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First Drive Review: BMW i8

Image of Alisdair Suttie
Author: | Updated: 14 Jul 2014 14:10

Hyper-hybrid supercars have been grabbing the headlines in the weekly, monthly and digital inkies for most of 2014. Ferrari, McLaren and Porsche have all come up with cars that are as sensational as they are unobtainable.

They also have about as much relevance to you, me and almost every other driver as space dust-powered hover cars.

There is, however, one hybrid supercar that is here, now and very much relevant to the vast majority of drivers: the BMW i8. It’s not some rarefied snapshot of the future; it’s the beginning of the future, happening right now.

BMW's i8 can reach 62mph in 4.4 seconds

No ordinary supercar

Where the Ferrari, McLaren and Porsche will always remains the preserve of tiny number of chosen customers, anyone with the wherewithal can buy a BMW i8.

So far, 370 eager customers have signed up and paid their deposits in the UK. BMW reckons 750 i8s per year will find homes in the UK, putting its sales on a par with that of Audi’s R8. Not bad for a car with a starting price of £99,845.

Then again, the i8 is no ordinary supercar thanks to its aluminium carbon fibre structure that slides over the centrally mounted battery pack. It also sports a turbocharged 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine to help out with performance.

If you think that engine sounds a bit on the weedy side, you need to recalibrate expectations pronto. This is the highest power-to-capacity engine BMW has ever made, offering 231bhp, and let’s remember it wasn’t that long ago BMW boasted about 100bhp per litre from its M3 performance coupe’s motor. The i8 extends that to more than 150bhp per litre.

Combined with the i8’s 131bhp electric motor that drives the front wheels, as well as an additional electric motor that works as a starter and fills in the gaps when the petrol engine is changing gear, the BMW ticks off 0-62mph in 4.4 seconds. It also hits an electronically capped top speed of 155mph.

The i8 feels more like a Lotus Elise that has been honed and fettled to perfection than any sort of intimidating supercar

Granted, these figures are not quite in the same league as the three crazy hyper-hybrids from Ferrari, McLaren and Porsche. On the other hand, the BMW i8 is likely to be far more usable and is certainly far more affordable, with a price tag that is a fraction of its hyper rivals.

There is also the small point about how much of the trio of hyper hybrid’s power and performance can you deploy in the real world on real roads.

Not having driven any of that exotic trio, I cannot say, but I know people who have and they all say the Porsche is the most realistically possible on the road. It’s also the slowest, though this is a very relative case as the Porsche is ballistically quick by any measure.

Even so, on the average UK A- or B-road my money would be on the BMW i8. It really is that good and feels more like a Lotus Elise that has been honed and fettled to perfection than any sort of intimidating supercar.The i8 can cover up to 22 miles on battery power, enough for the average British daily commute

Inimitable immediacy

Where an Audi R8 or Porsche 911, which are the i8’s natural rivals rather than the hyper cars mentioned above, feel imposing, heavy and just a little bit burly when you start to press on, the i8 comes alive in an inviting way. The Elise comparison is prompted by the way the i8 changes direction with such an immediacy, lightness and precision to the steering that not even the Porsche gets close.

The i8’s surprisingly narrow tyres help here, yet they don’t relinquish grip any sooner than you’d expect of a fat-tyred supercar. Instead, they offer impressive traction and progression as they begin to approach their limit of adhesion. Push really hard in tighter corners and the front wheels will run wide, but no more so than in an R8 that feels thuggish and uncouth by comparison.

For some, the delicacy of the i8 will not appeal, but for drivers who revel in eking out the best from a car and learning its character over time, the BMW is the marrying kind to the Audi’s one-night stand.

All of this adds up to an electric car with hybrid power that overcomes all of the usual objections from the petrol- or diesel-addicted majority. The i8 has the power, performance and it certainly has the looks to amaze, impress and entertain.

the BMW is the marrying kind to the Audi’s one-night stand.

Surpassing targets

Of course, it also has the economy and emissions to make people stop and think. Average economy is 134.5mpg and emissions are just 49g/km. They are incredible figures, especially when you learn BMW initially aimed for 99g/km CO2 output.

A lot of this is down to the i8 being able to run at all legal British road speeds in electric-only mode.

It can cover up to 22 miles on battery power, which is handily just about the same as the average British daily commute. Plug in at work to charge the car while you toil at your desk and it will be ready to do the same for the drive home without using drop of petrol.

If you do make use of the petrol engine, its three-cylinder bark is like no other triple we’ve encountered.

It sounds more like a Lamborghini Diablo V12’s lower rev tones, which gives the i8 a very enjoyable soundtrack. This also overcomes yet another objection by many to the idea of an electric supercar: they don’t make any noise. Well, the i8 does and it’s glorious.

The i8 certainly has the looks to amaze, impress and entertain

Universal relevance

So, as drivers of more moderate means and machinery, what does the i8 mean to us and why is it so much more important that the slightly irrelevant hyper hybrids from Porsche, Ferrari and McLaren? Simple, unlike this trio, BMW’s technology from the i8 will filter down into its everyday models soon and start benefitting everyone.

It’s already happening, as the i3 hatch went on sale before the i8 and uses similar construction and propulsion technology. With BMW’s design and technical prowess now firmly behind hybrid power, we’ll see some great driver’s cars using this power combination.

Where the likes of the Toyota Prius and Vauxhall Ampera major on being worthy, BMW knows people want a bit of pizzazz in their lives. It’s why the 3 Series outsells the Ford Mondeo ten to one nowadays.

While few of us will get to drive an i8, we will all be able to enjoy the fruits of its technology. That is proper headline-grabbing material.

Prices start from £99,845

BMW i8 at a glance:

Length: 4689mm
Width: 1942mm (2218mm with mirrors)
Height: 1297mm
Wheelbase: 2800mm
Electric range: 22 miles
Powertrain: 1499cc 231bhp petrol with 98kw electric motor (129bhp equivalent)
Combined fuel consumption: 134.5mpg
CO2 emissions: 49g/km
Rivals:
Audi R8, Porsche 911, McLaren P1
OTR price: £99,845

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