Photo: BMW
The i3 looks like a bubble car, putting efficiency above all else. But on you get to drive it, you'll find that it's still got the core BMW values. For 2018, the Germans have strengthened the EV by adding sportier suspension and a tweaked motor.
From the outside, there isn't much to set it apart from the regular i3. Sure, the colors are bold, and the front bumper looks different, but that all has to do with the mid-life facelift. But we have to admit that adding an M Sport bumper onto the city car would probably make it weird.
As the rumors suggested, though, the track has been widened. 40mm of girth have been added for added cornering stability, BMW says. Why can't you tell the difference? Because all 2018 i3 models have flared wheel arches. The 10mm lowering of the suspension is also tricky to spot with the naked eye, but it's there.
Taking inspiration from the numerous aftermarket alloys designed for the i3, BMW fabricated bespoke 20-inch five-twin-spoke wheels for the i3s. Not only are they an inch taller than the 19s on the regular model, but they are also half an inch wider with more rubber as well.
Those changes were needed because of the tweaked electric motor. The i3s uses a 184 HP (137 kW) mill with 199 pound-feet (270 Newton-meters) of torque. Meanwhile, the regular 2018 i3 still has 170 HP (126 kW) and 184 lb-ft (250 Nm). In the case of the performance model, 0 to 60 performance drops from 7.0 to 6.8 seconds.
The LCI is quite light in the cosmetics department. The i3 now gets standard full-LED headlights. BMW also tweaked the fog lights and altered the front bumper to have a sportier appearance. Out back, there is a new silver horizontal bar that spans the entire rear end... and not much else.
The true EV fanatics are probably going to have the facelift because BMW did nothing to the 94 Ah battery (33 kWh). The gas range extender still increases the all-electric range of around 97 miles (156 kilometers) to around 180 miles (289 kilometers), which frankly isn't fantastic. For 2018, there's a $500 option called the TurboCord that lets you charge from a 120 or 240 V outlet at 3.6 kW.
As the rumors suggested, though, the track has been widened. 40mm of girth have been added for added cornering stability, BMW says. Why can't you tell the difference? Because all 2018 i3 models have flared wheel arches. The 10mm lowering of the suspension is also tricky to spot with the naked eye, but it's there.
Taking inspiration from the numerous aftermarket alloys designed for the i3, BMW fabricated bespoke 20-inch five-twin-spoke wheels for the i3s. Not only are they an inch taller than the 19s on the regular model, but they are also half an inch wider with more rubber as well.
Those changes were needed because of the tweaked electric motor. The i3s uses a 184 HP (137 kW) mill with 199 pound-feet (270 Newton-meters) of torque. Meanwhile, the regular 2018 i3 still has 170 HP (126 kW) and 184 lb-ft (250 Nm). In the case of the performance model, 0 to 60 performance drops from 7.0 to 6.8 seconds.
The LCI is quite light in the cosmetics department. The i3 now gets standard full-LED headlights. BMW also tweaked the fog lights and altered the front bumper to have a sportier appearance. Out back, there is a new silver horizontal bar that spans the entire rear end... and not much else.
The true EV fanatics are probably going to have the facelift because BMW did nothing to the 94 Ah battery (33 kWh). The gas range extender still increases the all-electric range of around 97 miles (156 kilometers) to around 180 miles (289 kilometers), which frankly isn't fantastic. For 2018, there's a $500 option called the TurboCord that lets you charge from a 120 or 240 V outlet at 3.6 kW.
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