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      04-07-2014, 08:46 PM   #1
bozola
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Omitted or reduced 'luxury' items on i3

Plastic hood and front bumper
Manual seats without memory
Sunroof (US 2014)
Single zone HVAC system
HUD
Heated Steering Wheel


Others?
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      04-07-2014, 09:45 PM   #2
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The original press release for the USA said the sunroof was standard on any of the upgrade packages (worlds)...I do not know if it is an omission on the specs, or they changed their mind.

The majority of the travel is likely to be one person commuting to work, so, personally, since it wouldn't be used for an extended ride, I don't see that extra complication as an issue, but not having it as an option, could be objectionable to some.

THe lack of electric motors for the seats and the plastic body parts were done for two reasons, that I understand: they're lighter, and the panels will take door dings in the city environment far batter than any metal. Well, add in another reason for the motors...power consumption.

Which modern cars don't have plastic bumpers these days?

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      05-09-2014, 11:34 AM   #3
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The plastic body panels are used both to save weight, and indeed more importantly on a car of this nature because they're recyclable at the end of the car's life. As also mentioned, the fact they have a degree of flex when it comes to low speed impacts means that as a city car, you're less likley to see your pride and joy dented by careless parking or a runaway shopping trolley!

The manual seats are once again to save weight, as opposed to any corner cutting. Similarly with the sunroof, you're taking a chunk out of a beautifully woven carbon fibre roof to add a slab of glass and motor, and a good few kilos with it.

As far as a heated steering wheel, whilst I can see that being a valid addition, I don't know how well the elements/wiring would play with the sensors that enable traffic jam assist (Autonomous driving of the car in a traffic jam, including throttle and steering so long as one hand is one the wheel)

This isn't a fully fledged bahnstormer that's going to waft you along as a 5 or a 7 would, but as a design excercise I'd like to think every element has been carefully thought out to work as the car's intended; on shorter hops, in an urban or commuting environment or as a second car.
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      05-09-2014, 03:44 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gryph View Post
The plastic body panels are used both to save weight, and indeed more importantly on a car of this nature because they're recyclable at the end of the car's life. As also mentioned, the fact they have a degree of flex when it comes to low speed impacts means that as a city car, you're less likley to see your pride and joy dented by careless parking or a runaway shopping trolley!

The manual seats are once again to save weight, as opposed to any corner cutting. Similarly with the sunroof, you're taking a chunk out of a beautifully woven carbon fibre roof to add a slab of glass and motor, and a good few kilos with it.

As far as a heated steering wheel, whilst I can see that being a valid addition, I don't know how well the elements/wiring would play with the sensors that enable traffic jam assist (Autonomous driving of the car in a

traffic jam, including throttle and steering so long as one hand is one the wheel)

This isn't a fully fledged bahnstormer that's going to waft you along as a 5 or a 7 would, but as a design excercise I'd like to think every element has been carefully thought out to work as the car's intended; on shorter hops, in an urban or commuting environment or as a second car.
Ok fine then why did you guys in the UK get the sunroof??? IT IS A BUNCH OF BS about the sunroof in the USA. We are getting screwed royally and we don't have a king or queen.
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      05-09-2014, 05:01 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by mindmachine View Post
Ok fine then why did you guys in the UK get the sunroof??? IT IS A BUNCH OF BS about the sunroof in the USA. We are getting screwed royally and we don't have a king or queen.
I doubt I had much impact, but I did write to BMW earlier this year and requested that they make the sunroof optional, rather than part of the Giga and Tera packages as was originally announced...personally, I much prefer a car without one. It seems that instead of making it optional, they eliminated it entirely from our option list. But, as I said, that's okay by me.

In many vehicles (do not know about this one specifically), a sunroof typically cuts at least 1, and may be nearly 3" of headroom out of the vehicle. Now, most people won't care, but for myself, the fact many of the 'luxury' cars offer it as standard in the USA means I do not fit in most of them, and it severely limits my choices. In an old Audi A6, the difference in driver headroom with and without the sunroof was 2.85"...with it, I had to slouch, without it, I could keep a stocking cap on if I wished and still not hit the ceiling. Nothing more annoying than having to clean oil stains off the ceiling panel or your hair rubbing, or hitting your head on a bad bump! Sunroofs be damned..., but as an option, if you want to pay for it, fine by me if offered. On my current vehicle, in the USA, you cannot buy it without, but in Germany, it is a 1700-Euro option...if you had to pay $2500 for it, would you? It all gets hidden when they make it 'standard', but that cost is still there. I can think of lots of things I'd rather spend that money on than a hole in the roof.

The only 'bad' thing on this, is that you don't have the option. To me, I would always uncheck that option and object when it is 'standard'.
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      05-09-2014, 07:14 PM   #6
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Aren't manual windows lighter than motorized ones?
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      05-11-2014, 07:48 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bozola
Aren't manual windows lighter than motorized ones?
Nope, at least on the Elise/Exige, manual crank windows were heavier than electric. It's not going to be a material difference though.

So the test drive cars with HUD and sunroofs aren't actually available US spec?
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      05-11-2014, 08:05 PM   #8
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Don't remember seeing HUD and sunroof as available options on the i3 in the USA. I really like my HUD on my GT, but you get used to driving without it.
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      05-12-2014, 05:16 PM   #9
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As I understand it the sunroof design did not meet USA safety standards and was therefore deleted from the list of features or options.
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      05-20-2014, 07:01 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GeorgeJ. View Post
As I understand it the sunroof design did not meet USA safety standards and was therefore deleted from the list of features or options.
can you do euro delivery and get a sunroof on your i3 that way if you live in the US?
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      05-20-2014, 07:32 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by x5love View Post
can you do euro delivery and get a sunroof on your i3 that way if you live in the US?
Unless they change things, there is no Euro delivery of USA i3 vehicles. For several reasons...first, they use a different plug to charge the thing, and second, the main reason people tend to do Euro delivery is to travel around, not just run around the city, and the car is just not designed for long distance travel. This is not to say you might be able to do it, especially if you got the REx, but stopping frequently to fill the small tank, and the overall experience wouldn't be the best.

THen, BMW is pretty strict about options, and they do not allow options that aren't available in the final delivery country to be installed (or removed) from cars. I had the opposite request, to buy a car without the 'standard' sunroof, and they refused, even though it is optional in Germany.

Personally, that extra hole in the roof just isn't worth it to me, but it obviously is for others...I like to have the choice either way.
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      06-09-2014, 10:20 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GeorgeJ. View Post
As I understand it the sunroof design did not meet USA safety standards and was therefore deleted from the list of features or options.
The actual reason is a archaic old law that states that a sunroof must be bolted to a metal surface

Another silly that that prevented progress was when BMW was trying to get xenon headlamps into the US but couldn't because the law stated that the minimum wattage for headlight bulbs was 55w and xenon HID systems use 35w
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      06-09-2014, 12:22 PM   #13
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also, the bumpers are thermoplastic which resist dents and dings and weight much less than their metal counterparts
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      06-09-2014, 02:19 PM   #14
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Quote:
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can you do euro delivery and get a sunroof on your i3 that way if you live in the US?
Both the i3 and i8 are exempt from European delivery.

We will soon supply our rental partners in Europe with both the i3 and i8.
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