BMW's new i3 revealed - the electric 3-series to take on Tesla's Model 3
BMW’s second ‘Neue Klasse’ model is a fully electric take on the iconi c3-series, with a petrol-engined counterpart on the horizon too
What you’re looking at here is one of BMW’s most important cars of the 21st century. The 3-series has been the defining small executive saloon since the E30 launched in 1982, and now it’s becoming a full EV with the brand new i3. Not to be confused with BMW’s quirky EV city car from 2013, the new model is tasked with not only stealing sales from the likes of the Tesla Model 3 and Polestar 2, but dominating its sector in the way the petrol 3-series traditionally has. Oh, and forming the basis of an electric iM3 supersaloon…
Though the i3 is designed as an EV from the ground-up, customers will still have a choice between battery and petrol power for this new generation, with an ICE-powered 3-series set to arrive later as a heavy development of the current model, sharing its design cues with the EV. Developing the EV as a separate model has allowed BMW to optimise the package using its latest Neue Klasse tech, as first seen on the iX3.
As a result, the specs are rather impressive. The i3 50 xDrive is the only variant for now, and it uses a pair of BMW’s sixth-generation eDrive motors – one on each axle – for total outputs of 463bhp and 476lb ft. The platform is built around an 800-volt architecture with a battery pack consisting of round cells, which offers an enormous 559-mile range. That’s 227 miles more than a Model 3, 150 more than a Polestar 2 and even 75 more than the Mercedes-Benz CLA 250+. More efficient motors, plus an ‘Energy Master’ control centre that optimises use of the battery, help achieve that class-leading figure.
The pack is quick to charge to, with rates of up to 400kW allowing nearly 250 miles of range to be added in 10 minutes, if you can find a suitably fast charger. The battery can be used to power external appliances too, thanks to bi-directional charging capability.
On the surface, then, the i3 has the basics of an EV nailed, but the true appeal of the 3-series has always come from something you can’t measure – its polished and rounded dynamics. Clearly the fundamental make-up of the i3 is completely unrelated to 3-series models gone by, but it does use a host of new tech to achieve the kind of ability we’re used to. Suspension is by two-joint spring struts at the front and a five-link rear setup, with adaptive M suspension available as an option.
Being an EV, much of how the i3 drives will be defined by software, and to that end it uses a new ‘Heart of Joy’ control system to manage drive, steering, braking and regen. It responds ten times faster than previous systems and should give engineers finer control over how the i3 reacts to your inputs and grip levels, making cornering ‘more consistent and predictable,’ in BMW’s words. The same system will feature on the iM3, which will get a quad-motor setup for precise control of torque distribution across all four wheels, plus wider tracks and simulated gearshifts.
How much the i3 weighs hasn’t been disclosed – which suggests it's probably quite a lot – but we do know that it’s bigger than the current petrol 3-series in every dimension. Being designed as an EV from the outset – with spaces for the battery and powertrain hardware ingrained in the design – has aided packaging, helping achieve a more open and airy cabin design than the current petrol 3-series. The layout is similar to the iX3’s, with a parallelogram-shaped central touchscreen and a narrow display that spans the base of the windscreen. Oh, and a bizarre steering wheel design with vertical spokes.
The displays run BMW’s Operating System X, which features configurable widgets and shortcuts and a personal assistant, but appears short on physical controls. A shame, as ergonomics and ease of use have always been a key tenet of the 3-series.
Production of the i3 begins in August, with first deliveries scheduled for Autumn this year. Will it sway existing 3-series buyers as well as Tesla and Polestar owners? Time will tell, but the i3 certainly appears to have the tools to deliver.
