BMW i3 Rex Extended Test Drive

BMW i3 ReX Sitting in my garage

So I've been eying the BMW i3 for some time now.  While it's pricey (starting price ~$41-$45k, avg price ~$50k), this car is a game changer.  The addition of the Range Extending engine (Rex) effectively brings the range of this car from ~80 miles to 160 miles using a tiny engine and a 1.9 gallon tank.  That's a pretty good safety net for anyone with range anxiety.  And the engine does not drive the car.  It's sole purpose is to recharge the battery.  Pretty cool stuff, right?   Oh, and its the most efficient car on the road (by EPA MPGe standards).  Sounds right up my alley, right?  Given that I live in a City and most of my driving is city-esq driving, an electric car for me is almost a no-brainer.  If I travel long distances, I can use my wifes car.  Or you can use BMW's exclusive (for i3 owners) flexible mobility car rental where you can use borrow a car for long trips.

Well, when they i3 first came out, they had a special event at my local BMW dealership (Hendrick BMW) where I signed up, brought my dad with me, and we test drove the car.  I did a second test drive about a month ago over Thanksgiving with my dad and brother.  Those 2 test drives were fun and it showed me that there was ample room in the back seat for any tall people and even with the "suicide doors", It was fairly easy to get in and out of and the trunk was small (not surprising there)  Oh yeah, and its fun to drive.  But...I still wasn't sure if it was the car for me.  Why?  Because of the kiddos.  To be clear...I've got 16 month twins.  And for all you parents out there, you know the ability to (a) put a car seat in a car; (b) the ability to get kids stuff in the car and (c) the ability to get kids in and out of the car are 3 of the most important car buying issues. 

View of the kiddos getting strapped into their car seats in the i3

So I really needed to test this car in "Real life".  Not a test drive where I got to go 5 miles around a couple streets.  I needed to really drive this car as if it was mine.  Located in my garage. So I could see if this car would fit in the lives of my 'modern family'.

So when BMW said they were offering 'extended test drives' (aka take the car home for the weekend) I was thrilled.  At first, it wasn't offered in my area.  But when I queried during my 2nd test drive, it was available so I signed up.  The folks at Hendrick BMW are great.  Nice folks and professionals.  I was given a BMW i3 Rex "Mega World" with the Tech and Driving Assist Package in Ionic Silver.  MSRP of ~$50.25k (Lease of ~$400/month).  I picked it up Friday afternoon (after a meeting).  I drove it to work for the day before taking it home. 

The 240v charging station is pretty much a MUST.  It takes 20hrs to charge from empty on 110v.  Or 3 hrs with the 240v. 

So let's talk about my thoughts.  Before I begin, let's note that this review is just based on the issues I wanted to look at via the kiddos.  If you want to read about range, styling, etc.  Go to one of the dozen-plus automotive websites and check those out. 

OK...so when I took the car home, they first thing I wanted to check out where the 'suicide doors'.  These concerned me because I wasn't sure how they would work in the garage.  Would the doors hit the wall making it impossible to get anyone out of the back?  This would be a similar situation in a parking lot.  If you can't get the kids out of the back without trickery, then this is a no-go.  So...I parked the car in the garage and checked it out.  First thing I did was check it out without any modifications.  What I mean by that...I didn't move anything already there.  You'll see from the pic below the door was able to open fine with my bike and bike carrier still on the wall.  Was it easy?  No.  However, those things are a pain even with my Prius.  So no foul there.  And this spring I'm building a storage area under my new deck...where the bikes and such will be relocated. 

i3 with the doors open in my garage

 OK...so that worked. I will say that there was zero door issues after I moved everything.  Oh, it'll be so nice when I get that storage project done. 

View after I removed the bike and carrier.  Lots more room.

Doors opening in a parking lot next to another car.  No problems getting in and out.  The stroller was trickier, but I was still able to do it.

A view of the front door as it opened against my bike.  It does that with my car too.

My sons car seat in the Mazda 5

So the next thing we needed to check was how well we could get the kids in the car seats.  Below is a pic of the the room I have with our Mazda 5.  Not a fair comparison, I know...a 'mini' minivan vs the i3.  But it's just for reference.  Note how much space there is above the car seat.  And this seat moves forward and back so you can fit things in as needed.

