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BMW i8 Tested in Heavy Snow on Finnish Roads

The Finns are very well known for their driving skills and at first, you’d wonder how come they’re so good behind the wheel. Then, you’d realize they live in the Scandinavian Peninsula and over there, snow is more often than not present on the streets.
BMW i8 in the snow 1 photo
Photo: screenshot from Youtube
As a matter of fact, they even have to prove their skills on a slippery surface before getting their driver’s license. It’s that serious. Looking at the video below, you’ll understand why.

Recorded on the streets of Finland, the clip shows exactly how it’s like to drive over there during winter time. The main highways and access roads are clean, with as little snow as possible given the circumstances, but that’s just a small fraction of the infrastructure.

The car in the video is shown driving on random roads that are covered in snow. Think about how your car would be able to deal with that. Now think about the fact that the auto driven in the video is a BMW i8. Surprising, right?

Well, not really. That’s because the i8 is the company’s first front-wheel drive car that is also an all-wheel drive model and a rear-wheel drive one. Let me explain.

The drivetrain of the plug-in sports car is made up of two motors, one for each axle. The front axle is powered by an electric motor good for 131 HP and 250 Nm (184 lb-ft) of torque. When driving in ECO PRO mode, the i8 is using this motor alone, with the power sent to the front axle, making it a FWD vehicle.

At the same time, there’s an internal combustion engine powering the rear axle, mounted in the back. It’s a 1.5-liter 3-cylinder turbocharged mill making 231 HP and 320 Nm (236 lb-ft) of torque hooked up to a 6-speed automatic gearbox.

Its only task is to power up the rear wheels when needed. When the car enters Sport mode, both engines are used to give the i8 362 HP, 570 Nm (420 lb-ft) of torque and all-wheel drive.

While some were quick to dismiss this system as useless and good only for track days, it turns out you won’t have any problems conquering even the snowiest roads with it, as seen in the video below.

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