Rally Legend Takes The BMW i3 Up A Hill Climb Course In Romania
by Adrian Padeanu · BMWBLOGArticle Summary
- Despite having little time to familiarize himself with the course, Vatanen reached speeds comparable to those of the competitors.
- The former WRC champion completed three climbs, acting as the course-closing driver after each run.
- The i3 completed the approximately 400-kilometer (249-mile) Bucharest–Brașov–Bucharest round trip on a single charge, including sporty driving on the hill climb course.
Ari Vatanen knows a thing or two about going fast uphill. The Finnish rally legend conquered Pikes Peak in 1988 with his legendary Peugeot 405 T16, setting a record that stood for several years. Nearly four decades later, he was back on a hill climb course, although this time he had a very different machine at his disposal: the new BMW i3.
Vatanen visited Romania over the weekend for the final round of the season at the Poiana Brașov AUTOKLASS Trophy. Invited by the Engage Racing team, the former World Rally Champion took the opportunity to get behind the wheel of BMW’s latest electric sedan, which made its global market debut during the same weekend.
Rather than simply watching from the sidelines, the 74-year-old completed three climbs on Sunday, acting as the course-closing driver after each run. Although he wasn’t competing and had little time to familiarize himself with the route, Vatanen showed impressive pace, reaching speeds comparable to the actual competitors. That’s quite a statement for a road-going electric sedan that isn’t even the i3 M60, let alone the upcoming quad-motor M3 monster.
Ready For The Hill Climb And The Long Haul
The demonstration car wore Michelin CrossClimate 3 Sport tires, described as the first all-season sports tires. They provided the necessary grip regardless of changing weather conditions, a particularly relevant consideration given Vatanen’s experience with the unpredictable conditions of the Monte Carlo Rally.
Beyond its hill-climb performance, the BMW i3 also proved its long-distance credentials. The car completed the approximately 400-kilometer (249-mile) round trip between Bucharest and Brașov on a single charge, despite also tackling the competition course at a sporty pace.
The i3 50 xDrive is the second model in BMW’s Neue Klasse family. Its 800-volt architecture and sixth-generation battery technology deliver a claimed WLTP range of up to 912 kilometers (567 miles). BMW also says the electric sedan can add up to 423 kilometers (263 miles) of range in just 10 minutes of charging. Over in China, the long-wheelbase version recently did 1,213 kilometers (754 miles) without stopping to recharge.
Up next
From A Paris-Dakar-Winning Peugeot To A Long-Range BMW EV
The man who became famous for conquering America’s most iconic hill climb in a combustion-powered Peugeot has now sampled BMW’s latest electric technology on a Romanian mountain road. And while the new i3 isn’t exactly a Pikes Peak race car, the rally legend seems to have had no trouble finding speed in Munich’s latest EV.
After seeing Vatanen put the i3 through its paces, we’d love to see him get behind the wheel of next year’s M3 ZA0. We’d also be curious to hear his thoughts on the simulated gear changes and artificial engine sounds, which BMW claims are necessary to make the driving experience more engaging. If anyone knows how to get the most out of a high-performance car, it’s Ari Vatanen. A few runs up Pikes Peak in the electric M3 would certainly make for some spectacular footage.
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