So here's the same car seat in the i3. With the front seat down, it was easy to get the car seat into place.  No issues, plenty of room...at least for this 5'6" 140lbs guy.   Once the car seat was installed and I put the drivers seat into position, the car seat was touching.  Uh oh...while this is fine for a person of my stature, anyone taller would be uncomfortable.  I did have my dad (6'2") get in and he can technically fit, albeit not comfortable.  He has the same issue with the car seats installed in his BMW 3-series Diesel wagon. 

Car seat in the i3 with the front seat folded up

Car seat with the front seat in driving position

My daughters infant car seat.  Hitting the passenger front seat.

Next, I wanted to see if I could fit the double-stroller in.  I wasn't going for the super-big jogging stroller...just the 'umbrella' version.  I can barely fit the jogging stroller in the Prius so I knew getting it in here would be impossible.  I already knew putting the stroller in the cargo area was a no-go.  Way too small.  But what about in the foot-area of the backseat?  Well, that worked, but it did involve a lot of shoving.  To get it in, I had to fold the drivers seat up, put in the stroller, and then reposition the seat.  It did fit as the pics below show.  But the wheels were marking up the seat.

Double Umbrella Stroller in the i3

Stroller wheels right up on the seat...marking it up

Plenty of legroom for me.

Next up...can you get the kids in?  Short answer, yes.  Easily:  no.   So...my kiddos right now are small for their age.  My son is in the 1-3 percentile.  My daughter is on her own curve...technically 0.1 percentile.  At 16 months and about 16 lbs, she's still in her infant car seat.  And most infants at 6 months weigh as much as her.  My son is about 20 lbs which means he could still be in his infant car seat too (max ~25 lbs) but he's in a convertible car seat. 

My wife getting my daughter into the car seat.

So, getting the kids into the car seats specifically with the odd doors.  No problem, especially once I got the stuff out of the way in the garage.  Asking my wife how it was getting my daughter in, it was not a problem with the doors and in one respect, a little easier without the middle door pillar. 

View of my wife getting the kids in the car

However, there was one glaring issue.  In order to get the kids in their seats, you almost literally had to hold them out horizontal to get them between the door opening and the car seat before you could place them in.  I couldn't hold a kid and take a pic at the same time (no Google glasses or Go-Pro), so I had to use a surrogate.  Enter blue bunny.  As you'll see below, blue bunny is about the same size as my son.  So from the pics below you can see that its a tight fit.

My son with blue bunny.

A tight fit trying to get blue bunny into the car

Another view with blue bunny

 
Now, if your kid is calm you can do this easy.  Ok, got that image?  Now..clear your mind and  imagine if the kid is having a temper tantrum.  You're never getting that kid into the car seat without bumps and scratches.  Ugh.  How about when they get bigger?  Or maybe you have a 50-percentile kid?  Or for that matter at 100-percentile kid?  Getting the kid in is only going to get harder as they get bigger (taller and heavier).  Now, if you only have 1 kid and could install the car seat in the center area (I'm not sure if you can since there's no official center seat), then maybe this issue goes away.  I'm not sure...if anyone wants to try this out, go for it.  I have 2 kids, so I'm doing what's important to me.

Now, in about 1.5-2 years the car seats will be FWD facing.  In that case, getting the kids in and out should be downright EASY.  Especially with these doors as there will be a ton of room.  The problem here...is that it's 1.5-2 years away for me.  And that's the length of a car lease.  And by 2017, the Tesla Model 3 will be out.  So while I really like this car, it's not going to work for me.  If you have 1 kid and its determined that you can put the car seat in the middle-back, then this car could work for you.  If you can't well...those folks would be in a similar situation as me, unless you want to crawl over the back-seat from the opposite side to get your kid in and out. 

So BMW and other electric car makers...can you make a car that can handle this?  And make it reasonably affordable?   If so, I'd probably be first in line to get your car. Yes a Tesla would probably work for me, but I can't afford $80k.  Heck, even $50k is stretching the budget, although I'd most likely lease the car.  Overall, this BMW is soooo close to meeting all that I'd need.