2018 BMW i3 & i3s

Here’s How Much The Facelifted BMW i3 Will Cost You

Earlier this year, the BMW took the wraps off the facelifted i3 electric car, while also adding a new, sportier i3s derivative to the range.

Although the updated i3 is due to arrive in South Africa only in the first quarter of 2018 (with the i3s following in the fourth quarter of next year), BMW SA has already revealed pricing on its local site.

As before, two variants will be offered (before the i3s arrives, that is): the pure-electric i3 and the i3 REx (with a range-extending petrol that functions as a generator when the battery nears depletion).

The facelifted i3 will be priced at R612 500 when it arrives on local shores next year, which represents an increase of R5 700 over the current model. The updated i3 REx, meanwhile, will come in at R689 300, also some R5 700 more than the derivative it will replace.

The changes are fairly minimal. Styling updates include a new black finish for the A-pillars, fresh exterior paint options, LED headlamps as standard, restyled front (with new LED indicators) and rear aprons and some added chrome.

The powertrains of the i3 and i3 REx remain untouched. A synchronous electric motor still generates 125 kW and 250 N.m, facilitating a claimed zero to 100 km/h time of 7,3 seconds (in the pure-electric i3) and a limited top speed of 150 km/h. BMW says the lithium-ion high-voltage battery sited in the vehicle floor provides a range of up to 300 km.

http://www.carmag.co.za/news_post/heres-how-much-the-facelifted-bmw-i3-will-cost-you/
 
BMW i3s 2018 review

Should I buy one?

The i3 may be supermini-sized, but its price isn’t. The i3 remains, at around £30k, a premium choice; but its part-composite construction is clever and its interior feels classy. After your electric vehicle rebate (running at £4500 as I write), an i3s is a £32,475 car, or £35,625 with the range-extender that would hugely improve its usability by adding up to 93 miles to its between-fills range and means you can refuel on the go.

Only you’ll know if you need that or not, but 60% of i3 buyers think it’s worth having. I also don’t know whether you buy an electric car because it’s nice to drive. But I can say that, in 'S' form, the i3 is now more enjoyable than any other EV bar an i8, a Tesla Model S with ‘ludicrous’ mode engaged or a Nissan Leaf on plastic rear tyres. For that reason alone, it has become our favourite version of one of our favourite EVs.

BMW i3s

Where Portugal On sale Now Price £36,975 Engine electric motor Power 181bhp Torque 199lb ft Gearbox NA Kerbweight 1265kg Top speed 100mph 0-62mph 6.9sec Fuel economy NA CO2/BIK 0, 9% Rivals Renault Zoe, Nissan Leaf

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/bmw/i3/first-drives/bmw-i3s-2018-review

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They make a lot of sense. Unfortunately they just cost a ton.
 
New BMW traction control is 50 times faster

The defining performance characteristic of electric vehicles, whether on two or four wheels, is their instantaneous reaction to accelerator input.

An electric motor produces maximum torque just above zero revs, so even a moderately powered electric scooter will surprise drivers of conventional vehicles away from the lights.

But there’s also a flipside to that: conventional traction control systems, which rely on measuring the difference in rotational speed of the wheels and gently braking the wheel that’s turning too fast before the wheelspin gets out of hand, simply don’t react fast enough in marginal conditions such as adverse weather, accelerating hard out of slow corners or regenerative braking, which can really tie a four-channel TC set-up in knots.

BMW was faced with this problem during the development of the new, more powerful i3s, which combines peak output of 135kW with an instantaneously available 270Nm at 0 rpm - which, from a traction control point of view, is akin to dropping the clutch on a V8 muscle-car.

Higher demands

While this is not an issue on the i8 sports-car, which is intended to be driven by enthusiasts in good driving weather, it could have been a problem on a commuter hatch meant to be driven by Joe (or Josephine) Average all year round, in all weathers.

BMW head of chassis development Peter Langen explained: “Electric motors make significantly higher demands on driving stability systems than conventional power units, with their high levels of torque and instantaneous responses to every movement of the accelerator.

