RE: BMW i8 vs The Real World
Discussion
Haven't read the whole trail but hasn't it occurred to anyone yet that maybe the whole 'pooing out a 911' thing was entirely intentional from BMW... I.e. time for 911 to pas on, here's the future and all that. BMW have mostly thought of themselves as a pioneering company rather than a me too one, and have also not taken themselves too seriously on several styling efforts, so if the intention was to show their car dumping out a 911, I think they probably suceeded.
Just had a test drive this morning and was quite impressed overall but wasn't blown away by the performance or the economy. Trip was showing an average of 27mpg which is pretty grim given the claims but I'm sure they get a hard life. Didn't feel overly quick either and I wasn't able to test the handling at anything near the limit but it felt more of a GT than a sports car.
Ingress and egress is marginally better than an Elise and I could see the novelty wearing off after a couple of hours with the whole thing. I think it's entirely predictable from what I've said that I wouldn't be buying one but I'm glad they've made it. I think there's better ways of spending £100k.
Ingress and egress is marginally better than an Elise and I could see the novelty wearing off after a couple of hours with the whole thing. I think it's entirely predictable from what I've said that I wouldn't be buying one but I'm glad they've made it. I think there's better ways of spending £100k.
unpc said:
Just had a test drive this morning and was quite impressed overall but wasn't blown away by the performance or the economy. Trip was showing an average of 27mpg which is pretty grim given the claims but I'm sure they get a hard life. Didn't feel overly quick either and I wasn't able to test the handling at anything near the limit but it felt more of a GT than a sports car.
Ingress and egress is marginally better than an Elise and I could see the novelty wearing off after a couple of hours with the whole thing. I think it's entirely predictable from what I've said that I wouldn't be buying one but I'm glad they've made it. I think there's better ways of spending £100k.
Did you engage sport mode?Ingress and egress is marginally better than an Elise and I could see the novelty wearing off after a couple of hours with the whole thing. I think it's entirely predictable from what I've said that I wouldn't be buying one but I'm glad they've made it. I think there's better ways of spending £100k.
erics said:
unpc said:
Just had a test drive this morning and was quite impressed overall but wasn't blown away by the performance or the economy. Trip was showing an average of 27mpg which is pretty grim given the claims but I'm sure they get a hard life. Didn't feel overly quick either and I wasn't able to test the handling at anything near the limit but it felt more of a GT than a sports car.
Ingress and egress is marginally better than an Elise and I could see the novelty wearing off after a couple of hours with the whole thing. I think it's entirely predictable from what I've said that I wouldn't be buying one but I'm glad they've made it. I think there's better ways of spending £100k.
Did you engage sport mode?Ingress and egress is marginally better than an Elise and I could see the novelty wearing off after a couple of hours with the whole thing. I think it's entirely predictable from what I've said that I wouldn't be buying one but I'm glad they've made it. I think there's better ways of spending £100k.
TransverseTight said:
You could have 1 of these.
Or an i3 REX for commuting with carbon fibre, electric drive, aluminuim bits and all the geeky things and tax breaks PLUS. ..
An new Elise and a used 911 (Or an XFR if your kids are getting bigger).
Choices.
I don't think there is an answer to this point unless you really must only have 1 car. A big electric GT is a huge compromise in a number of ways, and it would be much better to simply run two cars. Horses for courses.Or an i3 REX for commuting with carbon fibre, electric drive, aluminuim bits and all the geeky things and tax breaks PLUS. ..
An new Elise and a used 911 (Or an XFR if your kids are getting bigger).
Choices.
ORD said:
TransverseTight said:
You could have 1 of these.
Or an i3 REX for commuting with carbon fibre, electric drive, aluminuim bits and all the geeky things and tax breaks PLUS. ..
An new Elise and a used 911 (Or an XFR if your kids are getting bigger).
Choices.
I don't think there is an answer to this point unless you really must only have 1 car. A big electric GT is a huge compromise in a number of ways, and it would be much better to simply run two cars. Horses for courses.Or an i3 REX for commuting with carbon fibre, electric drive, aluminuim bits and all the geeky things and tax breaks PLUS. ..
An new Elise and a used 911 (Or an XFR if your kids are getting bigger).
Choices.
Funny thing is, I do have an i3, an Elise, and a 911! The 911's going to make way for the i8 in April. If I didn't need the i3 for work (can't have clients see me turn up in an i8) and want the Elise for trackdays, the i8 would/could be my only car.
I drove one of these at a Supercar Experience recently.
I was intrigued by the idea of something pretty quick with a Mini engine and a Hoover motor and I must admit, I came away pretty impressed.
It actually sounds amazing inside. I don't know if maybe that's artificial, but if it is they did a great job and where can I buy this technology for my wife's Citroen?
It was very swift too, I drove a 911 GT3 the same day and it didn't seem noticeably quicker.
Perhaps some of the criticism aimed at the car is because, a bit like the Nissan GTR, it's a bit too easy to drive very quickly? It's a bit Minority Report, with it's upward lifting doors and heads up display (although I actually rather liked that and didn't find it distracting), but in the limited time I had with it, I felt right at ease and was travelling pretty quickly. I didn't have any trouble with it slowing down, but my time was obviously pretty limited (they did offer extra laps at £15 a pop, but I declined).
I don't get some of the comments here really. It's a pretty quick GT, by any standards. It's not 'electric', so not as hamstrung by limited range as, say, a Tesla. It looks great I think (shame BMW's 6 doesn't look this good!) and I'm sure in gentle driving (If you had one you couldn't drive it flat out all the time) it delivers good economy too.
Overall, I was very impressed.
