BMW i8

[Malcolm E Boo]

What's good? What's bad?

Worth swapping out of a Porsche 718S in to one or should I head to a more well trodden path in to a 911 instead?

Budget £75K ish and thinking of a Roadster. The 911 would be the same budget and a cabriolet.

[NigelTVR]

I'm sure you will receive opposite answers as the i8 always divides opinion, mostly from those that have one and those that have never driven one. "It's got a 3cyl mini engine, the sound is fake, it's slow, there is no manual option" etc...
I have one, and it's an excellent car, better than I expected and bought after a test drive (used). I personally prefer it to my my E46 m3's and E90 M3 I had before. I traded in the E90 for the i8.
Reliability and ownership costs are excellent and in sport mode there is more than enough performance for any road situation at least for me. It never feels like needing more power but it's no track car and is nothing like my S3 Exige but they are not designed to be. Be prepared for lot's of attention even after all these years the i8 still stands out from the crowd.

Bad points? not much, yes the sound is mostly fake, but it's enjoyable again in sport mode which I use most of the time. Depreciation from list price was horrible but buying second hand is ok and they seem to have slowed a lot now. (mine was 2 years old when I bought it and is one of the ex LCFC cars after winning the premiership). I haven't owned a Porsche so I can't comment about the change from a 718 with any first hand knowledge. If you haven't already, take one for a drive and see how it is, I think you will be impressed.

[Malcolm E Boo]

Thanks for your comments

[LaurasOtherHalf]

As a committed BMWi fan, I'm probably biased but...

I love 911s, I've owned a couple of special ones and I'm lucky enough to still get to drive one-well once covid clears up and the 'ring season starts up properly again I will.

For me a BMW i8 is perhaps what the NSX was 25 years ago. A very different way of doing things.

It'll be appreciated massively at some point, it's just that point isn't now or any time since it's birth. At the moment, it's under appreciated, unloved (a little) and the outside choice.

A bit like the 911 used to be in fact.

[Pioneer]

My wife had an i8 for a couple of years until we sold it in March. Great car, a lot of fun to drive and no issues during our ownership. Bang-for-buck there's not a lot else out there that has the presence, feel-good-factor and such low running costs. Great thing is you get 75% of the supercar ownership experience without any of the crap that goes with it.

[Mr Squarekins]

Pioneer said:

My wife had an i8 for a couple of years until we sold it in March. Great car, a lot of fun to drive and no issues during our ownership. Bang-for-buck there's not a lot else out there that has the presence, feel-good-factor and such low running costs. Great thing is you get 75% of the supercar ownership experience without any of the crap that goes with it.

l've had my i8 for two years now. Used every day. The above sums it up well. I can't find anything worth changing for at the moment.

You have to park more thoughfully due to the doors. - but if you like your cars, you tend to do that whatever you drive.

[iain123]

Had my 2015 for 3 years. Great cars, fast, cheap to run and a great daily. No major issues although you get the occasional software glitch that usually sorts itself out. Main problem is your generally stuck with main dealer servicing as most independents too scared to touch it despite the mainstream mini engine. In getting a new 12Volt battery for mine just now - normally I'd just do it myself but you have to tell the car its a new battery apparently...£230 at the stealers.

[psp]

I would re-iterate the comments made already, had my I8 for over 2 years and it is fantastic. More than quick enough, brilliant build quality and still creates interest wherever it goes, I too think they will be a future collectable and cannot think of anything I would replace it with. I came from being a serial 911 buyer too, having had 6 over the years, build quality way better on the i8!

[mike9009]

iain123 said:

Had my 2015 for 3 years. Great cars, fast, cheap to run and a great daily. No major issues although you get the occasional software glitch that usually sorts itself out. Main problem is your generally stuck with main dealer servicing as most independents too scared to touch it despite the mainstream mini engine. In getting a new 12Volt battery for mine just now - normally I'd just do it myself but you have to tell the car its a new battery apparently...£230 at the stealers.

To be fair on the i8, my 2007 330i needs the battery programming too. Means a trip to a specialist or dealer just to change the battery....aaarrrggghhhh...

[cerb4.5lee]

Me and my mrs saw one at the weekend and she loved it, but she said to me that she knew I wouldn't like it because of the tiny engine and the part electric bit!. One thing I can't deny is how great they look though for sure, a proper head turner with a lovely presence about them.

Stick a bigger engine in and sack the electric bits off and I'd love one for definite.

[Mr Squarekins]

cerb4.5lee said:

Me and my mrs saw one at the weekend and she loved it, but she said to me that she knew I wouldn't like it because of the tiny engine and the part electric bit!. One thing I can't deny is how great they look though for sure, a proper head turner with a lovely presence about them.

Stick a bigger engine in and sack the electric bits off and I'd love one for definite.

