2020 BMW i3s

Overview

The 2020 BMW i3s is an all-electric beauty. I really liked it when I saw the photos for the first time, and loved it when I saw it up close. The current BWW i3s carries the i-series exterior details – it’s like the outgoing BMW i8’s little sibling. It really is unique in shape and design. The i3 in general (as the ‘s’ is a sportier version) is a good attempt at an all-electric vehicle, and we think the next will be amazing. It is quite pricy for any type of vehicle, as you can get a Tesla Model 3 for less!

Though I like the exterior and interior, It is a bit slow to charge and the range isn’t up to the mark of other vehicles. If you go for one, you should definitely buy the BMW wallbox charger.

Specifications

Motor and Performance

The BMW i3s comes with a single-speed direct-drive transmission and can take you to 100 km/h in around seven seconds once you floor it. It seems to be a fun car to zip around town in, as you wont be able to take it on road trips or cross country. The BMW i3s gives you stiffer and firmer ride due to it being slightly lower and sportier suspension over the regular i3. With the ‘s’ you get a better throttle response and slightly increases steering effort.

Battery and Charging

The BMW i3s does not compare well to other electric vehicles in its segment – the Chevrolet Bolt with its 60kWh battery pack gives you more range for buck compared to the i3s’ 42.2kWh battery. With this small battery, you could get a max range of approximately 300km (over 200km less than the Chevy Bolt).

Charging can be considered a nightmare if you don’t purchase the BMW wallbox charger or charge at the supercharger stations. If your at your house and it is at zero, it will take you approximately 15 hours to reach 80% capacity!

Interior and Space

The BMW i3s is as quirky inside as it is out. Out of the subcompact electric cars and hatches currently available, the BMW i3s has the best by far. Like, way way beyond any comparison to the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Bolt.

The rear suicide doors (they open backwards) allows for a massive entrance space to the vehicle when the driver’s door is open. This is due to the lack of a pillar separating front and rear doors. With rear seats folded completely flat you can get decent space, enough to fit the biggest weekly grocery shopping you can do.

Features

The infotainment is quite good, giving you good visibility to the various car features. There are quite a lot of physical buttons and dials for an EV, with not everything being controlled from the infotaiment screen. It actually is a noticeable BMW dash and console. The driver’s dash is a nicely placed single screen, no buttons here.

Key safety features include: Available automated emergency braking, Available forward-collision warning, and Available adaptive cruise control

2020 BMW i3s

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