BMW i3 vs. VW e-Golf - My personal test-drive experience and conclusion

[jbcarioca]

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I am and have been for over ten years a BMW driver myself... I am generally a bit BMW biased anyway, but what BMW achieved in the i3 with all those billions of R&D money is quite underwhelming and frankly annoying. ...

I am not a Bavarian, but I've owned a few BMW's, including the odd oddity, such as a Z1 that I had for a decade. When I test-drove an i3 I fully expected to buy one, as did my spouse. The poor handling, sloppy response and underwhelming ergonomics made me feel a bit embarrassed. For all the enormous investment BMW made I can only hope that the carbon fiber mass production technology works well, because as an EV this vehicle is inferior to some of the 'compliance cars'. In comparison the eGolf is a far more palatable choice. Were i to want something smaller than the S today it would be the eGolf. Realistically the only EV that is really a good choice IMHO, is the S.

Candidly I am shocked every day with the excellence of my S, the only American car I ever bought. I doubt I'll ever want another non-Tesla car.

 

[AustinPowers]

They may have been a misunderstanding between us about that… If it's the case, please accept my excuses. I should have been clearer from the start.

Absolutely no excuses necessary, everyone is entitled to her/his opinion.

What I am really annoyed with is the fact that the i3 should be a better EV than the e-Golf, given that it was designed from the ground up as an EV, but it really isn't a better EV. Sure, the battery might have liquid thermal management, sure, the body is carbon fibre, sure, the 0-60 acceleration is a little better. But has that helped? What about everything else that matters?

Interiour volume and usability of that volume - the i3 loses big time.
Acceleration 0-30, which matters a lot in inner-city driving - no measurable advantage for the i3 whatsoever
Range - no advantage for the i3 that I could notice
Efficiency - even though the i3 is much lighter than the e-Golf, it is less efficient in many driving conditions
Regen - the e-Golf offers a wider range of regen settings, so again, no points for the i3
and finally
Looks - well, as always beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, so I'll skip that (though I have not met anyone personally who likes the i3 look - hell, even at my BMW dealer my personal customer manager told me in private he doesn't like the look of the i3!)

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When I test-drove an i3 I fully expected to buy one, as did my spouse. The poor handling, sloppy response and underwhelming ergonomics made me feel a bit embarrassed. For all the enormous investment BMW made I can only hope that the carbon fiber mass production technology works well, because as an EV this vehicle is inferior to some of the 'compliance cars'.

Quite true sadly.

 

[WarpedOne]

What I am really annoyed with is the fact that the i3 should be a better EV than the e-Golf

It's a BWM for gods sake!
There is this "level" of A Car that one expects from them.

I'd just ignore i3 if it was from say Mahindra. Now to come to think about it... it is just a next gen Mahindra Reva:

 

[tkizzy]

Has anybody here test driven an i8? I'd like to. Would they have them only at certain dealerships? Do they require anything special to test drive such an expensive car? Would it help if I rolled up in the MS?

 

[Kandiru]

Has anybody here test driven an i8? I'd like to. Would they have them only at certain dealerships? Do they require anything special to test drive such an expensive car? Would it help if I rolled up in the MS?

At the teuton-luxo brand dealerships they will have had you socially profiled after your first sentence. Show up clean shaven wearing trendy clothes and act relaxed and you will test drive any 7 series, they might take a photo of your DL so they can harass you later with offers.

An added benefit of Equifax with CreditLock is that they will be left scratching their heads reading "account under investigation" when they run your credit scores (and trust you me they will try), so clothes and demeanor definitely will be the main determinants.

 

[Kandiru]

e-Golf much safer per EURONCAP crash scores:

i3 driver loses left leg, 4 stars:

Euro NCAP | Car Details

Golf keeps it and more, 5 stars:

http://euroncap.blob.core.windows.net/media/6420/euroncap_vw_golf_2012_5stars.pdf

I am following the industry, as I am now electrifying all 3 garages in the hope none of my
kids will ever own an ICE. First one to drive in 2019.

 

[Yggdrasill]

If I were buying a low-range BEV here, I'd be looking particularly at the Kia Soul and the VW e-Golf. Maybe a Nissan Leaf if I didn't want to spend very much. And maybe a Mercedes B-class if I really needed just a bit more range for a second car.

I really don't see the attraction with the i3. Well, I can think of *some* upsides; it should be easy to park, as the car is small and the visibility and turning radius seem pretty good. So, if I lived in a big city, maybe it would make my list. But I just can't see how the i3 is worth the money. There are too many downsides, with the small interior, terrible rear doors, appearance, odd tires, etc. BMW needs to try harder.

 

[AustinPowers]

I really don't see the attraction with the i3. Well, I can think of *some* upsides; it should be easy to park, as the car is small...

But it is not that much smaller than the e-Golf. The i3 is about 10 inches shorter, 1 inch narrower, yet a few inches higher. And visibility (at least to the rear, as with so many modern cars) is not very good either.

 

[jbcarioca]

If I were buying a low-range BEV here, I'd be looking particularly at the Kia Soul and the VW e-Golf. Maybe a Nissan Leaf if I didn't want to spend very much. And maybe a Mercedes B-class if I really needed just a bit more range for a second car.

I really don't see the attraction with the i3 ... BMW needs to try harder.

No question about it, your thinking is well justified. BMW has made a few wildly quirky cars, think the Z1, for example. I loved mine but it really was not a very good car; it was a superb toy. The i3 is not a very good toy either. By contrast the Kia Sould is a demonstrably good car, as is the e-Golf. Were i in the market for a urban transport vehicle one of those two would be my choice too. The e-Golf would win if I had the extra money.