RE: BMW i8 vs The Real World
Discussion
kambites said:
It doesn't sound to me as if the weakness in how it drive are anything to do with its straight line performance?
0-60 in 4.4 is plenty fast enough for our roads. The i8 might be a bit slower over 60 than it should be, but that is probably even less relevant to most drivers than is the difference between 4 seconds to 60 and 4.4 seconds to 60.
To be honest, I can count on one hand the number of times I have been glad to be in a 4.8 to 60 car rather than a 5.5 to 60 car. Full throttle is pretty damn fast for our roads in anything that will do 60 in under 5.5 or so.
(Once you get into the 6s and 7s, I feel the difference much more. Cars that take 7s to get to 60 can see you with the loud pedal on the mat and shouting "Go! You f
ker!", but I cant imagine anyone doing that in a car with 4.4 second pace!)I have just had two days with the i8 courtesy of Dick Lovett BMW Bristol.
I love fast cars, which look good, but will never, ever get to a 'limit' in anything I own, so really it was a foray into how an i8 is to live with on a daily basis. We absolutely LOVED it!
It is fast, comfy and so ridiculously easy to live with, that the whole family were hooked from the moment we drove away in her. We did 350 miles in the i8, cost me £25 in petrol. Averaged 38mpg, never ran out of battery juice as the car always sorted itself. Plenty of poke in eDrive & once all comes on-line, feels like going into hyperdrive. So plenty fast enough & sounds great too!
Best bits for me, the dihedral doors ;-) And on a freezing cold morning going on the 1 mile school run on electric power only, the heated seats and cabin were toasty by the time we reached the end if the driveway. Sold!
If I am honest I think the £100k price tag is a bit too steep. While the cabin was nice & seats comfy etc. it didn't feel luxury. As has been said the tax advantages to some make this a no brainer & I for would love to have one on my driveway.
I love fast cars, which look good, but will never, ever get to a 'limit' in anything I own, so really it was a foray into how an i8 is to live with on a daily basis. We absolutely LOVED it!
It is fast, comfy and so ridiculously easy to live with, that the whole family were hooked from the moment we drove away in her. We did 350 miles in the i8, cost me £25 in petrol. Averaged 38mpg, never ran out of battery juice as the car always sorted itself. Plenty of poke in eDrive & once all comes on-line, feels like going into hyperdrive. So plenty fast enough & sounds great too!
Best bits for me, the dihedral doors ;-) And on a freezing cold morning going on the 1 mile school run on electric power only, the heated seats and cabin were toasty by the time we reached the end if the driveway. Sold!
If I am honest I think the £100k price tag is a bit too steep. While the cabin was nice & seats comfy etc. it didn't feel luxury. As has been said the tax advantages to some make this a no brainer & I for would love to have one on my driveway.
kambites said:
slippery said:
Baryonyx said:
The more I read on these it seems that they are better to look at than they are to drive. But no matter, we can't expect this type of car to be perfect from the off. It is good to hear that big steps are being made into making credible hybrid performance cars.
It drives like a very polished GT should. Lop another half a second off the 0-60 time and it would have nothing to apologise for. But you are of course right. To most "buyers", how it handles on the limit is utterly irrelevant because they're going to spend the huge majority of their time either on the motorway or in urban/suburban traffic. It sounds like ti deals with either of those situations well enough. The very best GTs do that and cope with being hurled down a B-road, but it's not a really a prerequisite for the genre.
Edited by kambites on Monday 19th January 15:30
Triple7 said:
I have just had two days with the i8 courtesy of Dick Lovett BMW Bristol.
I love fast cars, which look good, but will never, ever get to a 'limit' in anything I own, so really it was a foray into how an i8 is to live with on a daily basis. We absolutely LOVED it!
It is fast, comfy and so ridiculously easy to live with, that the whole family were hooked from the moment we drove away in her. We did 350 miles in the i8, cost me £25 in petrol. Averaged 38mpg, never ran out of battery juice as the car always sorted itself. Plenty of poke in eDrive & once all comes on-line, feels like going into hyperdrive. So plenty fast enough & sounds great too!
