Welcome To The Future BMW I8 Review (Part 1)
Bmw is the first major manufacturer to make a commited
leap into extended range hybrid vehicles you actually want to drive. Welcome to
the new i8
Until fairly recently, the future of electric and plug-in
hybrids looked as though to was confined to a selection of deeply unappealing
cars that amounted to little more than spruced up golf carts. The thought of
city centres clogged with these plain electric shoeboxes, all tethered to
charging points and nursing juice from the national grid seemed Orwellian- and
not, in any way, appealing for true driving fans.
Then BMW piped up, four years ago, with a project that
looked too far fetched to ever make production. The Vision Efficient Dynamics
concept was long on name and promised a lot, but most believed it was simply
too ambitious a project to get off the ground. That car became the BMW i8, and
it’s now available in the Middle East. Or rather, it’s not, because the first
year’s allocation has been sold out and you’ll have to wait until next year if
you really want one.
BMW i8 front view
And want one you should because this is really the first
step towards exciting plug-in electric hybrid performance motoring that we’re
seen. Yes, there have been others- but the Fisker Karma doesn’t deliver the
same kind of driving dynamics and performance as the i8, and the big three
super cars all launched over the last 12 months from McLaren, Porsche and
Ferrari are stratospherically expensive.
This is our second time behind the wheel but the first drive
of a car that the public can buy. Last year, C/D ME was invited to test BMW’s
pre-production cars ahead of final sign-off ahead of the Frankfurt Motor Show,
but this is the first time we’ve laid hands on the completed car, and first
we’ve had a chance to really soak in the car’s shape without its camouflage.
BMW i8 rear view
Its nearest comparison in the BMW range is the 4-Series
coupe but even this isn’t really in proportion to the car’s overall dimensions.
Wheelbase is roughly the same: the i8 is 10mm shorter than the 4-Series between
the axles, but it is also 51 mm longer, 113 mm wider and 94 mm lower. Most of
that extra width has been put to effect by straddling the electric motor and
its two-step transmission up front, and the rear mounted combustion engine and
gearbox at the back. The car’s 46 cm centre of gravity is also the lowest in
the BMW group.
BMW i8 interior
Every encounter with the i8 starts by opening those
aluminium, injection- moulded-plastic, and carbon-fibre scissor doors which
pivot on the A-pillar to reveal the futuristic inner sanctum. Interior design
is very driver centric; the dash is layered with sustainable materials like
leathers tanned with olive leaf extracts, plastics based on castor oil, and
textiles made from recycled PET bottles an wool.
The best method of entry for drivers over the thick, high
sill is by sliding your first foot in and under the steering wheel, then
sitting into the seat, and then bringing your next leg in. That’s after you’ve
loaded the rear with bags, kids or short people because those plus two seats
are fairly tight. There’s also a boot under the rear hatch and aft of the
petrol engine that will take two small bags or one medium sized squashy one.
The BMW i8 is also
the first to feature laser headlights. The technology was pioneered in racing
and the i8 is the first production car to get them
