2015 BMW i8
All-wheel-drive plug-in hybrid four-passenger sports coupe
Price as tested: $136,500 (excluding destination charge)
Power: 357 hp; 420 lb-ft of torque
Transmission: Six-speed automatic for rear axle, two-speed automatic front axle
Wheelbase: 110.2 inches
Length: 184.9 inches
Width: 76.5 inches
Height: 50.8 inches
Curb weight: 3,455 lbs.
Where assembled: Leipzig, Germany
As a window on the future, a prophecy of what the auto industry is capable of, the BMW i8 is cause for celebration. As a car you might consider driving every day, the gasoline-electric sports car is delightful and frustrating, in almost equal shares.
BMW threw caution to the winds when it developed the i8. Ergonomics was the next thing to go.
The result is a technical and design masterpiece, a supercar that’s an environmental superhero. The i8 is beautiful and advanced as anything on the road. It’s also a pain to get in and out of, and oddly inhospitable to electronic devices like smartphones for a car so committed to an electric-powered future.
I tested a base 2015 i8 that cost $136,500. BMW hadn’t announced prices or equipment for the 2016 model as of early October, but no major changes are expected.
The i8’s technology, price and style mean the four-seat coupe has no direct competitors. People considering it might also look at advanced alternate-fuel and electric vehicles like the Cadillac ELR, Chevrolet Volt, Porsche 918 Spyder and Tesla S or X. Those cars range from $33,100 for the Volt to $845,000 for the 918 Spyder.
The i8 combines gasoline and electric power for all-wheel-drive. It’s a plug-in hybrid, which means you can charge it from an outlet, but its battery also recharges by recovering energy produced by its gasoline engine. The electric motor powers the front wheels. The gasoline engine drives the rear.
The i8’s lithium-ion batteries can carry the car 15 miles at up to 75 mph. The gasoline engine automatically turns on for longer drives and when the car needs more power, as indicated by the driver’s foot on the accelerator and other inputs.
The gasoline engine that powers the rear wheels is a marvel. The tiny 1.5L, three-cylinder turbocharged engine produces 228 horsepower.
The i8’s total power from the electric motor and gasoline engine is 357 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque. That accelerates the four-seat coupe to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds. Top speed is electronically limited to 155 mph.
Those are respectable speeds for a sports car, but nothing special. The i8 is about sustainable performance, not maximum speed.
The EPA rates the i8 at an admirable 78 miles per gallon equivalent in combined electric and gasoline mode, and 28 mpg for combined city/highway on gasoline alone. It’s vastly more efficient than traditional exotic sports cars, and nearly as much fun.
On the highway and twisty country roads, the engine and e-motor keep the i8 lively, with immediate throttle response. The regenerative system kept the battery charged throughout a day’s drive, so I always had access to full power.
The i8 hugs curves, thanks to an extraordinarily low center of gravity — fewer than than 18 inches off the ground. Its front to rear weight distribution is a near-ideal 48.8/51.2.
The steering is well-weighted and responsive. The instantaneous torque the electric motor exerts on the front wheels contributes to a feeling of pulling through curves.
The unusual drive system is easy to get used to, but the i8’s interior is not. Its combination of scissors-style doors, a very low roof and extremely wide carbon-fiber sills make entry feel like a beginner’s lesson in limbo dancing, but less fun. The sill is so wide, and the seats so low, that I found the easiest exit route to be levering myself up onto the sill and sliding across it. The rear seat is barely worth mentioning, more a leather upholstered package shelf than passenger space. Cargo space is a mere 4.7 cubic feet, barely more than a 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata. Pack light.
The controls are legible and easy to use, but the connections for phones and music players leave a lot to be desired. The USB and 12-volt ports are both in compartments that are too small to hold the devices they power. I spent my test drive with an open lid on the center console and no good place to rest my right arm or stow my phone.
The i8’s not a comfortable car, but prophets aren’t sent for our comfort. Prophets come to shake up the established order, not put us at ease.
