Owned both. Currently have a new i3. My ID3 was an early UK car and was riddled with glitches, software crashes and problems. The climate system blew freezing cold on one side and hot on the other. No way to fix it and in the end VW recalled the car to Germany because VW UK couldn't fix it. The touch screen systems are a pain in the neck and frankly can be unsafe to navigate whilst on the move. Once learned the BMW iDrive system is, whilst not perfect, without doubt the best infotainment system available - at any price. I do agree with many of your observations; the ID3 is the more 'complete' car but for me there is something intangible, visionary and great about the BMW. You made no mention of the quality of interior fixtures and fittings - most of the plastics inside the VW are rather nasty and cheap looking and the fit of certain components is pretty poor, whereas the BMW is very classy, tasteful and high quality in almost every respect. I wish I'd had a better experience with the VW but it felt to me like it was a half finished product and was launched before they'd ironed out all the problems. Thanks for your videos!
I drive a BMW i3 120ah myself. Considering that the car was launched in 2013, I find that the car holds up surprisingly well in a market that is bursting with new electric cars. I have never driven a VW id.3. but I have sat in it, incredibly nice car you have!! :)
Interesting. As someone who had an i3 (rex) for 3 years and now owns an id3, I have to agree about the ride. I think the VW feels far more stable and put it down to the narrow wheels on the BMW. I did feel the i3 was a bit more sporty though, with sharper acceleration - although the performance figures are very similar. What I do miss is the idrive, far superior to the ipad arrangement of the VW.
I've had my I3 now for two years and I must say I am incredibly happy with it. The range is good and the driving experience is incredible. 1 Pedal driving is absolutely awesome and the consumption is very low. I mostly get below 12.5kw/100km.
Thanks for the video but bmw i3 is a city car you can not compare it in many points, but that say I’m a bmw i3 owner and for me is a master piece of engineering and we talk about a car that was lunch I think 2013 or 2014 !! and still looks fresh today, many other cars copy i3 too. Anyway thanks for the video 👌😎
I love my BMW i3 the spec is great driving is smooth and the height is great for visibility. Driving at night especially is so great the lights are amazing and it’s a car that is ideal for me from size, height, easy to manoeuvre and park. I’ve tried the id3 it’s just looking like any other car, is low down, screen and programmes are poor. It is roomier if a family and a bigger boot but night driving is not so good lights don’t seem to give as good a range as the i3. If you want a car that is average looking as has a decent range handles ok but low and touchscreen poor but large inside and longer than an i3 go for the id3. But if you want a funky car luxurious inside, high spec, easy to drive, easy to turn and park with a decent range, high up visibility but a not too big size, I’d go for the BMW i3
Thanks for the video, I have now test drove both cars. They are both really good. I really can’t decide on which one I preferred the most, the BMW is considerably cheaper for me due to discounts……….hmmmmm???
I agree with u, it is Important to test over several hours. Though there is something to consider, the price. The i3 can be bought at discounted price, i paid 8ke lese than the equivalent id3.
About the ride in the i3: what I experienced is that you need some time to get used to the nervousness of the steering in the i3, but after one-two weeks it get s much better
I have the opposite review, I own the BMW i3 2017 not S and it has much better steering feel than the id.3, didn't stop me ordering the id.3 tour 5 though. The setup on the id.3 58 Kwh is much more firm.
Thank you 2 RWD great cars We have had a BMW i3 33kw 2018 and love it but time to change our car? Tesla! VW id3 VW id4😁? Agree with every thing you said in your excellent review we are all different 2 different cars ! keep up the good work 😀Had a test drive in a Id4 lovely big comfortable suv to big and to cosy! so id3 great car love the size and style more involving to. But' We have just ordered our new BMW i3s we had a great deal with BMW and what sold it to us was always makes me smile driving it maybe because its not perfect? Shame BMW (composite construction cool) in the last few years have forgot about there little i3😥. Tesla just out of our beget! Thank you keep up the good work Buzz Knapp-Fisher
Isn't the i3S (Sport) more stable on the motorway than the original i3? The steer is also more precise than the original. Yes, the ride is harder because the suspension is stiffer and the motor is slightly more powerful.. The iD.3 is balanced better because its not a sporty ride.
It is, BUT, I'm guessing he has winter tires equipped, which are the same as for the regular i3 and, at least to me, feels much less confident than the i3s summer tires. The i3 has a very precise/direct input-to-output feel on the steering which can be unnerving if you are coming from a golf or something similar (a car with "stable straight ahead on the autobahn, despite you twitchy hands" kind of feel) - once you are used to it though, it is feels very solid! (Well, except for the side wind susceptibility :-) )
Hi Chris Great review! There is a CZcamsr in Norway who is almost totally focused on numbers, where Tesla does very well, but great to hear your review about subjective feel. It is difficult to be objective about subjective impressions but most drivers are, or should be, more interested in how smoothly, quietly and responsively a car rides. I was not expecting such a big contrast, however, the BMW engineers designed the i3 at a time when getting the most out of a small and, at that time, expensive battery was the main priority. I am sure that the VW engineers drove and dismantled a BMW i3 and carefully considered which ideas to copy, like the gear selector, glass tsilgate and black roof, and how to improve the car. I hope that VW will not wait too long to produce the dual motor AWD version, upgrade the interior to Golf quality and reduce battery heating consumption in the winter.
The i3 seems to have been neglected in terms of updating the tech. I drove an i3s for 3 days and agree about your comments. I will try an ID3 . Perhaps the GTi one!
Hi Chris, before my ID.3, I had three i3s. I always say that the ID.3 has more BMW genes than VW's. Whereby the i3s has terrible handling with winter wheels, no cornering and poor power transmission. Yes, the i3 is more of a city car, so the ID.3 is the more complete car. But the i3s (with summer tires) is a fun car and very efficient, especially in summer. Unfortunately, BMW slept through the further development of e-cars, which brought me to the ID.3, but which I have not regretted.
