[LightningBolt]

Not taking into account the range of both vehicles, I'm surprised BMW came up short in the performance department compared to the Chevy Bolt in this review. But then again I never knew the i3 could feel dodgy on the highway and get blown around by mild cross winds.

http://www.bmwblog.com/2017/02/13/test-drive-bmw-i3-vs-chevy-bolt/

 

[eops]

Hence why I like going with brands that had enough skin in the game to prove they can actually do that product good and of course GM is a prime example, with how long the Volt has been out for, GM learned a lot.

Toyota is another one with its Prius and look how successful it is.

If BMW had that level of skin in the game i3 would have been on my list, Tesla's Model 3 would actually be higher up the list for me, right under the Bolt.

 

[SparkE]

http://www.chevybolt.org/forum/13-chevy-bolt-ev-pictures/7386-bolt-compared-prius.html

I am still waiting for the "Bolt compared to Jessica Alba" thread ...

 

[Electro]

You've definitely been asking for it for a while, I may come up with something here @SparkE

But seriously, with the amount of comparisons we've seen with the Bolt and the Leaf, or i3, or Prius or god knows whatever else. It's all pretty much out there and doesn't really need to be discussed anymore lol.

But just to chime in... the i3 is hideous. That alone is enough for me to say no.

 

[Raymondjram]

You forget to mantion that the BMW i3 is more expensive than the Chevy Bolt EV. Here in Puerto Ric the brand began selling the i3 in July 2014 and yet I have only seen two of them inover two years. For the prices they sell, a used Chevy Volt is a much better deal.

 

[SparkE]

i3s are a LOT less expensive to lease.

 

[Cehjun]

I am still waiting for the "Bolt compared to Jessica Alba" thread ...

Jessica Alba ? Dunno. I’d nominate product ambassadors for both, the Bolt EV and the BMW i3 :

 

[DaV8or]

But just to chime in... the i3 is hideous. That alone is enough for me to say no.

No kidding! The i3 just screams- "I am a complete and total geek and I make more money than I know what to do with."

 

[wainair]

When I first heard BMW was doing an all electric I was excited. They make great and beautiful cars, then I saw the i3.... hideous. I liked the interior but they fell into the "Ev's have to look bizarre" school of car design. One of the reasons I love what GM has done with the Volts and Bolt is they look like cars, attractive cars, not some anime caricature of a weird future car. I don't know what has made so many manufacturers think that EV's have to be as funky as possible. Another example is the Toyota Mirai. Talk about how to make a car look ugly!! And Toyota know how to make attractive cars so what's the deal with that thing? It's like they are trying to make them fail. Didn't they learn anything from the Edsel?

 

[eops]

No kidding! The i3 just screams- "I am a complete and total geek and I make more money than I know what to do with."

In the whole corporate environment and more around office towers I bet we'll find more i3's, it just plays right into that demographic.

Even with real estate agents and the like.

Image hold some importance depending on who you are and your goals.

 

[Packard V8]

I saw the i3.... hideous. I liked the interior but they fell into the "Ev's have to look bizarre" school of car design. One of the reasons I love what GM has done with the Volts and Bolt is they look like cars, attractive cars, not some anime caricature of a weird future car.

Style is a matter of personal perception and preference. I own a Bolt, consider the styling somewhat generic, but acceptable and happen to like the i3 as well.

If the dollar/EV goodness equation were the only consideration, I'd be driving a 2014 i3 lease return; the value spot today. I could have bought two low-mileage examples for what I paid for the new Bolt. The i3 range is perfectly adequate for our in-town use but no more; the Bolt takes in our whole home range. The i3 rear drive doesn't have the torque steer of the Bolt. I3 seats are better, interior quality is better, and the follow-behind feature is a huge plus denied us by GM.

The inexplicable feature of the i3 is the built-in ICE auto trans creep. It makes one-pedal driving impossible; a huge plus provided by GM. The Bolt also has stronger regenerative braking in L than does the i3 without an L mode; again a feature I like.

