Having spent a week with BMW’s i3 range-extender, it’s fair to say the new plug-in is a car that turns heads like nothing else this side of a supercar.
It’s a model that everyone is interested in, thanks to the individual styling that certainly isn’t universally adored, but can’t be ignored.
This range-extender will be the volume product for the foreseeable future against the full-electric sibling, and it’s the best-driving electric vehicle yet in terms of handling and performance, although others are more practical and the ride isn’t great. There’s a decent amount of rear space, accessed via rear-hinged, half rear doors akin to the Mini Clubman.
The i3’s 80-100-mile claimed range on the battery appear achievable in real-world conditions, and the two-cylinder petrol motor with a nine-litre fuel tank gives about the same again.
Residuals are good, giving the i3 a cost per mile that’s 1.4p per mile cheaper than the larger and more practical Vauxhall Ampera, while the 13g/km emissions figure guarantees a lower benefit-in-kind band than regular models for the rest of the decade, although the higher P11D price negates much of the advantage
