It’s hard not to have a bit of a soft spot for the original BMW i3. Its quirky hatchback design, cutting-edge carbon fiber monocoque, and way-ahead-of-its-time range-extender EV powertrain were so appealing to our own David Tracy that he bought one. And he loved that car so much that he bought another one, which he still owns.
BMW killed off the lovable i3 hatch in 2022, and ever since, we’ve been hoping BMW would offer some kind of replacement. Sadly, nothing from the brand emerged … until now … kinda.
Today, the German luxury carmaker has finally announced the i3’s return. But it’s not a hatchback with funky looks and a space-age chassis construction. And, more importantly, it doesn’t have any kind of available range-extender tech. Instead, it’s a sedan that’ll be sold purely as an EV, adopting the company’s “Neue Klasse” design scheme first seen on the iX3 launched back in September. It uses that car’s underpinnings too, and because of that, it has a whole lot of range.
Going The Distance
BMW’s New Class architecture isn’t just a new design approach—it’s new underneath, too. The underfloor battery powertrain uses an 800-volt architecture, which unlocks more efficient, faster charging. BMW estimates it can DC fast-charge at up to 400 kW, while the company’s “Gen6” cylindrical cells can squeeze out 30 percent more range than before.
Spec-wise, the i3 50 xDrive, the launch trim, is mechanically identical to its iX3 sibling. There are two electric motors, one at the front and another at the rear. Combined, they make the same 463 horsepower and 476 pound-feet of torque. BMW doesn’t list a battery size, but considering output is unchanged, it’s likely that the i3 is getting the same 112.2-kWh battery pack.
Because the i3 is a smaller, lighter car, BMW says it can get an estimated 440 miles of range out of its battery pack, going by EPA cycle testing. That’s 10% more range than the iX3. Should the i3 score that well in official EPA estimates, that range would make it the 5th-highest-range EV on sale in America right now. If you exclude all the heavy electric SUVs and their gigantic battery packs, the i3 would be second only to the Lucid Air Grand Touring, which still leads the segment at 512 miles of range.
A lot of that has to do with the big pack. As far as efficiency goes, the i3 works out to around 3.9 miles per kWh, or a tiny bit less efficient than the new Chevy Bolt. The Lucid Air Pure, the cheapest version of the Air you can buy, still has the industry beat by a long shot, with its 5.0 miles per kWh (it’s able to get 420 miles out of just 84 kWh). Still, 440 miles is damn impressive, and could end up as a big selling point for customers who can’t get rid of their range anxiety.
BMW’s New Face, On A Sedan
When the iX3 dropped in September, Autopian commenters had mixed opinions. Some of you liked it, and some of you didn’t like it. However you felt about that car, you’ll likely feel the same way about this one. The fascias aren’t exactly the same; the i3 is missing the two small vertically shaped grilles found on the iX3, with a more streamlined set that incorporates the headlights on either end. The grille has its own illuminated outline, while the black portions of the panels hide front-facing sensors.
Proportionally, the i3 is classic 3-box sedan-shaped (BMW calls it “a 2.5-box design” on account of its short rear overhang). In the rear, you’ll find a set of thin, long, horizontally positioned taillights that stretch to the center of the trunklid, and flare out as they reach the rear bumper area. Unsurprisingly, the car looks a lot like the Vision Neue Klasse concept shown over two years ago, down to the general greenhouse shape.
I always try to reserve judgment until I see cars in person, but personally, first impressions are good. BMW’s done a good job incorporating the black portions of the side sills to hide the extra height added by the batteries, and the flared fenders do a good job of making the i3 feel at least a little bit sporty. The front end, with its furled eyebrow-like upper bumper and hood section, isn’t exactly beautiful, but it’s certainly interesting. And in a world where designers are constantly restricted by crash safety and aerodynamics, “interesting” is often the most you can hope for.
