The article was originally produced on March 2, 2016, some facts and prices may have changed since then.

BMW i8

Despite only three cylinders and an electric motor, the new BMW i8 is a full-fledged sports car.

Normally you don't associate BMW with sports cars, but more with sporty everyday cars. But there are exceptions. For example. the pre-war model 328 which i.a. won the Mille Miglia, beautiful 507 from 1956/59, brutal M1 which was truly one of the first supercars. Then we have all the Z models that also appeared in a number of James Bond films.

No one on the street is left unaffected when you walk up to the BMW i8, open the door like a gull's wing and step in, then start and glide away in dead silence. This car absolutely trumpets the future on all fronts. If we start with the appearance that does not resemble anything else to be completely honest. One can spend any amount of time just studying the futuristic design that washes over all sides of the car. Take, for example, the integrated speed tunnels at the back that end in the taillights. BMW has definitely not skimped on the powder here! 

The i8 was launched together with the little sibling the i3 as BMW's new i-line. A line based on environmentally friendly cars with electric motors. But it is not only the powertrain that is environmentally conscious. Even the choice of materials and much else has been adapted to be environmentally smart. While the i8 is a pure crowd magnet in the sports car spirit, the i3 is a small city car with room for four people. Both models breathe premium as strongly as BMW's brand itself has always done. 

Once you've stepped into the cabin of the i8, your thoughts are first brought to a spaceship, especially if the darkness of the evening has fallen and the illuminated blue contour lines mark the interior design. But then you start to recognize yourself as many buttons and controls are the same as on a traditional BMW. When you press the start button, the word "Ready" appears in the display in front of the steering wheel. With the gear selector in "Drive", it's just a matter of gliding away, completely noiselessly as long as the battery has sufficient charge. 

The driveline consists of an electric motor with 131 horsepower and a 1.5-liter three-cylinder gasoline engine with 231 horsepower. Together, the i8 has an output of 362 horsepower and 570 NM of torque. 0 to 100 goes in 4.4 seconds and the top speed is 250 km/h. In electric mode only, you can drive a maximum of 120 km/h. The range on electricity alone is 37 kilometers. Thanks to the electric motor driving the front and petrol engine the rear wheels, the i8 is four-wheel drive and thus also very reliable on our Swedish winter roads.

 

When you change the dead quiet gliding on the city streets to the highway and press the gas to the bottom, the petrol engine wakes up with a lovely growl. By moving the gear lever to the left, the entire character of the car changes. The gauges, which are normally blue, become red with the text sport in the middle. The engine sound becomes more distinct and when you shift gears the engine makes lovely intermediate throttles. When you step on the gas at the bottom, not only the petrol engine is heard, but a whining electric sound that brings to mind the movie Tron. The feeling that arises is that you are sitting in a super sports car from the future. Admittedly, the engine sound is artificial and comes from the car's speakers, but it still feels sporty enough. The driving feeling in the i8 is very pleasant because the car is so low and has its design. You lie like an iron and even in the curves the car behaves stably despite the narrow tires which are adapted so as not to draw an unnecessary amount of electricity due to rolling resistance. 

The laser light is another futuristic detail. The standard LED lights keep up well and good for about 600 m, but when the laser light is switched on, night turns into day.

Just like the Porsche 911, the i8 has four seats. However, the rear ones are not adapted for adults, but more of an excuse to bring the children or a lunch bag or two. Even the luggage space in the back is minimal. The price of the i8 is around 1.4 million. This can be perceived as expensive, but add to that that on a full charge and a tank that holds 42 liters you will get 60 miles. So we are talking about a sports car now, with a consumption of 0.70 liters per mile for the country road! With the i8, BMW shows exactly what the future has to offer, a super delicious sports car adapted for the environment!

At Bavaria in Solna there is a very nice i-department where the i8 and i3 can be explored and test driven. With knowledgeable staff on site, you get help in immersing yourself in BMWi and its philosophy.