Zoe / i3 - a quick comparison
Discussion
So, where there usually sits a Zoe, today there is this
the demonstrator i3 REX from BMW Doncaster that I have on a 24h test.
So far I have only driven 65 miles in it. Initial observations:
Inside it is seems a bit smaller than the Zoe. It is harder to get into the back than the Zoe. If there is a child seat on the front passenger seat, the seatbelt arrangement pretty much puts the left rear door out of action.
It is nicer build quality than the Zoe. It is quicker - much quicker from 30mph+. It is quieter at motorway speeds than the Zoe.
Battery range is about the same. The REX engine unit is a great idea and changes the nature of the car. It almost doubles the range (without stopping) and, allowing for a petrol stop every 60 / 70 miles, it can go on forever. When the REX is engaged, it is very unobtrusive.
I would hardly use the REX for the normal use I have for the car, but the option to go further afield with less worry about public charging is definitely a plus.
I can't find a way to display on the dash that it is charging in the same way as happens with the Zoe.
Cost wise, the i3 REX is a lot more expensive than the Zoe
The Zoe deal I have is 0+24 at £153 per month for 9k miles / year + doc fees £199 = £3,871 for 2 years
The cheapest comparable i3 rex deal I have found so far is 3+23 at £287.24 per month for 10k miles / year = £7,468.24 for 2 years. Very close to double money.
https://www.contracthireandleasing.com/car-leasing...
Is it worth almost twice as much? Probably not for me. But for someone considering this as their only car, probably quite easily.
the demonstrator i3 REX from BMW Doncaster that I have on a 24h test.
So far I have only driven 65 miles in it. Initial observations:
Inside it is seems a bit smaller than the Zoe. It is harder to get into the back than the Zoe. If there is a child seat on the front passenger seat, the seatbelt arrangement pretty much puts the left rear door out of action.
It is nicer build quality than the Zoe. It is quicker - much quicker from 30mph+. It is quieter at motorway speeds than the Zoe.
Battery range is about the same. The REX engine unit is a great idea and changes the nature of the car. It almost doubles the range (without stopping) and, allowing for a petrol stop every 60 / 70 miles, it can go on forever. When the REX is engaged, it is very unobtrusive.
I would hardly use the REX for the normal use I have for the car, but the option to go further afield with less worry about public charging is definitely a plus.
I can't find a way to display on the dash that it is charging in the same way as happens with the Zoe.
Cost wise, the i3 REX is a lot more expensive than the Zoe
The Zoe deal I have is 0+24 at £153 per month for 9k miles / year + doc fees £199 = £3,871 for 2 years
The cheapest comparable i3 rex deal I have found so far is 3+23 at £287.24 per month for 10k miles / year = £7,468.24 for 2 years. Very close to double money.
https://www.contracthireandleasing.com/car-leasing...
Is it worth almost twice as much? Probably not for me. But for someone considering this as their only car, probably quite easily.
Can you run it just on petrol? I.e. say you want to go 300 miles in one go and the battery runs out? I was under the impression you *had* to charge it at some point?
That monthly lease doesn't seem too bad. When I was looking they were coming back with silly quotes, i.e. in the 400s with a whack of a deposit (although this was PCP) - it certainly wasn't 3x the Zoe as a car.
Are you thinking of changing the Zoe for one?
That monthly lease doesn't seem too bad. When I was looking they were coming back with silly quotes, i.e. in the 400s with a whack of a deposit (although this was PCP) - it certainly wasn't 3x the Zoe as a car.
Are you thinking of changing the Zoe for one?
mattcov said:
Can you run it just on petrol? I.e. say you want to go 300 miles in one go and the battery runs out? I was under the impression you *had* to charge it at some point?
That monthly lease doesn't seem too bad. When I was looking they were coming back with silly quotes, i.e. in the 400s with a whack of a deposit (although this was PCP) - it certainly wasn't 3x the Zoe as a car.
Are you thinking of changing the Zoe for one?
