BMW claims the 2017 i3 with Range Extender has a total driving range of 180 miles. We intend to use every one of them on a trip to the Texas Gulf Coast.
We’ve driven BMW’s entry-level 5, top-of-the-line X4, and flagship 7 Series. We’ve felt the turbocharged rush of 4, 6, and 12 cylinders. Now we’re going to spend a week driving the i3, BMW’s smallest and cheapest electric car.
For the 2017 model year, BMW offers three versions of the i3. Two of them are purely electric; one has a 22-kWh battery pack with 60 Amp Hours (AH) of cell capacity, and the other has a 33-kWh/94-AH battery pack.
We received the third version of the i3, which comes with the larger battery pack, backed up by a 2-cylinder range-extending gas engine. Output from the eDrive motor is rated at 170 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque. BMW loaded our test vehicle with the Giga World interior environment, Parking Assistance Package, and Tech + Driving Assistance Package, giving it an as-tested price of $54,295.
Of course, we’ll be taking the i3 around the suburbs and the city, checking out how robust the charging infrastructure in Austin, Texas is (we expect the answer will end up being “very”). If the weather cooperates, we’ll also be taking the i3 from Central Texas to the Gulf Coast for a little fun at the beach. Since that’ll involve 3+ hours of driving, we’ll be sure to fully charge the battery before we go and fill up the 2.4-gallon gas tank every chance we get.
If you have any questions about what it’s like to drive the 2017 BMW i3 with Range Extender, feel free to ask them at the bottom of this post via Facebook or on the 5Series Facebook page.
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Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