Dont agree that the i3 has terrible handling with winter weels. I drive the i3 on snow and ice here on Norway and it’s a good and fun car to drive.
Před 2 lety+2
I also can't confirm that the narrow winter tires would have traction problems. At no time do I have the feeling of being unsafe on the road or not being able to control the power (perhaps the traction control intervenes imperceptibly). The narrow winter tires also showed me how little tire width is actually needed in everyday use. If you look at the wide tires that most cars use and thus generate more unnecessary consumption and rubber abrasion, then you can only congratulate BMW on this visionary concept. 80-90% of drivers don't really need more and for the remaining 19.9-9.9% I think the i3s with the slightly wider tires is a perfect compromise between ecology and driving fun (the remaining 0.1% belong the race course). I also think the narrow winter tires are a wise decision, because increased contact pressure improves adhesion in slippery road conditions due to the smaller contact area. That's why rally cars drive with relatively narrow tires. In the last decade, tires have not only become enormously larger, but above all abnormally wider. Of course, high-torque and significantly heavier e-cars need more contact area, but hasn't it been overdone with some cars? Does every average car have to have tires nowadays that were only reserved for supercars 20 years ago? And that in times of speed limits and 30 zones. The i3 was 30-40 years ahead of its time. Can you say the same about the ID3?
The i3s still is a perfect second hand electric vehicle. The battery is not really decaying since bmw did a very clever battery design and the software is easy to upgrade with non-bmw tools. Concerning the baseline of the video, that the ID3 is far better more or less everywhere - I'm really not that sure. I've seen many people upgrading from the zoe, I3 or asian hybrids to the ID3, early adopters wanting an "up to date" and "real" electric car, and all of them were not satisfied with the ID3. For different reasons - build quality, boring interieur, software issues, missing tech/assistants but ride quality and overall performance as well. At least one very close friend even returned to an I3s for the overall better build quality.
I can't believe VW did a RWD, I heard some people use wheel spacers on their I3 to gain stability at speed, obviously the model you have is firmer than the standard I3 but maybe you don't like the feel of a light car in general.
The physical specs of an BMW i3s is almost identical to a 1978 Porsche 911 SC. (except top speed). The BMW is made of aluminium and "plastic" just like a supercar. The iD3 is made of rust waiting to develop..
It was the BMW I3/I8 team that was headhunted to VW when BMW changed management and slowed down on BEV cars. They then developed the ID.3. They have now left VW again. BMW has in the meantime been lobbying for PHEV with great success. For the time being. 2021 will be a exiting BEV year in Europe
@@timmurphy5541 Christian Senger previously at BMW (from 2010 he was responsible for the product concepts of the i3 and i8. In 2012, Senger switched to the supplier Continental and was in charge of the development of future technologies for everything to do with autonomous driving and electric mobility. In 2016, he finally joined Volkswagen and has been responsible for Development of the modular electrification kit (MEB). Now at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Head of the Autonomous Driving Division.
Love the I3 despite ride characteristics, but the real dealbreaker; entire ID range menu system feels like a botched job, meanwhile BMW idrive was superiour even 10 years ago..
On a lease deal the id3 is twice the price of an i3. BMW have cheap end of model leases with exceptionally low interest rates at the moment so the i3 is hard to beat. I will probably upgrade our family car to an id4. The i3 is our city car. I don’t know what most people are talking about with the steering being jittery. It’s no different to any other small car I’ve driven.
You really should take into consideration that the i3 is eight (8!) years old by now.. .. Even I don’t think it is at all, the Id3 ought to be superior in every aspect just because of that... Bmw i3 was far ahead of it’s time when it launched, and if you look into the construction of it, it still is in so many ways... only some of the Tesla models come close... use of carbon fiber, aluminium, interior, tech.... a real masterpiece If you ask me. (I have two of them, so I’m biased as well 🤣) The Id3... well... I guess its a great car too. 😏
When it comes to the driving feel, i do not think it is about how old the i3 is. Bmw just wanted a different feeling. I prefer the VW, but other people might like the i3 more.
I love my i3S (one year old from new 10,000 miles now) and would lease another in a heartbeat, but it is unlikely to be in production in two years time. So even after 8 years and 125 new EVs nothing even comes close in this class. Most have pathetic performance, are front wheel drive or both. So I was interested in seeing this review but sadly the id3 performance plus is .. too heavy therefore too slow and I just couldn’t live with the antique infotainment system. Next
Unfair comparison, since the cars are quite different, specially the weight. The i3 has been many years in the market, so much in fact the dieselgate was not even in the radar back then. The i3 is still special but it was flawed specially ride wise from the off so it´s obvious that newer cars were going to beat from the start. Once said that, tell me how the id3 will fell and age on 8 years? I guess, not that well
Thanks for the comparison. Your summary of the i3 reflects my test drive experience. I think BMW put too much emphasis on rolling resistance and made the tyres far too narrow. This did a lot to destroy the driving feel. BMW should have done a major update to the i3, widen and lower slightly to allow wider tyres to be fitted and stabilise the ride. I would also like to see opening rear windows and either change to rear doors to conventional opening or adjust the mechanism so the rear doors can open independent of the front doors. Also electrically operated seats would be nice. I also think BMW should have added or improved self steering to get more to an autopilot system. As a very early EV the i3 was out there and in many ways brilliant but critically flawed because of the narrow tyres.
BMW has not progressed much with all electric vehicles since it introduced the I3 They are falling behind with the transition to all electric vehicles.
My i3 doesn't steer too heavy at all 🤷♂️ The VW steers extremely light, but not too light 😆 I wouldn't swap my 2016 i3 for a brand new ID3 If you have seen 1 you have seen them all Including the cheap plastic interior. The ID3 is an apliance, like a toaster. The i3 is just something else.
Meh, it's comparison between sport and comfort car. So yeah. Also, don't forget about the interior. Everything feels very solid and luxurious on the i3s. The id3 is super boring on the inside. It looks like a hospital. I feel very much in control with the steering and it's lots of fun to drive it.
