BMW put all the electric vehicle makers on notice with the near-universally loved BMW iX3, its first “Neue Klasse” electric car. The mid-sized SUV wowed reviewers with best-in-class range, slick entertainment, and smooth driving, prompting more than 50,000 people to pre-order it without even trying it out.
But many car enthusiasts love BMW for its sporty sedans, meaning that the BMW i3, the first “Neue Klasse” electric sedan, is equally as important for the company.
(Note that this BMW i3 is an electric counterpart to the BMW 3 series, and not a successor to the original BMW i3, a compact, electric city-dweller that BMW stopped selling a few years ago).
The headlights are very recognizably “Neue Klasse”, but this is a far sportier car than the BMW iX3.
Credit: BMW
At first glance, the BMW i3 doesn’t disappoint. Unveiled on Wednesday in just one configuration (for now), the BMW i3 50 xDrive has dual electric motors with a power output of 469 hp. BMW’s sixth-generation eDrive tech, with BMW’s Heart of Joy computer fine-tuning the driving experience, should provide a smooth and sporty ride (BMW hasn’t shared performance figures yet).
Mashable Light Speed
Credit: BMW
But the BMW i3’s biggest highlight is the range, which is up to 440 miles per EPA standards, and up to 900 kilometers per Europe’s WLTP standards, handily beating every Tesla out there. Equally impressive is the 400 kW charging enabled by the 800-volt architecture, which can get you up to 400 km of range in just 10 minutes.
The interior is very similar to that of the BMW iX3, with a 17.9-inch, oddly shaped central display, and the Panoramic Vision display stretching along the entire length of the windshield.
Credit: BMW
At 187.4 inches in length and 73.4 inches in width, the BMW i3 is pretty close to the BMW 3 (and Tesla’s Model 3, which is probably its biggest electric rival). The look, however, is very much “Neue Klasse” and a pretty big departure from BMW’s current ICE lineup (though, also, a nod to BMW’s original Neue Klasse models from the 1960s).
This means you can forget about BMW’s oversized radiator grille; instead, the grille is near invisible, blending into the two angry-looking black strips that also host the headlights. In the rear, BMW thankfully stops just a few centimeters short of blending the taillights into a horizontal line which appears to be everywhere these days.
Inside, it’s very similar to the iX3; you get a 17.9-inch central display, a full-length Panoramic Vision display stretching along the entire bottom of the windshield, plus an optional 3D head-up display. And yes, the steering wheel has the ultra-techy, four-spoke design, though you can also get an optional M Sport, 2-spoke wheel.
The BMW i3 goes into production this August, with deliveries starting in the fall. We don’t know anything about the price, though; for reference, the BMW iX3 starts around $60,000 in the U.S.
