Test drove an ID.3 1st Edition today

Alan_uk

A2OC Donor
Just come back from test driving an ID.3 1st Edition today. After an hours drive my first impressions are that it is an excellent car. Once I raised the drivers seat the the feel was much the same as driving an A2. Importantly for me with my back that plays up from time to time, is the seat height, relative to the ground, is the same as the A2. So no climbing down on entry and up on exit.

Quickly got used to 1 pedal driving, but occassionally still looking for the gearstick and the handbrake! Only 2 choices of retardation: Normal is very little but when On it is quite strong.

Steering was light - dealer said that the steering force varies according to speed. Didn't push the road holding but it felt reassuring on country roads - 1st time I have driven a rear wheel drive for probably 50 years!

The main noise is the tyre noise which I thought was greater than my A2. ID.3 had Goodyear 215/50 R19 93T tyres. Can't recall hitting any pot holes for the acid test!

Like all EVs the acceleration could get addictive.

There has been lots of criticism over the plasticly interior but I didn't find it off putting. Will be easier to keep smart compared to my A2 black door cards. But I think the white steering wheel on the demo ID.3 is not a good idea.

The other criticism is over the touch slide switches but I forgot to check those. Like a lot of modern cars so much is automatic. I'm sure many people, just like Windows, will accept the default settings rather than hunt through lots of menu settings. Like Robert Llewellyn on the YT fullycharged channel, I found the bleeping when I strayed too near the white line very irritating. It's internet connected - how long before one gets hacked - weeks?

Will I succumb and buy one? Probably not due to the 1st year depreciation on a new car - like throwing money down the drain. Next year there is a 45kWh battery model out called the ID.3 Pure, though the dealer said he knew nothing about that. That model has a winter / highway real range of 120 miles (enough for me) compared to 140 miles in the ID.3 1st. At the other end the summer / city driving is 250 / 310 respectively. The Pure has an estimated cost of 25,000 euros but could well be £30k here given the way the pound is falling. See https://ev-database.uk

Still, I enjoyed my ride home in my A2 along the A36 which has been resurfaced in recent times. Nice and smooth with hardly a sound from the diesel engine and the acceleration with the remapped engine felt good! And I reminded myself the A2 only weighs 1000 kg cf 1794kg on the ID.3 1st Edition

My 4 options:
1. ID.3 Pure 45kWh
2. BMW i3 120Ah 38kWh - 1 year old. Aluminium and carbon fibre at 1345 kg but winter / highway range is only 100 miles
3. Keep A2 for another 16 years (should see me out!) and buy a used small city EV for local use
4. Convert A2 to electric - I'm watching this Norwegian guy who is using Tesla batteries so the range should be good but I think the cost is going to be too high.
 
Very interesting, thank you for sharing. Much as I like the idea of option 4, I have an idea 3 is more practical (probably a Citigo, as a cheap, reliable EV). I suspect the ID.3s will hold their value well for the next few years - just look how much tired (50-60 mile) Leafs still go for at the moment.
 
I have reported previously that my good friend drives a Tesla model S. After four years, with no servicing costs other than a set of tyres, and two MoTs, he sold it privately for (something like) 65% of list. He is now on his second.
Ok to buy a Tesla S in the first place costs £££; but zero servicing costs, plus that residual is pretty impressive.
It may be the same with the ID.3
 
Interesting! I think that in what amount of life I have left, I WILL own an all-electric vehicle .... I think that you've missed a certain model, though .... it's an Hyundai Kona electric. It's said to manage 259 miles and even if that's fanciful, it is still way above a lot of other types. Have a look at this : https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/hyundai/kona-electric Battery technology is improving all the time and novel type of cells have been mentioned. So what I'll do is let a little time pass and see what developes. Then I'll buy what will be the last car that I'll ever own ....

David
 
I have reported previously that my good friend drives a Tesla model S. After four years, with no servicing costs other than a set of tyres, and two MoTs, he sold it privately for (something like) 65% of list. He is now on his second.
Ok to buy a Tesla S in the first place costs £££; but zero servicing costs, plus that residual is pretty impressive.
It may be the same with the ID.3

Our Leaf is similar - when we bought it I reckoned it would take 2 1/2 years for the savings in electricity over diesel to pay for the extra the car cost to buy over a similar diesel one. We're there now and other costs have so far amounted to 3x MoTs (passed each time), 4x tyres (coming up for needing another 2x), 2x cabin filters and 1x road spring. The simplicity of an EV really does make them cheap to run (still cost over 7x what I paid for my A2 to buy though!)
 