So the Volkswagen ID3 gives you more joy to drive ( Freude am Fahren, the german BMW slogan) than the BMW i3! And therefore is the real "ultimate driving machine" ( the BMW US slogan) :)
Test drove the vw id3 and in my humble opinion it's just a piece of shit feels incredible cheap inside the drive experience is horrible and ending buying a 2018 with 50k on it and I do not regret my decision.
OK If money and range does not metter, than i am OK with you, otherwise Not. So If money does not metter i would Drive a tycan Turbo s or a model x or y.😁
Of course money and range matters. But 100km more range for the same price are not great if it drives in a way you do not like. If there are cars out there which have enough range for you and drive better.
ID3 is better than BMW😂. ID3 designwise is an absolutely desaster. And drivewise its a small and way to heavy car. What BMW did 11 years ago is still one of the best ans classiest Cars in the EV segment. It is and will allways be a classic. VW is the Company that causes the Diesel Scandal. I will never buy a car from them.
Id3 Interior is abysmal. Can’t believe they thought it was ok. Seat quality and materials are so cheap. No rear speakers! The 90s called and wants their spec sheet back. Need the I3 interior in the ID3.
How can Bmw get this so wrong. Everything is just below par. I’m looking for an electric car and through my own research I’ve come up with the same conclusion. BMW are missing a huge trick because I’d love a wee i3s but it’s just not good enough 😞
I absolutely can not let this review stand this guy has absolutely no clue about cars ! ( my credentials class 1 car transporter) witch means I have driven every car near on at every trim level and chucked them on a lorry in 9s 10s and 11s so I'd say I know what am on about . Bmw i3 and the Id3 are both town cars or very occasionally big day out but they separate massively on how good they are to live with . Bwm i3 is fast as ! Compared to the id3. The bmw handles better but not by much the big difference is the i3 steering is letting you know everything to the point if ur zooming about it dose feel wobbly and nervous its not a sports car . The id3 is the same handling wise only difference is steering is dead no idea what the wheels are doing. Both have understeer in harsh cornering rwd and short wheel base its a guarantee. For me the i3 would win every day , cheaper, lighter , faster, cooler imo , and the country could have a powercut and you can just use the rex and laugh at every id3 owner who can't go anywhere . Build quality is much better in the i3 too it was a ground up design and all in house at bmw I seen a tare down of the i3 it was fascinating a very very well designed and engineered car (for example bowing teamed up with bmw to make the carbon fiber plastic weave that the cars made out of like its ridiculous thats fararrie lambo lotous spec kit on a wee bmw ). The id3 is like a cheap copy , it's good but you know its a knock off . If you just can't decide beetween them then I will guide you choose the i3 because the car is better but bmw dealerships have the second best coffies . Range rover jaguar have the best coffies but there coffee machine is more reliable than there 100k cars soooo 😅
IT'S EVERYTHING TO DO WITH THE SPEC !!!! ou spend so much time driving, WHY put up with the cheap + nasty VW people's car cheap nasty plastic with ' finger-marking-easy scratch " shiny cheap plastic ! BMW are renowned for Super-High Quality, real wood, real quality leather and ultra-high tech build. YES .....IT'S EVERYTHING TO DO WITH THE SPEC !
@@BatteryLife with pros and cons for the id3 and the Tesla. I dont think Tesla's cons are enough to decide on a id3. What would be a legit reason to take id3 over Tesla? Tesla more range, more chargers, performance, better infotainment, and word is it swims too lol
@@BatteryLife actually it very much depends on the type of driving you do. In the city the i3s is unbeatable. In Well to do parts of London these cars are everywhere. The id3 doesn't get a look in.
He had described the moments and feelings pretty precisely at least for those who had been driving both of these cars. The major issue with the BMW i3 is not only its date but its development goals that were far away from the BMW heritage, it is the quite opposite to what you would expect from any BMW since 1980 ... and it must be disappointing for any BMW owner to switch to the i3 ... Have you watched the video with his wifes and her opinion about the ID.3 back then in last year and last week about i3s ? She talks about this car but straight from the heart and from different povs ... and she gaves nothing for a car unless it drives ... it is a car for her. Get this BMW and drive around the countryside and into the city and you will be damned disappointed how in the hell BMW could deliver such a car ... And he even founds some factors that he is missing in the ID.3 and the i3s has to offer. Finally: he had never promised to give an unbiassed review cause he had promised a comparison of soft skills beyond the data sheet which we call popometer or bud meter, things only a driver can feel and describe but would not fit in a datasheet. The main goal of this video was to encourage people to drive all cars someone might really buy before making a decision on facts only ... and that goal has been achieved. Why? caue the difference of these 2 cars are so tall that everyone would recognice it ... I can live with the fact that he owns the ID.3 and might be happy and I love to hear his thoughts about another car. You will experience pretty much the same if you drive an ID.3 for 4 weeks and then drive with the ID.3 next to an ID.4 and compare both cars in every aspect. Both cars from same manufacturer and development team and same plant but quite a huge difference even though a lot closer to each other. As he always has told he does not need the space and size and therefore prefers the ID.3 but I like to hear his thoughts even though I do not agree with all the points he makes due to different experiences or maybe even different road profile cause he is from the bavarian country side and I am from the low lands ... without any hill or mountain and no serpentines ... the next major hill would be the dyke as we like to say even though we have hills that are called hills in maps but no one from Bavaria would recognice if you asked one looking around: Do you see that hill ? NNOOO of cause not , just 99 m high. Always depends on POV and how you use something and where and on your expectations and the BMW i3s looses that game due to its age and its missing BMW DNA.
@@BatteryLife "Just because "I" prefer something over something else, does not mean it is biased." That is the very definition of biased, alterchen. No word on quality of interior, or the fact that the dashboard of id3 looks like a budget i3... It almost sounded like you were paid by VAGina to deliver this piece. Also comparing a standard id3 with i3s is like comparing a standard Golf with a BMW M140i. Who is you trying to fool homie?