If you set off with a full battery and full tank, you have about 140-160 miles.That monthly lease doesn't seem too bad. When I was looking they were coming back with silly quotes, i.e. in the 400s with a whack of a deposit (although this was PCP) - it certainly wasn't 3x the Zoe as a car.
Are you thinking of changing the Zoe for one?
You would have to fill up with petrol at least twice, probably 3 times and maybe 4 to do 300 miles. But there would be no need to charge the battery as long as you kept the Rex engine going.
I would take a Zoe at 153 versus an i3 Rex at 285.
For my use the i3 Rex would only appeal at less than £200 / mth. The extra flexibility offered by the Rex would be worth a small premium over the Zoe. If I did longer journies more often, the premium could be higher
What it has shown me is that the Zoe on the deals that were around in Dec 14 was a fantastic deal: great car for very little money.
onedsla said:
Thanks for the write-up. Quite like the look of the i3 but agree that would have to be a lot better to be worth ~double a Zoe/Leaf (for our use, anyhow).
Out of interest, could you calculate how much would it cost in petrol to travel 300 miles without a charge?
Well I think the tank is 9 litres and it seemed to give about 65 miles range. So that would make low 30s mpgOut of interest, could you calculate how much would it cost in petrol to travel 300 miles without a charge?
I have just replaced my Zoe with an i3 Rex. I paid 20.5k for a 20mth old bmw demo 3.5k miles. I've had it 10days and done 350 miles. Which is the first clue as to how it's better than the Zoe....the flexibility and additional range the Rex gives. It's a nicer cabin, in both quality terms (significantly) and design (in my opinion). The ride is more Teutonic - that's code for taught, where the Zoe is squidgy, a good trait for Londons roads. I don't have off street parking, so can't plug it in overnight but still the i3 will precondition and be toasty warm and defrosted every morning. It's rocket ship fast in the urban jungle. The Eco pro mode (like Eco in Zoe) is better in that the heater level still keeps you warm. The brake regen is more aggressive, and the car doesn't creep forwards.
I dislike he fact the charge flap is to one side rather than the nose- vulnerable when road side (which it invariably is on a UK 1 way street).
Brief summary. Does everything the Zoe does but plusher, more grown up and the Rex removes any of the range issues I previously had. I hadn't bought one before at 35k but at 20k lightly used, I think it's been a good trade.
I dislike he fact the charge flap is to one side rather than the nose- vulnerable when road side (which it invariably is on a UK 1 way street).
Brief summary. Does everything the Zoe does but plusher, more grown up and the Rex removes any of the range issues I previously had. I hadn't bought one before at 35k but at 20k lightly used, I think it's been a good trade.
I have just replaced my Zoe with an i3 Rex. I paid 20.5k for a 20mth old bmw demo 3.5k miles. I've had it 10days and done 350 miles. Which is the first clue as to how it's better than the Zoe....the flexibility and additional range the Rex gives. It's a nicer cabin, in both quality terms (significantly) and design (in my opinion). The ride is more Teutonic - that's code for taught, where the Zoe is squidgy, a good trait for Londons roads. I don't have off street parking, so can't plug it in overnight but still the i3 will precondition and be toasty warm and defrosted every morning. It's rocket ship fast in the urban jungle. The Eco pro mode (like Eco in Zoe) is better in that the heater level still keeps you warm. The brake regen is more aggressive, and the car doesn't creep forwards.
I dislike he fact the charge flap is to one side rather than the nose- vulnerable when road side (which it invariably is on a UK 1 way street).
Brief summary. Does everything the Zoe does but plusher, more grown up and the Rex removes any of the range issues I previously had. I hadn't bought one before at 35k but at 20k lightly used, I think it's been a good trade.
I dislike he fact the charge flap is to one side rather than the nose- vulnerable when road side (which it invariably is on a UK 1 way street).
