RE: BMW i8 | PH Carbituary
Discussion
cerb4.5lee said:
An engine from a Mini for £115k...bargain! 
I've always liked the road presence of these and I really like the way they look and they are nice and different. I've never really wanted to drive one though, and if I had the money I'd go for the Porsche 911 instead.
To me rating the car on the numberof cylinders is likesaying a four bedroom house is always better than a three bedroom house. I take it you wouldn't have a Gemera over a 911 if offered for free? Being a bit snarky there because you are right really, with a 911 as an option you have to want an i8 for more than the normal obvious reasons for wanting an expensive sports car. Of course is the government go ahead with the bonkers back dated emission based car tax the i8 might suddenly look like a bargain used car.I've always liked the road presence of these and I really like the way they look and they are nice and different. I've never really wanted to drive one though, and if I had the money I'd go for the Porsche 911 instead.
Benny55 said:
Sad Day
Really sad to see this brilliant car axed. I owned a coupe for a couple of years and loved nearly everything about it.
The MPG was not as advertised, the power was good, the looks were stunning and the cabin was fantastic.
Disagree completely that the Roadster was more beautiful, it simply wasn’t.
Had BMW decided to develop the coupe further, with a more powerful engine, and improved battery pack, this vehicle with its carbon tub would have been a Mclaren eater. Reliability was NEVER an issue for me.
In some ways a bit like my PUG 205Gti way back then, a car with the chassis so sorted that you could easily have dropped another 100bhp under the bonnet.
As a mega BMW fan I deplore you to keep building beautiful M cars, not with ugly jaws......please
I too don't understand why this never got any engineering attention throughout its lifespan. A more power dense battery pack and some more go from the power unit would have been a decent mid sale refresh. They must have spent a fortune on the tooling for the chassis so it seems a shame to throw it all away - unless they're reusing it for the 'next' i8 whatever that may be.Really sad to see this brilliant car axed. I owned a coupe for a couple of years and loved nearly everything about it.
The MPG was not as advertised, the power was good, the looks were stunning and the cabin was fantastic.
Disagree completely that the Roadster was more beautiful, it simply wasn’t.
Had BMW decided to develop the coupe further, with a more powerful engine, and improved battery pack, this vehicle with its carbon tub would have been a Mclaren eater. Reliability was NEVER an issue for me.
In some ways a bit like my PUG 205Gti way back then, a car with the chassis so sorted that you could easily have dropped another 100bhp under the bonnet.
As a mega BMW fan I deplore you to keep building beautiful M cars, not with ugly jaws......please
Still love these and would happily own one. In fact, Mrs D.R. is seriously considering one as a daily driver if her company does do away with company cars next year, as they are suggesting they might.
I particularly like the way in which BMW ignored the unwritten rule that electric cars/hybrids must be eye-wateringly hideous when they designed this. Mind you, they more than made up for it with the i3...
I particularly like the way in which BMW ignored the unwritten rule that electric cars/hybrids must be eye-wateringly hideous when they designed this. Mind you, they more than made up for it with the i3...
Possibly one of the most futuristic cars on the road, ever. I think most non-car people look at it and think "OMG how cool". Personall I always found it over the top.
The engineering and the carbon tub, as well as the positive reports from owners, do make me think about having a second look at used ones though.
Sad to learn production has stopped. As others have said, maybe a slightly better petrol engine still paired with the electric motor would have given it some rejuvenation as a proper sports car alternative to Tesla?
Toltec said:
cerb4.5lee said:
An engine from a Mini for £115k...bargain!
I've always liked the road presence of these and I really like the way they look and they are nice and different. I've never really wanted to drive one though, and if I had the money I'd go for the Porsche 911 instead.
To me rating the car on the numberof cylinders is likesaying a four bedroom house is always better than a three bedroom house. I take it you wouldn't have a Gemera over a 911 if offered for free? Being a bit snarky there because you are right really, with a 911 as an option you have to want an i8 for more than the normal obvious reasons for wanting an expensive sports car. Of course is the government go ahead with the bonkers back dated emission based car tax the i8 might suddenly look like a bargain used car.I've always liked the road presence of these and I really like the way they look and they are nice and different. I've never really wanted to drive one though, and if I had the money I'd go for the Porsche 911 instead.
The i8 was a flop no doubt about it but credit to BMW for trying sonething different though. I agree with you that you'd really have to want one to look past the 911.
speedy_un said:
You don't get treated like a pariah as you can with other vehicles, and it seems to attract positive reactions from pretty much everyone apart from committed petrolheads (see comments in this thread from 'supercar experts').
Can confirm, fully agree - I've had conversations with people I'd otherwise never talk to as they love the design so much; from schoolkids all the way up to OAPs. In addition, I always find I get let out at junctions, courteously given right of way etc; it definitely engenders a positive response on the road from the general public.speedy_un said:
I'd hesitate to call it a supercar myself, but if that is determined by the broad reaction you get when driving it, then maybe it is?
