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BMW i8
- Thread starter Doug_G
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- bmw i8 Electric Vehicles
Raffy.Roma
Rome (Italy)
Agree. More electric range, more space in the trunk and a transparent roof (as option) would be needed for the I8 IMO.
SwedishAdvocate
Active Member
A new review by Steve Sutcliffe who has driven the Porsche 918, the McLaren P1 and the LaFerrari.
He obviously really likes it.
His closing line: “It’s a kind of a junior LaFerrari really /…”
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jcaspar
Member
They got a nice sound out of a 1.3 liter engine. Too bad it has less combined HP than a 20 year old Viper!
He kept talking about how great the car sounded. Apparently he didn't know the sound was faked.
wallet.dat
Member
I'd love to see this thing go head to head with a Tesla Model S on a proper road course. Assuming no heating issues, it should be an interesting match up.
SwedishAdvocate
Active Member
Why is that "too bad"?
(Full disclosure: If I had the resources I'd of course want to spend them on a Model S instead of an i8.)
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Not all of the sound. X% of the sound of the ICE. Anyone know how many percent of the ICE sound that is generated through the speakers?
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What makes you think that he didn't know?
Because he kept crowing about how terrific the car sounded. He was really focused on the sound. If he did know but chose not to make clear the source of the sound then he failed as a reviewer to tell the truth about the car. If he didn't know, then he failed as a reviewer to properly research the car before driving and reviewing it.
The truth matters. Deception should be exposed so that potential buyers can judge for themselves if that issue matters to them. Of course the fake sound doesn't effect the performance and handling and functionality of the car. But it is obviously part of the driving experience and it should be revealed. Clearly BMW felt that i8 owners would want the cars engine to sound more impressive then it actually does so they faked the sound. If that doesn't bother some people that's fine, but it clearly is an issue to some people.
It's like fake hood scoops on 60s muscle cars, or fake exhaust pipes. When I was a teenage I thought that was cool, but it's deception. Some people don't care. Other people look at that stuff and think "Why is that there, it serves no purpose and is intended to deceive me".
The truth matters.
SwedishAdvocate
Active Member
…or he didn’t think it mattered. It’s not like it’s not known by now that BMW adds sound through their stereo-system on some cars. They’ve been doing it for years on the M5. They also do it on the M3 and the M4.
Yes. The truth matters. But CO2-emissions also matter. So here we have class-leading C02-emissions + some added sound through the stereo vs. substantially worse CO2-emissions + no added sound through the stereo. Seems like the worlds biggest no-brainer to me…
Or like this: Cars are products on a market intended to make a profit. They need to sell. Someone obviously thought some added sound through the stereo was the way to go in this case. When put in context with CO2-emissions all this 'added sound-hoopla' seem like a really minscule triviality to me.
Every time I see the I8 and read about it, my thoughts go back to my first electric car, the Fisker Karma. The Karma had better styling (imho) and better range on the battery (although with 35 miles in real life it wasn't enough, by far), but the I8 is faster and has been executed and tested much better. But the concept is exactly the same and the flaws are too. So BMW didn't really make much progress. The i8 is just a green statement, not a green car.
SwedishAdvocate
Active Member
I agree, but it seems some people must be able to spend days on the road in order to keep their day jobs. And personally I would rather see folks driving around in the i8, than in ICE-two-seaters from Alfa, AMG, Aston, Audi, Chevy, Ferrari, Jaguar, Lambo, Lotus, Maser, McLaren, Merc, Porsche, Spyker, SRT etc. (Doesn’t really feel relevant to include the Porsche 918 since it costs like what? Six times as much as the i8? But sure, if it can be swung (?) – then I guess why not...)
The magazine Auto Bild has tested the i8 on the race track.
With batteries fully charged it’s not a lot slower than conventional sportscars like a 911 or GT-R. It is also very well balanced and easy to slide around. Despite the “fake sound” the interior sound levels are remarkable. It is quieter than the Tesla Model S P85+ which suffers from tire roar.
Furthermore the car can hold it’s speed for 3 laps on a 2min circuit. After that the lap time increases by app. 4,5s.
So it’s performance is clearly a lot more sustainable than the Tesla’s
With batteries fully charged it’s not a lot slower than conventional sportscars like a 911 or GT-R. It is also very well balanced and easy to slide around. Despite the “fake sound” the interior sound levels are remarkable. It is quieter than the Tesla Model S P85+ which suffers from tire roar.
Furthermore the car can hold it’s speed for 3 laps on a 2min circuit. After that the lap time increases by app. 4,5s.
So it’s performance is clearly a lot more sustainable than the Tesla’s
I believe it's been mentioned that the Tesla Model S isn't a track car.
The i8 is almost a track car, but not really. There is a lot of options that are better around the track and are a lot cheaper too.
I think the i8 will suffer from not being particularly good at anything. It isn't cheap, it isn't good on a track, it isn't practical, it isn't particularly green, etc.
Pretty, though.
The i8 is almost a track car, but not really. There is a lot of options that are better around the track and are a lot cheaper too.
I think the i8 will suffer from not being particularly good at anything. It isn't cheap, it isn't good on a track, it isn't practical, it isn't particularly green, etc.
Pretty, though.
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