Best bits for me, the dihedral doors ;-) And on a freezing cold morning going on the 1 mile school run on electric power only, the heated seats and cabin were toasty by the time we reached the end if the driveway. Sold!
If I am honest I think the £100k price tag is a bit too steep. While the cabin was nice & seats comfy etc. it didn't feel luxury. As has been said the tax advantages to some make this a no brainer & I for would love to have one on my driveway.
A great real persons view on this car and I would also like one for all the reasons you stated.
I love fast cars, which look good, but will never, ever get to a 'limit' in anything I own, so really it was a foray into how an i8 is to live with on a daily basis. We absolutely LOVED it!
It is fast, comfy and so ridiculously easy to live with, that the whole family were hooked from the moment we drove away in her. We did 350 miles in the i8, cost me £25 in petrol. Averaged 38mpg, never ran out of battery juice as the car always sorted itself. Plenty of poke in eDrive & once all comes on-line, feels like going into hyperdrive. So plenty fast enough & sounds great too!
Best bits for me, the dihedral doors ;-) And on a freezing cold morning going on the 1 mile school run on electric power only, the heated seats and cabin were toasty by the time we reached the end if the driveway. Sold!
If I am honest I think the £100k price tag is a bit too steep. While the cabin was nice & seats comfy etc. it didn't feel luxury. As has been said the tax advantages to some make this a no brainer & I for would love to have one on my driveway.
A great real persons view on this car and I would also like one for all the reasons you stated.
Felt compelled to write in on this one, especially after the fuel figures which I've seen before.
This car is supposed to be all things.... ie looks, performance and fantastic mpg, with the mpg being the deciding factor as you could have both a sports car of considerable performance and great fuel consumption and free congestion charging to boot if you're in fashionable London!
I think it looks great, has the technology, carbon fibre etc, engine and hybrid technology seems to be great on paper....
But you can get all this for half the price with an Alpina BMW diesel. In some respects BMW should be taken to court over their wildly inaccurate claims of fuel consumption and would be a great test case against other manufacturers making wild claims with regards fuel consumption.
Just a final note... what if Alpina had the i8 and put one of it's sports diesel engines in it? All that lightness and performance would make a formidable machine!
This car is supposed to be all things.... ie looks, performance and fantastic mpg, with the mpg being the deciding factor as you could have both a sports car of considerable performance and great fuel consumption and free congestion charging to boot if you're in fashionable London!
I think it looks great, has the technology, carbon fibre etc, engine and hybrid technology seems to be great on paper....
But you can get all this for half the price with an Alpina BMW diesel. In some respects BMW should be taken to court over their wildly inaccurate claims of fuel consumption and would be a great test case against other manufacturers making wild claims with regards fuel consumption.
Just a final note... what if Alpina had the i8 and put one of it's sports diesel engines in it? All that lightness and performance would make a formidable machine!
May be completely irrelevant but I've seen two on the road since launch. One was sat in traffic and the other was sat on an estate road not very close to a house with an RAC, or similar, van attending and three specialist recovery trucks.
Wanted to go and ask what was going on but suspect if "might" have been a negatively-charged situation...!
Wanted to go and ask what was going on but suspect if "might" have been a negatively-charged situation...!
Well honestly if what you want is a ten tenths car you're not buying a 911 either, unless it's a GT3 and that's much more expensive than an i8 / not even on sale anymore. No, for the customers it's aimed at it does it's job very well.
Also, this is BMW's first attempt at a sports hybrid - the first car of it's type (hybrid hypercars are on another league and have no price limitations or other strict rules to follow)
Also, this is BMW's first attempt at a sports hybrid - the first car of it's type (hybrid hypercars are on another league and have no price limitations or other strict rules to follow)
davea18h said:
I think it looks great, has the technology, carbon fibre etc, engine and hybrid technology seems to be great on paper....
But you can get all this for half the price with an Alpina BMW diesel.
Can you point me in the direction of this carbon laden, hybrid, space age looking sports car for £50k from Alpina, so I can buy one of those instead? I've checked the Alpina price list and can't see it.But you can get all this for half the price with an Alpina BMW diesel.
davea18h said:
Felt compelled to write in on this one, especially after the fuel figures which I've seen before.
