BMW i8 - 12 months on - owner feedback?

[erics]

Nearly 1 year, two i8s for me. Love my car. Superb bland of modernity, comfort and performance.

[K2MDL]

Okay guys, convince me. I have a PORSCHE 991 911 C2S and looking at an i8 am I nuts? Took one for a short test drive in the rain. Not a good idea. I was impressed however, not as much as a drive in a Tesla P85D but I don't want a huge saloon.

Not sure the performance will be enough for me, I'm not a track day star, just a lover of nice cars that drive well. Worried about residuals, maybe the PORSCHE will be worth more over the same period. As a hybrid can I put through the company and claim VAT back?

Appreciate any replies from owners, email or here. Thanks!

[JonV8V]

K2MDL said:

Okay guys, convince me. I have a PORSCHE 991 911 C2S and looking at an i8 am I nuts? Took one for a short test drive in the rain. Not a good idea. I was impressed however, not as much as a drive in a Tesla P85D but I don't want a huge saloon.

Not sure the performance will be enough for me, I'm not a track day star, just a lover of nice cars that drive well. Worried about residuals, maybe the PORSCHE will be worth more over the same period. As a hybrid can I put through the company and claim VAT back?

Appreciate any replies from owners, email or here. Thanks!

You can put any car into a company but you pay benefit in kind to use it which is based on co2. For Electric cars that's usually 5% but going to 7% next year and 9% the year after. It's still % less but an i8 is listed as a 110k car whereas a 911 is what 85k? You'd need to do the maths to work out this cost.

You can or at least could write off more of an EV in the first year but this is slightly false logic as you'd only write off the depreciation in the long run. In reality I think you can write off against tax the depreciation of either car.

At this end of the market forget a few quid here and there and get the car you want. It's an expensive gimmick to get one you think is funky or better value for money but not one that gives you the pleasure you want.

[mr_tony]

In real world situations the performance is more than enough - especially for most urban and back road driving. The instant torque available combined with the low COG means that not much is going to be hustling you. Sure in an all out drag race it will start to lose out at higher speeds. But it's all relative.

If you want the pure straight line speed then get a Tesla P90D. Having driven the p85D and passengered on track in a p85D it's really awesome in terms of thump in the back off the line drag racing, and it's addictive.

Horses for courses - if you're in town and your driving is mostly urban then the Tesla is a great car with lots of advantages and no real downside. For us living in the sticks a plug in hybrid was a better option, and the i8 still gives enough battery range for a lot of small trips which should mean the running costs are negligible. And you can't forget the looks, the i8 is probably the most exciting looking non hypercar on the road at the moment - for me anyway...

Just 2 more days to wait...

[julian64]

erics said:

I had a 1st car which i paid a premium for and also sold for a premium whilst mine was being built. So lost barely nothing on it.

So I had two i8's so far.

I can't see another car out there that i would like more.

It does everything I want: ultra comfortable and totally silent when around town. I charge it for small trips and get 400 miles+ out of every tank. Bearing in mind that a full tank is £40.

On the road it is very sharp in handling terms and although the sound is synthesised, it is really good to put you in the mood.

It truly is one of the first multi purpose sportscar.

It is extremely well screwed together.

In short, i love it.

Hmmm 400 miles for a tank of £40. That doesn't seem to sit with clarkson suggesting 150mpg or such. I just brimmed a 335xd 2015 model car. £55 and the range shows 448. Does BMW ever tell the truth regarding consumption figures.

Very pretty car though.

[nbetts]

julian64 said:

Hmmm 400 miles for a tank of £40. That doesn't seem to sit with clarkson suggesting 150mpg or such. I just brimmed a 335xd 2015 model car. £55 and the range shows 448. Does BMW ever tell the truth regarding consumption figures.

Very pretty car though.

Especially as Clarkson went on to say after his road test on Top Gear - that in his hands it returned around 30MPG...

I reckon in my hands for the type of motoring I do these days I could get away with leccy power only for the weekdays and only use petrol at the weekend - that way I could easily be in the 100+ mpg if you tally the number of miles up overall and the fuel consumed.

All that being said, it is an awesome car and I quite fancy one myself.

[julian64]

nbetts said:

julian64 said:

Hmmm 400 miles for a tank of £40. That doesn't seem to sit with clarkson suggesting 150mpg or such. I just brimmed a 335xd 2015 model car. £55 and the range shows 448. Does BMW ever tell the truth regarding consumption figures.

Very pretty car though.

Especially as Clarkson went on to say after his road test on Top Gear - that in his hands it returned around 30MPG...

I reckon in my hands for the type of motoring I do these days I could get away with leccy power only for the weekdays and only use petrol at the weekend - that way I could easily be in the 100+ mpg if you tally the number of miles up overall and the fuel consumed.