@@z00h “Alterchen”? Says more about you than him. If you don’t like his opinion, that’s fine. But you undermine your own argument when you get pejorative about it.
uh neither of these two cars compare against the Tesla. I would pass on both of them and go for a Tesla if I were shopping for a new car. If I were shopping for a used car, I would go with a chevy volt. I'm not sure why people opt for these inferior cars.
Because the Id.3 drives so much better! This is what the video is all about. Specs are not everything. I do not care that Tesla charge amazing, are very efficient, amazing software, when the drive is harsh and the steering wheel feel is not good.
Gimme a break. Model 3 has more noise, harsh ride, less room, steering feels like Playstation controller, very inconsistent panel gaps, random parts come off, paint is soft and thin, turning circle matches a river barge, door handles and windows do not work when icy, door seals leak water and wind, spartan interior looks cheap and rattles and creaks, only fake leather (yuck) seats available, auto wipers don't mostly work.. And it even costs more.
@@jansq2205 I would agree with you. Despite nice infotainment system and other cool features, Model 3 driving and steering didn‘t impress me at all. And that bumpy feeling on bad road. Now looking forward for ID3 test drive.
First time I see the inside of an i3. Read sooo many complaints on the ID.3 interior often mentioning that the i3 looks so much more premium. But my God, the interior of the i3 is ugly as sht! It looks like a budget car a teenager might like. Awful!
@@enriqueflorendo might be a matter of taste of course... but there soooo much going on in that interior. I really find it very ugly and extremely cheap looking. Adolescent.... wannabe interesting futuristic with all those buttons and details in different colours. It might be comfortable, but so is the ID.3 which is also more value for money and better looking on the outside imho.
@@kayz-art hmmm it’s minimal and sparse. Feels like a living room. I have the fully loaded one. The id3 looks like a VW slash fiat 500 that to me looks cheap.
@@kayz-art I have to agree with Enrique, I recently bought an i3 (with sports package) after testing most available options in Germany (also the ID3 and Corsa-e at 2019 IAA in Frankfurt) - the i3 is a low end premium car in almost every detail, whereas the Corsa is at the higher end of a budget car and the ID.3 was, to me, leagues lower than both... Like a cheap plastic toy. Now, I sold my 2011 Golf as I bought the i3 and had hoped that the ID3 would be the next generation Golf - not at all, where the Golf interior feels solid and we'll thought out, the ID3 has nothing but the VW logo to compare. At 45k€ list price and 26k€ final price (with discount and state+OEM incentives), the i3 is awesome as long as it meets your minimum req. I drive (pre-corona) 40k km per year and have also done a 2.000km winter vacation (around -10°C the whole time) with my son in it and it was completely hassle free! It even charges faster with its 45-50kW to 90% than my test with the Corsa with its "100kW" charging did..
Bud.please don't compare a volkswagen to a bmw. Bmw is the far better car. Compare vw to general motor cuz that's what it is. Ford's vauxhalls volvos . By the way your comparing a 2013 bmw against a 2022 volksshute
Owned both. Currently have a new i3. My ID3 was an early UK car and was riddled with glitches, software crashes and problems. The climate system blew freezing cold on one side and hot on the other. No way to fix it and in the end VW recalled the car to Germany because VW UK couldn't fix it. The touch screen systems are a pain in the neck and frankly can be unsafe to navigate whilst on the move. Once learned the BMW iDrive system is, whilst not perfect, without doubt the best infotainment system available - at any price.
I do agree with many of your observations; the ID3 is the more 'complete' car but for me there is something intangible, visionary and great about the BMW. You made no mention of the quality of interior fixtures and fittings - most of the plastics inside the VW are rather nasty and cheap looking and the fit of certain components is pretty poor, whereas the BMW is very classy, tasteful and high quality in almost every respect. I wish I'd had a better experience with the VW but it felt to me like it was a half finished product and was launched before they'd ironed out all the problems. Thanks for your videos!
The ID.3 is 500kg heavier than the i3, that will have a big impact on the feel.
Chris, this video is the most informitive of these two cars that I've seen.
I drive a BMW i3 120ah myself. Considering that the car was launched in 2013, I find that the car holds up surprisingly well in a market that is bursting with new electric cars. I have never driven a VW id.3. but I have sat in it, incredibly nice car you have!! :)
I like that comparison of those "soft-Specs". Now you have to do that with ID3 vs Tesla :)
Great comparison. Make this to be your standard on cars that you test (plus Racobe). Good work.
Thank you! This was incredible helpful and well made!
Tried the ID3 before purchasing the i3 and have never looked back, we love it.
I had lost money on id3? Muahahaha
Interesting. As someone who had an i3 (rex) for 3 years and now owns an id3, I have to agree about the ride. I think the VW feels far more stable and put it down to the narrow wheels on the BMW. I did feel the i3 was a bit more sporty though, with sharper acceleration - although the performance figures are very similar. What I do miss is the idrive, far superior to the ipad arrangement of the VW.
I've had my I3 now for two years and I must say I am incredibly happy with it. The range is good and the driving experience is incredible. 1 Pedal driving is absolutely awesome and the consumption is very low. I mostly get below 12.5kw/100km.
Awesome!
Great video!
This is a winning video format. Well done for coming up with it.
Thanks for the video but bmw i3 is a city car you can not compare it in many points, but that say I’m a bmw i3 owner and for me is a master piece of engineering and we talk about a car that was lunch I think 2013 or 2014 !! and still looks fresh today, many other cars copy i3 too. Anyway thanks for the video 👌😎
Interesting comparison
I love my BMW i3 the spec is great driving is smooth and the height is great for visibility. Driving at night especially is so great the lights are amazing and it’s a car that is ideal for me from size, height, easy to manoeuvre and park. I’ve tried the id3 it’s just looking like any other car, is low down, screen and programmes are poor. It is roomier if a family and a bigger boot but night driving is not so good lights don’t seem to give as good a range as the i3. If you want a car that is average looking as has a decent range handles ok but low and touchscreen poor but large inside and longer than an i3 go for the id3. But if you want a funky car luxurious inside, high spec, easy to drive, easy to turn and park with a decent range, high up visibility but a not too big size, I’d go for the BMW i3
I3 bmw is going to be ev icon in future.
