Toyota Prime or BMW i3-REx

We own a 2014 BMW i3-REx and 2017 Prius Prime and they both fully meet our requirements: two 60+ couple with two dogs. Both were sold for about the same amount $28.5k (new) and $29.9k (used) and both have dynamic cruise control and accident avoidance. As of Friday, they both have 2" receiver hitches to carry my wife's wheel chair or tow a light trailer. But there are 'shades of gray' that may sway others.

City driving the BMW i3-REx is slightly better than the Prius Prime. The BMW i3-REx has three times the EV range; 32A charger, and; high-speed DC charger. The BMW i3-REx can do more miles on EV before needing to find a charger and then it has the fastest charge rates. The shorter wheel base, 168 hp rear wheel drive, and 400 lbs lighter, the BMW i3-REx is a pocket rocket, the only car I've been warned about speeding.

Highway driving the Prius Prime is somewhat better than the BMW i3-REx. The Prius Prime gets +55 MPG at 65-70 mph speeds while the BMW i3-REx barely gets 40 MPG at 65 mph and is impractical at speeds over 70 mph because it draws down the battery. The longer Prime wheel base means it has less rocking motion compared to the short wheel base BMW i3-REx. The Prime can go over 600 miles on a single, 11.4 gallon tank which increases block-to-block speed while the BMW i3-REx needs 2 gallons every 60 miles.

If we were giving grades:

• CITY
  • A - BMW i3-REx: EV range, charging rates, handling
  • B - Prius Prime
• HIGHWAY
  • A - Prius Prime: gas range, MPG, speeds over 70 mph, comfort
  • C+ - BMW i3-REx

Bob Wilson

 

A business associate has older standard Prius with over 200,000 miles and a 1 year old i3 with range extender and a lot of options; he paid in neighborhood of $40k after all discounts and rebates. He likes it but now wishes he'd waited for the Prime. The BMW has been in shop several times for warranty repairs and once was stranded in Riverside where he lives due to a power outage.
He has ended up driving the old Prius more than he expected. He doesn't like it because too noisy and low power. He's now trying to figure out how to exchange his i3 for a new Prime. He likes the Prime Advanced for quiet, reasonable power and the lack of range anxiety. He likes all the toys too, being an IT tech nut too.




Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Must be the EV only BMW i3. Mine is a BMW i3-REx as EV-only cars, even a Tesla, are too limited.

Bob Wilson

 

IIRC, even with the range extender, the i3 still has only 200-some-odd-mile range. So, on a trip from Austin to Houston you'd have to get gas ... twice, probably.


iPhone ? Pro

 

No Bob, he's got an approx. 2+ gal fuel tank range extender; otherwise he'd run into problems with his 70+ mile round trip to work.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

I have test drive for 4 day's
2017 I3 Rex
And so far I'm happy with the car
Just can't justify 57K $ price that go with
Maybe I5 upcoming will have bigger APU and 120 KW battery ....and much more room
I'm looking toward...before i decide between I5 or Tesla

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

Eventually there will be much more cars with onboard APU like I3 that will give you range without getting more weight coming with huge battery pack's
Toyota is doing some testing with this option back in Japan

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

Another thing is one of my fellow employees are doing some home project with brand new Chevy Bolt and I3 rex engine so far he is almost done

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The BMW i3-REx refuels easily, roughly every 60-70 miles:

• 463 miles - drive home to Huntsville AL from Charlotte NC
• 700 miles - Huntsville AL to Stillwater OK
• 700 miles - Stillwater OK to Huntsville AL

Do your cross country trips using Interstates and you'll find a 24 hour truck stop roughly every 40-50 miles. If not familiar, carry one gallon, spare gas can and no problem. Use the gas buddy trip planner to confirm stops.

Bob Wilson

Agreed but I found via Ebay that completed listing BMW i3-REx went for:

• $24.2k - item 371882743259
• $19.8k - item 201852998995

In my case, I was already looking at the BMW i3-REx so I knew the prices at the time.

