New BMW i3 revealed: I’ve seen the car which will convert petrolheads into EV lovers
Car changing is a big deal
This is it folks, the new, all-electric BMW 3 Series has been revealed. It’s a stunning-looking saloon car with a whopping 560 miles of range, and news editor Jamie Edkins has been to see it in the metal. Here are his first impressions.
This is the new BMW i3, and let’s not mess about here – it is, in my opinion, the best-looking car BMW has launched in a very long time. I reckon this could be the car to convert even the most fanatical petrolhead into an EV evangelist, and not just because of the styling.
It’ll also do a whopping 560 miles between charges to keep the range anxiety at bay and, if the iX3 SUV is anything to go by, it should be fantastic to drive as well.
New BMW i3 design: the best-looking BMW this century?
A lot of BMW’s latest designs have been pretty polarising. The XM and 7 Series spring to mind with their massive grilles, and even the new iX3 has split opinions. But I reckon we can all agree that the new i3 looks fantastic.
It’s heavily-inspired by the Neue Klasse concept car from a few years ago, so instead of having central kidney grilles like the current 3 Series the i3 has two blacked-out panels spanning the entire width of the front end.
The new i3 also revives a design cue from the old BMW 635 CSI from the 1970s – the “shark nose”. See the way the bonnet line drops down to the top of those black panels then angles back inwards? That creates a really sharp line along the front end which makes the car look more muscular.
Down the side, the i3 retains a traditional saloon shape unlike a lot of modern electric cars, which tend to be slightly jacked-up and SUV-like. This car is low and sleek.
The rear end is the only angle I’m not 100% sold on. The Neue Klasse concept had these really cool chunky rectangular taillights, but the production i3 has these slim LEDs which kick up at the end. I still think it’s handsome at the back, just maybe not quite as cool as it could’ve been.
New BMW i3 batteries, motors and performance
Underneath that slinky bodywork, the new i3 is basically the same as the iX3 SUV. This means it’ll use a 108kWh battery pack, and being lower and lighter than the iX3 means it has even more range than that car.
According to official tests, the new i3 will do a whopping 560 miles between charges. That’s 60 miles more than the iX3, and it’s 75 miles more than a Mercedes CLA Electric. It can also charge at up to 400kW thanks to an 800-volt electrical system, allowing you to add 249 miles in just 10 minutes.
Powering the i3 is a pair of electric motors which produce a combined 469hp. BMW hasn’t provided a 0-60mph time just yet, but because this is exactly the same amount of power as the iX3, we can take an educated guess. That car does 0-60mph in 4.9 seconds, so the smaller, lighter i3 is likely to complete the sprint in around 4.5 seconds.
New BMW i3 interior and infotainment
Stepping inside the new BMW i3, it has a very similar dashboard layout to the iX3 SUV. This means you get the same Panoramic iDrive display, which is basically a huge wraparound screen projected onto the base of the windscreen.
The car I sat in was a pre-production prototype, so the on-board tech wasn’t actually functional. However, I have driven the iX3 with the same setup, and it’s pretty impressive having everything in your direct eyeline. The only criticism I do have is the amount of information which is presented to you at once. It can be tricky to know where to look, especially if you have the head-up display on as well.
Being a low-slung saloon car, the i3 does feel sporty to sit in. The driving position is spot-on as well, and I like the minimalist dashboard layout. It’s just a shame that the i3 has the same silly-looking steering wheel as the iX3 with spokes at 12 and six o’clock.
New BMW 3 Series Touring confirmed
While I was at the reveal of the new BMW i3, CEO Oliver Zipse confirmed that a Touring estate version will be coming in the near future.
It’ll be one of 40 new cars coming from BMW between now and the end of 2027, and it doesn’t really have a lot of competition. It’s likely to be priced around the same as a well-specced Volkswagen ID7 Tourer, between £55,000 and £60,000, but the VW is bigger than the i3 Touring. A Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo is considerably more expensive, and cars like the Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer aren’t really in the same league as the i3.
Zipse said that the 3 Series Touring has always been a favourite with families and business customers, so it makes sense that an estate version of the i3 is coming.
These darkened teaser images are your first look at the design, although they don’t really reveal much. You can see the same L-shaped taillights, and it appears to have a similar two-piece roof spoiler to the iX3 SUV.
A full reveal of the new i3 Touring isn’t expected until 2027, following the launch of the i3 later this year.
Why I can’t wait to drive the new BMW i3
When I drove the iX3 late last year, I was hugely impressed. It feels so much lighter through the corners than its 2.3-tonne weight figure suggests, with agile handling and really supple suspension. It glides over bumps, and it’s really refined on the motorway as well.
It’s thanks in part to something called the “Heart of Joy” – a powerful computer which is dedicated to the steering, brakes and traction control. It can make minute adjustments in milliseconds, sending power to exactly where it’s needed at the right time.
The i3 will be fitted with this same computer, and it has a similarly clever suspension setup as well. Taking the driving dynamics of the iX3 and applying them to a lower, lighter saloon car is an excellent recipe, and one I cannot wait to try. I think the new i3 will be fantastic to drive, so much so it might even convince diehard petrolheads that electric cars are actually fun.
More details about the new BMW i3, such as performance and pricing, will be revealed towards the end of the year, with order books opening shortly after. Given the larger iX3 SUV starts from just under £60,000, you can expect the i3 saloon to cost around £55,000.
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