This car is supposed to be all things.... ie looks, performance and fantastic mpg, with the mpg being the deciding factor as you could have both a sports car of considerable performance and great fuel consumption and free congestion charging to boot if you're in fashionable London!
I think it looks great, has the technology, carbon fibre etc, engine and hybrid technology seems to be great on paper....
But you can get all this for half the price with an Alpina BMW diesel. In some respects BMW should be taken to court over their wildly inaccurate claims of fuel consumption and would be a great test case against other manufacturers making wild claims with regards fuel consumption.
Just a final note... what if Alpina had the i8 and put one of it's sports diesel engines in it? All that lightness and performance would make a formidable machine!
A 3 litre diesel engine is not going to fit or keep the car light.This car is supposed to be all things.... ie looks, performance and fantastic mpg, with the mpg being the deciding factor as you could have both a sports car of considerable performance and great fuel consumption and free congestion charging to boot if you're in fashionable London!
I think it looks great, has the technology, carbon fibre etc, engine and hybrid technology seems to be great on paper....
But you can get all this for half the price with an Alpina BMW diesel. In some respects BMW should be taken to court over their wildly inaccurate claims of fuel consumption and would be a great test case against other manufacturers making wild claims with regards fuel consumption.
Just a final note... what if Alpina had the i8 and put one of it's sports diesel engines in it? All that lightness and performance would make a formidable machine!
Taking BMW to court for posting the (correct) official figures that everyone knows don't reflect real world driving? Get real. It's amazing how easily people will throw around allegations of dishonesty. BMW simply publishes the figures that it is required to publish following from tests that it is required to do.
I've driven it. It gets more looks than a lambo and in a positive way. Pulling up at a petrol station is like having Kim Kardashian on your arm. 
The car is fast and fun to drive, handles well too, it's probably similar to a 991 Carrera but a fair bit slower than an S.
The seats are useful, I sat in the back and I'm over 6ft and that was with another 6ft bloke in front. Not exactly comfortable like that but useful for teenage kids and under who would fit just fine. The doors are very cool, but possibly annoying for some. I thought it was a great car but I agree it's economy figure doesn't make it a proper eco warrior so if you want to drive it everywhere it's only about twice as good as a 911. Is that bad? To me, that's pretty good considering it has similar performance!
Everyone should go and try an i3, that's the real peach here. It drives and goes like an old (and reliable) Mini Cooper with even better tech than the i8 with a much more interesting avantgarde interior to boot. Brilliant little car. Done 4,000 mls in mine now and used £35 worth of petrol, but forget all that, the car is a hoot to drive with huge torque for such a tiny car. If your daily commute is 50 miles a day or under you should really try one.
The car is fast and fun to drive, handles well too, it's probably similar to a 991 Carrera but a fair bit slower than an S. The seats are useful, I sat in the back and I'm over 6ft and that was with another 6ft bloke in front. Not exactly comfortable like that but useful for teenage kids and under who would fit just fine. The doors are very cool, but possibly annoying for some. I thought it was a great car but I agree it's economy figure doesn't make it a proper eco warrior so if you want to drive it everywhere it's only about twice as good as a 911. Is that bad? To me, that's pretty good considering it has similar performance!
Everyone should go and try an i3, that's the real peach here. It drives and goes like an old (and reliable) Mini Cooper with even better tech than the i8 with a much more interesting avantgarde interior to boot. Brilliant little car. Done 4,000 mls in mine now and used £35 worth of petrol, but forget all that, the car is a hoot to drive with huge torque for such a tiny car. If your daily commute is 50 miles a day or under you should really try one.
Just looks too fussy. Doesn't look BAD exactly ...... but it's not one of those cars that you think WOW I'd love to own one of those.
I know they're not as (supposedly) environmentally friendly ..... but I don't buy the man causes global warming thing anyway ...... so I'd buy a Cayman S and pocket the difference.
I know they're not as (supposedly) environmentally friendly ..... but I don't buy the man causes global warming thing anyway ...... so I'd buy a Cayman S and pocket the difference.
