The i8 looks like a car straight from the future
1. You’ll get noticed. The BMW i8 is not a car for shy, retiring types. Drive this around town and get used to getting stared at. Of course, it’s not you that everyone’s looking at: it’s the car – because it looks like the future. The i8 is a car straight out of science fiction, its sharp, futuristic styling standing out on roads filled with so many similar-looking cars.
2. And then there are those doors. Ah, yes, the i8’s doors. The scissor-opening doors are the stuff of very expensive supercars. They are very, very cool. But can be a bit tricky in supermarket car parks.
Supercar fast – but not supercar thirsty
3. Built like a racing car. The i8’s passenger cell and doors are made from carbonfibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) – the stuff used to make F1 cars – which is 50% lighter than if it was made out of steel and 30% lighter than a comparable aluminium structure. The carbon-fibre is combined with aluminium elsewhere to make the i8 very light for a car of its type, tipping the scales at just 1,560kg.
4. And lightness is just what you want in a sports car. The late, great Colin Chapman (founder of Lotus) knew a thing or two about making cars lighter, in order to make them more agile and nimble. It certainly works in the case of the i8. There are sportier-handling car out there, but the i8 is still a lot of fun given a quiet back road.
5. It has a Mini’s engine. No, really. The i8 is powered by the same 1.5-litre, three-cylinder engine found in a Mini Cooper, which, combined with an electric motor, produces 357bhp. It doesn’t sound that impressive, in supercar terms, but there’s no denying the 4.4-second 0-62mph time, which is better than a lot of Porsche 911 variants.
The BMW i8 boasts scissor-opening doors like that of expensive supercars
The i8 is powered by the same 1.5-litre engine as the Mini
6. Supercar fast – but not supercar thirsty. The official fuel consumption figure for the i8 is 134.5mpg – which is pretty mind-blowing. In the real world, the figure is actually nearer 40-50mpg, but that’s still double what a supercar will do. And a CO2 figure of 49g/km means that it won’t cost a penny in vehicle excise duty.
7. And you can use it in electric-only mode. The electric motor (which draws its energy from a lithium ion battery back) means that there’s the potential to drive up to 23 miles without using a drop of petrol – great for driving around towns and cities.
8. It’s filled with the latest tech. As you’d expect from a car that looks and runs like it does, the i8 has all the latest technology. Whether it’s different driving modes, safety kit, infotainment or connectivity (you can control some functions with a smartphone app) you’re looking for, the i8 has all the latest developments.