like to think that any
car can be fun when
driven on the right road
- so shifting the already
entertaining BMW i3s from the stop-
start city traffic of south-east London
to the quieter country roads of Surrey
following a house move has really
brought out the EV’s playful side.
Instead of gridlocked roads
that rarely allowed for anything
above 25mph and where the only
amusement was always being first
off the line at traffic lights, my
morning commute now offers the
choice of free-f lowing motorway, or
quiet country roads with honest-to-
goodness corners.
The BMW might be tall, but it’s
proving brilliantly chuckable, with
rear-driven character you won’t find
I
A change in commute has transformed the fun factor for BMW’s sprightly EV
BMW i3s
EV’s silent running is heightened
when the radio signal cuts out
in any other small EV – at least until
the Honda E arrives early next year.
It’s a shame the stability controls
(which can’t be fully disabled) step
in sooner than you might expect,
as the low centre of gravity gives
plenty of confidence in the bends and
there’s enough power to draw out the
beginnings of oversteer before theelectronics get involved. Sport mode
makes the steering a little heavier
but, seeing how darty the car can
feel in the standard Comfort setting,
I prefer the extra weight of Sport.
It’s also rapid all the way up to the
n at ion a l s p e e d l i m it , u n l i k e s ome le s s
expensive rivals that begin to feel
out of their depth once you venture
beyond 40mph. Finding even the
smallest gaps in motorway traffic?
Not a problem.
Thankfully my new driving routes
are well surfaced, as a jittery and
ov e rl y f i r m r ide i s e a si l y t he i 3 s’s
worst trait. The standard car
coped far better with bumps and
potholes, although a brief ride in
one did help highlight the improved
stability added by the wider rear
track on the i3s.
Journeys have been shorter, but
speeds have also been higher, and
Sport mode seems to apply less brake
regeneration than the other modes.
All of which has made an impacton range, but not enough to change
my charging habits, with a top-up
at the office usually enough to get
me through the weekend without
needing to visit a public charger.
Those waiting to hear about
lon ge r jou r ne y s w i l l ne e d t o hold
on a few more weeks, but they are
in the works.
The BMW was never going to
b e my f i r s t c hoic e w he n it c a me t o
moving day, but it did prove more
capable than I gave it credit for – and
OWN ONE? SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE
BMW i3s 120AH
Price £34,170 (after government grant)
Price as tested £40,305 (after government
grant) Faults None Expenses None
Test range 178 miles Last seen 31.7.19
TEST DATA
all because of those backwards-
opening rear doors I sneered at
recently. Fold the rear seats downand there’s 1100 litres of space
behind the driver, but the boot f loor
is completely f lat because of the
battery pack underneath. No amount
of Tetris-style rotating was going to
let the rear hatch swallow an entire
dining room table, but the pillarless
do or s le f t ju s t e nou g h r o om t o ge t
everything in at once.
I’ve also been reliably informed
the i3s shares something in common
with McLaren supercars costing
many times the price: dodgy DAB
radio reception. It seems it takes little
more than a multi-storey car park,
short tunnel or gusty south-westerly
breeze to silence the signal.
Okay, maybe that last one is
stretching things a bit, but it really
doesn’t take much for reception to
t a k e a d i v e dow n t o c r a c k l y F M.
It’s because of the carbonfibre-
reinforced plastic (CFRP)
construction, apparently – it might
be tough and light, but doesn’t
make for a great radio aerial.TOM MORGAN
ROCKY RIDE
Lowered ride height and 20in
alloys make for bumpy progress
over anything other than perfectly
smooth Tarmac.
SERIOUS STANCE
Wider arches give the i3s real
presence that feels lacking from
the standard car.
LOATHE IT
LOVE IT
MILEAGE 4909
WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT
To see whether this trailblazing small
EV has evolved enough to still be
considered the best in its class
OOUURR C CAARRSS
2 1 AUGUST 2019 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 67