Discussion
Little Donkey said:
tonyhall38 said:
Like the wheels....reminds me of the hot wheels cars from my childhood....the rest of it though you can keep , looks like it's trying too hard...
Were cars even invented when you was a child?
I thought back in those dark days young men had to be content to play with themselves..........
How does it go tos'.................
hartley said:
I went in to the Mayfair showroom thinking this could be an Aston replacement - the whole efficiency thing appeals to me.
I came out having put down a deposit on an i3 - it's a third the price with 70 per cent of the appeal. It will be a nice alternative to the DB9 Volante .
There you go............my point proven.I came out having put down a deposit on an i3 - it's a third the price with 70 per cent of the appeal. It will be a nice alternative to the DB9 Volante .
Its there to sell i3's
yg649 said:
Central London on battery ... I'm dearly dearly liking the idea. Flick to power as you start to head out of town.
My earlier post wasn't a joke! The range on a full charge is 22 miles, so just as you exit London, you can power up the mighty 1500cc 3 cylinder muscle, and head for your battery charger, getting blitzed by all the company car drivers in their Audi diesels.Edited by 8Tech on Thursday 9th January 18:38
avinalarf said:
erics said:
Test drove one.
Sold v12v (in 2 days!).
Deposit paid. Waiting game on.
<flame suit/on>
I saw one parked up when I was in Naples a few weeks ago.Sold v12v (in 2 days!).
Deposit paid. Waiting game on.
<flame suit/on>
Great looking car,tell us what it's like to drive etc.
Very crisp driving experience. Car very light on its feet. The noise is fantastic. Whatever the nay sayers have to say. I was litteraly amazed by the experience. I was a total cynic. Converted now..
erics said:
avinalarf said:
erics said:
Test drove one.
Sold v12v (in 2 days!).
Deposit paid. Waiting game on.
<flame suit/on>
I saw one parked up when I was in Naples a few weeks ago.Sold v12v (in 2 days!).
Deposit paid. Waiting game on.
<flame suit/on>
Great looking car,tell us what it's like to drive etc.
Very crisp driving experience. Car very light on its feet. The noise is fantastic. Whatever the nay sayers have to say. I was litteraly amazed by the experience. I was a total cynic. Converted now..
Did you push the car on the test drive? Any thoughts on the handling at say 8/10ths+, which is where the journos felt it really started to suffer against say a 911. Don't get me wrong, as a GT and/or daily that's probably good enough. But you're comparing it to a V12V, not a DB9, which I find fascinating. I don't take journo views as gospel, hence the question
jonby said:
there's just one thing I don't get. It looks space age and it also looks like an out & out sports car. It has sports car packaging. But the reviews suggest that whilst it's quick in a straight line, the handling when pushed is not particularly sports car esque. The reviews go on to say it would be no good whatsoever on a track day (from a handling perspective, forget the EV charge side for a mo)
Did you push the car on the test drive? Any thoughts on the handling at say 8/10ths+, which is where the journos felt it really started to suffer against say a 911. Don't get me wrong, as a GT and/or daily that's probably good enough. But you're comparing it to a V12V, not a DB9, which I find fascinating. I don't take journo views as gospel, hence the question
Points very valid. But I realised that I pushed my v12v at 7/10th / 8/10th / 9/10th only 5% of the time. Forget about 10/10th.Did you push the car on the test drive? Any thoughts on the handling at say 8/10ths+, which is where the journos felt it really started to suffer against say a 911. Don't get me wrong, as a GT and/or daily that's probably good enough. But you're comparing it to a V12V, not a DB9, which I find fascinating. I don't take journo views as gospel, hence the question
I pushed the i8 to say 8/10th. It was super crisp. Yet felt super planted thanks to the 4wd system.
I would have sworn that it had way more than 360bhp. That's because the torque figure is so big and so readily available.
I posted this review on another forum:
I waited a little to write that bit of news...
Got a proper test drive of the BMW i8 last week with the guys of Park Lane.
From the outside, I loved the link between the M1 from the 1980s of which I am a big fan and the year 2030... The dimensions were also great: a rather small-ish car by modern supercar standards. It is not extravagantly wide. I liked the skinny tyres.
The car felt like a generation ahead of anything else I have driven. Very crisp, nice mix of modern and classic (leather, aluminium), big screens displaying clear information. Interior super clear with plenty of light coming from all angles. All in all very nice place where to sit, very comfortable.
And half decent rear seats for medium sized people on a short-ish trip. Great to transport bags if going away on holiday with 2 on board (the boot is not big).
So loved the external appearance, not all colours though! (not keen on that blue). Loved the interior.
The drive:
driving away in electric mode is spooky to say the least. The one thing that it highlights is a/ how well screwed together as there is absolutely no sign of squeaks and rattles and b/ the low amount of rolling noise which does my head in most modern sportscars.
It's when you start pressing on that things become more impressive. The car is really light on its feet and the commands are really light and crisp too. The steering is very precise. You would not ever imagine the car is 1500kg.
Then the petrol engine kicks in. A lot has been said about the fact that it is amplified sound from the 3 pot engine. Well guess what.. It sounds absolutely brilliant. I would be perfectly happy to live with it.
