BMW i8 review, test drive

The BMW i8 looks fantastic and its 357bhp hybrid powertrain sounds very impressive on paper. But what kind of a driver-experience does it offer?

Published on May 01, 2014 01:30:00 PM

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BMW i8 production version.

The i8’s two-speed gearbox, meanwhile, allows the electric motor to operate at peak torque as the combustion engine passes its torque peak in the lower intermediate gears. And that means, as well as 357bhp, you really do get 58.06kgm of mid-range thrust from this car at times. And it feels like it.

Early impressions of the i8 are of nothing less than a fully fledged supercar. The body looks ridiculously low, wide and ground-hugging. The styling’s got smack-in-the-chops impact to rival a Lamborghini, and scissor doors for belt-and-braces extravagant effect.

You have to fold yourself into the cabin between a low roofline and a high, wide, expensive-looking sill. And once you have, the interior’s got no less of a sense of occasion to it, with a generously sculptural, driver-focused dashboard, colourful LCD instruments, low-slung and deep-dished sports seats; there's also an abundance of little features and touches that lift the ambience way above BMW’s usual conservative norm.

So it talks the talk, the i8 – loud and clear. Walking the walk of something as pure as a Porsche 911 was always going to be the harder bit. On handling precision and that final sliver of driver engagement, the BMW falls short of brilliance. But it’s good, and almost there. Certainly good enough to consider the car an amazing success in its own hyper-specialised niche.

Right up until you go looking for that critical last fraction of driver appeal, in fact, the i8 does almost everything right. Starting off with ‘Comfort’ mode selected on its adaptive dampers and near-silent drive turning its front wheels, the i8 is comfortable and super-civilised around town. It’s a bit choppy-riding occasionally, but not often.