So his engineers developed a new type of system, geared squarely to the demands of electric mobility. Instead of gauging the spin factor remotely from the wheel hubs, it’s now calculated directly in the powertrain, short-circuiting the process and making it 50 times faster.

Then somebody pointed out that, because the ECU on a modern clean-burning combustion engine has to accurately measure the crankshaft position in real time, that data could be used to drive the new, faster-reacting traction control system on conventional cars as well.

Thus, within the foreseeable future, the new traction control system will find its way into front, rear and all-wheel drive BMW and Mini models, specifically for smoother take-offs and more positive steering on wet or muddy roads.

https://www.iol.co.za/motoring/industry-news/new-bmw-traction-control-is-50-times-faster-12599321
 
BMW bumps up facelifted i3 pricing ahead of launch

Towards the end of 2017, BMW South Africa released local pricing for its facelifted i3. But now, with the updated version of the electric car set to launch on our shores in May 2018, the Munich-based brand’s local arm has bumped up pricing a little further.

Prepare yourself for a little maths…

Back in November, an official BMW price bulletin had the facelifted i3 listed at R612 500, with the i3 REx coming in at R689 300. The latest price list, however, has the pure-electric model down at R631 700 and the range-extender model at R710 900 (so, up R19 200 and R21 600 on the initially reported figures). Compared with the outgoing, pre-facelift models, these prices represent respective increases of R24 900 and R27 300.

Pricing for the sportier i3s derivative, meanwhile, has yet to be released, since this model is scheduled to arrive in South Africa only in the fourth quarter of the year.

Styling updates for the refreshed BMW i3 include a new black finish for the A-pillars, fresh exterior paint options, LED headlamps as standard, restyled front (with new LED indicators) and rear aprons and some added chrome.

The powertrains of the i3 and i3 REx remain untouched. A synchronous electric motor still generates 125 kW and 250 N.m, facilitating a claimed zero to 100 km/h time of 7,3 seconds (in the pure-electric i3) and a limited top speed of 150 km/h. BMW says the lithium-ion high-voltage battery sited in the vehicle floor provides a range of up to 300 km.

http://www.carmag.co.za/news_post/bmw-sa-hikes-facelifted-i3-pricing-ahead-of-launch/
 
London Fire Brigade seems to love this car,they have so many..just make sure its always on charge before a call
5EDNOZa.jpg
 
BMW i3s review: Range anxiety... should you really care? - CarAdvice

[video=youtube;uAhCH65vkCU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAhCH65vkCU[/video]
 
Pricing! Facelifted BMW i3 arrives in South Africa

In August 2017, the facelifted BMW i3 electric car was revealed, with the Munich-based brand also adding a new, sportier i3s derivative to the range.

Now, the updated i3 has officially launched in South Africa, priced from R637 300 for the pure-electric i3 and R717 100 for the i3 REx (with a range-extending petrol that functions as a generator when the battery nears depletion). These figures are a little higher than we previously reported, largely thanks to the VAT rate increase that kicked in at the start of April 2018.

Interesting options include 20-inch alloys (R19 700), a sunroof (R14 300), a park assist package (R14 000), seat heating (R4 500), Apple CarPlay preparation (R4 300) and the brand’s R14 500 Professional navigation system (Business navigation is standard).

Pricing for the sportier i3s derivative, meanwhile, has yet to be released, as last we heard, this model is scheduled to arrive in South Africa only in the fourth quarter of the year.

The changes that accompany the facelift are fairly minimal. Styling updates include a new black finish for the A-pillars, fresh exterior paint options, LED headlamps as standard, restyled front (with new LED indicators) and rear aprons and some added chrome.

The powertrains of the BMW i3 and i3 REx remain untouched. A synchronous electric motor still generates 125 kW and 250 N.m, facilitating a claimed zero to 100 km/h time of 7,3 seconds (in the pure-electric i3) and a limited top speed of 150 km/h. BMW says the lithium-ion high-voltage battery sited in the vehicle floor provides a range of up to 300 km.

http://www.carmag.co.za/news/pricing-facelifted-bmw-i3-arrives-south-africa/
 
Does that mean we get deals on the old i3 now? I would love to get one for the SO, but not for 400k.
 
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