Photo: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
One of the most satisfying moments of my life (don't judge) happened as I was testing the BMW i8. I stopped at a gas station to resupply my mints - the sporty hybrid is surprisingly light on the fuel - and, obviously, with the car being a new model, all eyes turned to me. Well, to my car. Which wasn't really mine, I know.
The first one who managed to pick his jaw off the floor approached me and, with a grinning smile that couldn't hide his excitement caused by him anticipating my answer, asked me what engine the car had. "1.5-liter, three cylinders," I said. His jaw dropped for a second time, this time even harder. I tried to make amends by saying "it's turbocharged" and "it also has electric power," but it was too late. As I came out of the station with the pocket full of mints, his jaw was still there.
As for the hood of the car, that's where two young ladies had parked their behinds while another gentleman was taking their picture. Yeah, that's the kind of reaction the BMW i8 gets. Put one next to a Lamborghini, and you shouldn't be surprised if it's the Bavarian car that gets the most looks. And it makes sense: Lamborghini has been making supercars ever since the company was built (we'll just ignore the part where it made tractors), whereas BMW is new to the party.
In fact, the i8 isn't really a supercar, it just looks like one. It has more than decent performance figures with a 4.4-seconds 0-62 mph acceleration time and a very German top speed of 155 mph (250 km/h). But the best thing about the i8 is the fact that it's one of the few cars that can actually go from fuel-efficient hybrid to full-blast sports car with the flick of a button. And the other way around too.
However, it seems like BMW has decided that a little more power wouldn't hurt, so it appears to be testing a new model. The differences are minor, but you can see a set of air vents in the engine cover at the back, plus a set of beefier brakes from AP Racing. The current i8 has a total power output of 362 hp, which proves to be enough for a car that isn't exactly light at 3,439 lbs or 1,560 kg. But I've always felt that BMW is somewhat wasting the full potential of this car it has created by not putting a more powerful engine in there - or at least squeezing more hp from the existing one, even though that's a bit harder to imagine.
We don't know what's hiding underneath that cover, but the fact it requires better ventilation (the original model has no perforations) is enough to give us hope. And even if it's not such a spectacular increase, every little bit counts. I bet if it went over 400 hp as previous reports suggest, that guy might finally pick up his jaw from the gas station's floor and get on with his life.
As for the hood of the car, that's where two young ladies had parked their behinds while another gentleman was taking their picture. Yeah, that's the kind of reaction the BMW i8 gets. Put one next to a Lamborghini, and you shouldn't be surprised if it's the Bavarian car that gets the most looks. And it makes sense: Lamborghini has been making supercars ever since the company was built (we'll just ignore the part where it made tractors), whereas BMW is new to the party.
In fact, the i8 isn't really a supercar, it just looks like one. It has more than decent performance figures with a 4.4-seconds 0-62 mph acceleration time and a very German top speed of 155 mph (250 km/h). But the best thing about the i8 is the fact that it's one of the few cars that can actually go from fuel-efficient hybrid to full-blast sports car with the flick of a button. And the other way around too.
However, it seems like BMW has decided that a little more power wouldn't hurt, so it appears to be testing a new model. The differences are minor, but you can see a set of air vents in the engine cover at the back, plus a set of beefier brakes from AP Racing. The current i8 has a total power output of 362 hp, which proves to be enough for a car that isn't exactly light at 3,439 lbs or 1,560 kg. But I've always felt that BMW is somewhat wasting the full potential of this car it has created by not putting a more powerful engine in there - or at least squeezing more hp from the existing one, even though that's a bit harder to imagine.
We don't know what's hiding underneath that cover, but the fact it requires better ventilation (the original model has no perforations) is enough to give us hope. And even if it's not such a spectacular increase, every little bit counts. I bet if it went over 400 hp as previous reports suggest, that guy might finally pick up his jaw from the gas station's floor and get on with his life.
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