All that being said, it is an awesome car and I quite fancy one myself.

I like the fact they've named it after the 8 series car, as its same sort of 'phwarr' attractive

[oop north]

K2MDL said:

Okay guys, convince me. I have a PORSCHE 991 911 C2S and looking at an i8 am I nuts? Took one for a short test drive in the rain. Not a good idea. I was impressed however, not as much as a drive in a Tesla P85D but I don't want a huge saloon.

Not sure the performance will be enough for me, I'm not a track day star, just a lover of nice cars that drive well. Worried about residuals, maybe the PORSCHE will be worth more over the same period. As a hybrid can I put through the company and claim VAT back?

Appreciate any replies from owners, email or here. Thanks!

Not an owner of 911 or i8 but am an accountant - you can never recover the VAT on a car purchase if there is any private use. You can write off the full cost in year one against your profits in the company for tax purposes - you have to pay corporation tax when you sell the vehicle - so the benefit is an acceleration of tax relief. It does mean that if you are worried about depreciation you can put the risk before tax (so the rural is subsidised by mr Osborne). Until next April the personal tax paid is list price (before £5k grant deduction) x 5%. From April 2016 that is 7% then 9% and 13%. You'd need to be mad to put a 911 through the company so I doubt you have done that

[K2MDL]

Thanks for your replies and info from the accountant above. Any other owners out there that want to comment on owning an i8, especially coming from a 911, R8 etc?

I can see a change of vehicle coming on soon.....

Edited by K2MDL on Thursday 12th November 19:30

[GrahamPM]

The more I drive it, the more I'm loving it!
Spent last weekend in the Yorkshire Dales with a bunch of buddies in Ferraris (430, 458, F12, FF, Cali T), and not once did the car get embarrassed!
It's plenty quick enough for public roads, and continues to impress & surprise the petrolheads (myself included)
I've still got a selection of I/C cars, so not a complete convert!
This is the start of the future! Just needs a bigger fuel tank! Average consumption on one 'quick' driving route of 30 miles was 22mpg
Avg for 1300 miles is now 49.9 mpg
Graham

[mr_tony]

How much range does yours show with a full charge?
Ours so far seems to offer 13-14 miles, rather than the 16 mentioned in the handbook?
Managed an airport run this weekend and the whole family came to drop me off (mrs)t driving with our 18 month old and 3 year old in the back). Worked just fine, but lucky i travel very light

[GrahamPM]

strange one this charge indication? It varies between 14 and 18. Can't work out if it varies due to the residual power left in the battery once you start charging. I'd asked the question of one of the dealers and told it was temp dependant. I could understand if it was zero or minus, but we've had such a mild Autumn and the car is always garaged.
Driving swiftly the 'kers' seems to recharge back up to as much as 9 miles
Clever stuff
Graham

[johnnyreggae]

14-18 is a standard initial battery range figure and is a calculated theoretical range based on previous use as well as temperature day of the week and who knows what else

[foxsasha]

The tax breaks on electric and hybrid cars were brought to my attention and are too significant to ignore so we started the hunt for a new company car. Or maybe two.

The hunt started badly with a poor experience from our local BMW dealer. Phoned one morning to see if they had an I8. They did so we arranged to go and see it, meet with the specialist I8 salesman and go for a test drive. Arrived at the dealership to find it empty. No staff, no cars, just a few workmen and a car transporter picking up a Mini. Phoned the dealer 'yes sir, we moved premises yesterday'. Drive another 30 mins to the new premises, get shown round the car by a salesman who didn't have a clue, I could have told him more about the I8 than him me. Kept referring to looking in the brochure. Eventually went to get one (brochure) to return saying they didn't have any. Asked about a test drive to be told he didn't know where the demo car was. Jolly good.

Anyway, returned another day with the kids (it would need to do the school run) and Mrs Fox took it and the kids for a test drive. Nice enough car she said but kids weren't too happy in the back (4 and 8 year old). We asked the salesman if we could take the car for a full day so the kids could have a proper run and he said he'd arrange it.

In the meantime we test drove a Tesla P85D. Now that's a hugely impressive car. Fantastic ride quality, ridiculous amounts of internal and storage space, very clever technology and a handsome looking vehicle as long as you don't go round the front. Oh and fast. Sorry, FAST. Like ridiculously fast. Front a standstill at least.

On the way back from the Tesla test drive we phoned Porsche and arrange to collect a Panamera hybrid to try. Dropped it back at Porsche two days later. A very nice car but nice isn't really what you want is it, you want exciting.

I am concerned about Tesla depreciation so wanted their buy back guarantee (50% of the vehicle cost and 43% of the options cost) so I could limit loss should their value plummet. To get the buy back guarantee you have to take Teslas finance which I don't need or want. It looked like the finance was going to cost £6k minimum. That would make it a £118k car.

