Perfectly Formed

The new i3 from BMW is simply electric

But personally, I'd keep my i3 simple, light, cheaper and pure. And it's a decision I might have to make: I test a lot of cars, but few that I like so much that I start making plans to buy. Top Gear's James May has already taken delivery of his. Old-fashioned car enthusiasts like us like the way an electric car such as the i3 performs: delivering all its torque from standstill and not just keeping pace with petrol-powered cars, but embarrassing them away from the lights, and doing it all in near-silence.

But the i3 adds F1-style carbon-fibre construction, an exceptionally elegant, minimalist cabin, and a truly extraordinary level of technology that makes using an electric car even easier. Your i3's charging can be monitored and controlled from an app on your smartphone. You can plan a journey in advance on your phone or laptop and send destinations to your i3's sat-nav. In some markets, it will know exactly where the nearest charging points are, and whether they're free. The app can tell you how to get back to where you've parked your i3, and how long it would take to continue your journey on foot or by public transport instead. If you take the car, when you reach your destination the i3 can look around for a parking space and reverse itself into it, while you listen to one of the literally millions of songs on the cloud-based music services which you can stream into the i3's cabin.

And there's more; far more than I can outline here. Few cars have debuted so much new technology at once. And one feature that comes as standard is the subtle nod of approval you'll get from everyone who knows just how cool your i3 is.

BMW i3

Scorecard

How much? HK$394,000*
Engine: 168hp AC electric motor
Transmission: Single speed
Performance: 0-100kph 7.2 sec
How heavy? 1,270kgs
Range: 190km (electric only); 340km (range extender)

*Prices subject to final PRP approval by Customs and Excise

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