New BMW i8 review, test drive

When petrol starts to run out, there’s a big concern that there will be no enjoyable sportscars left. BMW shows us that there is hope yet.

Published on Sep 19, 2013 09:38:00 PM

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Make : BMW

Model : i8

Just a handful of hard laps on the flowing road course at the Miramas circuit in the south of France in a BMW i8 is enough to tell you what an incredibly unique sportscar this. Unique, not because it’s an advanced hybrid or because it’s made from carbon fibre, but simply because of the way it drives – it feels superglued to the road like no other sportscar I have driven. And it’s all down to weight distribution. Forget the 50:50 balance, which is a given in any BMW – what gives the i8 its inimitable dynamics is that the weight is all concentrated within the wheelbase and skewed right down the floor of the carbon-fibre body shell.

Like with most hybrids (and especially EVs), the biggest enemy is weight, thanks to the hefty battery pack and electric motor. To offset the weight of the hybrid powertrain, BMW has used a lightweight carbon structure for the body and aluminium for the sub-frames, resulting in a kerb weight that, according to BMW, is less than 1,490kg. By supercar standards the i8 is still no featherweight, but it’s the way BMW has juggled the weight – using ultra-lightweight bits in the top of the car whilst keeping the heavy bits low down – that has given this sports coupé its incredibly low centre of gravity.

The 94kg battery pack, for example, sits inches off the floor in a protective housing and is carefully placed to get the best front-rear balance. The compact 228bhp, 1.5-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine in the BMW i18 sits just ahead of the rear wheels, whilst the 96kw (129bhp) electric motor sits just behind the front axle, again for the best weight distribution. BMW has saved the carbon-fibre bits for areas like the roof and body panels to avoid raising the centre of gravity.

The i8 from BMW looks like a sportscar for the future. The stretched kidney grille makes sure that you don’t mistake this low-slung coupé for anything other than a BMW, but it’s at the rear where things get interesting, with the sharply cut haunches and flying buttresses creating a layered effect. Also very sci-fi are the butterfly doors that swing open to reveal the cabin. The familiar iDrive controller and gear selector are present and the interiors look futuristic. The i8 is the first production car to use high-tech Gorilla Glass – the kind that’s used on cell phones – on the rear screen for sound insulation. This thin piece of glass (to save weight) is scratch resistant and incredibly tough.

Starting the stunning-looking BMW i8 is a bit of an anticlimax, because it doesn’t fire up like a conventional sportscar. Press the Start button and there’s no whirring starter motor, but instead a soft chime to tell you that you’re ready to go.

BMW’s familiar driving modes are carried over, and the default setting is Comfort – the middle of three hybrid settings. With the battery sufficiently topped up, you can pull away under electric power alone, the compact motor driving the front wheels. Press the throttle a touch more and the petrol engine behind you immediately kicks in and the result is a combined 357bhp driving all four wheels.