Bob Wilson

 

Tell me more about the Riverside power outage? I'm trying to understand how a BMW i3-REx got stuck.

We had a four and a half day power outage in North Alabama when tornadoes wiped out the regional, high tension lines. Athough the local gas station pumps were down, we used the other Prius to reach powered areas only 30-40 miles away to fill-up spare gas cans.

Bob Wilson

 

Bob,
He said due to power outage, he was unable to charge his i3, which I assume was completely depleted; I don't know his gas tank level at that time. I just saw his old Prius and he told me he'd been unable to charge i3. Of course I had to give him a hard time 'cause he's a friend!

You bring up a good point: I haven't had a gas can in years; I lived in apartments for some 20 years and now have all cordless lawn tools including mower, blower, etc. With my very high range Prii haven't thought about it. I may want to get 1 or 2 cans for my "new" house to keep in the garage for emergencies. At least I could help neighbors who mostly drive gas hogs.

 

If you get gas for emergencies non-ethanol gas lasts longer. You should also periodically empty them into your car and refill with fresh gas.

 

People have found the Gen 4 (2016+) Prius more fun to drive. The Prime is based of Gen 4.
@bwilson4web owns and has driven them both. I gather that the Prime would likely need less maintenance than the BMW.

 

Fun is a relative term but having 168 HP in a 2,900 lb car, it has a lot of gitty-up and go. It has an excellent turn radius but on some pavements, the forward-backward rocking can be felt that the Prime seems to moderate.

So far, the used, 2014 BMW i3-REx seems to have a lot of infantile problems: (1) backup camera, (2) fuel cover release, (3) motor mount bolt broke, and; (4) excessive tire wear. The tire wear problem after 14k miles is the one that most bothers me.

The rear wheels have -1 degree of negative camber yet these expensive ~$150/each tires have the shallowest grooves on the inner tread. I've done a temperature test and there is nearly 1F degree rise on the inner tread versus the outer tread. However, the front tires show a similar wear pattern even though they are supposed to be neutral camber.

So I have to choose between: (1) adjust the camber to correct the temperature distribution, or (2) flip the tires so the thicker tread is on the inner part of the wheel. Of the two, I'm leaning towards the second because I won't have to worry about future alignments moving to my non-standard specs. The challenge is getting the tires mounted counter to normal practice. But once done, I won't have to worry about someone trying to 'fix it.' It should also minimize changes to the handling and work for the front tires too.

Before making my choice, I'm thinking about getting a new tire and hub and get some basic metrics. I'm not against adjusting the camber but I want to do this in a way that allows me to adjust it later.

Bob Wilson

 

Thanks for the tip. Followed those rules when I did have gasoline storage at home. For now I would just keep an empty gas can should the need for it ever arise. I am surprised at how I feel nearly weaned off gasoline with the acquisition of my new Toy!

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

That's my impression of my friend's i3Rex: niggling, annoying problems that I, as a certified nose picker, just won't put up with. Gimme my Prime! If it ends up behaving (aside from the 2012 PIP lies about EV-only range) as reliably as my 2012, then I'll go back to church! (Well at least, I'll say a thank you prayer)

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This morning I hopped in the BMW i3-REx to chase the dogs after the wind blew the front door open. I glanced at the trip meter and my last BMW i3 trip was 24 miles. The Prime would have easily handled the same trip but I wanted to bust 21k miles on the BMW i3-REx.

Bob Wilson

 

Let me suggest some short-term, BMW i3-REx options:

1. Assume the end-of-lease - this limits the time so the Prius Prime can arrive and gives a lot of direct experience with the BMW i3-REx. Careful because it means assuming any issues the first lease holder might not reveal.
2. Short term lease - I don't know how short the lease can be but it means the car is in effect, rented for the duration. Caution about tire wear.

It is a fun car but I'm acutely aware of the 50,000 mi or January 2019 limit of the manufacturer warranty. For me, the broken motor mount bolt was a 'wake up': Why the BMW i3-REx | PriusChat

Bob Wilson