RE: BMW i8 vs The Real World

[hornetrider]

hondafanatic said:

hornetrider said:

These are a bit Kim Kardashian for me.

Not bad looking from the front, but a hideous rear end.

Someone mentioned that it looks like it's pooping out a 911. And once seen, cannot be unseen.

OH YEAH!!

How strange.

[Dr S]

Dave Hedgehog said:

get a black one, its less noticeable

Well, once seen it can't be unseen...

[mwstewart]

kambites said:

EVs average a fair bit more efficient than petrol powered cars. Especially powerful ones.

Thanks. Interesting article here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19830232

[okgo]

There is one parked outside my office today, it looks like nothing else on the road, incredible looking thing, people stopping to take photo's et (and I'm in Central London where Ferrari etc all over the shop), really does look like a concept car, but one that actually got made!

[erics]

Dan Trent said:

This does indeed tally pretty much exactly with the mpg I recorded on the driving I did with the car. Suffice to say I never saw 135mpg...

Cheers,

Dan

Hi Dan..

nothing like a bit of poking to get the attention of the author!

I may have been a bit harsh with a few of my comments with regards to your experience, but at least, I got your attention.

Here are a few glowing reviews (I actually struggle to find poor ones):
http://www.evo.co.uk/bmw/i8
http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/bmw/i8
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/bmw/i8
http://www.driving.co.uk/car-reviews/the-clarkson-...
http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/Drives/Search-Results...

and a video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZ54QP8VSvw

could post thousands of links.

What I am saying Dan, is that the i8 is a fantastic overal package: four seats (albeit small), great performance with an emphasis on torque, great economy if you can plug it often, quiet and refined one moment and a nice companion at 7-8-9 tenth.

Yes maybe on track it is not perfect, but how often will your average i8 owner track it, or drive it on the limit? Like 1-2% of their time if any?

In the rest of the time (98-99% of it) the car will be fantastic.

I think at this price point and bearing in mind the breath of abilities, it is very, very hard to beat and a bright light of hope for the future for car enthusiasts.

For me to sell my aston v12 vantage to buy one, it had to be very good indeed.

Edited by erics on Monday 19th January 13:32

[kambites]

mwstewart said:

kambites said:

EVs average a fair bit more efficient than petrol powered cars. Especially powerful ones.

Thanks. Interesting article here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19830232

Yeah, so:

Article said:

In Europe, where electricity is produced in a number of different ways, electric cars do offer environmental benefits when compared with cars with internal combustion engines, according to the study.

"Electric vehicles powered by the present European electricity mix offer a 10% to 24% decrease in their global warming potential relative to conventional diesel or petrol vehicles."

Unfortunately, it's an extremely complicated subject and the tendency for most research comparing EVs and ICE powered cars to b funded by either the oil lobby or the green lobby makes it even more confusing.

Edited by kambites on Monday 19th January 13:34

[BugLebowski]

erics said:

there will always be nay sayers. I drove one on a few occasions. Once for a weekend. I could not disagree more with Dan Trent.

The only thing I would agree is that it is not a track car.

Otherwise, it is an exilarating car to own. Not necessarily for the performance, but as a whole package.

The review is extremely short sighted and a contrast to the dozens of other reviews from more experienced / respected journalists.

You should learn to accept that other people can hold different opinions than yourself, without resorting to calling them short sighted or less experienced/respected.

[Dan Trent]

erics said:

Hi Dan..

nothing like a bit of spiking to get the attention of the author!

Each to their own - PH would be a dull place if we all agreed - and I'm aware of the love for the car among my journalistic colleagues. Called it as I saw it though, constructive debate on that welcome! As mentioned as a caveat in the piece this was a shorter loan than we usually get for UK test drives and I'd welcome a longer stint to see if longer exposure reveals more. If that happens I'll report in with an update.

And if you do buy one please do us a Carpool on it - would love to hear genuine ownership experiences.

Cheers,

Dan

Edited by Dan Trent on Monday 19th January 13:35

[erics]

BugLebowski said:

You should learn to accept that other people can hold different opinions than yourself, without resorting to calling them short sighted or less experienced/respected.

point taken, I was a bit harsh, but check my latest post above.

[mwstewart]

kambites said:

Interesting perhaps, but nothing to do with the point as such.

