The BMW i8 is a definite leap forward if you believe what the Bavarians are telling you. That, however, is only one side of the story. On paper, everything looks absolutely amazing but go deeper than the skin and the cracks begin to show.
Just yesterday we learned that the US Environmental Protection Agency has a completely different view regarding the amount of fuel the hybrid plug-in sportscar sips on average. BMW claimed the i8 will do even over 100 miles to the gallon but the EPA measurements showed only 28 mpg (8.4 l/100 km).
Moving away from such ‘trivial’ facts, the perfomance this car brings using only a 1.5-liter 3-cylinder turbocharged engine and an electric motor is pretty unbelievable. 0-62 mph comes up in just 4.4 seconds mostly thanks to all-wheel drive and the automatic gearbox as well as the CFRP body that makes it lightweight.
On top of that, the car can run on all-electric mode for up to 20 miles and will reach a top speed of 75 mph (120 km/h) in these conditions. The cherry on top is that the i8 will reach an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph (250 km/h) which is brilliantly exemplified here by the guys from AutoTop Netherlands that shot a POV video while testing BMW’s claims.
What surprised us is how easy the car reached that speed even though it seemed to be raining outside. Sure, the all-wheel drive configuration helped but it cannot work miracles, can it?
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