You need to drive one to get your head around it. I went from a 3.0 twin turbo N54 bmw to the i8. The i8 is a quicker car.

[Malcolm E Boo]

DDg said:

Not sure if the current AutoTrader offering is a true reflection, but they seem to have crept up over the last 6 months - 11.6kwh models by maybe £5-10k.

Same everywhere. I have been offered £6k more for my 718 Boxster than I paid for it (from an OPC) 18 months ago. The whole market is bizarre at the moment.

Thanks for all the comments above. Please keep them coming, but the reaction is overwhelmingly positive.

[NigelTVR]

Mr Squarekins said:

cerb4.5lee said:

Me and my mrs saw one at the weekend and she loved it, but she said to me that she knew I wouldn't like it because of the tiny engine and the part electric bit!. One thing I can't deny is how great they look though for sure, a proper head turner with a lovely presence about them.

Stick a bigger engine in and sack the electric bits off and I'd love one for definite.

You need to drive one to get your head around it. I went from a 3.0 twin turbo N54 bmw to the i8. The i8 is a quicker car.

Yes I couldn’t agree more, you need to drive one. I went from a 4.0 V8 M3 and was apprehensive to say the least. But I’ve not regretted it. The power comes so much easier with huge torque much lower in the rev range so you never feel it has a small engine. In the real world of traffic, speed limits the i8 is never needing more.
I feel I shouldn’t like the i8, I enjoy big engines like anyone on pistonheads. But the i8 is a true insight that you don’t need it to give everything in a very useable fast package.
V12’s, V8’s, V6’s are wonderful, as is a straight 6- nothing sounds the same as these. But the future likely isn’t going to include them and we should be excited that back in 2014 a car like the i8 was developed & sold. It’s exotic construction and build with impressive performance (while not world beating) may not be repeated in its price level again.

[cerb4.5lee]

NigelTVR said:

Mr Squarekins said:

cerb4.5lee said:

Me and my mrs saw one at the weekend and she loved it, but she said to me that she knew I wouldn't like it because of the tiny engine and the part electric bit!. One thing I can't deny is how great they look though for sure, a proper head turner with a lovely presence about them.

Stick a bigger engine in and sack the electric bits off and I'd love one for definite.

You need to drive one to get your head around it. I went from a 3.0 twin turbo N54 bmw to the i8. The i8 is a quicker car.

Yes I couldn’t agree more, you need to drive one. I went from a 4.0 V8 M3 and was apprehensive to say the least. But I’ve not regretted it. The power comes so much easier with huge torque much lower in the rev range so you never feel it has a small engine. In the real world of traffic, speed limits the i8 is never needing more.
I feel I shouldn’t like the i8, I enjoy big engines like anyone on pistonheads. But the i8 is a true insight that you don’t need it to give everything in a very useable fast package.
V12’s, V8’s, V6’s are wonderful, as is a straight 6- nothing sounds the same as these. But the future likely isn’t going to include them and we should be excited that back in 2014 a car like the i8 was developed & sold. It’s exotic construction and build with impressive performance (while not world beating) may not be repeated in its price level again.

High praise indeed, and I appreciate the experience share for sure.

I'd love a go in one to see for myself for certain.

[Pioneer]

In real-world terms, the i8 is plenty fast enough for UK roads. Instant pick-up, great for lights, roundabouts, slip-roads etc. More than enough power to overtake. Only place it's really lacking is when you're approaching license losing speeds. Power delivery is very different to something like an M car, more in-tune with what you'd expect from full EV. I was running a Lambo LP560-4 at the same time as the wife had her i8 and I often took her car instead. A testament to BMW. The beauty for me was in heavy traffic, you can just drop it into elec and sit back and relax. The lack of noise was refreshing when not pushing on. Biggest let down is the factory wheels! We swapped hers out within weeks. Totally transformed the handling and aethetics. Becareful of your warranty though, esp. on the drivetrain. Only know issue that bothered me was with the AC compressor. It also cools the HV battery compartment and if it fails you can end up with metal fragments in the lines. Any suspect noises from the front end are worth getting investigated. Apart from that, no other issues I'm aware of.

[Mr Squarekins]

Helping to make you want one;

[Malcolm E Boo]

Mr Squarekins said:

Helping to make you want one;

Yes but not a coupe and probably not in Sliver, but a lovely looking car though.

[Mr Squarekins]

what colour do you fancy?

Whilst I like the roadster, I'm not crazy on the roofline. I looked at one but felt a bit 'too self aware' with the roof down. I've had loads of convertibles, but the i8 already draws attention, it was a step too much for me. Nice cars though.

[Malcolm E Boo]

Not really spoilt for choice colour wise on i8.

Not keen on black or grey so it really comes down to White, Blue or Orange. Not seen any Roadsters in Red or Yellow and I don't fancy a vinyl wrap.

With Porsche the list is wider although two of the last three are Miami Blue