Two driving modes, Eco Pro and Eco Pro Plus, introduce ascending levels of accelerator lag among other configurable restrictions - namely, no climate control in Eco Pro Plus and a speed limit the i3 won’t pass unless you floor it. BMW says it takes 7.8 seconds to get to 60 mph with the range extender and 7 seconds flat without it - about as quick as a 320i sedan. This BMW is quick, with seamless torque - 184 pounds-feet - to scoot to highway speeds. Typical of the torque in an electric car, the BMW i3 darts from a standstill, but its peppiness goes beyond that. The extender - a 34-horsepower, 0.6-liter two-cylinder engine - adds 265 pounds. Its footprint is comparable to a four-door Mini Cooper, as is its curb weight, at about 2,800 pounds without the range extender. The i3’s subcompact size makes its features seem even more outlandish. Enormous 19- or 20-inch wheels have comically skinny tires. The taillights hover within an extension of rear-window glass, wedged between oversized quarter panels. BMW’s twin-kidney grille is a functionless blue-and-silver façade. A mash-up of bulging bumpers, Ferris-wheel rims and more black gloss than a kitchen remodel, the styling is sure to polarize. The BMW i3’s styling isn’t from left field, it’s from outside the ballpark - possibly the planet. We tested the version with gas backup, which BMW calls the Bmw i3 Range Extender. One version has a gasoline engine-generator that kicks in when the battery runs out to bring the total EPA-estimated range to 150 miles. The car’s electric motor and battery have an EPA-estimated range of 81 miles. Changes for 2015 amount to a few more standard features (compare the two model years here), none of which keep the i3 from being a rolling science project. The first product from BMW’s “i” electric sub-brand, the i3 launched for the 2014 model year. Cars don’t get much more bizarre than the 2015 BMW i3, an electric hatchback with surprising room and comfort but a whole lot of head-scratchers.
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