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Facelifted BMW i3 revealed
Date: 29 August 2017 | Author: Daniel Puddicombe
BMW has revealed a facelifted version of its i3 electric vehicle ahead of its debut at the Frankfurt motor show next month.
Set to go on sale in November, the refreshed i3 is powered by a 33kW/h motor with an official maximum range of 186 miles, although the German brand said that 125 miles was a more realistic real-world range.
As with the current model, a range-extender engine is available as an option, while BMW is also introducing a sportier version. Called the i3s, it has a more powerful motor, sports suspension that lowers the ground clearance by 10mm, a wider track and different alloy wheels.
As part of the facelift, the exterior of the vehicle has received minor updates with the front and rear aprons being restyled, while the car gains all-LED headlights.
Inside, both models come with a larger infotainment system than before and BMW says the voice recognition software has also been improved compared with the current version. The media and sat-nav system includes an on-street parking information search service for the first time, while public charging point information can be displayed on the map.
The i3 is also equipped with parking assistant and traffic jam assistance features; an optional parking assistance package is also available.
This package includes parking distance control and a reversing camera, while the Driving Assistant Plus suite of tools incorporates collision and pedestrian warning with city braking function, speed limit information and an active cruise control tool.
The standard i3 costs from £34,070, the i3 range extender from £37,220, the sporty i3s from £36,975 and the i3s range extender from £40,125. The all-electric versions emit nothing, while the range-extender emits between 13-15g/km of CO2 depending on the version. All four versions sit in the lowest benefit-in-kind tax bracket.
