Well I've now joined Matt in a what's still a pretty exclusive club - I've driven the
BMW i8
in right-hand drive form on UK roads. I admit, I've been desperate to get into the i8 - along with most of the rest of Britain, it seems.
Impulse Design Package adds to value/desirability
So does the i8 match the expectations of its big build up? It's certainly got the cool factor: those floating rear buttresses look sensational, and whatever colour I've seen it in, it has amazing presence on the road. The fact that it's a hybrid gives it a sprinkle of that hyper-hybrid magic from the likes of the
McLaren P1
Porsche 918
But I must admit, I do feel a little crestfallen after my drive. The three-cylinder Mini engine - tuned though it is to 231hp, and joined by two electric motors to deliver 362hp in all - just doesn't feel special enough. The sound in the cabin is utterly synthetic, taking the modern artifice of 'acoustic enhancement' to new extremes. The i8 is very quick, though, and a great handler.
The i8 first arrived on UK soil in July, and now quite a few British customers find themselves behind the (right-hand) wheel of their car. In fact, the UK is comfortably the biggest market for the BMW's 'i' sub-brand.
Fashionable status means hefty premiums
And the i8 is certainly in big demand here. Officially, the i8 is sold out until September 2015, but go to a BMW dealer and you'll typically be told it's the end of 2015 before you'll get one. As a result, it's not surprising that I've been told you can't get an i8 for love nor money.
Well, it turns out enough money can indeed buy you an i8, if you're prepared to accept a used example. And how much is 'enough'? In the region of £140K for a car with delivery miles on the odometer.
Since the i8's list price is £99,895, that looks like a straight - and steep - 40 per cent premium. But actually the base UK price is £101,385 on the road, including the obligatory surround view option. And many buyers are going for the Pure Impulse Design package, consisting of upgraded alloy wheels, perforated grey full leather trim and blue seat belts - yours for £12,200 - as well as the Harmon/Kardon sound system at £895. So the actual premium is more like £25K - still hefty - but then this is the 'it' car of the moment.
Would you pay a £25K premium?
The above-mentioned spec is what this
delivery-mileage i8
has, and it's priced at £139,911 (that price must be deliberate). Very similarly specced and priced at £139,995 is
this one
. And with the same Pure Impulse Design pack
is this i8
but with a few more miles on the clock - 1,400 - and therefore priced at a slightly more accessible £127,490.
Such premium prices may well be attracting owners to sell, but I also hear that another factor may be that it's so tricky to get into, with very wide sills and awkward doors. And personally speaking, I find the i8's cabin lacking in a sense of occasion - surprisingly, the BMW i3's interior has more drama.
Speaking of the i3, have you tried finding one for sale? I've looked but couldn't locate a single secondhand one for up for grabs in the UK, even through BMW's Approved Used scheme. That's despite more than 1,000 of them having been registered here in the last 12 months. Seems like, in contrast to owners of i8s, i3 owners are hanging on to their cars...