Interesting! I think that in what amount of life I have left, I WILL own an all-electric vehicle .... I think that you've missed a certain model, though .... it's an Hyundai Kona electric. It's said to manage 259 miles and even if that's fanciful, it is still way above a lot of other types. Have a look at this : https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/hyundai/kona-electric Battery technology is improving all the time and novel type of cells have been mentioned. So what I'll do is let a little time pass and see what developes. Then I'll buy what will be the last car that I'll ever own ....

David

Pity they can't knock out a few more Konas - I'm sure they'd sell.

I think Tesla will grab a big slice of the EV market too - it's amazing how many Model 3s are on the road now and that's with no advertising! They also have the best battery tech.
 
Depreciation can be severe on an EV. Our E-Up was half-price after three years despite it being from a main dealer, being hard to find S/H and having done less than 5,000 miles! Prospective customers seem to be sceptical about the state of the batteries but that's easy to check before you buy - there's very little deteriation in ours, if any, after six years. I'm interested in an ID3 77kwh but at £40k plus, it might be difficult to justify, especially with a range of only half that of an A2 1.2Tdi. I might wait a few years for a S/H one.

RAB
 
I think that you've missed a certain model, though .... it's an Hyundai Kona electric. It's said to manage 259 miles and even if that's fanciful, it is still way above a lot of other types.
Thanks David. I did look at Kona but can't remember why they didn't make the short list. Using the ev-database I think the 259 miles is the 64kWh battery in the summer and list price is £36k. There is a 39kWh at £30k with a 180 mile summer/combined range. I'm more interested in winter/highway(aka motorway) distance which is 110 miles on the 39kWh model - just inside my target. But the ID.3 Pure due out next year will do slightly better and may list at £27k.

A few years ago there was not much choice and range was limited. Now lots of choice and big strides in range and rapid charging ability, with no doubt more to come. Tesla recently said it was aiming to double battery range per $ within 3 years through a mixture of design, materials and production techniques.
 
Depreciation can be severe on an EV. Our E-Up was half-price after three years despite it being from a main dealer, being hard to find S/H and having done less than 5,000 miles! Prospective customers seem to be sceptical about the state of the batteries but that's easy to check before you buy - there's very little deteriation in ours, if any, after six years. I'm interested in an ID3 77kwh but at £40k plus, it might be difficult to justify, especially with a range of only half that of an A2 1.2Tdi. I might wait a few years for a S/H one.
RAB

I think all cars depreciate a lot, especially in the first year or two. I bought my 8 month old / 8k miles A2 from a dealer for 2/3rds of list price. Today I'm seeing 1 year old / 8k miles i3 for sale at almost 2/3rds list. Haggling should be less. But I do think older EVs (e.g. 4 years or more) with their far more limited range should be a lot more cheaper. Sellers are asking for too much £/mile range compared to a new EV.

Now EVs have existed for a decade battery life is proving to be very good and not a concern. Up to now most EVs have charged at 3.3kW or 7kW. What is unknown is the impact of Rapid Charging at 50kW, 100kW, 150kW and 200kW. Some people are recommending EVs are not charged more that 80% unless one really needs a 100% for a long journey. Yes, EVs do/should limit the charge rate as the battery gets fuller (and hotter).

I recently saw a YT video of a 2011 Mitsubishi i-miev for sale at £4k. Battery was still fairly good but the body was riddled with rust and needed chassis surgery - it was the Shetland Isles! At least the seller was open. I might of bought it for £400 for low speed trips to the local shops but not on the motorway.

Having had my A2 for 15 years I just love the lack of rust (bar the axle and wishbones - I've replaced the wishbones and have a spare axle for restoration, so should be good for another 15 years provided we can get spares one way or another). I just feel guilty driving a diesel, especially in towns. Yet another report in today's paper about the impact of NOX on health and mortality.

Eventually when cars are autonomous and don't crash they can be made out of plastic though by then maybe plastic will be a no-no.
 
Depreciation can be severe on an EV. Our E-Up was half-price after three years despite it being from a main dealer, being hard to find S/H and having done less than 5,000 miles!

Ouch! As @Alan_uk says, most cars depreciate by a similar percentage in the first few years, but when it's cost a lot more to start with that percentage loss represents a lot more money. Whilst initial EV depreciate may be high, I think they will tend to plateau as there are a lot of people who want cheap/green motoring, but can't afford a new EV. I'm sure it will change again once there are more s/h EVs around and the tax incentives start to disappear.
 
