Published: December 17, 2015, 11:35 PM
Updated: November 23, 2021, 2:50 PM
2016 BMW i8, up-close and personal
An electrifying blend of performance and fuel economy, charisma and user-friendliness.
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Almost a bargain at $150K
The typical new-car preview comprises a few hours of “expressive” driving along empty mountain roads in California or on the Cote d’Azur. Our own first date with the stunning BMW i8, however was three days on home ground in early December – commuting, shopping, picking the kid up from school, going to visit grandma an hour or so away (and OK, yes, more than a few acceleration demonstrations when we had a piece of straight road to ourselves). Big picture: the i8 is a concoction of performance and fuel economy, charisma and user-friendliness that makes its $150,000 MSRP seem almost a bargain. Now see what else we learned about this electrifying car.
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No pipes apparent
Multiple tailpipes are usually a design highlight of exotic cars, but none are apparent on the i8 – even though it does have a gasoline engine. The MINI Cooper-based, 228-hp, 1.5-litre 3-cylinder engine is mounted just forward of the cabin and turns the rear wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission. An integrated 8-kW electric starter-motor-generator provides a little extra boost …
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Main electric motivator
…. but the main electric motivator is a 96-kW electric motor in the nose that drives the front wheels either alone (in FWD mode) or in parallel with the gasoline engine (in AWD mode). Somewhat unusually for an electric motor, this one is paired with its own automatic transmission, albeit only a two-speed. Genius control electronics mastermind the collaboration between the engine, motor and two transmissions.
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Performance plus economy
The main drive battery is a 7.1-kWh (gross) lithium-ion unit tucked away in the car’s centre tunnel. When all power sources are singing from the same song-sheet, they supply a combined 357 horsepower to propel the i8’s 1567-kg (3,455-lb) mass from 0-to-100-km/h in a claimed 4.4 seconds in Sport mode. Or, recharge regularly, use EcoPro mode appropriately, and average better than 6 L/100 km, as we did over three days and 450-km of mixed driving.
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Functional sculpture
When you get up close you notice the incredible sculpting of the bodywork. Our camera couldn’t get enough of this open channel over the rear flanks, which is aerodynamically functional as well as aesthetically fascinating. Exoticars are not normally noted for low drag factors, but the i8’s Cd of 0.26 is among the industry’s lowest for any car.
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Low turbulence wheels
The super-wide track and tightly clinging fenders disguise the fact that the 20-inch wheels are not, by exoticar standards, especially wide. The front tire size is 215/45R20 and the rear 245/40R20. The wheels are optimiszd to minimise aerodynamic turbulence.
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Carbon-fibre construction
A key element in BMW’s i-car philosophy is to “add lightness.” The i8’s passenger cell is constructed mostly from carbon-fibre, which is noted for its exceptional strength-to-weight ratio. CF production is traditionally very slow and hence expensive, but BMW has mastered new techniques that allow it to be mass-produced in a fraction of the time previously required.
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Charge port
The charge port is located just forward of the driver’s door … but really this picture is just an excuse to show the amazing paint colour again. Curiously, this Protonic Blue Metallic paint is one of only four available, and the only one that’s actually a colour. The others are Ionic White, Crystal Silver or Sophisto Grey. Boooriiing ….
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Fuel-door complication
The first time we tried to open the fuel door, it wouldn’t budge. So we read the manual. Seems the i8 has some complicated fuel-tank plumbing that requires you to vent the tank before opening the filler. That means pressing a button on the driver’s door to perform the venting. It took only a few second for us, but the manual says it can take much longer.
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Licence-plate ugly
There’s no aesthetically pleasing way to install a front licence plate in jurisdictions that require them. But at least in the province of Ontario the i8 qualifies for a Green Plate, which means you can use HOV lanes even if the driver is the only occupant.
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Wing-like doors
The wing-like doors add to the i8's exotic look and they are light to open and close...
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Awkward entry/exit
But getting in an out is an inelegant affair, as the door sills are higher than the seats. Recommended entry procedure is to insert posterior first, then swing in your legs. If you wear a skirt or a dress, you may not want to arrive at the Oscars in an i8.
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Two-hour charging
The i8 comes with access to the ChargeNow network of public charging stations where it can be recharged from 0-to-80% in less than two hours. Charging is activated by tapping your ChargeNow card, which is linked to a credit card for those stations that require payment. Stations can be located through the nav-sys via BMW ConnectedDrive. In Canada charging stations are concentrated in and around major cities, with most by far in the Vancouver area.
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eCharge can be saved
Here the iDrive screen shows that the almost fully-charged battery could give you 28 km of exclusively electric driving in eDrive mode. Or at any point you can elect to save the charge remaining for later use, for example when driving in the city, or arriving home late at night without waking your spou … er, disturbing the neighbours.
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Functional cockpit
Cockpit design is striking but not over the top or at the expense of functionality. And the driving position is remarkably good, with ample at-the-wheel adjustability and a good view forward – unless you’re exceptionally tall; our 6-ft- 7-in neighbour was able to fit behind the wheel, but the windshield header cut off his upward field of view.
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Familiar BMW console
The centre-console control layout will look familiar to most owners of modern BMWs, with a couple of wrinkles specific to the i8. An eDrive switch by the start/stop button lets you select electric-only driving (subject to speed and battery state of charge) while the drive mode selector has just Comfort or EcoPro settings. To get Sport mode, you toggle the shifter over to the left.
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Default gauge display
This is the default gauge display with the two main “virtual” dials showing speed on the left and electricity flows on the right, with EV range (in blue) and overall range (white) at the lower right. In Sport mode the gauges turn orange, and the one on the right becomes a tachometer.
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Just one cupholder
There’s only one cupholder, but otherwise the i8 provides a decent array of cabin storage options. There are two lidded storage compartments atop the centre tunnel, a small bin in front of the shift lever, a net pouch in the passenger footwell and a fair-size glove box. Door pockets, not so much.
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Back seats!
Who woulda thunk it – the i8 has back seats! The rear cabin is obviously best suited to children like 7-year-old twins Sienna and Nathan, but we did manage to squeeze in adults, too (after making sure the combined weight of all occupants and their stuff would not exceed the max payload).
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A trunk too – but barely
Beneath the tailgate, the forward half of this panel covers the fully-enclosed engine housing, while the rear half lifts for access to the 154-L (5.4 cu.-ft.) trunk. Visibility to the rear is better than you might think, and a camera helps when backing up in confined spaces.
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Charging cable included
The only cargo compartment is in the tail, behind the bulge that contains the gasoline engine. Here the space is partly occupied by the portable 110-volt charging cable. If you can afford the car you can also afford to have BMW install the 240-V WallBox charger. The WallBox Pro version can even be integrated into your home solar-panel array.
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Adding oil a challenge
Oil level is monitored electronically via the instrument panel, and you better hope the gas engine doesn’t have a thirst for oil. Access to the oil filler involves lifting out the trim panel, followed by a piece of insulating foam, then removing seven metal thumb screws to lift off the access panel.
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Forget opening the hood
We delved into the (surprisingly slim) owner’s manual to find out how to open the hood, and found this. Ah well! Having peered through the louvres we can see there’s a large radiator and fan up front, and we know the 96-kW electric motor and its two-speed transmission are also located in there. Together they drive the front wheels.
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Layered Sculpting
One unintended consequence of the “layered” sculpting on the rear flanks: a first-time passenger may look in the door mirror and warn you that the trunk lid is open.
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