Some impressions after driving it.
Pros:
1. It has a LOT of torque. I went from 10 to 60 MPH very quickly (probably around 5 seconds) when getting on the highway.
2. The one pedal driving guarantees that all braking with no pedals is regen. The brake pedal has no regen attached to it. Brake lights come on with about 50% regen. It takes some getting used to after driving the i-MiEV (or anything else besides a Tesla, really).
3. The interior lighting is pretty cool. When unlocking the car with the remote and before a door is open, the whole interior lights up blue. When a door is opened, the lights turn to a natural/slightly warm white. There are lights in the exterior door handles (though my custom lights on the i-MiEV light up more of the ground), the interior door handles (slick), the tray below the center display (a rather handy feature), and under the lip of the dash to light up the floor.
4. Cruise control works quite well, only drifting 1 mph below the set speed when climbing a hill.
Cons:
1. The extended-cab pickup truck like doors weren't the best idea. I guess they call them carriage doors.
2. Although I imagine it can be disabled, the seat belt reminder is very obtrusive.
3. The mirrors are rather small.
4. BMW should have went all the way with the keyless fob and push button start. There aren't unlock buttons on the exterior handles, so you have to take the key out of your pocket, unlock or lock the car, and put it back in your pocket. This could be one of the features of a higher package, but the Mega doesn't have it. Also, you have to push Start/Stop twice from READY to actually turn the car off.
5. It may be a setting in the menu, but the hatch doesn't auto unlock when the driver's door is opened after parking.
6. Not all of the steering wheel controls light up at night.
7. The radio and climate controls are not very user friendly.
8. For having great low-beam headlights, the high-beams leave some room for improvement.
9. The reverse lights need to be about 3X brighter. (To be fair, the i-MiEV could use slightly brighter bulbs, too)
All in all, it's not bad, but it's not as good as the i-MiEV. The i3 is easier to drive than the LEAF, nearly as easy as the i-MiEV to judge where it is on the road, and just as easy to maneuver and park. There is a noticeable lag in the throttle that gave me trouble regulating power on a flat and straight road. I switched to Eco mode to help, then I remembered it has cruise control
. It holds quite well on the highway, despite having tires almost the same width as the i-MiEV.
We're thinking of going for a drive tomorrow, and will update with more pros and cons.