{"id":1832148,"date":"2026-03-18T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1832148"},"modified":"2026-03-18T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T21:00:00","slug":"the-essence-of-the-bmw-brand-this-is-the-new-560-mile-bmw-i3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1832148","title":{"rendered":"\u201cThe essence of the BMW brand\u201d: this is the new, 560-mile BMW i3"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In short, this is the electric version of the most important car BMW has and will continue to build. The very \u201cessence of the BMW brand\u201d.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the new BMW i3 saloon \u2013 essentially an electric, next-generation 3 Series<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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And yes, we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief because this electric, next-generation 3 Series looks\u2026 good. Really, really good. A \u201c2.5-box\u201d shape with short overhangs, flared arches, gently sloping roof, and low, classy proportions. A well resolved kidney grille\/quad headlight arrangement. A lovely rear light signature.<\/p>\n

Phew. Classy drivetrain, too, as we\u2019ve discovered from its (very) big brother, the iX3<\/a>. At launch, BMW will offer the i3 as a 50 xDrive model, which means way more efficient (compared to the older e-BMWs) electric motors on the front and back axles, 800-volt architecture, 463bhp, 476lb ft and a whopping 560 miles of range. Five hundred and sixty<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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That\u2019s an insane amount of range, and comes courtesy not only through better motors, but also the new cell-to-pack design which doesn\u2019t group cells into modules inside the battery but instead bolts them straight in saving weight and adding strength. There\u2019s also new software controlling the battery.<\/p>\n

Moreover, BMW reckons you can replenish up to 250 miles of range in around 10 minutes on a fast enough charger (400kW). Admittedly few and far between, those, but still. The only anxiety you\u2019ll have is picking out a good colour, because the i3\u2019s four \u2018superbrains\u2019 will take care of literally everything else.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Like the one that handles the battery we noted above, and of course the \u2018Heart of Joy\u2019 that handles all the fun bits like the steering, brakes, regen and suspension. Again, if it\u2019s anything like the iX3, it ought to be a well resolved thing. There\u2019s level 2 driver assistance, bidirectional charging, and over the air updates, amongst a myriad of next-gen tech stuffed inside.<\/p>\n

Speaking of inside, if you\u2019ve been anywhere near or in an iX3, the i3 should feel quite familiar. And perhaps a little intimidating at first, not least because there\u2019s a lot going on. Like the \u2018Panoramic Vision\u2019 which projects loads of stuff across the entire bottom section of the windscreen. Literally from pillar to pillar.<\/p>\n

Then comes an optional HUD, a 17.9in central screen, multifunction wheel, and of course, AI, because that<\/em> genie definitely isn\u2019t going back into the bottle. Want to know how good it all works and crucially, feels? Head this way for our review of the iX3<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe BMW 3 Series is the essence of the BMW brand,\u201d said\u2026 BMW. \u201cFor five decades, this icon has stood for sporty driving pleasure, unmistakably attractive design and consistent progress.\u201d Like we said, important car, this.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In short, this is the electric version of the most important car BMW has and will continue to build. The very \u201cessence of the BMW brand\u201d. It\u2019s the new BMW i3 saloon \u2013 essentially an electric, next-generation 3 Series. And yes, we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief because this electric, next-generation 3 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,237],"class_list":["post-1832148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-topgear-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1832148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1832148"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1832148\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1832148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1832148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1832148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}