I know what you mean, I think the doors in particular make non-car people think 'supercar' though! What surprises me is that even in 2020, people still say they've not seen them often in real life. I'll stick my neck out and say it's entirely possible that, like the M1 and Z8 before it, the lack of sales success could maybe make these quite collectible in the future... Let's see.speedy_un said:
In my experience the service you get from BMW dealers is also significantly enhanced as an i8 customer - and I bought mine (2015 Pure Impulse) for a significant discount outside of the main dealer network at just over a year old.
Regarding dealer treatment, can confirm 100% - especially noticeable as my previous car was a 6-series.speedy_un said:
It's been that good that I haven't even looked at another car.
And that's the biggest problem for me - I have no idea what to replace it with as I genuinely enjoy it and it's so cheap to run!I deliberately bought a pre-April 2017 model meaning I pay no road tax, ULEZ nor, for the next 12 months at least, any Congestion Charge when in central London. For £8 a month I charge it as often as I want in the supermarket across the street and it's less than £45 to brim the tank from empty meaning I often find myself filling up less than once a month; what other car in its price bracket and market segment is even remotely comparable!?
I had one for 18 months and i absolutely adored it, in fact its made me look at its replacement (718 cayman GTS) in a very harsh light!
Come to think of it, i havent seen or heard of an owner or long term user thats got anything but good things to say about them.
the only neagtives are:
Come to think of it, i havent seen or heard of an owner or long term user thats got anything but good things to say about them.
- if you want a many cylinder fire breather then plenty of those exist but they do 10-20mpg, the I8 was averageing 55-60 in my ownership
- if you want an raw experience then other cars exist, though i found the I8 a happy medium between sports car and GT
- if you want a dedicated 4 seater then look elsewhere, but on the limited times i needed 4 seats it was a laugh with the I8 and everyone wanted to go in it
the only neagtives are:
- the doors can be quite impractical, if someone parks too close to the drivers door youve got a big problem! you can get in via the passenger door but the centre tunnel (where the battery is) is quite wide, so you wont be getting in with any dignity!
- serviceing was hit and miss, the normal service was cheap enough, however the inspection 2 needed new door gas struts so that was 750 incvat, the next service which was for the hybrid system was around £850.
- its a fairly big car, both in width and length
- you get a fair amount of attention, when thats murky drunks outside and off liscence when your stuck in traffic or general public who just say nice car, its not for shrinking violets, the doors along cause a fair few comments
- mine had a small petrol tank really, though i do understand you could option a bigger one, i found the range fully charged and fully fullied around 400-440 miles on mine, not bad, not amazing. though it isnt an out and out GT car so it is what it is.
- the harmon kardon wasnt as good in this BMW as it is in others and i dont think i ever saw an i8 without it so maybe it was a bit comprimised as it was standard.
Edited by Richard-G on Thursday 19th March 12:21
I think they look amazing, which is surely 9/10ths of a appeal of a supercar?
Also I was lucky enough to drive one on a Supercar day at Llandow and it was by far my favourite car of the day to drive, against a V8 Vantage roadster and an Exige. Admittedly 5 laps of a circuit doesn't tell you much, but it felt good to me!
Also I was lucky enough to drive one on a Supercar day at Llandow and it was by far my favourite car of the day to drive, against a V8 Vantage roadster and an Exige. Admittedly 5 laps of a circuit doesn't tell you much, but it felt good to me!
I still rate the i8 as the best car I've driven. But it wasn't £100k great. And I think that's where it has struggled. This thread makes for an interesting read (in case you haven't seen it before): https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Typical response from those who haven't driven them. These have way more performance than is usable by most drivers on the road safely, MINI engine aside. I had one for a week and loved it. Enough performance for virtually all scenarios, can just glide around the city when you need to, cool interior, amazing exterior. Definitely on my list as the depreciation continues to savage them.
I've owned mine for 4 years and have no plans to change. It is, by some margin, the best all-round car I've owned and costs about £200 a month to run (except depreciation), so fuel, insurance, full BMW warranty, RFL, servicing ...
As it is now discontinued it may be a decent longer-term proposition. Maybe.
As it is now discontinued it may be a decent longer-term proposition. Maybe.
Gameface said:
Battery longevity/replacement costs keep me from taking a closer look at these.
8 year, 100k miles warranty as standard. The battery is one pack (7kWh) from the i3, replacement/recycle should be in the low thousands on an older car so not a high-cost to factor in in terms of ownership.Batteries are, on the whole, lasting well - some total failures, but rare and usually in the warranty period. I'd worry more about bore-scoring on a 911, or gearbox replacement on other similar GT/exotica.
Should have built a more practical version with more conventional doors and a hatch back arrangements. I did see a rendering on line of a GTE type version and I really liked that.
I also thought that the engine should drive a generator to provide power for electric motors at both ends.
I also thought that the engine should drive a generator to provide power for electric motors at both ends.
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