Proud owner of a BMW i8
Discussion
Evening All,
The plan was to upgrade our trusty, 3 year old i3 for something more family oriented as we have a little one on the way (our first) in May!
We like our “green” cars so we were aiming for a 330e or possibly even one of BMW’s hybrid SUVs.
Very fortunately - a rather fetching 2016 i8 was sat on BMW’s forecourt this afternoon so after a brief test drive - wow - a deal was done and I am
now it’s incredibly proud owner!
I’m the third owner, the car has just over 16,000 miles on the clock and I really like the combination of Sophisto grey with the grey accents and the dark brown leather.
I’ve had my eye on i8s for the last couple of years but hadn’t realised how reasonably priced they are now given their eye watering list prices.
Any advice from i8 owners or enthusiasts welcome - collecting next weekend!
Nick
The plan was to upgrade our trusty, 3 year old i3 for something more family oriented as we have a little one on the way (our first) in May!
We like our “green” cars so we were aiming for a 330e or possibly even one of BMW’s hybrid SUVs.
Very fortunately - a rather fetching 2016 i8 was sat on BMW’s forecourt this afternoon so after a brief test drive - wow - a deal was done and I am
now it’s incredibly proud owner!
I’m the third owner, the car has just over 16,000 miles on the clock and I really like the combination of Sophisto grey with the grey accents and the dark brown leather.
I’ve had my eye on i8s for the last couple of years but hadn’t realised how reasonably priced they are now given their eye watering list prices.
Any advice from i8 owners or enthusiasts welcome - collecting next weekend!
Nick
Nice. My wife changed her 2017 M4CP for an i8 last year. She adores it. First bit of advice, there's only one mode 
Second, if warranty and insurance allow, change the wheels. Transforms the car. Third, check the fuel cap and boot release are both working properly. And finally, don't get too scared if you see a 'Drive train error' appear. Just pull over somewhere, have a coffee and fire her up again. Great car, enjoy - oh and don't bother with a wall charger unless you intend charging it regularly. VPower works a treat in the tank, the ICE is tuned to within an inch of its life
Second, if warranty and insurance allow, change the wheels. Transforms the car. Third, check the fuel cap and boot release are both working properly. And finally, don't get too scared if you see a 'Drive train error' appear. Just pull over somewhere, have a coffee and fire her up again. Great car, enjoy - oh and don't bother with a wall charger unless you intend charging it regularly. VPower works a treat in the tank, the ICE is tuned to within an inch of its life nickpan said:
(1) It's cost me a fortune on my wife buying designer jeans..because skirts are now out of the question...
(2) Get ready for your mates parking close up so you can't jet in it.... or on one occasion so I couldn't get out of it..
(3) Touring Europe for a week send your luggage in advance...
But seriously I'm sure you will enjoy the owning experience,great cars... i have two 8's in my stable but one being a V8...
Thanks all! Thankfully - the i3 has taught me all about BMW’s i range niggles.
I had the door seals and fuel cap pressure sender go on me last September which was all covered under the warranty.
At the start of Jan, I had the dreaded “drivetrain fault” and she’s been at the dealer for the last 7 weeks having the issue rectified. Still no resolution but I’m in a brand new i3s courtesy car so I’ve no complaints!
I’m desperate to see whether our maxi cosi two way iso fix + pebble car seat will fit in the back o the i8!
How many miles are people getting to the tank and what does it cost to fill?
Nick
I had the door seals and fuel cap pressure sender go on me last September which was all covered under the warranty.
At the start of Jan, I had the dreaded “drivetrain fault” and she’s been at the dealer for the last 7 weeks having the issue rectified. Still no resolution but I’m in a brand new i3s courtesy car so I’ve no complaints!
I’m desperate to see whether our maxi cosi two way iso fix + pebble car seat will fit in the back o the i8!
How many miles are people getting to the tank and what does it cost to fill?
Nick
nickpan said:
Evening All,
The plan was to upgrade our trusty, 3 year old i3 for something more family oriented as we have a little one on the way (our first) in May!
...
Very fortunately - a rather fetching 2016 i8 was sat on BMW’s forecourt this afternoon so after a brief test drive - wow - a deal was done and I am
now it’s incredibly proud owner!
The plan was to upgrade our trusty, 3 year old i3 for something more family oriented as we have a little one on the way (our first) in May!
...
Very fortunately - a rather fetching 2016 i8 was sat on BMW’s forecourt this afternoon so after a brief test drive - wow - a deal was done and I am
now it’s incredibly proud owner!
Congrats, looks great. Is this planned to be a daily?
RUSSELLM said:
Silly question, but how do they work ?
If the HV battery is flat, are you left with a 1.5L engine to push you along ?
Think it's about 220bhp from the ice. Car is roughly 1500kg so still has a bit of poke in rwd even without the motor. HV battery is rarely flat (even when it says 0 miles) 1/3 is kept in reserve according to the i technician we dealt with. Means when you need the power it's generally always there. Never put my foot down and not had full power yet. Discovered a lot of people in flats or with no outside charging options at home use the i8 specifically for this reason. If the HV battery is flat, are you left with a 1.5L engine to push you along ?
nickpan said:
Evening All,
The plan was to upgrade our trusty, 3 year old i3 for something more family oriented as we have a little one on the way (our first) in May!
