BMW i3 REx 2015 Review

Just as conventionally powered vehicles vary in quality and capability, the race to embrace electric propulsion has resulted in an array of vehicles of similar consequence.

Those who dared to tread first have not fared as well as those who chose to wait, and as was the case with our now-deceased Mitsubishi i-MiEV, the price of electric vehicle technology has fallen almost as quickly as its popularity has grown.

Enter the BMW i3: a purpose-built small electric car with a big ego making even bigger claims about its range. Where in the end our i-MiEV could manage little more than 45km before requiring a lengthy recharge, the i3 REx (or Range Extender) comfortably achieved 120km on all-electric power, employing its 647cc twin-cylinder petrol engine (sourced from BMW's C-series scooter range) only when the batteries were depleted entirely.

To be fair to our long-term Mitsubishi i-MiEV, it didn't have a petrol engine to fall back upon. Though we should point out the i3 is also available as a battery electric vehicle (or BEV, from $63,990 plus ORC) or with the range-extending option as tested here (from $69,990 plus ORC).

So why am I using the i-MiEV as a point of reference?

Well the reality is that just three short years ago the Mitsubishi was the first EV to arrive in Australia's mainstream car market. It has since been joined by the Holden Volt, (all-electric) Nissan LEAF, Mitsubishi Outlander and a smattering of others, but none have yet proved as convincing as BMW's i3.

Now perhaps in three years time we'll look back at the i3 and laugh. But in my view it is at the present time the exemplar of EV technology, and the main reason for that is quite simple: it delivers on what it promises without exception.

Where the i-MiEV had to be driven carefully to draw near its manufacturer's range claims, the i3 just seems to do it – seemingly regardless of how it's driven. And unlike the Volt or the Outlander it will use its reserves of electricity entirely before engaging the petrol engine, even when you repeatedly floor the accelerator from the lights.

And it's no slouch. The i3 seems to have just as much oomph when called to overtake as it does from a standing start. The power delivery is expectedly linear, with 250Nm of torque available from zero, and nought but a quiet hum accompanying the dash to freeway speeds (0-100kmh in 7.9sec).

But it's here that the i3 shows its size. Where around town it feels nippy and rather eager through the twists and turns, at freeways speeds it's a little edgy, with the steering response hypersensitive to initial input. There's also a bit of tyre noise from the optional 20-inch alloys (19s are standard) and a rush of wind noise noticed at 100km/h. On test, we recorded a steady level of 77dBA (at 100km/h) – about the same as that registered by the current Commodore and Falcon at 80km/h.

It is also susceptible to cross wind – which in conjunction with the touchy steering makes lane maintenance difficult – and when taking one's foot from the throttle the i3 will decelerate rapidly, almost to the point of making the brake pedal obsolete in most scenarios; such is the intensity of the regenerative braking system.

But as an urban runabout capable of tackling the highway the i3 is a useful little vehicle. It will house four adults with a reasonable level of comfort and access to the backseat is better than its appearance would have you believe. We didn't need to tumble the front seats forward to fit grown-ups in the back, and there's enough storage space in the (two) luggage compartments to carry a weekend's worth of gear. The rear seats split 50:50 to expand the area even further.

The cabin looks the goods too, its blend of new and recycled materials blending well to form a contemporary landscape fitting of the i3's modernity. The dual screen arrangement and its ease of use are fitting of the car's application, though the fixed rear windows and lack of secure oddment storage are not.

Adding to the fiduciary clash is an options list that pushes the i3 REx beyond the realm of reality for most. The vehicle on test was priced at $69,900 before on-road costs and options, but included the aforementioned 20-inch alloys ($1000), glass sunroof ($2920), keyless entry ($950), front seat heaters ($730), LED headlights ($1400, and not worth it on country roads), Driving Assistant Plus package ($2200) and an upgraded harman/kardon audio system ($1550, and well worth it if you enjoy your music).

The metallic grey paint added a further $1250 to the cause for a grand total of $81,800 (plus ORC). Yikes.

But with an on-test average of 15.8kWh/100km (according to the trip computer), and less than a quarter of the i3's nine-litre fuel tank consumed for over 40km of petrol-electric driving, the i3 is an efficient little number that shows a great deal of promise for the genre. It also doesn't require a 15-amp outlet to be recharged, and seems quicker to revive to a driveable range than many of the others we've sampled.

Assuming people are prepared to pay for it, the i3 could well be a hit.