Just a massive shame BMW themselves are killing the i3 off. Way ahead of its time. BMW are now reverting to type by bringing out huge and heavy EVs once again. Profit margins are greater. And I guess that is what everybody wants nowadays. Keep your eye on my next EV review and unfortunately this is very different from the i3 in so many ways! Longer, wider, heavier and less efficient than the i3, but in other ways is state of the art in design and technology. It definitely represents the next step in EV development. MM.

@@markymarkreviews Part of me wishes that VW would take Lamborghini's 'Forged Composite' CF technology, the Polo's quirky-cute design, and mishmash together to make a car that'll indirectly succeed this and compete with the Honda e.

It didn't help that it was neutered and most people drove the car pre hack or never knew about the hacks.

That’s me V8 pickup and BMW i3 BEV.

@@tw1919 perfect combination👍

Never knew that. It was pretty rare I had to take it out so never “learnt” an efficient way of doing it. Will tell the new owner who is a family member! MM

Thanks! 👍

BMW seem to have gone back to the old petrol/diesel style design language, they will lose out to newer non-legacy companies. Was there a boardroom revolt after the i3 came out?

@@rogerhudson9732 Well they lost most of the i team to other companies

bmw has already announced they will release a new i3 in 2077 they are reapproaching the car so it is more cost-effective and fixing issues

Great feedback. It is a massive shame that BMW decided to cancel this model instead of fitting a slightly bigger or more energy dense battery in it. Is/was so ahead of its time. BMW have just reverted to huge,heavy,bloated (and inefficient) EVs now. I hope your friend has many years of enjoyable motoring from her i3. MM

Thanks for the kind feedback. MM

Never used to clear that quickly though. And you were meant to turn on the A/C to aid de-misting which would cost you a few % in battery charge/range! Not ideal. MM

@@markymarkreviews I’m

I think that you make a very valid point. In hindsight I did gloss over the issues I had but they were very minor. The DriveTrain error I had 3 times. Twice it cleared by itself. 1st time was failure of the A/C compressor after just a few months of ownership. But that was a BMW thing and not an i3 thing. The front camera misting over was an annoyance as thankfully very rare. Just depended on a unique set of weather conditions and time it took for in cabin de-misting to clear it. BMW dealers or at least my BMW dealer was average to poor overall. And that seems to be a BMW thing as well! Lexus/Toyota they are not! The actual car though remains quite brilliant and I really do miss it, as the new EV is very different! This was all to keep the video short. Ideally under 20 minutes which I struggled to do. Thanks for the constructive criticism. MM.

@@markymarkreviews Hi Mark, great video, do you know if the battery range over time degredated much? I'm considering a late 2016, early 2017, low mileage i3 Rex, with the 33kWh battery. (Pre 2017 April it's no Road Tax atm) I can't charge at home, so Rex feels like a must, but can charge for free at work, which is about 50 (mainly motorway) miles away, so a 100-110 mile round trip, idealy, I would rarely need to fill up with petrol for the commute, just charge at work each day (for free!).

@@soimun9089 No degradation. Even with owners who have older cars or covered more miles have not noticed any degradation. It may degrade by 1-2% who knows? No different from a petrol engine. But this is something that has not come to fruition with EVs apart from perhaps 1st gen. Nissan Leafs which were not liquid cooled batteries! MM.

@@markymarkreviews Excellent reply thank you. The cost benefit of free charging and 100 miles roughly daily commute makes buying one of these a no brainer for me and my use case. Thanks for the help. I look forward to getting my first i3 :D

@@soimun9089 No problem. Don’t know if you have test driven one. RWD, light & agile etc. So many EV owners who have moved on to other EVs really miss the i3 as do I. Just a massive shame BMW did not improve and continue with it but instead kept on with massive & inefficient SUVs!

You are only limited by the amount of fuel you put in. The small 9 litre tank gave about 80-100 miles of extra range when used on a motorway. On measuring, it gave around 45-50mpg

Thanks. 👍

That is a shame to hear. It may depend on what you are used to. It is quite firm riding but I loved it. Check your tyre pressures of you have not already. Other than that it would be difficult for me to advise any further. The quality of some roads are much worse than they used to be, which does not help either.MM

Let’s hope so. As things stand, there is no, nor ever will be an EV like the i3 (carbon fibre safety cell, making it very light). It was loads of fun to drive because of that lightness and the fact it was RWD. Excellent steering feel as well. Unlike any modern day EV. MM

I agree with you. I heard the i3s doesn't skip and is a much better in higher speeds. Wonder if that's true?