The Weirdest Parts Are Inside
As jarring as the exterior design can be for some, the interior is an even larger evolution. Gone is the instrument cluster, replaced by a gigantic head-up display that spans the entire lower portion of the windshield. Called “Panoramic Vision,” it’s a full-color screen that shows the things you’d normally see in a gauge cluster, like speed, turn signals, transmission position, and speed limit.
For everything else, there’s the rhombus-shaped infotainment screen in the center of the dash. It measures 17.9 inches and contains most of the controls you care about, including all of the controls for the HVAC system, which are permanent fixtures at the bottom portion of the screen. Thankfully, stuff like the volume scroll knob, parking brake, hazard lights, and defrost buttons are still physical and located forward of the center console.
There are also buttons on the steering wheel, which borrows its fascinating vertical two-spoke design from the iX3. There are some generous moldings for where to put your thumbs, too, and a handful of glossy metal accents embedded throughout. If you like a clean, simple, circular three-spoke design, this is the opposite of that.
If there’s one thing that connects the new i3 to the original, it’s the size of the front trunk. The original i3, infamously, has an absolutely tiny trunk that wasn’t even sealed from the elements. While the new i3’s frunk looks like it does have a weather seal, it doesn’t look like it’s measurably increased in size, despite the car’s length growing by nearly 30 inches.
BMW has yet to release pricing for the iX3 and the i3 sedan, though the crossover is expected to start at around $60,000, so I have to imagine the i3 will be priced similarly because, again, they’re mostly the same car underneath.
Am I totally off-base here? The internet hated how the current M3 and M4 look, yet those cars still fly off the lots as soon as they arrive. Something tells me it might be the same with these cars, especially considering these range numbers. Let me know in the comments.
Top graphic image: BMW
Any one here, who would still call this a bimmer?
More like a bummer.
This looks more like an evolution of the Volvo S60 that the 3 Series, but I don’t hate it. That steering wheel, though … Hard no.
It’s going the distance, but is it going for speed?
Love me some Cake. 🙂
You’re singing to an audience here that would strongly prefer an MG, or even a Chrysler Lebaron convertible.
Outside? Fine. Inside? Ugly as heck. Hard pass.
I tend to agree. The exterior is an improvement over the concept (and some of BMW’s current production models) in that it has a nice shape and decent proportions. The front and rear detailing seem a little too ‘EVish’ to me… like BMW is trying too hard to make sure folks know this isn’t a 3 series from the late 90s/early oughts (as if being mistaken for something from BMW’s prime would be bad). The interior is a bit much TBH… while it’s not as awful as some contemporary Mercedes with their Russian nightclub/whorehouse motif, it’s not really all that nice either. A giant screen, no physical instruments, just a handful of actual buttons, and a giant color HUD. Is that what being the ‘ultimate driving machine’ now means? 🙁
BMW sold 220,000 original i3s. I don’t know if it made a profit, or even broke even in the end, but that car has character. A modern interpretation of that with some concessions to extra room/current aesthetics, would have been more interesting to me. But I’m weird.
I like the interior of this i3. And I like it more than the interior of the regular 3 series.
I’m here for it. It looks pretty much like a regular car, awesome range, and for folks with home charging it will be a great option!
Moar sedans!!!
The steering wheel is a bit off-putting and the exterior is a bit more busy than I prefer but overall I kinda like it. I’m a sucker for a white interior, too. Make that puppy a lift-back or wagon and it’s approaching perfection.
Agree. This thing could be my next car, but it kind of depends on if I can get my kids and all of their kid accessories in it. A wagon or fastback would likely put that concern to rest.
This is what I’m looking for if it has a heat pump. I want enough range to go into surrounding cities for stuff on a home charge. As of now I take the Silverado EV and parking can be a problem. I think the i3 will work with the demographic too – I was talking with an i4 driver in rural Indiana while charging, he used his for Chicagoland commuting and the occasional road trip. He was really looking for double the range and less heat usage penalty – he was headed to IU for a basketball game and his companion was grousing about the balance between heat and range.
