The i3 is only a four-seater, but despite being a relatively short car, it has plenty of space inside, at least for those in the front. A cool design touch, the rearward opening back doors are nice in theory, but make getting in and out quite awkward, as you have to prise the front door ajar to get access to the cramped rear seats. Anyone sitting behind a tall driver will find the room in the back considerably less generous than in similarly priced rivals like the
Audi A3 e-tron.
A turning circle of less than 10 metres means the i3 is easy to manoeuvre through even the most congested city streets, but the question on many people’s lips will be whether the i3 drives like a ‘real’ BMW. The simple answer is that it does: with rear-wheel drive, a low centre of gravity and even weight distribution, it’s very well balanced. It will happily cruise at the legal limit on the motorway, too, and although you’re conscious of wind noise from around the door mirrors, that’s more because of the lack of engine noise than any fundamental lack of refinement. If there is a drawback, it’s the shortage of ride comfort, because the car feels rather jittery on bumpy surfaces, especially at low speed on the kind of city streets that most i3s will call home. The steering is also rather light and the weighting can be oddly inconsistent, which can take some getting used to. Still, it's fast and accurate enough to give the driver confidence when cornering,
BMW hasn’t forgotten the basics, either: the driver has a good forward view out and plenty of adjustment in the driving position. However, the small rear window and massive rear-pillars mean reversing can be tricky, and the i3 feels bigger than it actually is when reversing into a tight spot, making it a good job rear parking sensors are now standard.