Depreciation can be severe on an EV. Our E-Up was half-price after three years despite it being from a main dealer, being hard to find S/H and having done less than 5,000 miles! Prospective customers seem to be sceptical about the state of the batteries but that's easy to check before you buy - there's very little deteriation in ours, if any, after six years. I'm interested in an ID3 77kwh but at £40k plus, it might be difficult to justify, especially with a range of only half that of an A2 1.2Tdi. I might wait a few years for a S/H one.

RAB
I would suspect in 3 to 5 years 20% of new cars are going to be electric and then buying second hand becomes more affordable as yet EV production is puny ,and costs are high .what nobody talks about is how are governments going to pay since the tax base is going to shrink ....at the moment subsidies make a huge contribution to EV sales .A possible result is a spike in electricity costs to make up for loss from fossil fuels . I do think for someone commuting small distances the EV makes the most sense .
 
In my 1 hour test drive I did try the D and B modes but not the different driving modes (comfort, sport, eco). Now I have just seen a video on YT by a guy called Marcus in Portugal who has bought one. He has discovered (not in the manual he says) that the ID.3 has intelligent cruising and braking dependent on speed limits and road layout such as roundabouts. This is not cruise control - that was off. Very interesting but seem dependent of up-to-date maps and speed limits.


As I said to the dealer, I do worry that excessive automation will lead to driver complacency and falling asleep / day dreaming.
 
Highly recommend the BMW i3/i3s Very similar to the A2 in many ways - non steel body -quirky design.
I had wanted one since they first came out but finally gathered the funds last Easter and ordered 120A i3S the sportier version with slightly more power (184 BHP) it’s a hard ride like my yellow storm a2 but feels more alive. Performance is stunning - range is good and I love the easeof driving with most situations just using the one pedal. Seat height is neither high or low but room inside is much greater (remember I’m a big lad)
Longest trip so far was maldon in Essex down to reading - via motorways in the rain and got to my destination with just under 50% battery (92 miles) so I could have made it home just without charging but I charged to back to full at the hotel charger. Not driven the id3 looks good but for me the i3 has more A2 about it. So good we now have two of them. Kept the white tdi sport a2 though.
If your close to Milton Keynes they have a driving experience where they have lots of different ev’s to try out. Oh one other thing it charges from 22% to 93% in 35 mins.
cheers for the non a2 chat. Mike
 
Think you might be pessimistic on the i3 range.
My 120ah will do 170-180 in this Autumnal weather driven sensibly-(but round here we don't have much in the way of motorways).
Mine has the heat pump fitted which does make a small range improvement.
With all electric cars if you are doing a lot of 70-80mph driving you will see a big range reduction.
Agree with Mike's comments above that the i3 is closest to the A2 in terms of being something different. It is a one-off and BMW have now changed tack (like all manufacturers) to produce electrified versions of the normal boring range of cars they produce. Shame.
 
In my 1 hour test drive I did try the D and B modes but not the different driving modes (comfort, sport, eco). Now I have just seen a video on YT by a guy called Marcus in Portugal who has bought one. He has discovered (not in the manual he says) that the ID.3 has intelligent cruising and braking dependent on speed limits and road layout such as roundabouts. This is not cruise control - that was off. Very interesting but seem dependent of up-to-date maps and speed limits.


As I said to the dealer, I do worry that excessive automation will lead to driver complacency and falling asleep / day dreaming.
It's Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and it is in the manual (mine at least) - the car knows the speed limits wherever it is and drives accordingly when ACC is on. It also reduces speed automatically if you are following a slower car. The ID.3 updates itself.

RAB
 
It's Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and it is in the manual (mine at least) - the car knows the speed limits wherever it is and drives accordingly when ACC is on. It also reduces speed automatically if you are following a slower car. The ID.3 updates itself.

RAB
Apple Maps app gets the speed limit wrong from time to time when driving.

Is ACC always correct; how does it cope with roadworks and temporary speed limits?
 
the A6 I had not long back had a similar system and it was reading road signs (at least it seemed to be). Got it right for roadworks and all sorts. I was impressed. Less so that it didn't seem to allow me to set a cruise of "limit +5 for >80km/h" but it was a rental and I didn't have much opportunity to play.
 
The ID.3's ACC works by GPS, although the manual mentions reading road signs. However, it changes speed where there are no road signs! I've not yet tried setting the speed just above the speed limit - I'll try it.

RAB
 
The ID.3's ACC works by GPS, although the manual mentions reading road signs. However, it changes speed where there are no road signs!
Could that be the ID3 function of adapting speed to road layout (probably a better word for this), e.g. slowing for a roundabout or to exit a motorway?
 
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