I drove a BMW i3 the other day and it was a dud compared to my Fiat 500e. I felt bad, a friend of mine bought his electric car because I loved mine so much. When he excitedly brought his car over to have me test drive it, my heart broke for him. He paid around $50,000 for his. I am paying about $10,000 for mine over the course of the lease I wouldnt buy because the technology is changing so fast that you are always going to be on the loosing end, not to mention depreciation as you drive off the lot. At least until the technological advancements in batteries slow down. So the first thing I noticed about the i3 is that they are trying WAY too hard to make it look futuristic and it just ends up looking silly with its Electronaught badging. Inside it was definitely big and roomy compared to my little fiat. However my seats are much more comfortable. It was fast, definitely faster than mine but came at a huge cost. He gets 70 miles range while I get 91. He does have the range extender had engine that can take it up to 120 miles but when it runs out he experiences that the car slows immediately to about 50 miles per hr. Not good while driving on the freeway. He is scared of getting rear-ended and I dont blame him. So its not a hybrid but it has a gas engine? Yup thats what he said. Ya right. Denial. But the deal killer for me was this: it drove like crap. When you let your foot off the gas the regeneration kicks in so hard it jerks the car to a slower speed. Just going a couple miles, I was sick to my stomach. Ugh. Not impressed at all. And while the battery placement in my car makes it handle better than its gas based brothers, it doesnt help the i3. Its high center of gravity and inane 2/3 sized wheels just make it feel a wrong. Ill challenge him to a ride through the Rancho Santa Fe hills any day. Ill come out exhilarated and first and hell come out last green and puking. I guarantee it! In comparison, my sweet little car is just like a... click-to-read-mo.re/p/7pUp/528514c4
Posted on: Sun, 01 Jun 2014 20:56:35 +0000