The i3 navigation is good, but not great. I'd like to have it in the Bolt, but can live without it.

The i3 ride is firmer than the Bolt. Those who've complained about the ride quality of the Bolt would really find the i3 harsh.

The X3 additional range of the 2017 Bolt versus 2014 i3 is big plus, of course. Even the 114-mile 2017 comes short. The Bolt takes range anxiety off the table for day-to-day use. With an 81-mile range 2014 i3, I'd be plugging it in every return to base. With the Bolt, it's just whenever we think of it. And don't get me started about the i3 range-extender option, just a weird non-solution to EV range paranoia. It does make buying a used i3 more difficult for those who want a real EV , as many came with this 'feature.'

Your opinions and results may vary, but I've got considerable seat time in both the Bolt and i3; I could live with either.

jack vines

 

[David M O'Rourke]

I am not a fan of any aspect of the i3 or i8...and I normally like BMW.

 

[DucRider]

I find the suicide rear door design of the i3 inconvenient. My wife did to the degree that it became "not an option" for us.

 

[Packard V8]

I find the suicide rear door design of the i3 inconvenient. My wife did to the degree that it became "not an option" for us.

I suppose it would depend on how often one transported rear seat passengers who needed engress/egress while driver and passenger stayed in place. Since that's a very seldom situation for our use, no deal breaker there.

jack vines

 

[TotaledJetta]

I see quite a few i3 in Berkeley, but then it is not hard to recognized them. At any distance, to make sure I am seeing a Bolt and not a Honda Fit or some other hatchback, I look for the gold bow tie. Yesterday I saw five, 4 in Berkeley and one on the freeway. That was amazing.

 

[surgeonFWW]

Not to be beating a dead horse in front of people who have read most of my posts, but besides the usual range, RWD, & cost issues, my wife and I felt the BMW was a true 4 passenger car. The Bolt, although not great (good?) for long trips with 5 passengers, IS a better around-the-town, go to church, a restaurant, a concert vehicle with 5 souls-on-board, than is the BMW. The rear seat is wider and more comfy for three across. (And, having a wife, a mother-in-law, a sister-in-law, and a step daughter, I always have three female pelvises sharing the cushion.)

As an aside, at the NDEW EV showoff in S. Charleston, WV on Saturday, my Bolt (with the driver's seat full back) was sat in by a 6'8", 300 pound man who said, "Hey! It's OK in here!" Take that, Tesla!

 

[DucRider]

I suppose it would depend on how often one transported rear seat passengers who needed engress/egress while driver and passenger stayed in place. Since that's a very seldom situation for our use, no deal breaker there.

jack vines

In our case, it's not passengers, it's stuff. I can't even tell you what, but she almost always has something in the back set she needs to get when we stop to get out. Water bottle, sweater, etc.

Trying to get anything out of the back seat when parked next to another car can be done, but it's not easy.

 

[Dimitrij]

As an aside, at the NDEW EV showoff in S. Charleston, WV on Saturday, my Bolt (with the driver's seat full back) was sat in by a 6'8", 300 pound man who said, "Hey! It's OK in here!" Take that, Tesla!

Any pix from the exhibition?

 

[Dadrick]

Charleston, WV on Saturday, my Bolt (with the driver's seat full back) was sat in by a 6'8", 300 pound man who said, "Hey! It's OK in here!" Take that, Tesla!

That was my feeling as well; he has me by a couple inches but I beat him by a few pounds. No car really fits me but the Bolt is okay in my book.

 

[Sean Nelson]

I suppose it would depend on how often one transported rear seat passengers who needed engress/egress while driver and passenger stayed in place.

I open and close the rear doors of my Prius C quite often just to throw stuff into or get stuff out of either the back seat or (by folding the seatback down) the cargo area, especially when my bike rack is on the car. So even without actual passengers for the rear seat I consider the i3-style rear doors a non-starter.