2022 BMW i3 IB1 120Ah '72 plate (sensible urban runaround)
Discussion
So, we're jumping on the train from St Pancras to Centerbury West and collecting this tomorrow:
They aren't being made any longer, so couldn't specify the options, however, of the four colours available (blue, white, black and grey), Mrs Bolide ruled out black and white (thank goodness on the latter, as I find it striking but jarring to the eye). I wanted one with HK audio for her, as she does enjoy listening to her pop songs, bless 'er and she didn't really like any of the interior options other than the 'suite' brown leather. So... all that remained was the dearest one available via the BMW dealer network. The following 'picture dump' gives you an idea of the range of options -- to be honest, my research was limited due to the constraints of choice, so I haven't 'deep dived' into it much. The sunroof is pretty cool, though.
It had to be new, for company tax purchases, but thankfully Barratt's BMW Canterbury isn't too far from us, so we ventured down for a look a few weeks ago (picture above of said vehicle). The demo car was swift to 95mph top speed and very very solid and stable -- the carbon tub must be very impressive tech. It has been fairly straight forward so far -- the extra 'extras' that I've ordered are a set of 19" alloys fitted with winters (Bridgestone Blizzak LM500), a BMW screen protector for winter and a luggage net for the boot (handy to stop shopping rolling around). As I type this, I'm not sure why I ordered the screen protector since it has cabin pre-heating, but oh well.
I did read some useful info on this i3 thread (as there aren't any on the BMW forum, seemingly!) and largely all seems good but I was gutted to realise that it wasn't equipped with the latest centre console screen, rather, the pre-LCI screen. I did enquire about this and it seems as though BMW won't upgrade it for me even at a cost and should I source it elsewhere, it'll invalidate the warranty!
The intention, if I can bring myself to part with it, is to replace her Audi A2 1.4L which now has 75k miles.
They aren't being made any longer, so couldn't specify the options, however, of the four colours available (blue, white, black and grey), Mrs Bolide ruled out black and white (thank goodness on the latter, as I find it striking but jarring to the eye). I wanted one with HK audio for her, as she does enjoy listening to her pop songs, bless 'er and she didn't really like any of the interior options other than the 'suite' brown leather. So... all that remained was the dearest one available via the BMW dealer network. The following 'picture dump' gives you an idea of the range of options -- to be honest, my research was limited due to the constraints of choice, so I haven't 'deep dived' into it much. The sunroof is pretty cool, though.
It had to be new, for company tax purchases, but thankfully Barratt's BMW Canterbury isn't too far from us, so we ventured down for a look a few weeks ago (picture above of said vehicle). The demo car was swift to 95mph top speed and very very solid and stable -- the carbon tub must be very impressive tech. It has been fairly straight forward so far -- the extra 'extras' that I've ordered are a set of 19" alloys fitted with winters (Bridgestone Blizzak LM500), a BMW screen protector for winter and a luggage net for the boot (handy to stop shopping rolling around). As I type this, I'm not sure why I ordered the screen protector since it has cabin pre-heating, but oh well.
I did read some useful info on this i3 thread (as there aren't any on the BMW forum, seemingly!) and largely all seems good but I was gutted to realise that it wasn't equipped with the latest centre console screen, rather, the pre-LCI screen. I did enquire about this and it seems as though BMW won't upgrade it for me even at a cost and should I source it elsewhere, it'll invalidate the warranty!
The intention, if I can bring myself to part with it, is to replace her Audi A2 1.4L which now has 75k miles.
Edited by bolidemichael on Wednesday 31st August 21:17
That’s a nice spec with a sensible colour, I had a new Melbourne Red I3S back in February 2020 & although I was pushing the range limits on a few cold winter days given I was in/out of it during the day rather than doing a single long journey & doing up to 130 miles a day, it was a great car & made me realise where our motoring future is heading!
