Comparisons
Gallery 1
It’s a battle of plug-ins, with the futuristic BMW i3 Range Extender facing off against the more conventional Audi A3 e-tron to see which makes the better premium small hybrid.
Damn Toyota, and damn the Prius. The poster car of hybrid technology just won’t go away. Alongside it in the greening 2016 new-car landscape there have never been so many options to tempt those hoping to eke another few millennia out of Mother Earth.
Some are bland and underwhelming (take a bow Mitsubishi for the Outlander PHEV; and Porsche, you can do better with hybrids) while others are genuinely exciting and enticing, such as the COTY-winning BMW i3.
Park your money in the Munich corner and you get a peculiar looking four-seater with rear hinged back doors. The body is carbon fibre making for a lightweight 1240kg frame – and that’s when fitted with the two-cylinder 647cc scooter engine that is a built-in generator. The unpainted matte finish of the grey-ish carbon is an authentic reminder every time you open the door.
From Ingolstadt the A3 e-Tron trumps that with dual-zone ventilation and the same spread of sat-nav, reversing camera, parking sensors, digital radio tuning and leather trim. But it misses out on the BMW’s auto wipers, and the lack of a USB input is inexcusable (it’s circa $100 for a USB adaptor in the Audi-specific plug).
It’s an early tick to the Audi, then, something backed up with space. The Audi A3 body – which shares its MQB underpinnings with the Volkswagen Golf – liberates another seat in the rear, albeit for the skinnier in society. Rear seat leg room is also more palatable, while the boot will swallow more than the Beemer’s.
Yet the Audi looks cleaner and more clinical; its unique dash displays and “EV” button the only giveaways the e-Tron is hiding some tricky tech.
Hit the road and the BMW quickly wins back points. The steering is super direct, and the super tight turning circle makes city prowling a snip. But the 45/55 weight balance leaves little over the skinny front tyres, which quickly degrade into understeer on the limit. Bumps aren’t the i3’s friend, either. There’s short suspension travel that can have it rearing angrily.
The Audi is more predictable, if lacking flair. The steering is vanilla, adding spice once Sport mode is dialled into the Drive Select button, and there’s decent grip, while mid-corner bumps aren’t nearly as much of a wild ride.
Just don’t push the accelerator all the way to the firewall or you’ll wake the petrol engine when you may not want to. If you did, though, the e-Tron pulls out both guns to deliver 150kW and 350Nm. On the surface it looks like an easy performance win to the Audi, but at 1540kg it’s not light, and acceleration really only starts to out-do the BMW once you’re in licence-losing territory.
There’s also plenty to love about the BMW’s drivetrain. Unlike the Audi, the electric motor is the only thing driving the wheels. Its 125kW electric motor punches hard with 250Nm the second you stab the accelerator and in the i3’s diminutive frame it makes for delectable acceleration. The i3 is entertaining, brisk even.
Indeed the BMW makes less sense the further you take it from its next charge. But in everyday driving that’s typically about 120km, triple that of the Audi’s electric-only range. For most urban motoring it’s more than enough.
And people aren’t shopping these cars to do the Big Trip. Sure, they can do it, but they’re more about zapping around town and consuming electrons rather than fossil fuels.
But there’s an ordinariness to its personality that’s out of step with its high tech ways.
The BMW does it with more pizazz and flair – and, importantly, more electric range. It oozes innovation and demands a second glance. It looks and feels like a science experiment at every turn, but one that has gone right.
As an object that waves the environmental flag laced with futuristic tech it trounces the Audi. And it shows just how far the green race has advanced since those early Prius days.
SPECS
Model: BMW i3 Range Extender Engine: 647cc two-cylinder petrol Max power: 28kW Max torque: 56Nm Transmission: Single-speed automatic Weight: 1315kg 0-100km/h: 7.9 seconds Fuel economy: 0.6 l/100km (claimed) Price: $69,900
Model: Audi A3 e-tron Engine: 1395cc four-cylinder petrol Max power: 110kW Max torque: 250Nm Transmission: 6-speed dual-clutch automatic Weight: 1540kg 0-100km/h: 7.6 seconds Fuel economy: 1.6 l/100km (claimed) Price: $62,490
