BMW’s marketing machine claimed that the i8 will be rivaling the likes of the Audi R8 and Porsche 911 in their initial efforts but things aren’t exactly like that in real life. Sure, on paper things are looking up for the hybrid but on a real track, in the hands of a race car driver results may vary.
That’s exactly what we have here, with Randy Pobst playing the role of the driver and a random BMW i8 the role of the tested car. Part of MotorTrend’s quest to find the best driver’s car of 2014, Randy was invited to drive the candidates head to head on the famous Laguna Seca that goes by the name of Mazda Raceway these days.
Earlier this week we saw him put the M4 to the test and that run was impressive, being just a 3 seconds slower than the time posted by a proper supercar, a Porsche 911 Turbo.
Sure, the i8 can’t hold a candle to these two, considering the 1.5-liter, 3-cylinder mill used to power its rear axle but it does have some tricks up its sleeve to post an honorable time.
It’s all-wheel drive and has 570 Nm (420 lb-ft) of torque at its disposal, 250 of which available from 0 RPM, coming from the electric motor. A near perfect weight distribution (49/51%) also helps out but other factors such as the regenerative brakes and skinny tires work against it.
In the end, Randy has a thing or two to say about the BMW’s performance but at 1:44.29, the i8 is faster than cars with higher expectations like Subaru WRX STI and just shy of overshadowing the Alfa Romeo 4C.
Google News