The BMW app for your phone is really good as it allows you to remotely cool/heat the car when parked up amongst other things. The ability to pre-heat your car in the winter mornings is also great & will annoy your friends as it will de-ice the car if you leave it outdoors & you just hop in & drive off.
The car has a few quirks but the spec you’re having will help ease a number of them. Enjoy exploring the capabilities of the car....if you put it in full “sport mode”, it’ll surprise a few at the traffic lights
PS I suggest you join the I3 owner’s group on Facebook which was set up by PHer Ross who was an early advocate of the car - there’s much to learn!
The BMW app for your phone is really good as it allows you to remotely cool/heat the car when parked up amongst other things. The ability to pre-heat your car in the winter mornings is also great & will annoy your friends as it will de-ice the car if you leave it outdoors & you just hop in & drive off.
The car has a few quirks but the spec you’re having will help ease a number of them. Enjoy exploring the capabilities of the car....if you put it in full “sport mode”, it’ll surprise a few at the traffic lights
PS I suggest you join the I3 owner’s group on Facebook which was set up by PHer Ross who was an early advocate of the car - there’s much to learn!
Thanks for the reply. I do like the red -- I think that my favourite colour is Cashmere Silver (iirc) and would've preferred that, but hey ho.
Which Facebook group are you referring to? I have joined two -- 'BMW i3 UK Owners & Enthusiasts' and 'BMW i3 UK'. I've yet to contribute to either.
The car will mainly be used for short journeys, I imagine the longest may be fifty mile round trips, periodically, so we'll seldom get a chance to trial the range in one hit. We'll be charging it from a three pin socket to begin with, too.
It'll be quite titillating to utilise the elitist parking bays in Merton -- parking the V8s costs an arm and a leg now!
Which Facebook group are you referring to? I have joined two -- 'BMW i3 UK Owners & Enthusiasts' and 'BMW i3 UK'. I've yet to contribute to either.
The car will mainly be used for short journeys, I imagine the longest may be fifty mile round trips, periodically, so we'll seldom get a chance to trial the range in one hit. We'll be charging it from a three pin socket to begin with, too.
It'll be quite titillating to utilise the elitist parking bays in Merton -- parking the V8s costs an arm and a leg now!
Edited by bolidemichael on Wednesday 31st August 21:54
Looks great. We're a month into i3S ownership, and it's a keeper. My parents had a short drive of ours and a week later they have one too 
You're going to love it. Ours is part of the family already, the kids have named it, my wife loves it more than any car we've ever had, and I can see it being around for a long, long time.
I only expected to use ours for local journeys, but thanks to the novelty factor I've grabbed the keys on two occasions for 400 mile round trips. If you plan your stops, it's not inconvenient at all, and I enjoy the more relaxed schedule. Sure, door to door diesel would be quicker, but if there's no rush I know which I'd rather be in!
You're going to love it. Ours is part of the family already, the kids have named it, my wife loves it more than any car we've ever had, and I can see it being around for a long, long time.
I only expected to use ours for local journeys, but thanks to the novelty factor I've grabbed the keys on two occasions for 400 mile round trips. If you plan your stops, it's not inconvenient at all, and I enjoy the more relaxed schedule. Sure, door to door diesel would be quicker, but if there's no rush I know which I'd rather be in!
Edited by rewild on Thursday 1st September 07:17
I really like the i3.
It’s a shame BMW haven’t developed it further. The tech behind it is pretty impressive and I like that it doesn’t look like a traditional car. A colleague has one on the company car scheme and he loves it, he uses it all the time. His M140i doesn’t really seem to get a look in.
It’s a shame BMW haven’t developed it further. The tech behind it is pretty impressive and I like that it doesn’t look like a traditional car. A colleague has one on the company car scheme and he loves it, he uses it all the time. His M140i doesn’t really seem to get a look in.
Pflanzgarten said:
bolidemichael said:
It had to be new, for company tax purchases
It didn’t. You can also purchase demo vehicles or any vehicle where mileage has been accrued “for demonstration purposes”.bolidemichael said:
I refer you to the specific requirements/preferences that we identified also, but I'm interested in your view and wil validate them with our accountant. Just to qualify your comments as distinct from 'internet opinion', how have you come about this knowhow? Company director, accountant etc?
