When I last wrote about the i3, I was worried about how the powerful engine brake would work as a winter car in winter conditions.

If you drive a BMW i3, you can get through traffic without touching the brake pedal. If you release the gas pedal suddenly, you get a powerful engine brake that slows the car completely. When I drove the car in the summer, I was worried that the powerful engine brake could lock the rear wheels so that the rear end would spin out.
 
The i3 is not a car I like to test the limits with on winter roads. It is not tempting to lose traction in the turn without being able to disengage the rear wheels. What happens, however, is that the anti-skid system (DSC) and the traction control (DCT) take over control completely. These systems are very dominant. In short, you don't lose control, just the joy of driving actively on winter roads.
 
I take the car out to an icy parking lot in Sørkedalen to see if I can get the rear end to kick out when the engine brakes. With a thin layer of snow over bare ice, I maintained 40 km/h down a gentle slope and let off the gas suddenly without any drama. The engine brake didn't seem to engage, either. On the way back up, the traction control held me back by throttling the engine long before the wheels started spinning. It was only as far as I came up. I think the traction control could be a little less dominant.
 
I think this sums up the i3's winter characteristics quite well. Rear-wheel drive and automatic engine braking work safely because the electronics take over the steering. It also takes over the desire to challenge the car's limits.
 
Another reason why I don't want to challenge the car on winter driving is the i3's steering servo. No matter what happens, the servo provides constant resistance - or inertia. I don't think too much about it during normal road driving, but the sluggishness of the steering will certainly be experienced as unpleasant if you suddenly need to countersteer due to the rear end kicking out.

Likes and dislikes

The last time I wrote about the i3, I gave out grades on the various test categories such as look-and-feel, driving pleasure, comfort, space, etc. I still stand by these grades today, but would like to supplement with additional "likes" and "dislikes" - in other words, purely subjective considerations on my part.

Look-and-feel

There have been many i3s on the road. The slightly odd design has clearly not scared off the buyers. One of BMW's chief designers has previously told me how much the designers worked to give BMW's first electric car an environmental touch. Now, in retrospect, I think they should have given the car a more aggressive look. I notice that some drivers do everything to get in front of the i3 in traffic, as if it were a moped.
 
The music system, the screens on the dashboard, the setting wheel between the seats and the frameless doors contribute to creating a pleasant atmosphere in the car. "My" car only has a 6,5 inch screen (606 business navigation) while I think most people choose the large 10,2 inch screen (609 Professional navigation). The wider the screen, the better the atmosphere. If you are considering buying an i3, you should also bring the i3's with you ConnectedDrive and the ability to control charging and heating via a mobile app.
 
I don't like the furry plastic on the dashboard and doors. I have read that this material is made from recycled plastic bottles. BMW could have made it darker and more matte. Today, it gives an unfortunate glare in the sunlight, and does not contribute to creating a better atmosphere either.

Driving pleasure

Braking and accelerating with the same pedal is made for traffic jams. It is also well suited for driving in central Oslo. I don't like it quite as much when I drive on country roads. I prefer to have full control over when the brake lights come on. I know they come on automatically when the engine brake is activated, but never know exactly when. Occasionally, an early brake light can prevent dangerous situations on the road. Driving with one pedal caused no problems on winter roads.
 
I'm also not completely sloppy with the steering. The steering servo provides constant resistance throughout. Especially around the center position, it feels different to other vehicles. It also feels different when maneuvering the car in a car park and when parking.

Comfort

I always turn down the temperature a bit in electric cars, because I imagine that I get a longer range by choosing 18 degrees instead of 20, without having any tests to back it up. I also think there is a lot to be saved by having the car parked in a heated garage instead of outdoors. My impression is that the air conditioning also works well in winter, without significantly reducing the range. I think the instrument panel indicates the range quite accurately even in winter, without having tested the limit for when the batteries are actually empty. I haven't had the need to start outdoors in minus 30 degrees, either.
 
Today the range meter showed that I had 117 kilometers available in the morning and 40 kilometers in the evening. By then I had driven 79 actual kilometres, while the range meter showed 77. I think that's good.
 
In my first post about the i3, I wrote that the car took bumps in the road very well, probably because of the big wheels. This is correct, but larger bumps, such as speed bumps, it doesn't take as well as I would expect. I felt that the Citroen C1 took the speed bumps far more comfortably than the i3, despite having a shorter wheelbase.

Place

This is a 2+2 seater. Two adults in the front, and two children in the back. Front and rear trunks should hold for most people. I just had room for a full garbage bag and two carrier bags with empty bottles in the rear trunk. There is plenty of room up to the windshield. When I also sit quite high, I almost get the feeling of a minibus.

A mild and good February creates no problems for an i3.

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