Worth £100,000? Hard to say (not least because I don't have £100,000 to spend on a car - If I did I'd certainly be looking for a 458 after a previous Supercar Experience), but I certainly didn't feel the future of GTs/sportscars is bleak after driving the i8.
M
I was intrigued by the idea of something pretty quick with a Mini engine and a Hoover motor and I must admit, I came away pretty impressed.
It actually sounds amazing inside. I don't know if maybe that's artificial, but if it is they did a great job and where can I buy this technology for my wife's Citroen?
It was very swift too, I drove a 911 GT3 the same day and it didn't seem noticeably quicker.
Perhaps some of the criticism aimed at the car is because, a bit like the Nissan GTR, it's a bit too easy to drive very quickly? It's a bit Minority Report, with it's upward lifting doors and heads up display (although I actually rather liked that and didn't find it distracting), but in the limited time I had with it, I felt right at ease and was travelling pretty quickly. I didn't have any trouble with it slowing down, but my time was obviously pretty limited (they did offer extra laps at £15 a pop, but I declined).
I don't get some of the comments here really. It's a pretty quick GT, by any standards. It's not 'electric', so not as hamstrung by limited range as, say, a Tesla. It looks great I think (shame BMW's 6 doesn't look this good!) and I'm sure in gentle driving (If you had one you couldn't drive it flat out all the time) it delivers good economy too.
Overall, I was very impressed.
Worth £100,000? Hard to say (not least because I don't have £100,000 to spend on a car - If I did I'd certainly be looking for a 458 after a previous Supercar Experience), but I certainly didn't feel the future of GTs/sportscars is bleak after driving the i8.
M
Edited by marcosgt on Monday 8th June 12:38
ORD said:
But that's because you don't care about the things that the i8 doesn't have - a genuine engine note, engaging handling, feelsome steering, etc.
It is a performance car rather than a sports car, and the performance isn't massively impressive.
It is a performance car rather than a sports car, and the performance isn't massively impressive.
..... I'm lost for words......
but I do own one,but i can't agree with any of the above,fantastic car....!!! 
Edited by CRA1G on Saturday 6th June 18:06
CRA1G said:
..... I'm lost for words...... but I do own one,but i can't agree with any of the above,fantastic car....!!! Edited by CRA1G on Saturday 6th June 18:06
Each to his own. Drive an Elise and compare the handling and steering feel.
Drive a 991 Turbo and compare the speed.
For me, a car with EPAS, brake energy recuperation etc would have to be ballistic to make up for what it loses in feel. See, e.g. the fastest Tesla (still not my bag but I understand the appeal).
ORD said:
CRA1G said:
..... I'm lost for words...... but I do own one,but i can't agree with any of the above,fantastic car....!!! Edited by CRA1G on Saturday 6th June 18:06
Each to his own. Drive an Elise and compare the handling and steering feel.
Drive a 991 Turbo and compare the speed.
For me, a car with EPAS, brake energy recuperation etc would have to be ballistic to make up for what it loses in feel. See, e.g. the fastest Tesla (still not my bag but I understand the appeal).
So a 991 Turbo is faster and a Elise has better handling... so what? The Elise isn't as fast, is that what you're saying? So, that's a compromise there, right? And how do you carry 4 people in an Elise?
All cars compromise something for something else, the i8, of course, doesn't have ultimate performance or ultimate handling or ultimate fuel consumption or a V16 engine, but it's a compromise that delivers an appealing mix.
Clearly, if you want ultimate handling at the expense of EVERYTHING else, it's not for you, but then, as you've already stated, getting that with speed (let alone economy or practicality) is a challenge...
I don't recall hailing it as the greatest sportscar of all time, simply saying the technology (as it stands today) seems to offer hope for the future of GT/Sportscars.
"Haters gotta hate", as people on the web love to say, I guess...
M
Edited by marcosgt on Monday 8th June 12:36
marcosgt said:
Errrr... I'm kind of lost too, but...
So a 991 Turbo is faster and a Elise has better handling... so what? The Elise isn't as fast, is that what you're saying? So, that's a compromise there, right? And how do you carry 4 people in an Elise?
All cars compromise something for something else, the i8, of course, doesn't have ultimate performance or ultimate handling or ultimate fuel consumption or a V16 engine, but it's a compromise that delivers an appealing mix.
Clearly, if you want ultimate handling at the expense of EVERYTHING else, it's not for you, but then, as you've already stated, getting that with speed (let alone economy or practicality) is a challenge...
I don't recall hailing it as the greatest sportscar of all time, simply saying the technology (as it stands today) seems to offer hope for the future of GT/Sportscars.
"Haters gotta hate", as people on the web love to say, I guess...
M
This ORD guy is a troll, he and a few other guys post in every Porsche thread saying that the their old Cayman sheds are the best cars in the world simply because they So a 991 Turbo is faster and a Elise has better handling... so what? The Elise isn't as fast, is that what you're saying? So, that's a compromise there, right? And how do you carry 4 people in an Elise?
All cars compromise something for something else, the i8, of course, doesn't have ultimate performance or ultimate handling or ultimate fuel consumption or a V16 engine, but it's a compromise that delivers an appealing mix.
Clearly, if you want ultimate handling at the expense of EVERYTHING else, it's not for you, but then, as you've already stated, getting that with speed (let alone economy or practicality) is a challenge...
I don't recall hailing it as the greatest sportscar of all time, simply saying the technology (as it stands today) seems to offer hope for the future of GT/Sportscars.
"Haters gotta hate", as people on the web love to say, I guess...
M
Edited by marcosgt on Monday 8th June 12:36
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff