BMW is rolling out its i3 electric vehicle in European markets in November, with a U.S. launch following in May.
The i3 is a long way from some of BMW’s more infamous ultimate-driving-machines: the M3 and M5, the 3 Series, the X5. Or is it? Just because it runs on batteries doesn’t mean it isn’t fun to drive.
Off three days of driving the i3 around Amsterdam, where the electric-car-chargers outnumber the pigeons (but not the bicycles), the i3 delivered on what BMW executive say they are trying to change: the future of driving.
The taut suspension. The tossable personality of the car around the country twisty roads. Hot acceleration off the standing stop. Yup. It’s all there in the i3, plus a very comfortable interior.
What are the basics? The electric motor produces 125 kW/170 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque. It will go around 100 miles on a charge depending on how you drive. There is also an optional range-extending gasoline generator with a nine-liter gas tank that will take you up to 180 miles before you need to re-charge or re-fuel.
Not excited about EVs yet or worried about range? Consider that 80% of American drivers go fewer than forty miles a day by car. Do you have a two-car household? Maybe one could be an electric and the other gasoline, and the driver with the greater needs that day might take the gas-powered ride.
The car’s shape, a hatchback, may communicate “econo-car,” but the $41,350 starting price (before a Federal tax credit of $7,500) declares it a legit premium/luxury entry.
The i3 is the first car in BMW’s new “i” brand, which will include the i8 2+2 plug-in hybrid sports car that will light up U.S. shores by the end of 2014.
For the whole driving picture of the i3 and a gallery of views, check out our first-drive review on AOL Autos.
