Wednesday 27th February 2013

(Not) Driven: BMW i8

The sexier end of BMW's i car revolution offers PH a lift around a frozen lake

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A 4am start, two separate flights, temperatures well below freezing and minutes rather than hours with the car. As invitations go, we've seen more appealing ones, especially when the small print includes the words 'passenger ride'. But despite the rising cynicism within (and believe me, we're well aware of the shortfall in meaningful appraisal when occupying the wrong seat of a car), sometimes the model in question justifies the supporting role.

Nope, sorry it's not right-hand drive...

Just like the Porsche 918 Spyder, the BMW i8 proves far enough away from general consumption that it too is a passenger ride worth enduring. BMW insists we're not here to talk numbers, but if ever a car's figures demand note then the i8 is it; sure the sub five-second 0-62mph time is impressive, and the (artificially capped) 155mph top speed expected, but it's the 100mpg economy and sub-70g/km CO2 emissions that grab our attention. The firm is also quick to point out that those lofty projections will only get better by the time the car has an official sticker price, sometime in 2014.

Gis a go!
No amount of hinting, pleading or looking at the steering wheel with puppy-dog eyes changes the fact we'll only be sitting in the passenger seat for the next 30 minutes though. Instead BMW has a regimented program that involves various sections of its Arjeplog cold-weather testing facility (where they even have chambers to lower the temperature of the car further) and a quick run into town, all the while driven by one of its engineers.

A frozen lake: good for skids but little else

And so we find ourselves struggling to steady our feet on the sheet ice of the test facility car park, marvelling at the elegant swing of the heavily disguised, but deceptively lightweight carbon fibre scissor-style door. Beneath the shut-line lies the telltale carbon fibre tub, a material that's come even further than us. The specially developed weave is pre-processed at BMW's new Moses Lake plant in the US. Powered exclusively by the Wannapum dam further down river, the extreme heat needed for its construction means it makes environmental (and financial) sense to use the clean energy there before shipping it to Europe for final finishing and 'i car' construction.

Carbon dating
They say it's not as pretty as traditional carbon fibre, and the two-dimensional weave certainly lacks the glossy depth of those trim pieces you're more likely to find inside a BMW, but its functional finish really appeals. Slipping across that wide sill, into the seat next to BMW Group suspension guru Jos Van As, we're immediately struck by how production ready this pre, pre, pre-production car's interior is.

Mass-produced carbon frame is innovative

What's not so ready for customers is the engine, not because of any lacklustre performance (far from it) but for aural drama. Van As lets slip he's a fan of the 1.5-litre three-cylinder's hum, but tells us the noise we're feasting on will be fine-tuned before the i8 goes on sale. Whether that is done actively or passively (using a sound generator ala the M5) has yet to be decided.

In Sport mode, with the rear-mounted engine and electric motor up front spinning both axles, the i8 accelerates quickly past the UK legal limit as its specially developed Bridgestone tyres bite hard into the snow. The demonstration of its abilities is rounded off by Jos showcasing a near 50/50 weight distribution as he power slides the car around the handling circuit, both for our and the photographer's benefit.

But it's not the delicate handling, accessible performance, or even the dramatic looks of this i8 that impresses, and nor is it this car's headline figures - it's the passion and enthusiasm displayed by the team behind it. Questions previously un-asked have demanded genuine ingenuity, and just 30 minutes in the passenger seat reveals that this is something running right through the very backbone of the BMW i8. Whether there'll be enough customers willing to blaze that same trail when it goes on sale next year remains to be seen though.

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BMW i8 (all figures relate to the 'concept')
Engine: 1.5-litre 3-cylinder, turbocharged, petrol + 96kw electric motor
Transmission: 6-speed automatic, four-wheel drive
Power (hp): 354
Torque (lb ft): 406
0-62mph: 4.6 sec
Top speed: 155mph (electronically limited)
Weight: 1,480kg
MPG: 104mpg
CO2: 66g/km
Price: N/A

[Jem1]

I've heard £80,000, does that sound right?

[mc_blue]

I've heard £130k from a dealer friend.

[kambites]

Certainly an interesting car.

[astra la vista]

call me a cynic but anyone who can spend £80-130K on a car isn't bothered about fuel consumption. manufacturers should be doing their best to get this technology into the mass market cars where it'd be appreciated more.

[herebebeasties]

Impressive economy figures combined with the performance.

Interesting weight figure; the old M6 was only a couple of hundred kilos heavier than that, and that had a thwacking great V10 engine in it and no carbon-everything.

[Hellbound]

Harry thinks around £100k, video and article over at Evo.

[georgetuk]

astra la vista said:

call me a cynic but anyone who can spend £80-130K on a car isn't bothered about fuel consumption. manufacturers should be doing their best to get this technology into the mass market cars where it'd be appreciated more.

This is their first attempt so the idea restrict it to a high end market, enable the cash to finance the project and use these as a mule before possibly rolling out elsewhere. Its a bit brave to go from nothing to mass market.

[AlpinaB5s]

I wonder if theyve designed in enough space to shoehorn a straight 6 or v8 and bigger fuel tank when the hybrid version bombs (sales-wise).....

Did someone just say M1...........

[garypotter]

astra la vista said:

call me a cynic but anyone who can spend £80-130K on a car isn't bothered about fuel consumption. manufacturers should be doing their best to get this technology into the mass market cars where it'd be appreciated more.

