At the 2017 Frankfurt Auto Show, BMW presented the much anticipated 2018 BMW i3 Facelift showing off the new updates to keep the i3 fresh. The biggest cosmetic changes come to the front and rear clips. Gone are oval turn signal indicators on the front bumper, replaced with more sleek looking horizontal LEDs. The air inlets on the front have also been reworked. Updates to the rear are more subtle and softened lines on the back giving a more traditional look to the rear fender taper.
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New exterior colors are offered for 2018 are Imperial Blue Metallic and Melbourne Red Metallic. Starting with the A-Pillar back along the roof edge, the matching body colored paint has been replaced by frozen grey. New interior colors are Giga Brown Natural Leather and Carum Spice Grey Cloth. Electronics have been updated to the most current iDrive 6.0, 2 LED screens, and touch pad on the iDrive controller. ConnectedDrive has been recently updated and now offers the ability to check the level of i3 charge on your Apple Watch.
LED headlights now come standard for both low and high beams. LEDs use to only be optional on low beam settings, pushing many i3 owners to source LED bulbs for the high beams on the aftermarket.
BMW chose not to update the i3’s electric range last year from 114 miles with 33 kWh 94 Ah battery pack and still offers a Range Extender Version with a max range of 180 miles. Mercifully, the 22 kWh battery the i3 launched with has been discontinued.
When it was introduced as a 2014, the BMW i3 became the first mass market Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic automobile. According to BMW over 83,000 have been sold since launch. With the LCI, Life Cycle Impulse, BMW speak for mid-cycle update, BMW sets the i3 up to stay fresh in an ever changing electric car market.
We expect it to be on sale by the end of the year. BMW says pricing will be announced closer to delivery dates.
Range extender great idea especially a low cost 2 cylinder motorcycle engine. If they increased range by use of a 40 kWh battery, probably more sales and RE not needed. Ranges are deceiving as with AC use and hills can really burn up the juice. Most people charge at home and 112 miles is fine if you do not live in Arizona where freeway driving and AC is something to worry about. Public charging, even fast D.C. Charging is still 3 times slower than Tesla’s private superchargers. The auto companies must work on faster charging and make it more available like Tesla chargers. Again, 95% of people are fine with the convenience of their home chargers. Most people fly on vacations or you could rent a car on a trip!
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