Exterior wise, definitely a massive improvement from the last generations ‘buck-teeth’. I actually grew to like the look of big kidney grills on the M3 and the GT3/GT4 race cars. On the more pedestrian 3/4 series cars it just looked awful. This feels like a massive step in the right direction. The grill is neat and different without being over-bearing or hideous. I’m not the biggest fan of the rear-end, but the large (almost) single strip brake light is definitely in style.
The interior is another story, it’s taking all of the worst trends from modern cars and wrapping them into one metal trimmed monstrosity. But it will most likely sell very well since it’s flashy and will impress your passengers. It’s always worth noting that Autopian readers don’t represent the majority of new car buyers. I do think most logical people want more buttons and physical controls in their cars – but most logical people I know would never consider buying a brand new BMW.
This looks better than the M2 or M3 or i3X because the grille is refreshingly unoffensive. My only complaint is them calling this i3, the original i3 was so unique and full of character and this is your typical 4door BMW sedan for the most part.
The interior makes sense if you think about the VW ID line and what ever Chinese EV maker is currently doing. Long horizontal screens are so hot right now over there. Heck even the new Cadillac’s are going in on the trend.
I will say of all the current crop of EVs I find BMW’s software to be relatively inoffensive. It’s also very set it and forget it, leave the climate on Auto at 70°, let your phone auto pair, and you’ll be very happy.
I like it.
The Neue Klasse language has given us the best BMW exterior design in years. The front fascia is fine. At worst, I’m on the fence about it. Aside from the giant screen slapped onto the dashboard and dearth of physical buttons, I actually like the interior. For one, it utilizes the thin screen across the top of the dash like the Lincoln Nautilus. It should hopefully reduce the distractions from that giant center screen.
Honestly, I think this is a compelling entry to compete in compact-ish luxury EV sedan segment populated solely by the Model 3 and Polestar 2 (someone correct me if I’m wrong).
I welcome it.
Did they make a law that EV interiors have to look like you’re sitting in an iMac?
Turns out everyone’s vision of the future was the same vision
Nah, one person had a vision of the future and mob mentality globbed onto it.
It’s great that the HVAC controls are permanently on screen but it’s still near impossible to differentiate between tiny illuminated white icons when you’re navigating through traffic.
Voice controls for the win!
I’m sure that works for many people but it wouldn’t for me. I don’t want to have to talk over what I’m listening to or my wife who is often on conference call from the passenger seat. The three knob setup was perfect and there was no reason to get rid of it.
Why not both?
driver: “Hello BMW turn down the temperature 1 degree.”
car: “Understand, calling stephmom.”
driver (frustrated): “No not again! I want it COLD you STUPID BITCH!!”
stephmom: “Are you calling me a cold stupid bitch?”
LOL, I bet that happens.
To be fair, my 2025 Audi, understands my English accent in America (where I now live) very well. I don’t have to use a German accent or anything…
Which is more than I can say for almost every fast food drive thru I’ve ever been to.
If I had to buy an EV, it would probably be this.
Fortunately I’m fully satisfied with my ICE cars
No interest at all in this. Kind of wish the i3 window manager for Unix systems would come out to say they own the “i3” name and sue BMW.
Oh my God, they killed Kenny! You bastard!
I like it — There haven’t been too many BMW designs in the last 20 or so years that I’ve liked out of the gate, maybe the 8 series but it’s based on comparison to the ugliness of the rest of the line. This design looks very italian to me — rear end reminds me of an Alfa 156, the front kinda reminds me of 70s lancias or (probably what they’re going for) the 3000CS. All good things. EV stats are great too — this is realistically going to be a car I could buy.
Thank goodness they got rid of the mole nose from the IX3 though. At least the exterior designer of this model knew when enough was enough. The interior…ehh…its fine I guess, HVAC knobs would be good but I could live with just the volume. The steering wheel just seems stupid. Not everything needs to be revolutionized and reimagined. Normally you’d need to see a gauge cluster but I guess in this model it’s not necessary since the dash buried up by the windshield (which I find to be a smart design, your eyes travel less from road line-of-sight). I don’t see what was so bad about 9 and 3 spokes, especially with thumb controls your hands are going to rest there anyways.