Now... the torque... I am used to the creamy v12 of the Aston and it is so pleasurable to put your foot down in 6th gear and get the car to respond immediately. Well, the bmw does just that and better thanks to the immediacy of the electric motors. You can literally put any gear and any speed and the thing responds instantly. It feels planted like a 911 turbo thanks to the 4 wheel drive.
You can really push the car and enjoy yourself. Then you can cruise around London in utter silence and comfort.
3 downsides I see:
- how long can one have access to the eletric power in real life and how quickly it gets discharged? Even when using the 2 power sources..
- The paddle shifter whilst being immediate robbed me from some of the sensations I am used to with manuals. Maybe it is normal.
- Lastly the retained value over time and the possibility that bmw murders residuals by bringing out an updated / better model.
Edited by erics on Wednesday 20th August 16:46
Edited by erics on Wednesday 20th August 16:47
thanks - very interesting & very honest
As a daily/only car, sounds great. I use my V12V for high days & holidays so I do push it including the odd track day and the i8 would probably be disappointing for that. But as you say, not every driver pushes their car often, even more so if it's a DD
You make a valid point about depreciation too although if you buy new Astons, the relative effect is likely to be less severe ! I guess it's always the price that early adopters pay.
I still am not 100% comfortable with the fact that the styling is so overtly sports car esque, say in the way an R8 is, but it would appear to be more of a GT in the way it drives - I prefer cars to look like what they drive like unless buying a Q car however that's very much personal preference
As a daily/only car, sounds great. I use my V12V for high days & holidays so I do push it including the odd track day and the i8 would probably be disappointing for that. But as you say, not every driver pushes their car often, even more so if it's a DD
You make a valid point about depreciation too although if you buy new Astons, the relative effect is likely to be less severe ! I guess it's always the price that early adopters pay.
I still am not 100% comfortable with the fact that the styling is so overtly sports car esque, say in the way an R8 is, but it would appear to be more of a GT in the way it drives - I prefer cars to look like what they drive like unless buying a Q car however that's very much personal preference
I think what seduced me is how readily available the performance is.
Many supercars are very cumbersome. They are big, visibility is poor, road noise from the fat tyres is wearing on hoons and other long distance trips.
This car feels fresh and usable at all times.
The quietness (utter silence!) and comfort one minute versus the sharp performance and exciting noise the next is attractive.
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adored the v12v and had some epic trips in it. My car was a beauty and i spent a lot of time keeping it to the absolute best condition.
The few things I did not like about the Aston:
1/the paint (storm black) was unbelievably fragile and gave me sleepless nights. I had to get it detailed and protected time and time again. A real nightmare.
2/ The dashboard creaks took 6 attempts at Works to get fixed.
3/ The pzero corsas were diabolical at low temperatures and I got some very scary moments on a very rainy day at 65-70mph on the motorway one day. Was border line aquaplaning all the time.
4/ it was a relatively costly car to run: extending warranty, service, petrol, insurance amounted to £4-5k a year.
Otherwise the Aston was very reliable, extremely well balanced as a sportscar and great fun on a sunny day. Could travel long distances. Had great steering feel. Nice interior and great seats. I loved the look of it. Works looked after me well and the Aston community is great!
Maybe jumping to this new car is a big (and potentially costly?) mistake. But i really fancy it and it's unlike anything else I ever tried. I really do not fancy a mp4 or 458 due to the show off element. Yes the i8 is outlandish but in a futuristic kind of way rather than show off kind of way.
Many supercars are very cumbersome. They are big, visibility is poor, road noise from the fat tyres is wearing on hoons and other long distance trips.
This car feels fresh and usable at all times.
The quietness (utter silence!) and comfort one minute versus the sharp performance and exciting noise the next is attractive.
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adored the v12v and had some epic trips in it. My car was a beauty and i spent a lot of time keeping it to the absolute best condition.
The few things I did not like about the Aston:
1/the paint (storm black) was unbelievably fragile and gave me sleepless nights. I had to get it detailed and protected time and time again. A real nightmare.
2/ The dashboard creaks took 6 attempts at Works to get fixed.
3/ The pzero corsas were diabolical at low temperatures and I got some very scary moments on a very rainy day at 65-70mph on the motorway one day. Was border line aquaplaning all the time.
4/ it was a relatively costly car to run: extending warranty, service, petrol, insurance amounted to £4-5k a year.
Otherwise the Aston was very reliable, extremely well balanced as a sportscar and great fun on a sunny day. Could travel long distances. Had great steering feel. Nice interior and great seats. I loved the look of it. Works looked after me well and the Aston community is great!
Maybe jumping to this new car is a big (and potentially costly?) mistake. But i really fancy it and it's unlike anything else I ever tried. I really do not fancy a mp4 or 458 due to the show off element. Yes the i8 is outlandish but in a futuristic kind of way rather than show off kind of way.
erics said:
But i really fancy it and it's unlike anything else I ever tried.
That's the only thing that matters. My relationship with BMW has been struggling recently which party puts me off but plenty love the marque. I'm not sure the i8 is going to end up with a cult status like a Z1 or a Z8 and I also expect they'll end up highish mileage in comparison, but it might. As milk floats go its one of the best
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