[Paul]

I was in the locale of the big BMW dealership in Milton Keynes yesterday. It was out of hours but I wanted to pop in to look at the MINIs and the BMW i range.

No i3s in sight (I think they drive their i3 a lot!) but the i8 was in a display window on site.

If you know Wayne's World – or can lip read – this is how I felt when I got up close to the glass. What a beautiful car it is.

 

[Andy]

Schhhhwing !

As admin I really think it would be helpful to go and test drive all of the popular EV's on the market to get a good overview of what we're all talking about

 

[Paul]

Schhhhwing !

As admin I really think it would be helpful to go and test drive all of the popular EV's on the market to get a good overview of what we're all talking about

I totally agree with this view.

 

[Colin]

At my local BMW dealer today and got totally ignored in the showroom looking at the i3. Must have been my T shirt, polyester trousers and trainers look?

However the i8 is beautiful......

 

[Eunicholas]

Very nice not to sure about the back yet

 

[Brooktop]

Love it when a concept car makes it through to production relatively unscathed. Beautiful!

 

[thePM]

I test drove a white i8 on Tuesday at Vines of Guildford. They have 20 orders already 12 pre launch. The first customer delivery due now.

It is easily the best car I have ever driven. Really smooth and comfortable in comfort mode - a noticeable lag on kickdown though while the ICE starts and begins driving the rear wheels. But you could drive long distances in comfort - it felt very good for a sports car that is so low. It also felt incredibly light and very responsive to steering. Sports mode was something else - instant power , heavier steering and it felt like you could feel every little stone in the road. It would be amazing on a track day. A few other comments/observations:

HUD was really good and useful even in bright sunlight - with the crazy acceleration you need to keep eyes on road. +2 seats were not really usable even for children except maybe a couple of small bags. Bonnet permanently closed - can only be opened by i3 tech. 'Boot' is only big enough for a day bag and about the size of the i3 frunk.. 30 mile electric range is small but the ice recharges the battery quickly when in sport. Doesn't have the regen on lift off of throttle like the i3 but does regen when you brake.

 

[Andy]

Very cool.

There are a couple of guys on pistonheads who have just placed orders. They've been told to expect delivery in May/June time so quite a long wait.

 

[thePM]

It's same everywhere I think, the i8 that was being prepared is one of the very first customer deliveries and was ordered in 2012!

 

[Paul]

It's lovely in white and black like that.


I know it's not a BEV and all that, but it ticks so many of the right boxes it can only help ease the transition to BEVs for those who otherwise may never be even slightly tempted.

 

[Andy]

It's same everywhere I think, the i8 that was being prepared is one of the very first customer deliveries and was ordered in 2012!

With you being so impressed on your test drive did it tempt you to put an order in yourself?

 

[thePM]

I haven't even picked up the i3 yet so don't think it would go down well at home! If I had the money there is no question I would chose this car over Aston & Porsche etc It is in another league. Would be interesting to see the 2 speed electric gearbox in an i3. The i3 performance and economy drops right off at higher speed as electric motor is geared for town. This is addressed in i8.

 

[Andy]

XCAR's take on the i8

 

[dpeilow]

I followed one that was the metallic blue above. It is astonishing looking on the road.

 

[Jimbo]

Interesting review. Lots of EVs called out but no mention of Tesla except for a thinly disguised dig about pure EV start up companies at the end. I wonder if he had some 'guidance' from BMW marketing.

~40mpg real world seems more like it (official figure is 135mpg). He loves the 'eco pro' pure EV mode which gives a reasonable range of 30 miles.

3 engines. Going to be an expensive car to keep on the road.

He didn't mention the fact that the battery only lasts ~5 miles when driven hard in Sport mode, at which point you lose over 1/3 of the cars performance.

But... looks amazing, and it's a real tour de force for hybrid technology.

 

[jontracey]

The explody battery bits need more protection, what more than the tank of highly inflammable fuel it carries around