No, just that the car is compromised in favour of the environment but in the UK it doesn't fufil that criteria either until we clean up our power generation sources.

In short if it was between this and a Porsche it would be a no brainer for me: the Porsche.

[erics]

The Crack Fox said:

Oh!

Yes, I am a weak man..

[kambites]

mwstewart said:

In short if it was between this and a Porsche it would be a no brainer for me: the Porsche.

For me to, although I have no particular wish to own either. However, that's nothing to do with the environmental benefits of their respective drive-trains.

Edited by kambites on Monday 19th January 14:02

[Lowtimer]

mwstewart said:

Until that dark blue turns to orange I can't see that EVs in the UK are making any improvement on a petrol powered car - am I wrong?

Yes, you are wrong. When you can get an honest everyday 50 mpg commuting in your petrol-only Porsche 911 then you will be correct.
50 mpg-ish being what the i8 does in ordinary suburban wafting around without the benefit of being recharged at home, but just acting as a hybrid in the Prius sense.

And you are also wrong on cost for company car users, or indeed anyone living or working within the TfL congestion charging zone, for whom the tax advantages are compelling.

[Wills2]

So when the battery gives up the ghost on your Sunday morning hoon you're left with a 100k car with 1.5lt 3 pot and 231hp?

[Clivey]

I can't help but think that this powertrain would've made more sense and would've better suited an S-class coupé rival (new 8-Series maybe?).

[Schermerhorn]

Totally over-rated.

[shoestring7]

I think this is an extraordinary effort by BMW The i8 isn't slideware or an immobile showcar, but a real, buyable, driving pointer at how personal mobility in the form of the motorcar will be able to survive post peak oil, and the pressures of the green lobby. And they have done this in the form of a highly desirable sports/GT car, not some androgynous wheeled blob like the Google-mobile. We all know this is V1.0 aimed at wealthy early adopters, but BMW really should be feted.

Frankly, complaining it doesn't meet fictional EU consumption figures (like ever other car sold in the UK, right?) is churlish when its 40-50mpg plays the 25mpg of a 911, 20mpg of a Aston V8/Jag F or 10mpg of a FF Ferrari.

SS7

[erics]

Wills2 said:

So when the battery gives up the ghost on your Sunday morning hoon you're left with a 100k car with 1.5lt 3 pot and 231hp?

it will be left to its 3 pot, if your sunday morning drive involves driving the car at 10th tenth. In which case, you will either kill yourself or go to jail.

Otherwise it will just get recharged within 20 minutes of driving.

[chelme]

erics said:

Dan Trent said:

This does indeed tally pretty much exactly with the mpg I recorded on the driving I did with the car. Suffice to say I never saw 135mpg...

Cheers,

Dan

Hi Dan..

nothing like a bit of poking to get the attention of the author!

I may have been a bit harsh with a few of my comments with regards to your experience, but at least, I got your attention.

Here are a few glowing reviews (I actually struggle to find poor ones):
http://www.evo.co.uk/bmw/i8
http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/bmw/i8
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/bmw/i8
http://www.driving.co.uk/car-reviews/the-clarkson-...
http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/Drives/Search-Results...

and a video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZ54QP8VSvw

could post thousands of links.

What I am saying Dan, is that the i8 is a fantastic overal package: four seats (albeit small), great performance with an emphasis on torque, great economy if you can plug it often, quiet and refined one moment and a nice companion at 7-8-9 tenth.

Yes maybe on track it is not perfect, but how often will your average i8 owner track it, or drive it on the limit? Like 1-2% of their time if any?

In the rest of the time (98-99% of it) the car will be fantastic.

I think at this price point and bearing in mind the breath of abilities, it is very, very hard to beat and a bright light of hope for the future for car enthusiasts.

For me to sell my aston v12 vantage to buy one, it had to be very good indeed.

Edited by erics on Monday 19th January 13:32

You sold an Aston Martin V12 Vantage, for one of these????

[erics]

chelme said:

You sold an Aston Martin V12 Vantage, for one of these????

Yup and I have extensive experience of the v12, having driven it to Spa and other nice places.

Check my profile, some of my cars are there, so i think i have an informed opinion on what is a nice sports car or not.