 was such a popular and enduring car that I believe it still had some legs left in it.
You can, however, still buy your own BMW i3 ex-rental from EV Sales. With this in mind, let’s have a look at the car which really set the electric vehicle world apart from the old way of doing things.
Looking Back to Where it All Began
This iconic vehicle can trace its roots back to 2013 when it was first put into production. This followed some teasing from BMW regarding a vehicle that would be sold with the i prefix. It is perhaps interesting that the same i prefix has continued into the newer models considering that the i cars would be sold as a separate entity to the standard BMW or Mini cars. It was an experimental phase that has outlived its original purpose.
This unusually shaped car with an electric powertrain and suicide rear-opening doors would take the world by storm. In fact, between 2014 and 2016 the BMW i3 was the third highest selling electric vehicle in the world. Only Tesla dared to take the top spot in those early days. However, it showed what a little innovation in this new EV could achieve. Winning awards such as the World Car of the Year and the Green Car of the Year, the BMW i3 was far from being a gimmick.
Style, Size and Further Models
Although there have been several different colour schemes for the BMW i3, it is the black and white exterior which really grabbed the imagination. Small and almost box-like, the i3 is a great size as a small runaround car, especially for built up areas. The interior is tastefully designed and is extremely comfortable to sit in. You could certainly bear being in this vehicle for extended periods of time.
Technology included in the BMW i3 included built-in satellite navigation and an infotainment system that was ahead of its time in the early to mid 2010’s. Other features set the car apart as well, not least the turning knob for changing your driving controls.
The BMW i3 saw many updates over the years. However, the changes were mostly in the size of the battery and with other advancements in performance. The exterior shape and the interior styling remained true to the earlier incantations of the car.
The BMW i3 – A Small Car With Big Performance
For a small car, the BMW i3 packed a serious punch. The torque in the engines has to be experienced to be believed. It was certainly a departure from the small city cars we had been used to in the petrol and diesel age. If anything, the BMW i3 showed that an electric car didn’t have to cost the earth in order to be able to outperform conventionally fuelled vehicles on the road.
There are so many versions and updates of the BMW i3 that I won’t go through them all here. What I will do is discuss the performance statistics of the BMW i3 that we have available to buy at present from EV Sales. This is the 120ah.
The battery gives an impressive range of 170 miles in real world terms. This is plenty of mileage to do some serious driving with. Considering you can charge from 15-80% in just 35 minutes, there really is no limit to where you can go.
The top speed of the car is 93mph and it can achieve 0-60mph in a stunning 7.2 seconds. Pretty incredible for a vehicle of this size.
We absolutely love the BMW i3 and we are sure you will too.
