VW e-Golf versus BMW i3

[klaus]

The e-Golf comes with level 3 charging, 16-inch aluminum alloy wheels, keyless access, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, dual-zone automatic climate control, a 5.8-inch touchscreen display for infotainment, heated seats, rear camera, parking control, and the standard navigation system, and Bluetooth pairing.

On the BMW i3, the level 3 charging, parking control, and heated seats are an additional $2000, so overall there is more than $8000 difference.

Surprisingly, in the US, the e-Golf seems priced very competitively, while in the EU, the electric Golf and the BMW i3 are basically the same price around 35,000 euro.

A member on the i3 forum made up this comparison photo.

regarding the extra 11 inches, >75% of those are used up by the longer bonnet. I've taken the liberty to superimpose both cars to get an idea of the relative sizes. I've scaled both drawings to their relative sizes and used the position of the front seats as an anchor.

 

[GadgetGav]

The guys at Tested have posted a video test drive of the BMW i3. I didn't look at it because it was too expensive and ugly for me but I was interested to see the issues raised here. The firm suspension would be very annoying in what is basically a city car. I moved from a GTI to the e-Golf and the softer ride was welcome on New England's crappy roads. I don't know if they had the settings wrong on the regen braking, but it seemed like it was very aggressive. I like that the e-Golf has everything from coasting in D to aggressive regen in B. The auto parking feature seems flaky and unnecessary in the i3 too.
All in all I'm glad I chose the car I did and have no envy for the i3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgKshqhqNQE

 

[cove3]

The i3 is a subcompact. The e-golf is a compact. It's closer to 11k difference after tax, as metallic paint and SIRI radio were extra.

Also, the e-golf comes with leatherette seats, 5 passenger, partial power seats, two full rear dooirs etc.. It's an all around better car and a much better price performer. However, there's no rex but I always thought it rex was hokey. Rather than try to make the i3 a PHEV, get a real phev.

I had made an earlier post comparing the two cars which I include below

Ron

When comparing the 36,365 MSRP (incl 820 shipping) to the competition, you have to "normalize" for the fact that the US e-Golf is the loaded SEL model and includes many tangible and intangible features. Here's what I did for "normalizing" the BMW i3

i3 MSRP 42,400 MSRP Mega World (includes 950 shipping)
CCS charging 700
Heated seats 350
Parking Assist 1000
Metallic paint 550
Sub Total 45,000 * 1.08 tax = 48,600 versus 36,365 MSRP * 1.08 = 39,275
Net Difference 9,325

Unpriced e-Golf things est value:
Partial power seats 500
Leatherette seats 1000
SIRI radio 300
Total 46,800 * 1.08 = 50,544= versus 39,275
Final net difference 11,269

Additional qualitative plus: compact versus subcompact, 40% more cargo space, can see some of the hood, 2 full rear doors with electric windows, 5 passengers vs 4, more traditional look, 100 mile towing guarantee, 4 levels of braking regen vs one, ability to turn regen off, displays in dashboard versus on top of dash, touch screen


Ron

 

[NeilBlanchard]

The front seats on the i3 are cavernous - my brother is over 6'-6" and he absolutely loves all the room he has in his i3 REx. He fits in the e-Golf, but it is no where near as roomy in the front seats. The headroom in the i3 is also better than the e-Golf.

 

[cynandvinecar]

For what its worth, my two cents. We have lived with both an eGolf for 4 months, and now an i3 for 7. Aesthetics aside (beauty is in the eye of the beholder) the cars are too different to compare side by side based on technical specs alone imho.

There are "living with them" issues that are also important. The eGolf feels better on the highway, more planted, the longer wheel base (2.4") and lower center of gravity (0.5") means it bounces less over expansion joints at freeway speed. The i3 feels quicker, more nimble and easier to navigate crowded surface streets. This is supported by acceleration figures: 0 to 25mph <3sec for i3, 4.2 eGolf; 0 to 62mph 7.2sec i3, >10sec for eGolf. This due to the much lighter weight of the i3, 2635 vs. 3090 thanks to the use of carbon fiber construction. This also makes the i3 much more fun to drive. I cant tell you how many times I see a look of astonishment on the face of the guy in the rear view mirror as his "hot" ICE is left in the dust by a funky "golf cart"!

We like the "suicide door" design of the i3 (I also owned an Mazda RX8 for a couple of years so am familiar with living with this design) access to the back seats is better and the fact that the front door has to be opened first, a minor issue you soon get used to.
The cabin of the i3 is much more open and airy, sight lines much better, innovative use of materials and design make it a nice place to be. The eGolf more traditional German, rather dark and spartan, especially since due to weight concerns, moon roofs are not available.
If I had a family with kids, or always had passengers, I would probably go with the eGolf, the middle rear seat (albeit cramped) is a plus and it does have more useful trunk space, plus I dont like that the rear windows in the i3 dont retract.
Bottom line, they are very different approaches to an urban commuter. I happen to like BMW's more adventurous concept, other people cant get past the polarizing looks.

 

[vetaldj]

I had same two cars on my list and as previous poster noted - I have to put 2 car seats in the back so I really just checked i3 and not even drove one as it fell out based on not having true rear door.

i3 looks cool, like future car but it's has specific target - solo or duo commuter car, not well suitable for family needs, as per my opinion. Plus, 10K on net price is a big deal as well, for something that perform about the same role - take you whenever you need. If I would be ready to shell ~50K for EV I would go with used Tesla

 

[johnnylingo]

It should be noted that BMW will offer a much deeper discount on the i3. I went through a few quotes and concluded that the ~$12,000k MSRP price difference was much less than that when the factory discounts are applied. BMW is also very bullish on the residual price / resale value, so leasers will find they have about the same monthly price but the i3 will pay a bit more out the door. But the big gotcha here is the i3 is a 24 month lease compared to 36 on the e-Golf. California residents should take special note as the $2,500 rebate requires a 30 month or longer lease.

The BMW salesperson attributed the generous discount to BWM wanting to get the i3s "in the hands of consumers as soon as possible", but truth be told they're overstocked right now. There's over 70 on the lot in San Jose and Monterey still even has a couple 2014s.