BMW’s electric i3 50 xDrive reached 62 mph in 4.4 seconds in an Autobahn review that Dutch channel AutoTopNL published on November 10, three tenths quicker than BMW’s own figure. Max, the channel’s reviewer, drove the car for a week. He praised the range and the cabin quality, called it a well-executed car, and still said it doesn’t drive like a BMW.
His word for the handling was “wobbly.” The test car had the M Sport package and optional 20-inch wheels, but it rode on passive dampers. The i3 is the electric version of the new 3 Series, and BMW opened U.S. reservations in September for deliveries in the first quarter of 2027.
BMW’s U.S. configurator now lists the car at $61,500, and it has an adaptive suspension on the options list for $950.
The i3 50 Ran 0 to 62 MPH Three Tenths Quicker Than BMW Says
AutoTopNL’s launch-control run took 4.4 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph), against the 4.7 seconds BMW publishes for the European i3 50 xDrive. The car’s two motors make 345 kW (463 hp) and 476 lb-ft (645 Nm), and BMW limits it to 124 mph (200 km/h).
That limiter spoiled the channel’s usual 100 to 200 km/h test. It cut in before the car reached 200, so Max counted the run by hand in the video and put it at 10 to 11 seconds.
The dashboard showed far less range than the rating. BMW rates the M Sport car at 514 to 566 miles on Europe’s WLTP cycle. Max’s fully charged car showed 385 miles (619 kilometers) on a 41°F (5°C) morning with a cold battery, after a week of his driving. BMW’s U.S. estimate is 446 to 468 miles, from its own tests under EPA procedures. Max gave the battery as 115 kWh, and BMW’s technical data lists 108.7 kWh.
The Test Car Rode on Passive Dampers and Felt Floaty in Fast Corners
Max called the i3 comfortable and quiet in daily driving and loose when pushed. He said the front axle felt strange, the body was not stable in fast corners, and Sport mode changed little because his car’s dampers don’t adjust. The steering, brakes and throttle all earned his praise.
“It doesn’t feel like a proper BMW to me handling wise,” he said near the end of the drive. He blamed the weight. BMW’s European data sheet puts the i3 50 xDrive at 2,280 kilograms (5,027 pounds), and BMW USA lists a curb weight of 4,960 pounds. By Max’s count that is about 350 kilograms (770 pounds) more than the gas-powered M350.
Max said he didn’t think adaptive dampers were available yet. BMW USA does list Adaptive M Suspension as available on the i3, and BMWBLOG’s read of the U.S. pricing guide puts it at $950 on top of a required M Sport package, which costs $2,000 or $3,200. The configurator showed a starting MSRP of $61,500 when I checked it on November 10, before the $1,350 destination charge.
EVXL’s own Neue Klasse drive went the other way. In a first drive of the iX3 50 xDrive published October 6, Damien Kesteloo barely felt its 5,154 pounds in corners, though that was a dealer test drive in New York and not a week on the Autobahn.
A Frozen Screen Took Most of the i3’s Controls With It
The i3’s central display froze during Max’s walkaround, and nearly every function in the car runs through it. He first tried locking the car. The screen came back after he held the volume button down, a reset he found online that takes 30 to 70 seconds.
The retracting door handles also annoyed him. They pop out when the driver walks up with the key, but when he was already standing at the car they sometimes stayed in, and he had to press one three times.
The cabin itself got good marks. Max said the switchgear and materials are a clear step up from the 5 Series he criticized at its launch, and the menus in BMW’s new operating system are easier to follow than before. He called the Panoramic Vision strip a gimmick and cleared its widgets. Damien reached a different verdict in the iX3, where the windshield display was the one screen he never had to look for.
The feature Max liked most is a routine the driver can save that switches off the speed limit warning and lane keeping at the start of every drive. His overall verdict was that BMW did a good job and that many buyers will like the i3 as a business sedan.
EVXL’s Take
I’d wait for a review of an i3 on the Adaptive M Suspension before putting $1,000 down. I drive an M340i xDrive, and the way a 3 Series handles is the reason to buy one over everything else in the class. Max’s car was a European one on passive dampers, so his verdict covers that setup and nothing else. He blamed the weight, and a $950 option doesn’t take any weight out of the car.
BMW’s first U.S. cars arrive early next year. The first American reviews should say which suspension the car rode on, and I’d read them for that before anything else.
Sources: AutoTopNL, BMW USA, BMW UK, BMWBLOG
EVXL uses automated tools to support research and source retrieval. All reporting and editorial perspectives are by Haye Kesteloo.