Saw an ID.3 for the first time in my neighbourhood. It looks absolutely beautiful especially in white.
These cars have so much in common - comparison like this has lot of sense, appreciated.
Thanks for the video, I have now test drove both cars. They are both really good. I really can’t decide on which one I preferred the most, the BMW is considerably cheaper for me due to discounts……….hmmmmm???
Good advice. Drive, drive, drive before you buy.
Did you ever try the i3 - not the s version? Curious to know if it was softer in the suspension.
No, this is my first i3 to drive.
The i3s is more stable on the road, especially at higher speeds and in cross winds.
brake harder can be caused by disc brakes the BMW has and not the drum brakes in the back of the ID.3
Also weight makes it a lot harder for the ID.3
I figured out the color, it's Blue Ridge Mountain, not teal as you told me :)
I agree with u, it is Important to test over several hours. Though there is something to consider, the price. The i3 can be bought at discounted price, i paid 8ke lese than the equivalent id3.
We didn’t test drive ours at all, we might yet regret it 🙈
i3 also widely available used. The construction and simplicity should, in theory, make it a good used buy.
About the ride in the i3: what I experienced is that you need some time to get used to the nervousness of the steering in the i3, but after one-two weeks it get s much better
I have the opposite review, I own the BMW i3 2017 not S and it has much better steering feel than the id.3, didn't stop me ordering the id.3 tour 5 though. The setup on the id.3 58 Kwh is much more firm.
And that is ok. Different opinions
I have same opinion, i guess reporter got i3 with suspension error
loool schon ein zwei videos gesehen, aber nie gemerkt, dass du aus passau kommst😂
Thank you 2 RWD great cars We have had a BMW i3 33kw 2018 and love it but time to change our car? Tesla! VW id3 VW id4😁? Agree with every thing you said in your excellent review we are all different 2 different cars ! keep up the good work 😀Had a test drive in a Id4 lovely big comfortable suv to big and to cosy! so id3 great car love the size and style more involving to. But' We have just ordered our new BMW i3s we had a great deal with BMW and what sold it to us was always makes me smile driving it maybe because its not perfect? Shame BMW (composite construction cool) in the last few years have forgot about there little i3😥. Tesla just out of our beget! Thank you keep up the good work Buzz Knapp-Fisher
The I3 is more like the id1, would love a comparison between those cars.
Isn't the i3S (Sport) more stable on the motorway than the original i3?
The steer is also more precise than the original. Yes, the ride is harder because the suspension is stiffer and the motor is slightly more powerful.. The iD.3 is balanced better because its not a sporty ride.
I agree with you, I drove three i3s before I got the ID.3.
It is, BUT, I'm guessing he has winter tires equipped, which are the same as for the regular i3 and, at least to me, feels much less confident than the i3s summer tires.
The i3 has a very precise/direct input-to-output feel on the steering which can be unnerving if you are coming from a golf or something similar (a car with "stable straight ahead on the autobahn, despite you twitchy hands" kind of feel) - once you are used to it though, it is feels very solid! (Well, except for the side wind susceptibility :-) )
Hi Chris
Great review!
There is a CZcamsr in Norway who is almost totally focused on numbers, where Tesla does very well, but great to hear your review about subjective feel.
It is difficult to be objective about subjective impressions but most drivers are, or should be, more interested in how smoothly, quietly and responsively a car rides.
I was not expecting such a big contrast, however, the BMW engineers designed the i3 at a time when getting the most out of a small and, at that time, expensive battery was the main priority.
I am sure that the VW engineers drove and dismantled a BMW i3 and carefully considered which ideas to copy, like the gear selector, glass tsilgate and black roof, and how to improve the car.
I hope that VW will not wait too long to produce the dual motor AWD version, upgrade the interior to Golf quality and reduce battery heating consumption in the winter.
The i3 seems to have been neglected in terms of updating the tech. I drove an i3s for 3 days and agree about your comments. I will try an ID3 . Perhaps the GTi one!
Hi Chris, before my ID.3, I had three i3s. I always say that the ID.3 has more BMW genes than VW's. Whereby the i3s has terrible handling with winter wheels, no cornering and poor power transmission. Yes, the i3 is more of a city car, so the ID.3 is the more complete car. But the i3s (with summer tires) is a fun car and very efficient, especially in summer. Unfortunately, BMW slept through the further development of e-cars, which brought me to the ID.3, but which I have not regretted.
Dont agree that the i3 has terrible handling with winter weels. I drive the i3 on snow and ice here on Norway and it’s a good and fun car to drive.
I also can't confirm that the narrow winter tires would have traction problems.
At no time do I have the feeling of being unsafe on the road or not being able to control the power (perhaps the traction control intervenes imperceptibly). The narrow winter tires also showed me how little tire width is actually needed in everyday use. If you look at the wide tires that most cars use and thus generate more unnecessary consumption and rubber abrasion, then you can only congratulate BMW on this visionary concept.
80-90% of drivers don't really need more and for the remaining 19.9-9.9% I think the i3s with the slightly wider tires is a perfect compromise between ecology and driving fun (the remaining 0.1% belong the race course).
I also think the narrow winter tires are a wise decision, because increased contact pressure improves adhesion in slippery road conditions due to the smaller contact area. That's why rally cars drive with relatively narrow tires.
In the last decade, tires have not only become enormously larger, but above all abnormally wider. Of course, high-torque and significantly heavier e-cars need more contact area, but hasn't it been overdone with some cars?
Does every average car have to have tires nowadays that were only reserved for supercars 20 years ago? And that in times of speed limits and 30 zones.
The i3 was 30-40 years ahead of its time. Can you say the same about the ID3?