Brief summary. Does everything the Zoe does but plusher, more grown up and the Rex removes any of the range issues I previously had. I hadn't bought one before at 35k but at 20k lightly used, I think it's been a good trade.
squirejo said:
I have just replaced my Zoe with an i3 Rex. I paid 20.5k for a 20mth old bmw demo 3.5k miles. I've had it 10days and done 350 miles. Which is the first clue as to how it's better than the Zoe....the flexibility and additional range the Rex gives. It's a nicer cabin, in both quality terms (significantly) and design (in my opinion). The ride is more Teutonic - that's code for taught, where the Zoe is squidgy, a good trait for Londons roads. I don't have off street parking, so can't plug it in overnight but still the i3 will precondition and be toasty warm and defrosted every morning. It's rocket ship fast in the urban jungle. The Eco pro mode (like Eco in Zoe) is better in that the heater level still keeps you warm. The brake regen is more aggressive, and the car doesn't creep forwards.
I dislike he fact the charge flap is to one side rather than the nose- vulnerable when road side (which it invariably is on a UK 1 way street).
Brief summary. Does everything the Zoe does but plusher, more grown up and the Rex removes any of the range issues I previously had. I hadn't bought one before at 35k but at 20k lightly used, I think it's been a good trade.
Did you sell / trade in the Zoe? How much did it fetch?I dislike he fact the charge flap is to one side rather than the nose- vulnerable when road side (which it invariably is on a UK 1 way street).
Brief summary. Does everything the Zoe does but plusher, more grown up and the Rex removes any of the range issues I previously had. I hadn't bought one before at 35k but at 20k lightly used, I think it's been a good trade.
squirejo said:
The trade in bid for my 20mth 6k mile dynamique intend in grey metallic was........3k. Which made it a terrific second hand outright purchase for the private buyer!
For me the i3 Rex isn't 7x better than the Zoe. If I could buy a Zoe such as yours for that money, even with the battery lease, I wouldJPJPJP said:
squirejo said:
The trade in bid for my 20mth 6k mile dynamique intend in grey metallic was........3k. Which made it a terrific second hand outright purchase for the private buyer!
For me the i3 Rex isn't 7x better than the Zoe. If I could buy a Zoe such as yours for that money, even with the battery lease, I would- I need a commuter / run around that costs little and does the job
- and the people who need similar but want a sexier solution and will pay more
I fit in the former and my Leaf is bland but perfect for my new 6 mile commute doing the whole week on one charge ! I would pay more for a faster sexier car but say 25% tops and that's 25% over the £1800 a year I am laying now so I would need an i3 for max £200 a month no deposit - that may happen by Xmas?
Personally my brand new business may sustain a car by Xmas however we are only 3 days in so that's far from certain lol
Out of interest what happens to the performance under the Rex when the battery gets really low. I read that it's not allowed to charge the battery, just keep it topped up to a low % charge level. Considering the Rex is only 34bhp, doesn't that mean you just have 34bhp when running on Rex?
FiF said:
Out of interest what happens to the performance under the Rex when the battery gets really low. I read that it's not allowed to charge the battery, just keep it topped up to a low % charge level. Considering the Rex is only 34bhp, doesn't that mean you just have 34bhp when running on Rex?
you can either "Hold state of charge" at any point from 75% battery or it will kick in at 6.5% battery. Any driving that uses more than the REX can provide (eg high speed mway +heater etc) may lead to degraded performance in that state of % charge. Which is why it's best to hold state of charge from something like 50% when doing a long journey and performance will remain undimmed.squirejo said:
FiF said:
Out of interest what happens to the performance under the Rex when the battery gets really low. I read that it's not allowed to charge the battery, just keep it topped up to a low % charge level. Considering the Rex is only 34bhp, doesn't that mean you just have 34bhp when running on Rex?
you can either "Hold state of charge" at any point from 75% battery or it will kick in at 6.5% battery. Any driving that uses more than the REX can provide (eg high speed mway +heater etc) may lead to degraded performance in that state of % charge. Which is why it's best to hold state of charge from something like 50% when doing a long journey and performance will remain undimmed.Gassing Station | EV and Alternative Fuels | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff