Quote:
Originally Posted by jyl
An i3 would be perfect for our usage too. Keep the reports coming. How about some interior shots?
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So some more real-world experience. Having the L2 charger at home makes life much simpler - no need to find anything on the road. The wife's commute is now dialed in, and she loves the fact that she can hit a button on her phone then walk out 5 min later to a comfortable car interior when its 105F outside.
The longest trips we've done was a bit over 100 miles which used a bit of the Rex to make the final part of the journey. No change in performance - the 650CC engine just kicks in and you don't really notice.
Last night we took it to a gig, so I transferred my regular gear setup from the back of the X1 to the i3. I always have a cabinet, music stand, small pedal board, backup cables bag, and folding cart in the back of the X1, then from the house I bring my amp/bag and basses in a double gig bag, which I put in the back seat. The cargo area on the i3 is smaller and shorter than the X1. My cabinet just fits, with the cargo cover resting on the top. The cart fits, but the music stand and pedal bag are no-go - too long with the cabinet blocking the entire right side. In the X1 the space is deeper so the music stand can fit in front. I moved the stand and bag to the rear passenger well which has plenty of room and is pretty much flat since there is no transmission hump. Basses just fit snugly in the back seat. The i3 is a bit taller than the X1, but also a bit narrower - I lose a couple of inches of width.
The biggest head scratcher are the suicide door. Definitely style over substance, though it does give a wide opening. Much quicker though to have the traditional rear doors on the X1, and a bit less dangerous especially if you're parked on the street as you have to have front door open to get at the rear door on the i3 (assuming you do things from the driver side - which I do, force of habit). If I had kids I'd look elsewhere. But those days are behind me. For occasional passenger use it is fine, but you need to watch as the rear of the door comes to a point which can bite your leg if you don't pay attention as you open/close.
The one other thing I noticed is that the A-pillar is wider than my X1 - or maybe it is just a different angle but I think it also is a bit bigger. I had to lean around to get what I'd typically have for visibility but that may be me used to a different interior setup. Nothing earth shattering, but I noticed it. I'm pretty picky about driving position/etc though so ymmv.
If we have it out today I'll try to get some interior pics and compare it with the X1.