The i3s still is a perfect second hand electric vehicle. The battery is not really decaying since bmw did a very clever battery design and the software is easy to upgrade with non-bmw tools. Concerning the baseline of the video, that the ID3 is far better more or less everywhere - I'm really not that sure. I've seen many people upgrading from the zoe, I3 or asian hybrids to the ID3, early adopters wanting an "up to date" and "real" electric car, and all of them were not satisfied with the ID3. For different reasons - build quality, boring interieur, software issues, missing tech/assistants but ride quality and overall performance as well. At least one very close friend even returned to an I3s for the overall better build quality.
You have to drive the i3s in Sport mode to get instant response of the accelerator
I did try that.
My next car might be an I3 but only with REX.
I can't believe VW did a RWD, I heard some people use wheel spacers on their I3 to gain stability at speed, obviously the model you have is firmer than the standard I3 but maybe you don't like the feel of a light car in general.
The physical specs of an BMW i3s is almost identical to a 1978 Porsche 911 SC. (except top speed).
The BMW is made of aluminium and "plastic" just like a supercar. The iD3 is made of rust waiting to develop..
It was the BMW I3/I8 team that was headhunted to VW when BMW changed management and slowed down on BEV cars. They then developed the ID.3. They have now left VW again. BMW has in the meantime been lobbying for PHEV with great success. For the time being. 2021 will be a exiting BEV year in Europe
They must have hated one pedal driving to remove it from their next effort ID.3. ;-)
That is also the reason why the ID.3 has so many BMW genes.
Where did they go after VW?
@@timmurphy5541 Christian Senger previously at BMW (from 2010 he was responsible for the product concepts of the i3 and i8. In 2012, Senger switched to the supplier Continental and was in charge of the development of future technologies for everything to do with autonomous driving and electric mobility. In 2016, he finally joined Volkswagen and has been responsible for Development of the modular electrification kit (MEB). Now at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Head of the Autonomous Driving Division.
@@karl-heinzoehling483 thanks!
i3 only makes sense as a second hand purchase. Massive depreciation - nearly half in a couple of years in the UK
Interesting... I drove both cars and I like the feel of the BMW more
That is totally fine. Everyone is different.
What do you guys think of the ID3 ca the eGolf? After this review it’s confirmed my feeling that my EV transition will not be with BMW 😔
Maybe newer bmw will be better.
I prefer seating position in Id.3 and power distribution.
eGolf has better regen, less range, charges slower, more buttons, no SOC.
@@BatteryLife thank you very much
Love the I3 despite ride characteristics, but the real dealbreaker; entire ID range menu system feels like a botched job, meanwhile BMW idrive was superiour even 10 years ago..
On a lease deal the id3 is twice the price of an i3. BMW have cheap end of model leases with exceptionally low interest rates at the moment so the i3 is hard to beat. I will probably upgrade our family car to an id4. The i3 is our city car. I don’t know what most people are talking about with the steering being jittery. It’s no different to any other small car I’ve driven.
old tech v/s today tech the beamer is around for quite a while now and it shows clearly is age.
You really should take into consideration that the i3 is eight (8!) years old by now.. .. Even I don’t think it is at all, the Id3 ought to be superior in every aspect just because of that...
Bmw i3 was far ahead of it’s time when it launched, and if you look into the construction of it, it still is in so many ways... only some of the Tesla models come close... use of carbon fiber, aluminium, interior, tech.... a real masterpiece If you ask me. (I have two of them, so I’m biased as well 🤣)
The Id3... well... I guess its a great car too. 😏
When it comes to the driving feel, i do not think it is about how old the i3 is.
Bmw just wanted a different feeling.
I prefer the VW, but other people might like the i3 more.
@@BatteryLife Agree :)
Yes I agree he BMW i3 suspension is unacceptable..
I love my i3S (one year old from new 10,000 miles now) and would lease another in a heartbeat, but it is unlikely to be in production in two years time. So even after 8 years and 125 new EVs nothing even comes close in this class. Most have pathetic performance, are front wheel drive or both. So I was interested in seeing this review but sadly the id3 performance plus is .. too heavy therefore too slow and I just couldn’t live with the antique infotainment system. Next
Unfair comparison, since the cars are quite different, specially the weight. The i3 has been many years in the market, so much in fact the dieselgate was not even in the radar back then. The i3 is still special but it was flawed specially ride wise from the off so it´s obvious that newer cars were going to beat from the start. Once said that, tell me how the id3 will fell and age on 8 years? I guess, not that well
Thanks for the comparison. Your summary of the i3 reflects my test drive experience. I think BMW put too much emphasis on rolling resistance and made the tyres far too narrow. This did a lot to destroy the driving feel. BMW should have done a major update to the i3, widen and lower slightly to allow wider tyres to be fitted and stabilise the ride. I would also like to see opening rear windows and either change to rear doors to conventional opening or adjust the mechanism so the rear doors can open independent of the front doors. Also electrically operated seats would be nice. I also think BMW should have added or improved self steering to get more to an autopilot system. As a very early EV the i3 was out there and in many ways brilliant but critically flawed because of the narrow tyres.
I wish we had the ID.3 in the USA. I tried the ID.4 and came away cold. Not an interesting car.
Warum schnodderst du net auf niederboarisch?? Dei Englisch is echt guad!
VW is normal, when you put your foot down it has a late reaction. My golf did the same.
Id.3 is not late.
for 3 hours i drove the id3. The recuperation is too week and "One Pedal Drive" is not possible.
That is true.
BMW has not progressed much with all electric vehicles since it introduced the I3
They are falling behind with the transition to all electric vehicles.
Nissan made the same mistake with the Leaf. They made the first mass-market EV then took a lazy approach.
ID3 will rust over time, need rust protection. i3 is made like NASA spaceship with new tec carbon fiber and aluminum, look at it after 200000km
Yes, BMW i3s is the best! 👍👍👍
My i3 doesn't steer too heavy at all 🤷♂️
The VW steers extremely light, but not too light 😆
I wouldn't swap my 2016 i3 for a brand new ID3
If you have seen 1 you have seen them all
Including the cheap plastic interior.
