I think I might not be too bold to say that everyone loves the doors of the new BMW i8. They are flashy and open unlike most cars on the road these days. However, no matter how good they look and how big of an impression they make you might have a problem with getting in or out of the plug-in hybrid car wherever you go.
It’s not necessarily the doors’ fault but mostly it’s all due to the side sills that are extremely generous in size. And by that we mean they are wider than expected.
Since the seating position is really low and the car’s shape includes a low greenhouse you can imagine that the part where you actually get in and out of the car isn’t all that nice.
At the 2015 Detroit Auto Show, a BMW i8 put up for display was used by various high-ranking officials in the auto industry to see how they handled the special design of the car. Needless to say that some chuckles were heard and an impromptu video was quickly released.
Introducing: the BMW i8 Exit Challenge
It sounds fancier than it really is for a 1 minute long video but it did make us smile so we thought we should share it with you guys. While some considered that getting out should be portrayed as an absolutely dreadful experience (check out contestant number two), others had no difficulty whatsoever in getting out of the i8.
Stefan Jacoby, GM’s Executive Vice President for Consolidated International Operations however, showed us how first timers might deal with the design of the car. It doesn’t look all that comfortable but in time you get used to it.
BMW actually has a dedicated page in the user manual for this situation alone. According to them, getting in and out the i8 should be done in the following sequence:
open the door
sit perpendicularly on the seat with the legs outside of the car
rotate your torso and pull your legs inside the car
That might seem really easy but in truth, if you have short legs, you might be in over your head. And the ladies.... Well, you don’t need me explaining why short skirts could be a problem.
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