We like our “green” cars so we were aiming for a 330e or possibly even one of BMW’s hybrid SUVs.
Very fortunately - a rather fetching 2016 i8 was sat on BMW’s forecourt this afternoon so after a brief test drive - wow - a deal was done and I am
now it’s incredibly proud owner!
I’m the third owner, the car has just over 16,000 miles on the clock and I really like the combination of Sophisto grey with the grey accents and the dark brown leather.
I’ve had my eye on i8s for the last couple of years but hadn’t realised how reasonably priced they are now given their eye watering list prices.
Any advice from i8 owners or enthusiasts welcome - collecting next weekend!
Nick
I am considering making the same change - i3 to i8. How do you find the rear seats? Are they at all useable for children? Is there much in the way of boot space? This would take over the daily school run from the i3 (but with the added benefit of being useable on the rare longer journeys). Please keep the thread updated with how you get on! The plan was to upgrade our trusty, 3 year old i3 for something more family oriented as we have a little one on the way (our first) in May!
We like our “green” cars so we were aiming for a 330e or possibly even one of BMW’s hybrid SUVs.
Very fortunately - a rather fetching 2016 i8 was sat on BMW’s forecourt this afternoon so after a brief test drive - wow - a deal was done and I am
now it’s incredibly proud owner!
I’m the third owner, the car has just over 16,000 miles on the clock and I really like the combination of Sophisto grey with the grey accents and the dark brown leather.
I’ve had my eye on i8s for the last couple of years but hadn’t realised how reasonably priced they are now given their eye watering list prices.
Any advice from i8 owners or enthusiasts welcome - collecting next weekend!
Nick
LimaDelta said:
I am considering making the same change - i3 to i8. How do you find the rear seats? Are they at all useable for children? Is there much in the way of boot space? This would take over the daily school run from the i3 (but with the added benefit of being useable on the rare longer journeys). Please keep the thread updated with how you get on!
I don’t think you can really “replace” an i3 with and i8. The back seats in the i8 are probably OK for kids aged 4-10 (?) but look like they’ll struggle to fit car seats (despite having isofix) as you’ll end up having to move the front seats very far forward to accommodate.The boot is truly hopeless the rear of the car is is all ICE.
So yep - in sum, I’d struggle to recommend one over the other but they’re certainly complimentary!
nickpan said:
LimaDelta said:
I am considering making the same change - i3 to i8. How do you find the rear seats? Are they at all useable for children? Is there much in the way of boot space? This would take over the daily school run from the i3 (but with the added benefit of being useable on the rare longer journeys). Please keep the thread updated with how you get on!
I don’t think you can really “replace” an i3 with and i8. The back seats in the i8 are probably OK for kids aged 4-10 (?) but look like they’ll struggle to fit car seats (despite having isofix) as you’ll end up having to move the front seats very far forward to accommodate.The boot is truly hopeless the rear of the car is is all ICE.
So yep - in sum, I’d struggle to recommend one over the other but they’re certainly complimentary!
I don't really think I could justify both though, It's just that whenever a long journey is on the cards, we take my muddy Hilux, which has even less (dry) luggage space than the i3. At least the i8 range is in theory unlimited, right?
Quick update: Collected the car yesterday afternoon. Pretty mundane drive home down motorways but got up early this morning for a quick blast.
What a great car. Blistering acceleration delivered with a decent amount of drama to balance out the lack of a thumping great engine in the back. Makes a pleasant change from the string of 911s I’ve had in the past.
Also really like the e-mode when cruising through the city.
Now for the bad news! The rear boot area is soaking wet.. the carpet at the bottom is sodden and the rear windscreen is coated in condensation. There’s a leak of some description - not sure if it’s external or internal but it’s going back to the dealer this week.
That will mean I have both my i3 and i8 in the dealer having issues rectified! It’s a good thing there’s nothing else like them on the roads :-)
What a great car. Blistering acceleration delivered with a decent amount of drama to balance out the lack of a thumping great engine in the back. Makes a pleasant change from the string of 911s I’ve had in the past.
Also really like the e-mode when cruising through the city.
Now for the bad news! The rear boot area is soaking wet.. the carpet at the bottom is sodden and the rear windscreen is coated in condensation. There’s a leak of some description - not sure if it’s external or internal but it’s going back to the dealer this week.
That will mean I have both my i3 and i8 in the dealer having issues rectified! It’s a good thing there’s nothing else like them on the roads :-)
Ring BMW rather than the dealer. They'll collect it and more importantly, you're way more likely to get another i8 loaner. Was told this a long time ago by a chap at our local MD. BM always give us something tasty if we have any issues. Told me last time we were classed as a VIP customer! Joys of owning an i8 I suppose. Last time the replacement i8 arrived before ours was collected 
Pioneer said:
Ring BMW rather than the dealer. They'll collect it and more importantly, you're way more likely to get another i8 loaner. Was told this a long time ago by a chap at our local MD. BM always give us something tasty if we have any issues. Told me last time we were classed as a VIP customer! Joys of owning an i8 I suppose. Last time the replacement i8 arrived before ours was collected
Wow - that’s some great advice. Who do I call exactly, the emergency breakdown number on the key? I feel guilty as the car still drives?!Gassing Station | BMW General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff