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We have a limited number of reviews for the 2017 i3, so we've included reviews for other years of the i3 since its last redesign.
Amazing in so many ways
N LeBert, 08/15/2017
updated 03/18/2024
2017 BMW i3 4dr Hatchback w/Range Extender (0.6L 2cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid DD)
66 of 68 people found this review helpful
This car has exceeded all my expectations. It's the 2017 Rex Terra world. Most of my driving is highway and oh what fun it is. Looks small from outside, especially from the rear, but inside you feel you are in a spacious car of the future. The handling and comfort are most surprising for an electric car and even more surprising is the acceleration and control you have. Some things about the car take a little time getting used to, such as the regenerative breaking. But after a few days, it becomes so natural you soon realize this should be in all cars. The back seats fit only two adults but in the two times in the eight months I have owned the car, I have had someone in the rear seats only twice and they were quite comfortable. I'm glad I got the Rex which provides a generator to charge the batteries as you drive to go an additional 80 to 90 miles. That's more than an hour of driving until you find a gas station. I've only been to the gas station a few times. Most drivers would not even need the Rex but it does help with the Range Anxiety. The maintenance on this car is just about none. I drive 80 miles to work and back each day. I have enjoyed the quiet comfortable ride every day. My average speed is 75 mph on the highway and I look forward to driving every day. It's just so much fun... Well, I just changed my rear tires at 37,000 miles. I'm sure many of the very quick takeoffs (rear wheel drive) had some negative impact on the tire wear. The front tires look like they have another 15,000 to go. Update Sep 2019: I now have 53,000 miles on the car and it looks and drives like new. Still very happy. Update Sep 2020: I now have 71,500 miles on the car and I took it in for service. No problems were found. Oil change in the range extender and suggested replacement of the rear tires. Replaced those but the front tires are still in good condition and good tread. The car looks great and drives like it did when new. Still enjoying my i3 very much. Update Sep 2022: Have 104,400 miles on the car and I have had no problems yet. I did get the brake lines drained and new fluid replaced as required every 5 years. I had to replace the front tires and will soon need to replace the back tires maybe in about 6 more months or so. The car drives and looks as though it is brand new. No rattles or squeaks yet and I guess this is due in part to the frame being carbon fiber instead of steel. The brakes are seldom used and so far the original rotors have many more miles still left on them. I have notice the distance I can drive has gone down about 10 miles from the original 114 to now about 104 on average. The electric cost has averaged about 3.4 cents per mile. My only disappointments are that the car should have come with Blind Spot Monitor and the cruise control is too often unavailable. What I love most is the fun to drive, how quite it is. The Forward Collision Warning and Brake Assist have come into play several times and kept me from an unexpected collision. All cars should have this. So far I am very happy and plan to keep this car for many years. Update March 2024: My car now has over 123,000 miles and still enough battery capacity when fully charged to go just over 100 miles on a full charge. I do take a couple of trips each month to Lake City from Jacksonville Florida and so for that I do use the Range Extender. I'm scheduled now to get a new set of front tires. I got my new front tires at 83,505 miles. I got about 40,000 miles on this set I now have. I find that keeping the tires inflated about 35 (front) seems to work best for me. I am also scheduled to have my brake pads replaced for the first time. I also had to replace the top rubber gasket at the top of my windshield as it was cracked and broken in a few places. This caused some wind noise. I did the replacement myself and it was not as easy as it looked on YouTube. The car remains to be in great condition inside and out. I am still very happy with my i3 and still plan to hold on to it for a few more years at least.
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Great update for 2017
CK, 11/10/2016
2017 BMW i3 4dr Hatchback w/Range Extender (0.6L 2cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid DD)
22 of 22 people found this review helpful
While I think some more tweaks are needed to set the car apart, overall this is a great car. It's my second electric (previously had a Leaf) and the Bimmer is an exceptional commuter. No range anxiety with this especially with the new battery. I've driven over 100 miles and still had 37% percent battery charge left. The new color option of protonic blue is a great step forward. Pick-up 0 to 30 is outstanding though you will feel the road and bumps a little much. Previous reviews on ride comfort hold true for the battery refreshed 2017. Overall a great car for suburbanites and urban dwellers. Getting 5 miles per kW hour.
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Love the quiet
David Vener, 12/19/2016
2017 BMW i3 4dr Hatchback w/Range Extender (0.6L 2cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid DD)
19 of 19 people found this review helpful
It's been a great first month. The car has had no issues. Acceleration is amazing and the quiet is just sublime. Good sound insulation also protects the interior from external noise as well as the lack of engine noise. We've had no problems; range is as advertised. Installed a 220 v 40 amp charger in the garage that is very convenient. Haven't had to use the Range extender yet, though my wife told me she got a notification that the engine was cycling, presumably just to keep the fluids from settling too much. Enormous headroom; I'm 6'4 and have another 2" beyond the top of my head. Visibility is excellent. The rear seats are quite usable but wouldn't buy it if we anticipated using them a lot. Lots of trunk space. Only gripe is that the BMW technology integration is a bit wonky and takes some getting used to. Would have loved to have electric seats, but I suspect that would have added significant weight. Carbon fiber body is really nice as is the interior wood. Seats are very comfortable.
