Order books for the new BMW i3 – the first electric 3 Series available globally – have opened, with prices for the saloon starting from $53,005. Although it is considerably costlier than its outgoing petrol and plug-in-hybrid counterparts (from $41,945 and $47,210 respectively), it undercuts the rival Mercedes-Benz C-Class Electric, which starts at $57,995.
The second model of the Neue Klasse era, the i3 was revealed six months after the larger iX3 SUV with which it shares most of its technical make-up, including the EV-first 800V Gen6 platform. It inherits its name from the seminal electric hatchback that went out of production in 2022.
Despite offering the similarly sized and shaped i4 since 2021, BMW delayed introducing an electric 3 Series until technology could match the performance of its combustion-engined equivalent. Alongside the i3, BMW will continue to sell the current CLAR-based ICE 3 Series. It will soon be heavily updated to bring it in line with the eighth-generation car both in terms of design and technologies, meaning it "is basically a new car”, BMW engineers told Autocar.
View Price on AmazonAlthough it will initially be sold in saloon form, the i3 will also spawn a Touring estate variant. A hot M3 EV, previewed by the M HP BEV test mule, is due in 2028 and promised to “set new standards" for electric performance. The i3 will be offered exclusively in 50 xDrive form at launch, but other variants are planned.
At its centre is a 108kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) battery that helps it to achieve a range of 567 miles – almost the most offered by any EV in the US, outdone only by the incoming update for the Mercedes-Benz EQS, which cracks 575 miles. Despite using the same battery as the iX3, the i3’s range is 67 miles longer. Engineers said this jump in performance is primarily down to the more rakish profile of a saloon.
The Gen6 platform allows for a car's front seats to be bolted directly onto the battery pack, meaning the roofline can be kept as low as possible, improving aerodynamics. Another key attribute of the saloon is that it has a completely closed, smooth underbody that aids airflow. When that range is depleted, the i3 can complete a 249-mile top-up in just 10 minutes when charging at its 400kW maximum DC speed. AC charging is rated at a maximum of 22kW.
Motive power comes from two sources: a 322 horsepower electrically excited synchronous motor at the rear and a 165 horsepower asynchronous motor at the front. These combine for 463 horsepower and 476 lb-ft of torque. BMW hasn't yet disclosed a 0-60mph time, but it's expected to be around 4.0 seconds, despite the car weighing 2.3 tons.
While the i3 shares its platform with the iX3, there are significant technical differences. For example, the i3’s springs are softer, the stiffness of the top mount bushings have been reduced and it's fitted with different anti-roll bars, resulting in less yaw and roll inertia. “It's easier to get good rolling behaviour and comfort” from the i3 than the iX3, engineers told Autocar, adding that a quicker steering ratio and a focus on improved aerodynamics at higher speeds creates a "distinctive character of the new 3 Series”.
The i3 also achieves the same 50:50 front-to-rear weight distribution as the SUV. At 4.76m long, 1.87m wide and 1.48m tall, the i3 is a bigger car in than the current ICE 3 Series in every dimension, but it still offers “typical BMW sedan proportions”, with a long body and short overhangs, BMW compact car design chief Oliver Heilmer told Autocar.
Source: autocar.co.uk
