2019 BMW i3 Lets You Ride Even Farther on Those Awkwardly Skinny Tires

BMW has steadily been updating its i3 to help improve its range and efficiency. The 2019 BMW i3 will take a big step in the right direction with a brand-new battery and a few other tweaks. Unfortunately, none of these changes include wider tires.

One of the biggest changes to the i3 in recent years was the 2017 introduction of the 94Ah battery that increased its all-electric range from 81 miles to 115 miles. The 2019 BMW i3 will go a step further and introduce a new 120 Ah battery pack with a gross energy content of 42.2 kilowatt hours. This will allow the 2019 i3 120Ah and i3s 120Ah to travel 153 miles on a charge — an increase of 33 percent. When you opt for the REX model with the range-extending engine, the i3 will have an extended range, but the EPA numbers are not out yet.

The 2019 BMW i3’s electronic powerplant injects 170 horsepower and sprints this hatchback to 60 mph in 7.2 seconds. The BMW i3s pushes the output to 181 horsepower, dropping its 0-to-60 sprint to 6.8 seconds. Adding the heft of the range-extending gasoline engine increases these sprint times by 0.8 seconds each.

On the outside, the 2019 BMW i3 will retain its appearance but add Jucaro Beige Metallic exterior color with Frozen Grey accents in place of the outgoing Protonic Blue Metallic with Frozen Grey accents.

Inside, the 2019 i3 Mega World will gain Electronic Brown Trim and Mega Carum Spice Grey SensaTec with Brown Cloth highlights. The Tera World trim will offer higher-quality Tera Dark Truffle Vernasca Leather.

One thing that will not change, however, are the BMW i3’s oddly skinny tires. The standard model will continue with 155/70R19 tires, while the i3s will come standard with 175/55R20 tires up front and 195/50R20 tires on the rear. It’s clear BMW chose these tires for efficiency, not performance.

Stay tuned for additional details and pricing information.