BMW Diesel Advert
If you are older than 35, then you will probably remember BMW advertising their new range of diesel engines with a 50p balanced on the engine at tick-over. From that day on, a diesel was no longer a noisy, smelly, slow lump of a thing and it started a war of technology involving Audi, Mercedes-Benz, VW and BMW that brought about direct injection and increases in power that eventually led to a diesel winning Le Mans. With increased power came reduced fuel consumption and usually those two things do not go hand in hand. Now there are diesel engines available that 15 years ago were inconceivable. For example, the VW Golf Blue motion, 105 bhp from 1.6 litres, and bear in mind that is the same as the first GTi. This same car has an average fuel consumption of over 70 mpg and performs really well, or a 320 d BMW that goes as well as all but a few petrol cars and will average over 50 mpg
New BMW i3
Well, in my opinion BMW are just about to do for electric cars what they did for diesels, with the launch of the i3 and its sister i3 Range Extender. With a day-to-day reality range of 100 to 140 miles, the i3 will easily handle what the average user asks of it with near zero road fund costs, reduced insurance costs and economy equivalent figures that are unbelievable thrown in. But, here is the issue. If you have a range of 140 miles let’s say and you have 70 miles to cover, it’s pretty understandable to have some concerns about your risk of the batteries going flat, the concern that the industry call range anxiety
Enter the i3 Range Extender. BMW has installed one of its own 648 cc engines, probably straight of the 650 enduro motorcycle and now you can go as far as you want to. Running in this format, the fuel consumption is about 450 mpg, but that does not take account of electric charging. Factor that in and you are still looking at well over 200 mpg
The interior is incredible
All range anxiety goes out of the window. But a basic, electric, lightweight, noisy car? Not a bit of it, with standard equipment that is unusually good for BMW including Cruise control, Air conditioning, Bluetooth, DAB radio and lovely 19 inch alloy wheels, no one will be disappointed. But, don’t expect the inside to be anything like normal. It’s nearer to SS Enterprise than your regular car, but we expect this to be toned down slightly pre-launch. But jump in and drive and you will never notice the engine, even listening for it we never heard it once
Built around a plastic shell for weight saving, up close you simply can’t tell it from aluminium or steel. But the material is resistant to dents and should have a good lifespan. The BMW warranty for the car is three years and eight years on the batteries, with a limit of 100,000 miles. So longevity is assured and the simplicity of the system will guarantee reliability
Driving this car is as good as any small car and it benefits from the weight saving plastics and aluminium frame, with the batteries and motor at the rear, the steering even unassisted, is light but positive. With a 0-60 mph of 7 seconds, you are not going to get left behind and it will cruise at over 60 mph no problem at all, coping with mainstream traffic should be no problem
Out and about, the first thing that company car drivers have asked us is how much will it cost. But unfortunately as a business lease, it’s not obvious how to compare it. For a start you get a £5000 subsidy from the government and with a £6000 deposit, the i3 Range Extender is a little over £300 per month. Given the fuel, company car tax and servicing savings, it’s beginning to look like a great value car lease. Your only add-on is a bill of £300 for the home charger
There is no doubt, this is going to be a popular car and probably a game changer, bringing about enormous budget changes to electric and range extender technology over the next few years. As we stand, BMW are ahead of everyone