It's on the HMRC website if you are referring to First Year Capital allowanceshttps://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/capital-a...
"New cars are ‘unused and not second hand’. You should accept a car is unused and not second hand even if it has been driven a limited number of miles for the purposes of testing, delivery, test driven by a potential purchaser, or used as a demonstration car."
bolidemichael said:
Pflanzgarten said:
bolidemichael said:
It had to be new, for company tax purchases
It didn’t. You can also purchase demo vehicles or any vehicle where mileage has been accrued “for demonstration purposes”.I commend OP for shrewd buy. They're great!
Depending on usage, granny charger may suffice so long as you have access to good 13A socket. EVSE is nice to have, but since the OZEV grant has stopped the prices of the devices and installation seem to have rocketed.
Yours appears to have all/most of the desirable options, worth paying that little extra. I really wanted sunroof, but none were available at the time and I was in a hurry so also bought showroom car.
As mentioned above, get the My BMW app as it's dead handy for setting charge and climate timers, charging history, checking windows/doors closed and locked, etc.
Mine here: BMW I01.
Depending on usage, granny charger may suffice so long as you have access to good 13A socket. EVSE is nice to have, but since the OZEV grant has stopped the prices of the devices and installation seem to have rocketed.
Yours appears to have all/most of the desirable options, worth paying that little extra. I really wanted sunroof, but none were available at the time and I was in a hurry so also bought showroom car.
As mentioned above, get the My BMW app as it's dead handy for setting charge and climate timers, charging history, checking windows/doors closed and locked, etc.
Mine here: BMW I01.
bolidemichael said:
Are there any accessories that I should be considering? I'm wondering if there's an official BMW key fob cover for protection and perhaps one that double up as a faraday cage?
I couldn't find a nice key cover, so bought a cheap rubbery one from amazon for now. It's ok for protection, but looks naff. I'm still looking for something nicer that isn't bulky.I know the top of the rear bumper gets scuffed from loading the boot, so I bought this https://shop.ac-schnitzer.co.uk/ac-schnitzer-rear-...
Wish I hadn't bothered. It's just a vinyl sticker. £105 for a sticker that arrived rolled up on backing paper. I thought it was a rigid part. Oh well. Maybe get your local sign shop to cut a bit of clear wrap for that area though. I saw many scruffy ones during my search, so take care.
Not many spec options can be retrofitted. I found the newest cars were missing quite a lot of toys, and read this is simply because parts have run out. Because of this I opted for a mint low miles mechanically-identical 2019 car, saved a couple of grand, and got a better spec. My parents did the same and paid a little more than me, a little less than you, but theirs is absolutely fully loaded. Wouldn't work for your requirements, but if anyone else is reading, that's the way to go!
You've discovered that you can swap screens for ones from ebay, and it's probably worth it once the warranty is up. I guess with the older screen you've lost out on CarPlay too?
I ordered a 7kW charger to be installed before I'd picked the car up. Having seen how we can manage meanwhile with the granny charger, I probably shouldn't have bothered. It's fine really with the granny charger, so definitely use that for a while before you decide on a EVSE install, which will never pay for itself, except maybe in a tiny convenience advantage.
You can still get on Octopus Go at 40p/7.5p if you move quickly. It's a 12month fix, and given that peak variable rate will be higher than 40p from next month, how can you lose? It's a no-brainer really.
Edited by rewild on Thursday 1st September 10:32
OP, you've already mentioned the main BMW i3 Facebook groups, if you look on BMW i3 UK there are a few people that have done the screen swap to upgrade to the Pro screen. As I understand it the screen is a 'dumb' unit that can be swapped in and out without issue. You may be able to swap the screen and then if any issues arise that need a warranty intervention you could always swap the screen back to the original?
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