BMW i8

[cgiGuy]

Has anyone heard an i8 in person? I can only guess the sound of its 3-cylinder engine, derived from a Mini, is embarrassing.

BMW i8 acceleration sound - YouTube

 

[Doug_G]

Well that's just stupid. You could outfit a Yaris with a sound track, amplifier, and speaker and it would also sound great.

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

BMW i8 acceleration sound - YouTube

So, this was the soundtrack that they dubbed over the Model S video clips in that 60 minutes piece on Musk a few weeks ago, eh?!

 

[pbleic]

Great post. Goes long with these Tesla numbers:

40kWh*   / 60kWh    / 85kWh    / P85kWh
6.5s     / 5.9s     / 5.6s     / 4.4s
235hp    / 302hp    / 362hp    / 416hp
310lb-ft / 317lb-ft / 325lb-ft / 443 lb-ft

* - yes 40 kWh is no longer an option but since it still has the 60 kWh battery I would expect it to have the performance of the 60 kWh.

Interesting plot from your numbers (click to enlarge):

 

[yobigd20]

BMW i8 Not Quite Ready for Prime Time

BMW i8 Not Quite Ready for Prime Time | Vehicle Test Drives content from WardsAuto

"Spirited driving along the Pacific Coast Highway by a cabin mate quickly saps our test car’s 13 miles (21 km) of electric range, fewer than the stated European-test-cycle maximum of 22 miles"

13 miles EV range .... sad...

 

[jkliu47]

"Getting in and out of the i8 is a carefully choreographed endeavor and calls into questionBMW’s target audience of 40- and 50-year-olds. Entry, by sitting on the wide, high sill, then shimmying down into the seat, is easier than exiting, which requires boosting oneself over the sill from a sunken seating position.We won’t even get into what it takes to get in and out of the tiny backseat."

Ouch.

And I wonder what kind of parking clearance the i8 requires - with its butterfly doors that swing outwards...

 

[ckessel]

Getting in and out of the i8 is a carefully choreographed endeavor and calls into question BMW’s target audience of 40- and 50-year-olds. Entry, by sitting on the wide, high sill, then shimmying down into the seat, is easier than exiting, which requires boosting oneself over the sill from a sunken seating position

That basically describes the Roadster as well.

 

[dsm363]

That basically describes the Roadster as well.

Yep. 'Wounded gazelle' is how someone described watching a Roadster driver get out.

 

[Realist]

BMW has tested the i8 now in the newest issue.

These are the performance numbers in comparison with the Model S. Remember german magazine tests with 2 persons on board.

As expected, the i8 walks it.

I8/Model S
0-100: 4,3/4,7
0-160: 9,4/10,4
0-200: 14,9/19,0

 

[Kevin Sharpe]

forum member Alexander Sims was driving the i8 at Goodwood this weekend :smile:

https://twitter.com/fi_sonic/status/482749476231081984

https://twitter.com/mrjakehumphrey/status/483200533071953921

https://twitter.com/torqueabout/status/483278855789363201

 

[Alfred]

I just saw an i8 on show at the airport in Hamburg. It was interesting to talk with passers-by and hear some comments. The most frequent were:

- Nice looking car. BMW had finally some design-courage.
- Modest performance and expensive.
- Large outside, over 1.9m wide without mirrors. Relegated to the truck lane *).
- Yet cramped inside and hardly any boot space.

*) In many private and public parkings it can be difficult to park cars over about 1.85m (72.8") wide, w/o mirrors, and once parked you cannot get out. Motorway construction sites in Germany usually have a smaller left lane with a limit between 2 and 2.2m (including mirrors) and cars over that limit have to stay in the wider right hand lane. According to the press fines for disregarding such limits are not rare.

 

[EarlyAdopter]

BMW has tested the i8 now in the newest issue.

These are the performance numbers in comparison with the Model S. Remember german magazine tests with 2 persons on board.

As expected, the i8 walks it.

I8/Model S
0-100: 4,3/4,7
0-160: 9,4/10,4
0-200: 14,9/19,0

Was the Model S a standard 85 or performance 85?

 

[smorgasbord]

In many private and public parkings it can be difficult to park cars over about 1.85m (72.8") wide, w/o mirrors, and once parked you cannot get out. Motorway construction sites in Germany usually have a smaller left lane with a limit between 2 and 2.2m (including mirrors) and cars over that limit have to stay in the wider right hand lane. According to the press fines for disregarding such limits are not rare.

You do know that Model S is about 78" wide without mirrors, right?

 

[ecarfan]

Was the Model S a standard 85 or performance 85?

Tesla claims the P85 is 4.2 seconds for 0-60 and 5.4 seconds for the 85. But some tests have found slightly quicker times.

That test gives 4.7 for 0-60. So I don't know which model they used but I suspect the 85, not the P85.

The i8 may be quicker than the P85 but it fails to Match the Model S in every other way that is significant to me, and the price is crazy high.

 

[Realist]

Was the Model S a standard 85 or performance 85?

P85 of course.

 

[ecarfan]

P85 of course.

Then why did the German magazine test of the Model S get a 0-60 number a half second slower that Tesla's spec, which has been confirmed by other testers?

 

[dsm363]

P85 of course.

Well they must not have put their foot down hard enough to get 0.5-0.8 seconds worse than all the other reviewers. Odd.

The i8 is like the Karma. Striking looks but compromise car. Does have much better acceleration that Karma though so BMW did a good job in that regard. Not sure it is worth comparing the Model S anyway. Again, one is a large sedan BEV and the other is a sports car hybrid that doesn't seat 5-7 people.

 

[ecarfan]

Not sure it is worth comparing the Model S anyway. Again, one is a large sedan BEV and the other is a sports car hybrid that doesn't seat 5-7 people.

Agreed, all these articles comparing the i8 to the Model S and talking about how the i8 is "competition" to Tesla are just silly. They are not competitors, they are fundamentally different types of cars.

At this point in time there are no signs of a serious competitor to the Model S coming to market this year or next year. After 2015 my crystal ball gets hazy. Maybe Audi will have something in 2016.

And no, the Cadillac ELR is not a Model S competitor as it fails in every area that matters, which is why the ELR is selling in such miniscule numbers.

 

[tomas6791]

Golfer James Heath gets hole-in-one and wins a BMW i8

I should have become a golfer.




from the press release:
Cologne. If ever anyone hit a truly electrifying shot, then it was James Heath on Sunday morning. The Englishman aced the 16th hole (par 3, 156 metres) on the final round of the BMW International Open. His reward for the perfect seven-iron shot is one of the most exciting Hole-in-One Awards in the history of the tournament: the BMW i8 plug-in hybrid sports car.

6 pictures and full press release

.

 

[Alfred]

You do know that Model S is about 78" wide without mirrors, right?

Size limits the potential market and affects all large cars the same. It was just interesting to see that people noted that immediately - even in Germany. I'll be driving shortly where a Seat Leon feels too wide. So it will have to be an Ibiza...