The Crack Fox said:
Slightly off topic: I wish BMW would buy Lotus and stuff some of their drivetrain tech in their cars, it would do wonders for both companies in my opinion. BMW did wonders with MINI and RR is booming too. C'mon, BMW, buy those pesky Malaysians out!
Lotus had similar tech to this 5 years ago at least (look up Evora 414E). Not going into detail, but I agree with you, it would be good for a different, forward-focussed owner to take over and invest.
Had the i8, for instance, a Tesla-like all-electric powertrain it'd all of a sudden be a true forward-thinker. - Thats crap.
The all-electric cars are far worse than this style of hybrid. What do you do if you run out of power in an all electric, what about making the batteries, what about the weight... The idea of a very efficient petrol engine, that is used to generate electricity is the best answer we have at the moment.
The all-electric cars are far worse than this style of hybrid. What do you do if you run out of power in an all electric, what about making the batteries, what about the weight... The idea of a very efficient petrol engine, that is used to generate electricity is the best answer we have at the moment.
Triple7 said:
I have just had two days with the i8 courtesy of Dick Lovett BMW Bristol.
I love fast cars, which look good, but will never, ever get to a 'limit' in anything I own, so really it was a foray into how an i8 is to live with on a daily basis. We absolutely LOVED it!
It is fast, comfy and so ridiculously easy to live with, that the whole family were hooked from the moment we drove away in her. We did 350 miles in the i8, cost me £25 in petrol. Averaged 38mpg, never ran out of battery juice as the car always sorted itself. Plenty of poke in eDrive & once all comes on-line, feels like going into hyperdrive. So plenty fast enough & sounds great too!
Best bits for me, the dihedral doors ;-) And on a freezing cold morning going on the 1 mile school run on electric power only, the heated seats and cabin were toasty by the time we reached the end if the driveway. Sold!
If I am honest I think the £100k price tag is a bit too steep. While the cabin was nice & seats comfy etc. it didn't feel luxury. As has been said the tax advantages to some make this a no brainer & I for would love to have one on my driveway.
Did you feel that the delivery of torque was especially noticeable when first moving off the line? In the i8, the electric motor provides just under half the torque. And, as you know, 100 percent of electric motor torque is available at 0 rpm.I love fast cars, which look good, but will never, ever get to a 'limit' in anything I own, so really it was a foray into how an i8 is to live with on a daily basis. We absolutely LOVED it!
It is fast, comfy and so ridiculously easy to live with, that the whole family were hooked from the moment we drove away in her. We did 350 miles in the i8, cost me £25 in petrol. Averaged 38mpg, never ran out of battery juice as the car always sorted itself. Plenty of poke in eDrive & once all comes on-line, feels like going into hyperdrive. So plenty fast enough & sounds great too!
Best bits for me, the dihedral doors ;-) And on a freezing cold morning going on the 1 mile school run on electric power only, the heated seats and cabin were toasty by the time we reached the end if the driveway. Sold!
If I am honest I think the £100k price tag is a bit too steep. While the cabin was nice & seats comfy etc. it didn't feel luxury. As has been said the tax advantages to some make this a no brainer & I for would love to have one on my driveway.
ORD said:
Taking BMW to court for posting the (correct) official figures that everyone knows don't reflect real world driving? Get real. It's amazing how easily people will throw around allegations of dishonesty. BMW simply publishes the figures that it is required to publish following from tests that it is required to do.
Quite so. The way for BMW to find themselves in court would be to NOT publish the official numbers. In fact they are putting themselves into a bit of a grey area by mentioning non-EU-sanctioned fuel consumption numbers (i.e. the "what you might realistically expect" ones) at all. mwstewart said:
I don't buy the saving money argument for this: it's basically £100k.
I don't buy the environmental aspect either:
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?
The maximum efficiency of a 4 stroke piston engine is something like 35% - and that's in a world with no friction or heat loss. A piston in a 4 stroke engine is only generating energy 25% of the time, the rest of the time it's consuming it.I don't buy the environmental aspect either:
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?
A gas turbine (for example) can work at an efficency upwards of 60% so if we use those to make electricity to power cars and other things, then we've done good. It's obviously a bit more complex than that, but I'm by no means an expert!
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