With deliveries scheduled to start this June and its complete specs revealed, the BMW i8 is now ready to face its first reviewers. As we’ve been getting used to, the Germans held a special event for some journalists around the world, inviting them to test their latest sports car.
This is no ordinary sports car, however. This is a hybrid plug-in from Bavaria. It uses both a conventional engine and an electric one, similar to the way today’s hypercars like the McLaren P1 and Ferrari LaFerrari do. On a much smaller scale, though.
The i8 uses a 1.5-liter, 3-cylinder turbocharged petrol unit at the back that is powering the rear axle, making 231 HP and 320 Nm (236 lb-ft) of torque together with an electric motor making 131 HP and 250 Nm (184 lb-ft) of torque that is powering the front axle.
Whereas the ‘traditional’ unit is hooked up to a 6-speed automatic gearbox, the electric one has a 2-speed ‘box taking away the power. Altogether, the i8 has 362 HP and 570 Nm (420 lb-ft) of torque at its disposal and all-wheel-drive.
Couple that to a kerb weight of 1,485 kg (3,273 lbs) and things should be pretty intense, right? Right! At least according to the first reviews.
The guys from Top Gear said that “it does an amazing impression of a 340bhp big six, rather than a 231bhp little triple” and that when compared to a 911 it doesn’t feel that fast because it lacks the high-rev drama or violence. However, Auto Express called it “a definite game-changer,” one that is not as exorbitantly expensive as the Ferrari or the P1.
Autocar said you’d have to compromise for this car. It brings daring performance combined with eco-responsibility to the table but it’s no track beast whatsoever while Autoweek said that this is the car that will give the Tesla a run for its money if you want more sportiness and less practicality.
The Tesla comparison is also the one that the Bloomberg review is based on. While it might be extremely short, it’s the first one we know of, recorded on film, in China. Check it out!
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