Who thinks the i8 will be a success ?

Who thinks the i8 will be a success ?

Author
Discussion

DeltaOne

558 posts

214 months

Wednesday 23rd July 2014
quotequote all
I had a decent length drive of an i8 the other day, and I have to admit I was blown away. I hadn't ever seriously considered it as a car I'd want to own, but from both a style and driving perspective think I'm changing my mind. Around town it was on electric most of the time, then on more open roads the engine kicked in (seamlessly), made a good noise, and you'd swear it was nothing like a 1.5 litre under the bonnet. If I want to be very critical it didn't feel overly nimble for a car of this weight, but to my mind its not a genuine sports car so I can totally live with that for all the parts that impressed me.

Looks and detailing wise its just superb. The body has to be viewed close up to really understand how stunning the lines are, I suspect its one of those cars you'll be able to look at over a period of months and still be picking up new things. Similarly the detailing was beautifully done, to my eyes just the right amount of subtle detailing without it falling into the bling category.

I thought it'd be many years until I bought an electric car.........this has changed my mind

MitchT

15,880 posts

210 months

Wednesday 23rd July 2014
quotequote all
Well, I'd buy one if I had that sort of money to spend. Previously, given £100k to spend, I'd always have gone down the cheap, economical, reliable daily driver and splash the rest on a used Ferrari route. The i8 is the first car that can be bought new for £100k that I'd actually consider spending £100k on ... well, since the days when new Ferraris could be had for £100k anyway. It has genuinely changed my view of the future of cars and gives genuine credibility and excitement to the concept of 'eco' cars.

spunko2010

286 posts

157 months

Wednesday 23rd July 2014
quotequote all
DeltaOne said:
I had a decent length drive of an i8 the other day, and I have to admit I was blown away. I hadn't ever seriously considered it as a car I'd want to own, but from both a style and driving perspective think I'm changing my mind. Around town it was on electric most of the time, then on more open roads the engine kicked in (seamlessly), made a good noise, and you'd swear it was nothing like a 1.5 litre under the bonnet. If I want to be very critical it didn't feel overly nimble for a car of this weight, but to my mind its not a genuine sports car so I can totally live with that for all the parts that impressed me.

Looks and detailing wise its just superb. The body has to be viewed close up to really understand how stunning the lines are, I suspect its one of those cars you'll be able to look at over a period of months and still be picking up new things. Similarly the detailing was beautifully done, to my eyes just the right amount of subtle detailing without it falling into the bling category.

I thought it'd be many years until I bought an electric car.........this has changed my mind
Interesting. May I ask what dealer you arranged a test drive at? I've been trying to get something sorted. Also did the dealer mention the current lead time, is it really 8 months?

Trikster

824 posts

203 months

Wednesday 23rd July 2014
quotequote all
I've my test drive tomorrow morning at Southampton. Having spoken to both then and Cooper Reading it seems like there is just one list held centrally rather than dealer allocations; currently looking at Q2 2015.

One interesting point is that globally folks who order the car with the plus pack are getting priority - though BMW UK are challenging this, especially as it's still not clear what the 'lifestyle' benefits of the plus pack are

DeltaOne

558 posts

214 months

Wednesday 23rd July 2014
quotequote all
Spunko - High Wycombe. A quality outfit.....

Trickster - you're spot on re the plus pack and delivery timeframes, but as for BMW GB challenging it good luck. Ferrari have been doing this kind of thing for years and people play the game and order what they need to for an early car. As for what the pack includes, I'd say it was s good mix of the somewhat useless and the mostly irrelevant....but will still be ticking the box.

Then again I'm easily pleased, at least the similarity with Ferrari doesn't extend to dealers thinking they're doing you a favour even selling you a car. High Wycombe have been superb.

CSLchappie

438 posts

205 months

Wednesday 23rd July 2014
quotequote all
I've seen one in the flesh at my local dealer this morning, have to say that even in white it looked bloody stunning, much bigger than I expected and the overall profile reminded me very much of the M1, which is a good thing in my book Very envious to those lucky to have one on order, although I'm not sure I could fit a pair of collies on the back seat...

spunko2010

286 posts

157 months

Thursday 24th July 2014
quotequote all
I've read the 'benefits' of the Plus package so many times, I still don't have a clue what it is. It does sound like a total waste of money. Whilst I can understand people wanting to get the car earlier, paying BMW a £15,000 premium is only going to hurt everyone else in the long run. What if it becomes the 'norm'?

Trikster

824 posts

203 months

Thursday 24th July 2014
quotequote all
Well deposit placed, no plus pack added though be interesting to see what happens next....

tobybmw535i

289 posts

193 months

Thursday 24th July 2014
quotequote all
My dad's come in November with the plus pack! I think it's not too bad value considering you get pretty much every option with it and the additional Benifits.

bennyboysvuk

3,491 posts

249 months

Friday 25th July 2014
quotequote all
I just received an email from BMW about the i8 so clicked on the link and began reading the specs.

I notice that it has really narrow tyres, which could mean that it could be quite easy to find the limits of grip, which could be fun. Tyre sizes are:

Tyre size front
- [195/50 R20 93 W]

Tyre size rear
- [215/45 R20 95 W]

KarlMac

4,480 posts

142 months

Friday 25th July 2014
quotequote all
Saw an i8 commuting into Sheffield wednesday morning and it looked stunning. I think this fact alone will be enough for them to fly out of the showrooms to S Line/M Sport type buyers.

spunko2010

286 posts

157 months

Saturday 26th July 2014
quotequote all
I went to another dealer today as I was in town, and luckily they had one in stock in the black/blue trim. Absolutely beautiful, like nothing else on the road.

Only downside... quoted delivery next May :-S Crazy. By then I wonder if there will be used examples up for sale.

spunko2010

286 posts

157 months

Saturday 26th July 2014
quotequote all
Also does anyone know if the BIK years are from April-April? If it is, not many people will get 5% BIK as it rises to 9% in '2015'