Incorrect regarding safety of BMW i3, as for the way it drives, it’s twitchy and nervous on American highways. Not really a good car for the open road, if you live in Rome or Berlin sure but not most places.

http://insideevs.com/bmw-responds-to-euro-ncap-4-star-rating-by-saying-i3-basically-got-5-stars/

I’m American, not German.

To say the car isn’t great to drive makes me think you’ve never driven it.

Yes, some of your criticisms are valid, but many are a matter of preference.

Not sure what safety tests you’re referencing, but comparable safety tests in Europe ranked the i3 above the Model S. No such comparable tests in the US from what I’ve seen.

Fair points, well made- I don’t own either an i3 or a Tesla (or even an electric vehicle, period) so I can’t talk about either

The BMW i3 is awful for numerous reasons. Let’s start with the interior, ugly materials that are highly reflective in the windscreen which obstruct your view of the road as you drive. Also the handling, there’s a reason cars have wider tires than bicycles but not the i3. Its motorcycle like tires tramline on highways which means, the car steers to follow lines in the road without your input; on long road trips tramlining adds a lot of stress and is not much fun, when is undue stress behind the wheel ever a good thing?

And then there’s the range of i3 and it’s weak range extending motor that will not allow for full power when engaged. My friends i3 driving to my home in the mountains in Southern California was not able to make it up the hill without the range extender kicking in. At this point his car was severely throttled or in other words, was not able to drive to its full potential and was very slow to preserve the battery. This means that a base model Prius could have smoked the i3 up the mountain road while my Volt with its more powerful range extending motor was much faster up a mountain than either the BMW or the Prius due to its stronger range extended power and better handling. To be fair, after recharging his car at my home in the mountains, he was able to stay on the battery the entire way down the mountain but my Volt still out handled the BMW in the curves.

Safety, the BMW is nowhere near as safe as the Volt in crash tests. For a car as expensive as this BMW, its lack of safety is an unacceptable risk for owners to take in my opinion.

Long-range comfort and practicality. Due to the BMWs limited cargo space, nervous Road manners on the highway, and limited range, it’s not even in the same league as the Volt.

Bottom line, the only reason anyone buys the BMW is for the badge, or in the case of the author of this article, nationalistic loyalty (he hails from Europe).

Ah, yes, I definitely agree with those points.

I just personally don’t like the Volt, so it’s basically out of the equation. But well aware of the benefits.

I love that initial acceleration of the i3, and the regen braking (great stuff!), and the sharp turning, and the view, and a few other things. But I’m definitely trying to figure out if the “skittish” nature of the i3 would bother me (or my family). If I assume so, then I think I’m going with the Model S.

Honestly, I’ve gone back and forth between these two so many times I can’t believe it. Hard decision for me.

I’m back in Europe, but will have to make the decision once we can finally live in Florida (immigration process for my wife is taking forever).

Zachary you live in Florida. Your state has as many corners as a pool table. I live in Southern California and we have mountains. The Volt destroys the i3 on a mountain road. Also those ridiculous skinny tires tramline like crazy. They are initially quick and responsive however the car is nervous and skittish and as I said before, follows every line in the road without your input. Bottom line, the Volt is a better car than the BMW.

That is hard to believe. Not saying it’s not true, but I test drove these cars and thought the Volt was quite lame while the i3 was a lot of fun. Yes, the Model 3 is a different class, and thus twice the price. But I actually had more fun in the i3 in some ways.

I have no need for BMW badging, but I really love the car.

Background: We are both track day drivers so we understand performance driving. The Volt handles much faster than the i3 and is far more comfortable and practical. My buddy was a bit demoralized by the results especially given the fact the Volt is so much more practical and less expensive. As a side, the Tesla (90D) is in a whole different league compared to the Volt so an i3 really is a distant 3rd in this contest.

If you don’t want to spend the money for the Tesla which is the best car in this contest get the Volt. About the only reason I can think that anyone would purchase the i3 is insecurity i.e. the need for BMW badging.