The ID3 is an apliance, like a toaster.
The i3 is just something else.
in Denmark The Press just have revealed that id3 was made in a hurry and is filled with software errors, so vw have taken them back :-)
Meh, it's comparison between sport and comfort car. So yeah. Also, don't forget about the interior. Everything feels very solid and luxurious on the i3s. The id3 is super boring on the inside. It looks like a hospital. I feel very much in control with the steering and it's lots of fun to drive it.
So the Volkswagen ID3 gives you more joy to drive ( Freude am Fahren, the german BMW slogan) than the BMW i3! And therefore is the real "ultimate driving machine" ( the BMW US slogan) :)
Bmw always favour sportiness it’s just he favours comfort.
Test drove the vw id3 and in my humble opinion it's just a piece of shit feels incredible cheap inside the drive experience is horrible and ending buying a 2018 with 50k on it and I do not regret my decision.
I don't know how you can compare an ID 3 (average car) with an i3 (sport car)? Don't compare an apple with an orange.
Today I review my own car and tell everyone why it’s the best. Lol
Even though it is my own car. I can still be objective. Maybe you can't, but I can ;)
Let me guess ... i3s > id3 ?
You are so mean sometimes :( ;)
Gilles’s (almost) never mean!
Are you crying Chris? ... Thx @caro ;)
Correct, same people behind both cars
OK If money and range does not metter, than i am OK with you, otherwise Not. So If money does not metter i would Drive a tycan Turbo s or a model x or y.😁
Of course money and range matters.
But 100km more range for the same price are not great if it drives in a way you do not like. If there are cars out there which have enough range for you and drive better.
@@BatteryLife OK for me ist Importamt: less money wtih maximum Features and quick loading Speed, result ID 3 ,mit BMW i3 !!!!
Vw is hugest regret to buy.
ID3 is better than BMW😂. ID3 designwise is an absolutely desaster. And drivewise its a small and way to heavy car. What BMW did 11 years ago is still one of the best ans classiest Cars in the EV segment. It is and will allways be a classic. VW is the Company that causes the Diesel Scandal. I will never buy a car from them.
Bmw is better since 2013
I thinkg bmw i3s is the most comfort car, all think u say about id3, its on bmw, wv pay u 😎 swag
Drive them both. Id.3 is way more comfortable.
Id3 Interior is abysmal. Can’t believe they thought it was ok. Seat quality and materials are so cheap. No rear speakers! The 90s called and wants their spec sheet back. Need the I3 interior in the ID3.
I think you want a secure, dull feeling. This is not what BMWs are for.
ID.3 on any day.
How can Bmw get this so wrong. Everything is just below par. I’m looking for an electric car and through my own research I’ve come up with the same conclusion. BMW are missing a huge trick because I’d love a wee i3s but it’s just not good enough 😞
And the best thing is that the ID.3 doesn’t have them stupid rear doors.
Thanks for the Video and the comparison.i3 looks old already. BMW is outdated imho.
ID3 is a software nightmare, just a cheap and bad copy of the I3.
I absolutely can not let this review stand this guy has absolutely no clue about cars ! ( my credentials class 1 car transporter) witch means I have driven every car near on at every trim level and chucked them on a lorry in 9s 10s and 11s so I'd say I know what am on about .
Bmw i3 and the Id3 are both town cars or very occasionally big day out but they separate massively on how good they are to live with . Bwm i3 is fast as ! Compared to the id3. The bmw handles better but not by much the big difference is the i3 steering is letting you know everything to the point if ur zooming about it dose feel wobbly and nervous its not a sports car . The id3 is the same handling wise only difference is steering is dead no idea what the wheels are doing. Both have understeer in harsh cornering rwd and short wheel base its a guarantee.
For me the i3 would win every day , cheaper, lighter , faster, cooler imo , and the country could have a powercut and you can just use the rex and laugh at every id3 owner who can't go anywhere . Build quality is much better in the i3 too it was a ground up design and all in house at bmw I seen a tare down of the i3 it was fascinating a very very well designed and engineered car (for example bowing teamed up with bmw to make the carbon fiber plastic weave that the cars made out of like its ridiculous thats fararrie lambo lotous spec kit on a wee bmw ). The id3 is like a cheap copy , it's good but you know its a knock off . If you just can't decide beetween them then I will guide you choose the i3 because the car is better but bmw dealerships have the second best coffies . Range rover jaguar have the best coffies but there coffee machine is more reliable than there 100k cars soooo 😅
IT'S EVERYTHING TO DO WITH THE SPEC !!!! ou spend so much time driving, WHY put up with the cheap + nasty VW people's car cheap nasty plastic with ' finger-marking-easy scratch " shiny cheap plastic ! BMW are renowned for Super-High Quality, real wood, real quality leather and ultra-high tech build. YES .....IT'S EVERYTHING TO DO WITH THE SPEC !
No, it is about the driving feel, who cares about materials? ;)
Might as well buy a Tesla instead of a new Id3.
Or bmw i3 used and save some money. 🤷🏻♂️
What if the Tesla is not what you want ;)
@@BatteryLife with pros and cons for the id3 and the Tesla. I dont think Tesla's cons are enough to decide on a id3.
What would be a legit reason to take id3 over Tesla?
Tesla more range, more chargers, performance, better infotainment, and word is it swims too lol
These ev's are nice but sorry way way too expensive ev pricing needs to get real
The i3s is the superior car. The VW is like a cheap piece of plastic.
Not driving wise though.
@@BatteryLife actually it very much depends on the type of driving you do. In the city the i3s is unbeatable. In Well to do parts of London these cars are everywhere. The id3 doesn't get a look in.
I disagree with this video completely
...and that is ok. It is just my opinion.
@@BatteryLife Yes that is fine
Sounds like a very unbiased review... not.
Just because "I" prefer something over something else, does not mean it is biased.