Whilst researching the value of used Panamera hybrids I found our demo car was up for sale so, to cut to the chase, we bought it. Paid £70k for a 8k mile 8 month old car that had a list of £94. That reduced my depreciation loss nicely whilst retaining full dealer support, Porsche warranty until 2018 etc.

The I8? We are still waiting for the phone call about the extended test drive from the Leeds dealer. The icing on the cake was an email from the salesman who was supposed to be arranging said test drive yesterday evening asking if we'd had any further thoughts on an I8 purchase and how we found the Tesla! BMW Sheffield, however, called out of the blue offering an extended test drive. I told them that the car probably wasn't for us due to limited rear space and having kids and couldn't be bothered with the 2.5 hour round trip to get to them them and back. To his huge credit the salesman offered to deliver an I8 to us on a Friday and then collect it on the Monday. As it happens we were away that weekend.

I am extremely tempted to take full advantage of the current tax deals and get a second car before the £5k grant and low but annually increasing BIK rise too high. Might have to take Sheffield up on the offer of an I8 for the weekend. Space for the kids is of less importance now as we have the Panamera as the sensible car. In fact I've nothing planned for this weekend, mmmmm, play time!

[modeller]

foxsasha said:

I am extremely tempted to take full advantage of the current tax deals and get a second car before the £5k grant and low but annually increasing BIK rise too high. Might have to take Sheffield up on the offer of an I8 for the weekend. Space for the kids is of less importance now as we have the Panamera as the sensible car. In fact I've nothing planned for this weekend, mmmmm, play time!

For 2 kids, a local runabout for school runs and hot hatch performance, I'd go and try an i3.

[GreatGranny]

I was going to use Synter Sheffield for an I3 test drive and their attitude and speed of reply was fantastic.
They offered 24 hours straight off and I'm sure would have extended it if I had gone ahead.

Cost put me but they couldn't have been more helpful.

[foxsasha]

I looked at an I3 but we have cars to lug the kids round in. They'll fit in the back of the I8 if needs be and if we are going any real distance then we will use another car. I've been back onto BMW Sheffield (Sytner) today. Some one crashed their demo I8 so they are in the process of getting another from BMW so they can arrange an extended test drive for us. I really want an FF but the tax breaks on EVs are just too strong to ignore for now. Ultra low mile 2015 I8s are available at nearly £20k under new list. That makes for a hugely attractive financial proposition as a company car.

I've also been back onto Tesla to see if they've any 2015 fully equipped P85D demo cars available for sale. Tesla vs I8 is a harder choice that it appears on the surface. The cars are chalk and cheese but they both have seriously strong arguments for purchase. It's just a shame Tesla didn't build in more drama and wow into the cars looks and interior.

[mr_tony]

foxsasha said:

I looked at an I3 but we have cars to lug the kids round in. They'll fit in the back of the I8 if needs be and if we are going any real distance then we will use another car. I've been back onto BMW Sheffield (Sytner) today. Some one crashed their demo I8 so they are in the process of getting another from BMW so they can arrange an extended test drive for us. I really want an FF but the tax breaks on EVs are just too strong to ignore for now. Ultra low mile 2015 I8s are available at nearly £20k under new list. That makes for a hugely attractive financial proposition as a company car.

I've also been back onto Tesla to see if they've any 2015 fully equipped P85D demo cars available for sale. Tesla vs I8 is a harder choice that it appears on the surface. The cars are chalk and cheese but they both have seriously strong arguments for purchase. It's just a shame Tesla didn't build in more drama and wow into the cars looks and interior.

Don't drive the FF - you won't be able to resist

[EddieSteadyGo]

foxsasha said:

Ultra low mile 2015 I8s are available at nearly £20k under new list. That makes for a hugely attractive financial proposition as a company car.

Can you explain how that helps please? My understanding is that the main EV tax benefits require the car to be purchased new (for 100% write off in first year).

And of course the BIK is based on the list price.

Wondering if I have missed something?

[oop north]

EddieSteadyGo said:

foxsasha said:

Ultra low mile 2015 I8s are available at nearly £20k under new list. That makes for a hugely attractive financial proposition as a company car.

Can you explain how that helps please? My understanding is that the main EV tax benefits require the car to be purchased new (for 100% write off in first year).

And of course the BIK is based on the list price.

Wondering if I have missed something?

You've not missed anything - corporation tax deduction only 100% in yr 1 as brand new purchase, otherwise 18% pa on writing down basis (tho I have seen ref to ex demos qualifying for 100% in yr 1 - don't know if that's right). But the benefit in kind Savin is there for second hand car just as much as new, and buying at a 20k discount saves you more than the benefit of slowing down corporation tax payment