+1, nail on the head, |BMW should be looking at this tech in the crappy mini and 1 series,

Also looking at the figures supplied, not sure how they get that amount of BHP from a turbo charged 1.5 engine and a battery cell??

probably the same way manufacturers work out their MPG figures.

[Carnnoisseur]

garypotter said:

+1, nail on the head, |BMW should be looking at this tech in the crappy mini and 1 series,

Also looking at the figures supplied, not sure how they get that amount of BHP from a turbo charged 1.5 engine and a battery cell??

probably the same way manufacturers work out their MPG figures.

This. Those stats are way beyond my personal comprehension. However, I'd love them to be accurate!

[mc_blue]

georgetuk said:

astra la vista said:

call me a cynic but anyone who can spend £80-130K on a car isn't bothered about fuel consumption. manufacturers should be doing their best to get this technology into the mass market cars where it'd be appreciated more.

This is their first attempt so the idea restrict it to a high end market, enable the cash to finance the project and use these as a mule before possibly rolling out elsewhere. Its a bit brave to go from nothing to mass market.

Firstly, there is the i3 being developed too.

Second, it is designed for early adopters and the high price is only a reflection of the of R&D required to produce such a car. The alternative of producing a mass market car with technology like this is a complete fallacy, as it would never be cost-competitive or interesting enough for people to switch from their current vehicles. In addition, by producing cars like this manufacturers create a buzz around eco-friendly vehicles not seen before IMO.

I know that if I had the money to justify a car like this I'd buy one because it is so radical and new.

[Seb d]

garypotter said:

+1, nail on the head, |BMW should be looking at this tech in the crappy mini and 1 series,

Also looking at the figures supplied, not sure how they get that amount of BHP from a turbo charged 1.5 engine and a battery cell??

probably the same way manufacturers work out their MPG figures.

Someone far cleverer than you or I designed the propulsion system, which is why and how they can and do get that much from the engine/battery combo.

And you do realise that manufacturers don't work out their figures? Stated figures are the figures that cars achieve during the EU test:

"The urban economy is measured using the test cycle known as ECE-15, first introduced in 1970 by EC Directive 70/220/EWG and finalized by EEC Directive 90/C81/01 in 1999. It simulates a 4,052 m (2.518 mile) urban trip at an average speed of 18.7 km/h (11.6 mph) and at a maximum speed of 50 km/h (31 mph).
The extra-urban driving cycle or EUDC lasts 400 seconds (6 minutes 40 seconds) at an average speed 62.6 km/h (39 mph) and a top speed of 120 km/h (74.6 mph)."

The figures a car achieves in that test cycle are the figures stated, they are not down to the manufacturer's discretion.

[topcat924]

garypotter said:

Also looking at the figures supplied, not sure how they get that amount of BHP from a turbo charged 1.5 engine and a battery cell??

96kw Motor = approx 130 bhp

354 minus 130 = 224bhp

224bhp from a 1.5 turbo doesn't sound TOO improbable does it?

[Timbola]

garypotter said:

astra la vista said:

call me a cynic but anyone who can spend £80-130K on a car isn't bothered about fuel consumption. manufacturers should be doing their best to get this technology into the mass market cars where it'd be appreciated more.

+1, nail on the head, |BMW should be looking at this tech in the crappy mini and 1 series,

You're both missing the main thrust of the point of this car. The i8 isn't about fuel consumption or emissions, it's about the ability of new, green technologies to deliver (nigh-on) supercar performance. Fuel-consumption and emissions are relevant, but an aside.

To address what you're talking about, BMW also has the i3 Concept, which is indeed aimed at the mass market, and therefore much more concerned with fuel-consumption and emissions. And also much cheaper, of course.

Edited by Timbola on Wednesday 27th February 15:57

[BBS-LM]

Fascinating car this, Evo have a video of the car in action if anyone is interested.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GR_Z3wmj_zU&CMP...

[GTRene]

interesting car, also the weight very low in the chassis which is good.

[IDrinkPetrol]

astra la vista said:

call me a cynic but anyone who can spend £80-130K on a car isn't bothered about fuel consumption. manufacturers should be doing their best to get this technology into the mass market cars where it'd be appreciated more.

2400 people that bought Tesla Roadsters might disagree with you.

[AlexKing]

astra la vista said:

call me a cynic but anyone who can spend £80-130K on a car isn't bothered about fuel consumption. manufacturers should be doing their best to get this technology into the mass market cars where it'd be appreciated more.

Not a cynic, but you're completely back to front. The only way they can hope to sell a car with expensive tech like this and get anywhere near a profit is to make it a piece of exotica.

Besides, the sort of person who can afford to be an early adopter of a 100k+ sports car could also probably get about quicker by helicopter, but you don't see them not bothering to make it fast, do you?

Truth is, this is every bit as fast in the real world as a specced-up F-Type, and just as expensive, so why wouldn't you have this instead? Rich people didn't get rich by wasting money...

[RDMcG]

I am trying to figure out if they changed the dimensions..( there was a shorter convertible version a while ago)...
The concept car was stunning and I am hoping it stays very close to concept. I am not sure that the 918 is quite like the concept, and I recall seeing the Vision SLR up close at the inaugural F1 race at Indianapolis years ago, and it was MUCH better proportioned than the production car.
We will see...........

[g3org3y]

Genuinely interesting car.

Wonder if it'll be released under the M1 badge.