He had described the moments and feelings pretty precisely at least for those who had been driving both of these cars.
The major issue with the BMW i3 is not only its date but its development goals that were far away from the BMW heritage, it is the quite opposite to what you would expect from any BMW since 1980 ... and it must be disappointing for any BMW owner to switch to the i3 ...
Have you watched the video with his wifes and her opinion about the ID.3 back then in last year and last week about i3s ?
She talks about this car but straight from the heart and from different povs ... and she gaves nothing for a car unless it drives ... it is a car for her.
Get this BMW and drive around the countryside and into the city and you will be damned disappointed how in the hell BMW could deliver such a car ... And he even founds some factors that he is missing in the ID.3 and the i3s has to offer.
Finally: he had never promised to give an unbiassed review cause he had promised a comparison of soft skills beyond the data sheet which we call popometer or bud meter, things only a driver can feel and describe but would not fit in a datasheet. The main goal of this video was to encourage people to drive all cars someone might really buy before making a decision on facts only ... and that goal has been achieved.
Why? caue the difference of these 2 cars are so tall that everyone would recognice it ... I can live with the fact that he owns the ID.3 and might be happy and I love to hear his thoughts about another car.
You will experience pretty much the same if you drive an ID.3 for 4 weeks and then drive with the ID.3 next to an ID.4 and compare both cars in every aspect. Both cars from same manufacturer and development team and same plant but quite a huge difference even though a lot closer to each other.
As he always has told he does not need the space and size and therefore prefers the ID.3 but I like to hear his thoughts even though I do not agree with all the points he makes due to different experiences or maybe even different road profile cause he is from the bavarian country side and I am from the low lands ... without any hill or mountain and no serpentines ... the next major hill would be the dyke as we like to say even though we have hills that are called hills in maps but no one from Bavaria would recognice if you asked one looking around: Do you see that hill ? NNOOO
of cause not , just 99 m high. Always depends on POV and how you use something and where and on your expectations and the BMW i3s looses that game due to its age and its missing BMW DNA.
@@BatteryLife "Just because "I" prefer something over something else, does not mean it is biased."
That is the very definition of biased, alterchen. No word on quality of interior, or the fact that the dashboard of id3 looks like a budget i3... It almost sounded like you were paid by VAGina to deliver this piece.
Also comparing a standard id3 with i3s is like comparing a standard Golf with a BMW M140i. Who is you trying to fool homie?
@@typxxilps What drugs were you on? Bitte calmen Sie down jetzt.
@@z00h “Alterchen”? Says more about you than him.
If you don’t like his opinion, that’s fine. But you undermine your own argument when you get pejorative about it.
This reporter doesnt know what he is talking, bmw is no brainer buy, id3 vw is for old boomers
Bmw fanboy
@@BatteryLife if u can’t handle f-22 it, it won’t become worse fighter jet.
uh neither of these two cars compare against the Tesla. I would pass on both of them and go for a Tesla if I were shopping for a new car. If I were shopping for a used car, I would go with a chevy volt. I'm not sure why people opt for these inferior cars.
Because the Id.3 drives so much better!
This is what the video is all about.
Specs are not everything. I do not care that Tesla charge amazing, are very efficient, amazing software, when the drive is harsh and the steering wheel feel is not good.
Gimme a break. Model 3 has more noise, harsh ride, less room, steering feels like Playstation controller, very inconsistent panel gaps, random parts come off, paint is soft and thin, turning circle matches a river barge, door handles and windows do not work when icy, door seals leak water and wind, spartan interior looks cheap and rattles and creaks, only fake leather (yuck) seats available, auto wipers don't mostly work.. And it even costs more.
@@jansq2205 I would agree with you. Despite nice infotainment system and other cool features, Model 3 driving and steering didn‘t impress me at all. And that bumpy feeling on bad road. Now looking forward for ID3 test drive.
First time I see the inside of an i3. Read sooo many complaints on the ID.3 interior often mentioning that the i3 looks so much more premium. But my God, the interior of the i3 is ugly as sht! It looks like a budget car a teenager might like. Awful!
Interior of i3 is really nice. Sit in one. The seats are also really comfortable.
@@enriqueflorendo might be a matter of taste of course... but there soooo much going on in that interior. I really find it very ugly and extremely cheap looking. Adolescent.... wannabe interesting futuristic with all those buttons and details in different colours. It might be comfortable, but so is the ID.3 which is also more value for money and better looking on the outside imho.
@@kayz-art hmmm it’s minimal and sparse. Feels like a living room. I have the fully loaded one. The id3 looks like a VW slash fiat 500 that to me looks cheap.
@@enriqueflorendo than we disagree 😁
The I3 looks extremely busy and cheap to me... The ID.3 looks clean and high end to me.
@@kayz-art I have to agree with Enrique, I recently bought an i3 (with sports package) after testing most available options in Germany (also the ID3 and Corsa-e at 2019 IAA in Frankfurt) - the i3 is a low end premium car in almost every detail, whereas the Corsa is at the higher end of a budget car and the ID.3 was, to me, leagues lower than both... Like a cheap plastic toy. Now, I sold my 2011 Golf as I bought the i3 and had hoped that the ID3 would be the next generation Golf - not at all, where the Golf interior feels solid and we'll thought out, the ID3 has nothing but the VW logo to compare.
At 45k€ list price and 26k€ final price (with discount and state+OEM incentives), the i3 is awesome as long as it meets your minimum req.
I drive (pre-corona) 40k km per year and have also done a 2.000km winter vacation (around -10°C the whole time) with my son in it and it was completely hassle free! It even charges faster with its 45-50kW to 90% than my test with the Corsa with its "100kW" charging did..
The i3 is an awful car and I love BMWs. The ID3 is a no brainer out of the two.
Bud.please don't compare a volkswagen to a bmw. Bmw is the far better car. Compare vw to general motor cuz that's what it is. Ford's vauxhalls volvos
. By the way your comparing a 2013 bmw against a 2022 volksshute