It’s a horrible car all round.

it is quiet no matter the speed but the range extender is VERY loud it's almost funny if you are hearing noise, check your door gaskets because it really should be quite quiet

Thankfully none. The expensive repairs are in part due to main BMW prices and their labour rates. At this stage you would be better off having a repair from an independent if possible. Don’t think there would be much difference in prices to replace a wing mirror from Mercedes or Audi either. MM

range extender version has the tiny motorcycle engine which will need oil changes windshield washer fluid refills cabin air filter is very easy to replace, just remove a torx 20 screw in passenger foot area and pull them out for range extender, always fill with premium gasoline high octane because it sits around a long time it takes 2 gallons max not sure what else

On electric power only. Minimum of 80 miles. Max 110miles. In summer, 110 to 155 miles. If you use the Rex also, then 160 miles in the winter and 220 miles in the summer. Hope that helps. MM

my 2014 bmw i3 Rex gets 40 gas/ 40 battery range in winter with heater on, no conditioning 60 gas/ 60 battery range without heater on, no conditioning 70 gas/70 battery (full range) without heater on, conditioning car before leaving the house always condition the car because the battery needs to keep itself cold during summer and warm during winter

Agreed. 👍

Nope. Still had 6mm left on pads all round at service in February’21. Done almost 56,000 miles at that stage. Think they are 8-9mm brand new and the car will advise a change once below 3mm depth remaining. Yet another advantage of an EV over ICE and a car with strong re-gen. You barely have to touch/use the brakes! Saves you even more money in the long run. MM

Did your i3 come with the optional 20” wheels? They seem to be very puncture prone. I had one puncture with the standard 19” wheels. Big screw through the centre. Just required a standard tyre repair. MM

Will depend on the individual person. You have to step up slightly and in to an i3. The sills are not “that” wide. You may have to take the people intended to an i3 to see how easy or difficult it is. MM

Surprisingly well. Then thin tyres help out here. And the rear motor/Rex in my case helped RWD traction. But it was important to drive in a mode to lessen the regenerative braking effect which could unsettle the balance of the car when slowing down. MM.

Yes. I don’t see why not. It is obviously not a manual/stick shift car. But all round visibility is excellent and turning circle superb. My only query would be that you may be “spoiling” the learner, learning in such a lovely car. Their real next car owned may not be quite as nice! 😊 MM

@@markymarkreviews I only teach manual one of my students has an i3 we went out in it fir a lesson I I think with r engine it would be superb

The Rex engine gives between 80-100 miles depending on temperature. It tends to “turn over” at a steady rate/revs per minute as it is an onboard generator. It would not be wise to run the battery down to zero and in the Rex version of the i3, the petrol engine cuts in automatically when you have about 6.5% battery remaining to stop it running down to 0% in any case. MM

​@@markymarkreviews Thank you for your answer.what is the service life of the engine? from your experience, from what number of miles can it come to problems such as engine damage and how much does a new REX cost? Are there any things you can check if the motor is in good condition?

@@Kaal5218 The Rex engine is normally a BMW scooter petrol engine. 2 cylinder. Basic. The servicing interval for the car/engine in the UK is once every 2 years or 30,000 miles but I think there is no longer a mileage limit now. All it needs is an oil change and spark plugs if that. Should be reliable. Obviously it is more intricate than if it was just the EV and no engine as it adds weight and complexity. The Rex version is no longer available to buy new in the UK but is still available in other markets. MM

@@markymarkreviews I currently looking for an i3 Rex since I love the i3s from our company. However Im not sure if its ok to buy a used one with nearly 70k miles on it.

@@Kaal5218 As long as it is built after 2017 and comes with some sort of warranty and been well looked after it should be fine. MM

Hi Richard. i3 sold to my brother-in-law. His first EV. He is loving it! Would have loved to continue with another i3 but I do a regular 185 mile motorway journey and the 120Ah will not be able to do that without a stop. Public EV charging infrastructure not reliable or plentiful enough. Yet. Will be getting a larger battery EV soon.

@@markymarkreviews as someone who has a 94ah REx - which I chose to order just before 120ah build was just about to commence - I share your frustration that the latest i3 doesn’t have a range of 200 miles - although I pay the penalty in VED. Rumours of a further i3 battery upgrade have gone quiet so I think my i3 will be a forever car. Now planning to keep and buy another EV in 18 months time as I don’t want to keep piling on too many miles.

@@markymarkreviews should've tried the Chevy Volt?

@@markymarkreviews I thought the i3 120h Rex would easily give you 200 plus miles without stopping?

@@RB-es1vx The Chevy Bolt is not available in the UK.

it cost $8000 USD most people buy SUVs in that same price range and spend more on gasoline

What didn't you like about the i3?

@@RB-es1vx they probably saw the price of the proprietary tires which are $300 USD/tire

Depends where you live? UK? And the individual service centre. Some do not like EVs at all as consider them dangerous to work on. I would advise you to contact a local BMW independent specialist. I no longer have the i3. My family member who now owns it took it to his local independent specialist to sort a problem out with the heater. But an oil change etc is straightforward. I only ever used a BMW main dealer. Car almost 7 years old now. MM