BMW details Australian i3 pricing

BMW Australia’s refreshed i3 electric hatchback will hit dealerships from January next year with a slight price increase and a new sportier ‘S’ variant that doubles the model grade offerings.

Pricing now starts from $68,700 plus on-road costs for the fully electric entry-level i3 with the i3 Range extender increasing to $74,700, representing an increase of $700 apiece over the outgoing versions.

Opting for the i3s over the standard i3 and i3 Range Extender adds $1200 to the price.

As previously reported, the i3 uses the 125kW/250Nm electric motor package that includes a 94Ah high-voltage battery, ensuring a driving range of 300km on the NEDC cycle, or 200km of everyday use, according to BMW.

Those buyers concerned about running out of charge have the option of the Range Extender, which includes a 28kW two-cylinder petrol engine that boosts range by 130km.

Electric power consumption runs between 13.6 and 13.1kWh per 100km, depending on options.

BMW has upped the fun factor for the new i3s, which gains a sportier version of the same electric motor package and an upgraded drive system with modified motor control and variant-specific taper roller bearings provide a further boost to power delivery.

Power and torque are up by 10kW/20Nm over the regular i3 to 135kW/270Nm, while the top speed is up 10km/h to 160km/h and the 0-100km/h sprint is over in 6.9 seconds as opposed to 7.3s in the base i3.

The i3s consumes 14.3kWh/100km and the electric range is 280km on the NEDC cycle and 200km for everyday use.

Emphasising the sportiness of the i3s is standard sports suspension that drops the ride height by 10mm compared with the standard car, while also gaining specially designed springs, dampers, anti-roll bars and a 40mm wider track.

The i3s has a Sport driving mode, controlled via the Driving Experience Control switch that brings on quicker accelerator response and sharper steering.

Both the i3 and i3s gain an improved, faster acting version of the Dynamic Stability Control system that has a “globally unique” form of wheel speed limiting that makes for better directional stability under hard acceleration and on the overrun with regenerative braking.

BMW says it has improved traction on wet roads with the Dynamic Traction Control mode that boosts agility at higher speeds and during cornering, “even allowing mild and safely controllable drifts when grip levels are reduced”.

The updated i3, which was revealed at this year’s Frankfurt motor show, gains styling tweaks over the original, including two new colours – Melbourne Red and Imperial Blue – a restyled front end, chrome strip running along the width of the rear and LED headlights as standard.

The i3s has 20-inch double spoke light alloy wheels in either Jet Black or Bicolour finish.

Inside, the i3 gains the ‘Lodge’ cabin theme as standard, which features new Solaric Brown seat covers and some natural leather, but buyers can opt for the ‘Loft’ interior theme as a no-cost option.

The ‘Suite’ line adds full natural leather upholstery.

All i3 variants come standard with BMW’s iDrive6 infotainment operating system, with Navigation Professional and a 10.25-inch Control Display with increased resolution as well as improved voice recognition that allows for faster and more precise spoken instructions.

BMW has included wireless Apple CarPlay as an option.

The BMW i ConnectedDrive system is also offered which includes functions tailored to electric mobility. It includes digital on-street parking info working with real time traffic information, while public charging stations are also displayed on the nav map.

The i3 comes standard with a Type 2 charging system but it can accept three-phase AC charging as well.

So far this year, BMW has sold 106 i3s in Australia, representing a 37.7 per cent increase over the same period last year. Since its launch in late 2014, the car-maker has found 381 homes for the i3.

2018 BMW i3 pricing*

i3 BEV (a)	$68,700
i3 REx (a)	$74,700
i3s BEV (a)	$69,900
i3s REx (a)	$75,900

*Excludes on-road costs