Passed one on the way to work this morning... now there is a car that's fallen out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down.

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/bmw/i3

Though autocar seem to like it.

Autocar in car with BMW badge love shocker!

It's certainly not pretty.

Reminds of something out of an 80's futuristic film, can't think what though...

As for the styling, it's very German.

Personally I don't like it, it's confused. I can see an x car in there but the proportions are so small it looks like a normal car has gone to the fun house and is viewing it's reflection in a fun mirror, with humorous results.

It's got an odd road presence. Smaller but taller than a Golf, I'd say, very narrow and with narrow tyres.

So a Polo plus? (do they exist? I don't dare Google in case they do)

They don't exist yet but it must be one of the few remaining niches to fill

I'm doing a lot of work with Electric Vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure at the moment. I'm fortunate enough to get quite a lot of vehicles on test and had an i3 a few weeks ago.

It's a very accomplished little car. I agree it's a bit of an eyesore (looks a bit like an Audi A1 I thought), but for what it is meant to do it's one of the best.

The i3 is a town/second car. Meant for commuting or as a second vehicle, dropping the kids at school and going shopping in. It's nippy, 0-40mph is faster than an M3, which makes it great for negotiating traffic. It will need charging every 100 miles; this costs about 3 quid. Tax is free and insurance costs are low.

The interior is a nice place to be and it has plenty of gadgets. It's one of those small vehicles which pulls off the trick of feeling much bigger inside.

As for downsides, the price is too high and it's not very good at going round corners at high speeds (but maybe that's just my driving).

It's also worth looking at a Nissan Leaf if anyone is in the market for an EV. It does all the cheap driving and costs a lot less than the i3. It is however bloody ugly and has a distinctly Nissan feel about it.

I like the Ampera.... pity it is expensive also.

Reminds me a bit of the Citroen C1-C2-C3 cant remember which one!

All sounds great but its more space required to park which is getting harder and harder now! and new houses dont have the space unless you are privileged of course!

one car for City commuting For the Wife
One for Family and touring etc.
And one for Fun! My Coupe
and if like me you have a company van one for work

No wonder there is nowhere to park any more!

So I think you need an all rounder the Porsche and Mclaren hybrids would probably be a better choice almost all boxes ticked yay!

I saw a BMW i8 this afternoon. Looked stunning!

I wasn't right keen on the Ampera. I found its hybrid petrol engine really disconcerting when it started revving at low speed.

The i8 does look great!

IMHO, it is extremely ugly but also very popular in Norway so I am unfortunate to see it every day.