If you covet the BMW i8 – and there’s every reason why a person would – its $136,650 price will be less of an issue than what kind of shape you’re in.
For anyone with a bad back, bum knees or a BMI over 29, the i8’s butterfly doors, wide door sills and deeply sunken interior might as well be a DO NOT ENTER sign. If such people ignore the warning and do manage to insert themselves into the car, they’ll eventually have to extricate themselves, which they’ll find even more difficult.
If you can get into the i8 with relative ease, getting out will still be tough because you’ll want to stay behind the wheel forever.
The BMW i8 is an exotic sports car with 357 horsepower, 420 lb-ft of torque, and a zero to 60 mph elapsed time of 4.2 seconds. But the i8 is also a plug-in hybrid, capable of getting up to 94 miles per gallon in fuel economy. A Lamborghini-like car that doesn’t guzzle gas? Sounds like a wild futuristic dream but it’s real and it’s here today. McLaren has a hybrid model, but it costs more than a million bucks, so it doesn’t really exist, right?
This is the BMW Group’s first plug-in hybrid vehicle, and leave it to BMW to debut with a smashing splash. BMW is producing about 500 units of the i8 per year, and word is all the 2015 models are already taken.
A twin turbo three-cylinder gas engine drives the rear wheels while the electric motor sends power to the front ones, which means the i8 has all-wheel drive in addition to the innate stability of its very low center of gravity.
For all its sportiness, the i8 delivers a smooth ride. To crank up the sport feel, turn on the Sport setting, which also recharges the battery. Comfort mode produces just what the name implies, Eco Pro mode boosts fuel efficiency, and eDrive puts the car in electric-only mode, good for up to 15 miles.
The i8’s carbon fiber body is sculpted into an array of fascinating shapes, really something to see, and all contributing to its amazing aerodynamics.
The quiet passenger cabin has a 2+2 seating arrangement; that is, two big comfortable seats in front and two semi-seats in back, mostly useful for cargo stowing, since stowage space is otherwise paltry.
Interior design is almost as fascinating as the exterior, as you’d expect, but most wonderful is the simplicity of the controls. Precious hours of one’s life need not be wasted trying to figure out where everything is and how it works.
A nice feature of the excellent audio system is that as you listen to music on a satellite radio station, song titles playing on other channels are displayed. If you see something you like elsewhere, you can change channels right away and not miss any favorite songs.
The i8’s attention-grabbing quotient is off the charts. During the test week I had to allow extra time wherever I went for people to ask questions and take pictures of the car.
Anyone wanting to do a head count of all the teenage boys in Snohomish County would only need to drive around in the i8 for a while.
My favorite encounter was in downtown Seattle when a passing motorist rolled down his window and yelled out, “Hey, is that the new Hyundai?” It was obvious from the look on his face that he wasn’t serious. It was hilarious.
BMW i8
Base price, including destination charge: $136,650
Price as driven: $136,650
Mary Lowry is an independent automotive writer who lives in Snohomish County. She is a member of the Motor Press Guild and a board member of the Northwest Automotive Press Association. Vehicles are provided by the manufacturers as a one-week loan for review purposes only. In no way do the manufacturers control the content of the reviews.
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