I saw a picture of that steering wheel and assumed it was some AI ragebait garbage, but BMW actually decided they needed to redesign the (steering) wheel. Don’t we normally forgo anything between 9 and 3 on the wheel so your hand can easily sweep across the top when you are turning?
Supposedly they found that layout was ergonomically better, with the goal of minimizing hand-off-the-wheel time?
I suppose I should reserve judgment until I get my hands on one.
I also have reservations, but so many reviewers are going on about how comfortable the steering wheel is that I’d be willing to reserve judgment until I give it a try.
Yeah I might have been a bit hasty with my comment this morning, I assumed this is a step in the wrong direction but I will at least give it a chance.
It is refreshing to see a roof line on a sedan that looks like actual adults could sit in the back seat w/o their heads pressed up against the roof. The front end looks aren’t bad and I like the look of the rear. But that steering wheel and dash aren’t to my liking.
That Frunk lid in a Frunk is bad though as is the fact that there is that huge blob taking up a good chunk of the volume that the inner lid seems to promise. At least it is weatherproof even if it isn’t really that usable thanks to that second lid and what appears to be an un-powered first lid.
It’s usable for items that aren’t frequently used, but you don’t want underneath the boot floor in case you need to get at them with a full boot.
I’m thrilled it has a weatherproof secondary cover. That makes the front bay much easier to clean!
I think sealing the whole area is a better idea. Then there isn’t any road grime to have to clean.
Well, there just isn’t any way to prevent road grime from getting in between the hood and bumper cover, plus some comes up from gaps in the splash shield, etc.
So having one completely sealed section is achievable, but I am not sure how it would be possible to do for the entire front area (nor what the benefit would be).
They certainly could have sealed the entire front area, others do, for example the Ford and GM pickups.
With a couple of petrol cans in the back David’s i3 can have double that range.
Literally on my knees, sobbing, crying, wailing, begging the Germans to just design a normal interior.
Funny that usually the chinese copied the germans, and now it is the opposite.
Remove the badges and probably I would say that this would be a new chinese car.
Crazy time to be alive…
Even most mainstream Chinese car interiors don’t look like this nonsense any more. They really reigned in their interior designs when they decided to go global – BMW is just perpetually 5 years behind the times.
Seriously, I don’t care how great the car itself is, I would not consider any new car from the German big 3 right now specifically because of how bad their interiors are.
It is really impressive how much chinese automakers progressed in a matter of 15/20 years. Still remember the first chinese cars I saw in person. They were terrible.
Nowadays, they are on par, if not superior, with the competition on most things.
Germans lost something along the way. Sad.
I mean externally at least this is probably the best looking BMW in a decade.
Not a fan of some of the over-the-top styling though the body itself is nice. Mostly disappointed they didn’t continue with the development of the E-REV range extender idea. A smaller battery with ~80-100 miles range and an efficient ICE/generator combination in a premium mid-size sedan and SUV would have been perfect. The first i3 was just too small and funky. No real skin in this game as I’ve never considered BMWs since I’m not a fan of over-priced parts and service.
The spec sheet reads fantastic. Lots of battery, range and power. 3.9m/kWh with AWD is great (The Pure mentioned is RWD). BUT!!
Man, inside and outside this think looks awful. And the light tones inside are doing it no favors. And why is there such a large grille on an EV? And it’s got the flat door handles….hopefully that weirdly placed handle on the inside of the driver’s door is an actual mechanical release. But I see no direct controls for pretty much anything else. All screen. Apparently there’s a volume knob there somewhere.
The spec sheet is 2026 performance. The design is 2020 ‘futurism’.
Strike! Swing and a miss.“Neue Klasse” concept car had appeal. This had a committee squander any joy.