In one respect, the BMW i3-REx has been the 'gateway drug' to my future Model 3. My Huntsville-to-Nashville EV experiments converting theory into practice.
In January 2009, about 50 of us Prius 'experts' were invited guests of Toyota to see the unveiling of the Gen-3 Prius, the 2010 model year. We were also offered a chance to buy the car directly from Toyota USA at attractive, fixed prices. But when I asked about the driver assistance package:
- +$6,000 - top of the line trim
- +$2,000 - adding the driver assistance package
I came within 49-to-51 of not buying the 2010 Prius but the engine, 'cooled exhaust' led me to buy. Fast forward to May 2016.
Toyota announced they were making their driver assistance package standard on the Prius ... except for Level 2 ECO, the highest MPG trim. The dealer tried to sell me a Level 3 with a useless "moonroof" and though I validated everything I wanted with TSS-P. Worse, I could only achieve 98 MPG which matched my mileage model, less than the ~120 MPG the Level 2 ECO could achieve. But they lowered the price to an 'end-of-lease' 2014 BMW i3-REx which I subsequently bought. The 2010 Prius was backup to the BMW i3-REx. Fast forward to December 2016.
The 2014 BMW i3-REx was a first model year which means 'infantile problems.' One turned out to be a weak, motor mount bolt which broke. Down for two weeks, I soon came to detest the 2010 Prius without the driver assistance package of the BMW i3-REx. About that time, a few Prius Prime showed up and I took one for a test drive. I replaced the 2010 Prius with a 2017 Prius Prime and never looked back.
Driver assistance systems are a mandatory requirement. Once you get used to it, there is a 2-3 week learning curve, you never want to drive again without 'the hand of God' on your shoulder.
Bob Wilson