BMW i8 owners on here?

[georgeq]

It's time for me to choose a new car. My eyes were on a 991.2 C2S but I've had a BMW i3 for the weekend and enjoyed that a lot more than I expected. Clearly it is not a car I'd take out on a sunday morning just for fun, so my eye turned to the i8. Perhaps BMW's interpretation of a 911. Not as powerful but also without the whole Porsche brand image baggage which can be a plus sometimes. I don't expect a track weapon, just something slightly more special for everyday driving.
I live in Berlin and my parking spot is in a public garage so charging is not a possibility until infrastructure improves. I gather that this is not much of a problem since it's a mild hybrid unlike the i3 REX.
My main worry is whether it is practical enough to be used as an every day car. Is ingress/egress with the funky doors and wide sill really as much of a problem as the various reviews write? Are there any major known flaws to keep an eye out for?

[rockford22]

I do not personally own one but my father does and I have semi-regular use and am a passenger very frequently.

The doors - yes getting in is a total pain, the door sills are very high and wide and you feel somewhat like you are posting yourself through a letter box. This however should not stop you getting one in any way, it's a faff but hardly a blocker.

The drive - In sport mode with a full battery the car is exceptionally smooth and surges forward at quite a pace, perhaps not blistering supercar pace but certainly fast enough to put a smile on your face. It gets off the line with a huge amount of grunt (4WD) and also did a very good job of getting across the Supercar mud bowl at Goodwood FOS at the weekend. It has far superior handling to my Z4 35i, a much more premium cabin and a whole host of driver assists to make daily driving very easy. It certainly feels special, the Sat nav is standard to other BMWs but you also get a full LCD dashboard and the HUD is absolutely brilliant.

Economy - On the last long run we did (160miles) we achieved 47mpg with mostly motorway miles and the occasional blast. It won't last very long on battery only and the motor tends to kick in very shortly after driving the car. In normal mode the motor is near silent, in sport mode it has a very nice deep rumble which to be honest is quite amazing from a 1.5l 3cyl engine (albeit it synthesised).

Reliability - So far the car has spent a week in the garage for faulty aircon and the DAB radio has packed in. All covered by warranty but a pain none the less.

If you haven't had a test drive, ask BMW for an extended one and see how you feel. It turns plenty of heads and attracts lots of comments and as a business car makes a lot of sense (although you are in Germany, rules may be different).

Edited by rockford22 on Thursday 30th June 12:52

[neveratt]

Hi.

Week five of ownership for me. It is great car and I am thoroughly enjoying the hybrid experience. Yep, getting in and out is a bit different but the performance and efficiency is amazing. There's a lot of technology here and pre-conditioning the i8 with your Apple Watch always brings a smile. Absolutely no regrets here.

Snake Pass pic.

Edited by neveratt on Thursday 30th June 20:06

[MrOrange]

I've had mine for 4 months now, and around 4500 miles and it's simply epic. It's my only car, and hence a sort of daily driver (except I don't use it every day')

Notes: Getting in and out is a breeze once you're used to it, I've averaged 42mpg, I charge it after every drive. It's quick and smooth, quick enough for UK roads and rides as smooth as motorway barge if you need it too.

Get used to the attention. Waaaay more than I got from my Aston, Porsche or Lotus put together. And the attention is universally positive and often jaw-dropping.

In the UK it is massively tax-positive, turning a £110k car into approx £60k.

Edited by MrOrange on Thursday 16th March 00:13