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So far a great choice!
i3Driver, 09/14/2016
2016 BMW i3 4dr Hatchback w/Range Extender (0.6L 2cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid DD)
15 of 15 people found this review helpful
I was first hesitant to make the jump to electric before the next year or so, there are a few great car coming out. But since I have a VW TDI Passat being bought back, I needed a new car as a replacement. Unfortunately, there is not any other car I could find that would compare to the Passat for MPG and interior room. I test drove a BMW 5 series and was disappointed, I felt claustrophobic and just didn't seem right. So I decided to try the i3, boy was I surprised! It doesn't have the back seat room like my VW, but it's fun to drive, gets amazing fuel(kW) mileage, and seems to fit my life style just fine. I opted for the REx version and glad I did. I have made a few trips with my family(wife and two kids) no problem. Even a Costco run!
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After 1 yr living electric
mtv, 06/10/2017
2016 BMW i3 4dr Hatchback w/Range Extender (0.6L 2cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid DD)
38 of 41 people found this review helpful
I've had my i3REX for about 1 yr and have driven about 10K miles in a combination of 400 mile weekend trips to 80 mile airport runs to endless soccer shuttles in the greater NYC area from PA, NJ, NY and CT. The car was delivered factory perfect and has only had one recall and one software upgrade. It delivers the same range as when it was new. What the car is: An incredibly fun, nimble, exhilarating, holy cow, I can't believe a car can be this fun to drive, I feel like I am 16, where can I go next car. The drive train and ride are un-naturally smooth and quiet. It's remarkable. It's fun in a vintage English sports car way complete with very predicable 4 wheel drifts, blazing acceleration, wicked torque and grand prix "one pedal" driving. The car effortlessly dives into turns with the regen breaking acting like a hand break to unlock the back wheels, only to instantly re-engage as you hit the accelerator (yes, that is what it is) to power out of the turns. Anyone that drives this car as a hyper miler is missing one the best driving experiences imaginable. The fun comes from a combination of super-car ratio of torque-to-weight and grossly inadequate tires. The latter is so poor that you can have all this fun below 40mph instead of 80 in an M5 or Vette. That's not a bad thing. What it is not - a highway car. At speeds above 80 this car is a white knuckle death ride and will take every bit of your driving skills to keep control. It's top speed is governed at 98 but it has a practical limit of about 75. If you are a pre-dawn commuter accustomed to hitting triple digits with your fellow commuters, step away and find another car. As example of how slow you need to drive this car, I historically have an avg driving speed of 44mph while in this car it's 33!. I guess it could use some air dams to keep the air from floating the car - maybe they could also help keep the car from getting airborne on mountain roads too. Living electric - you have to want to. This is an 90% car meaning it fills 90% of your car needs and am able to use it with some planning for almost everything except weekend trips with the family. I use a level 1, 110v charger at home and it comfortably charges the car overnight (10K is about 25mile/day) on most days. I only need to use public charges 2-3 times/month for the longer trips. Using some "extreme couponing" type planning, I can string together 150 mile jaunts and have done 400miles in a weekend using only 1qt of gas. It's possible because the range extending engine does its job to allow you to use the full batter capacity (I get about 80mile range in the summer and 60 mile in winter). The REX however is in sharp contrast to the ultra refined electric drive in that it's roughness, loudness and vibration is on par with your father's vintage tractor. It works fine in city/suburban driving but the algorithms that control the battery reserves are not set for highway driving especially in the mountains. A short hill quickly depletes the battery's reserve and you will find yourself seeking refuge from speeding cars behind a tandem trailer as you slow to 50mph to prevent an emergency shut-down. Living with the car - The phone interface is incredibly disappointing and archaic. The car rarely recognizes the phone when plugged in but still locks out most phone features (for obvious safety reasons) so you either have to do without or reinitiate the apps. BMW's newest addition to the iDrive system is "graffiti" style input circa 1992 Palm Pilot. The voice recognition is very poor and frustrating. It could be due to a poor microphone or its placement. There are however two redeeming features - you can bypass the car's labyrinth of commands and access Siri via a button on the steering wheel or use one of 8 programable buttons on the dash to get instant access to any car/phone function. The sound system is a disappointment and certainly not on level with the car's price tag (I have the standard system). Fortunately you don't spend a lot of time in this car but if you rely on your phone for music, navigation and calls, you will be disappointed. I use it as an excuse to unplug connect to the kids and enjoy the drive. The car's navigation system is equally poor. I used it only 3-4 times and stopped after it directed me the wrong way on a 1-way street. On a separate occasion it dropped us in the middle of a cemetary instead of a soccer field. The traffic feature side by side against Waze was inadequate and slow to offer alternate routes around traffic. In summary, this is an incredibly great car that brings you back to a gone-by era of fun, quiet and solitude in a great modern design.
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