Poised to meet with the growing popularization of hybrid and electric motor vehicles, BMW wanted to create two vehicles that would standout amongst the rest. The first was the BMW i3, a small, affordable, and practical electric vehicle that was perfect for urban environments. The other car was the BMW i8, a futuristic and promising car that seemed to be on the bleeding edge of hybrid-technology. BMW introduced concepts for the i8 all the way back in 2009 as the “Vision Efficient Dynamics” concept car. They perfected the vehicle over the years and the result is one of the more promising electric vehicles on the market today. It has the makings on paper to be an exceptional car, but now that it’s been out for a little bit, how does it stack up compared to the competition? Let’s take a quick look at the i8 and what BMW has done with this interesting and futuristic vehicle.
Between the i8’s unique front-end, it’s menacing hood scoop, or it’s wing doors, all it takes is just one look at the vehicle to realize that this is something quite different. BMW wanted to design a vehicle that would really act as sort of a “pioneer” for truly impressive hybrid cars. They wanted to let consumers know that hybrids can be cool and aggressive looking, as we have become all to comfortable with the Toyota Prius’s of the world (sorry Prius owners). From almost every viewing angle, you can just tell that this $136,500 dollar car is premium. The design is forward-thinking and progressive which makes it very unique, but at the same time, it’s also somewhat contemporary. You can tell that it’s a BMW and not a spaceship. However naturally there is a lot more to this car than just it’s pretty looks.
The BMW i8 is a technological achievement for the modern driving era, and BMW really let’s you know that with this car. From opening those wing doors to switching between one of the four different driving modes, the i8 makes you feel special. At the forefront of it all is the vehicle interesting powertrain. BMW wanted to create an efficient car that could also offer sports car levels of performance, and the i8 is the result. The vehicle is powered by two engines: an electric motor that delivers 129 horsepower which is instantly available and a 1.5-liter turbocharged inline three-cylinder engine that delivers 228 horsepower. When both engines are working together the driver has 357 horses and 420 lb-ft of torque meaning, in other words, this car can move. Accelerating form 0 to 60 mph can be achieved in just 4.2 seconds, but if you fiddle with some of the settings and rev the car up to 2,500 rpms, then you can bring it down to just 3.6-seconds. It also has an impressive top-speed of 155 mph, while not record-breaking, it’s still solid.
So quite obviously the i8 offers solid levels of performance, but it will also save you money in the long run as it is also extremely efficient. When both the combustion engine and electric motor are running at their optimum efficient, you can expect to get around 76 mpg in total. Charge the vehicle up overnight and give it a full tank of gas, and you can easily drive some 330 miles, which is pretty impressive given what’s under the hood. And obviously it has very low carbon emmisions as well. However if you want to just use the electric engine, then you will be making many compromises as it only has a range of some 23 miles. But hey, it’s still nice that you have the option to just use the electric motor.
Outside of the cars beautiful design and impressive powertrain, the i8 is still very much a high-end BMW. The interior is adorned in luxurious leather, there’s plenty of carbon-fiber found throughout, the command console controls all aspects of the vehicle, the seats are large and comfortable, and the list of added options and luxury features is almost endless. You forget for a second that you’re driving a BMW, but are quickly reminded with all of the refinements that the brand is known for. While the focus of this vehicle is both technology and it’s hybrid powertrain, the i8 is still as luxurious as any BMW.
So at the end of the day, the BMW i8 is truly one of the more interesting hybrid vehicles that are on the market. It’s not a small or quirky electric vehicle like its younger brother, the i3, but at the same time it’s not over-the-top like the McLaren P1. Rather the BMW i8 is somewhere in-between a standard electric vehicle and an impressive hybrid-supercar; it has some elements of both, but it’s not distinctly one or the other. And that is the biggest downfall with this otherwise amazing and beautiful car; its lack of identity. BMW says it’s a sports car, but compared to real sports cars, it offers fairly average levels of performance. Nothing that will make your head sponge. Compared to affordable electric cars or hybrids, the i8 is large and very expensive. The combination of those factors make the i8 somewhat “awkward” as it’s not a hybrid-supercar and it’s not an economically affordable all-electric car. But that’s okay, because there are people out there that want neither of those cars. For those consumers, the i8 is perfect. While it does have somewhat of an identity crisis and a high price tag, the BMW i8 will be remembered as one of the more memorable hybrid cars for our era.
The Good
The i8 does most things right, and it accomplishes nearly all of what it set out to do. It’s a beautiful and progressive hybrid vehicle that’s packed with technology and an impressive powertrain that makes it one of the most attractive vehicle within it’s car segment. The i8 is equally advanced as it is luxurious, and it shouldn’t fail to please.
The “Meh”
The performance of the i8 isn’t as impressive as we would like. BMW wants to position the i8 as a hybrid sports car, and while it does offer impressive levels of performance, it’s not enough to justify it’s step base price. This is especially the case when you compare the i8 to the all-electric Tesla Model S which is cheaper and faster (if you opt for the performance version).
The Bad
The two worst thing about this car are it’s confused identity and its price tag. BMW has created a truly impressive machine that’s a feat of engineering, don’t get me wrong. But it’s not a Toyota Prius or a Honda Leaf and it’s not a Porsche 918 or even a Model S. It’s something else and that makes it award. BMW needs to improve the performance of this vehicle to justify it’s high price tag. But outside of those details, the i8 is overall an impressive car to be remembered.
Photos from BMW
