We’ve driven the future… And the good news — it’s not all bad. Indeed, if BMW’s i8 is anything to go on, there’s every chance that car culture will be alive and well in the decades ahead.
The flagship of BMWi, the $299,000 (plus ORCs) petrol electric plug-in hybrid (PHEV) is at the very least endearing. Some technocrats will, I’d suggest, reckon it’s the best things since sliced white. It’s not, but after spending an extended test period with the i Cars poster-kinder, we can vouch it’s engaging, relatively easy to live with and, best of all, a hint of the very fine things to come.
The i8 is among the vanguard for an invasion of plug-in hybrids set to arrive Down Under over the next few years. Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Audi are all brands that are promising plug-in models — in multiples. There’ll be cars from mass market brands as well — Mitsubishi has already started down the PHEV route with its Outlander. The next gen Prius and various Volvo models will likely also charge from a wall socket and even off-road icon Land Rover will get into the act.
Unlike pure EVs that require a large leap of faith, plug-in is a bridging technology. That said the effectiveness of its offer will, we believe, make it a very long bridge. For many, many Australians, PHEVs with EV ranges in the 25-50km region make a lot of sense. Now. Notwithstanding the fact as a nation we are dragging our feet on an evolution to greener sources of electricity.
Thus the i8 is a taste of things to come, and while it may not be the first PHEV on sale Down Under, it’s definitely the best looking. If the Ferrari 458 Speciale and McLaren 650S we tested recently attracted attention, the BMW is a literal traffic-stopper. Enthusiasts were doing U-turns to photograph the car.
That reaction may be tempered when more of the cars appear after it officially goes on sale next February (2015), but the carbon-fibre structured scissor-doored BMW is never going to be a common sight Down Under.
BMW insiders are privately hoping to sell perhaps 25 per year. Alas, even this relatively modest number may be tough to reach — in part because (to quote the masterpiece that is Top Gun) “its ego’s writing cheques its body can’t cash”. Although it may look like a supercar, the i8 offers neither the straight-line performance nor handling prowess of the genre. It’s far closer to the ideal of a luxury sportscar.
Built using BMWi's LifeDrive structural concept (carbon-fibre body and crash structure mated to an aluminium skate-board-like drive module), the i8 combines a 96kW electric motor driving the front wheels and an electrically-assisted 170kW 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine that drives the rears. That means it can be used as a pure electric front-drive vehicle or you can combine the full might of all power systems to sprint with AWD traction 0-100 in 4.4sec and on to a limited 250kmh top speed. That’s fast but far from supercar numbers — hence the remarks above.
The i8’s party trick, however, is that it'll charge fully in 2.5 hours from a normal 10-amp household plug— the batteries storing enough for EV range to around 35km in the car’s most efficient mode.
In the real world, the full-power and air-conditioned EV range is in reality around 17-20km. And driven fast, as its maker intended, in normal hybrid mode, the effective total range of the i8 is north of 500km. Not bad given the vehicle’s smaller than average 42-litre fuel tank.
Readouts for EV and petrol usage are available in various formats. Most suggested fuel consumption was in the 6.5-7.0L/100km range over the nearly 700km we covered… But I never did work out whether that took into account the EV kilometres.
This is an area where OEMs and customers will need to eventually negotiate a common language. The fuel economy figures claimed under the NEDC for plug-ins have little if any relevance in the new world. For the record the i8’s combined figure is 2.1L/100km.
In the meantime, an equally difficult thing to translate from experience to words, is the experience behind the wheel. In particular, the flexibility this electro-mechanical package offers — both in terms of motive choice and the actual power delivery and performance itself.
There’s initially a certain novelty value to driving the i8 in EV mode. Once that wears off, instead the relative calm the EV mode delivers is what’s appreciated when commuting. For this aspect alone I’m a PHEV fan.
In town, that same EV mode provides plenty of performance and there’s little of the ‘part-time’ front-drive feel I’d expected. And if you’re at all worried about the ‘native’ charge you have onboard, a change to Sport mode starts the engine and charges the batteries — quickly. In a longish stop at a level crossing (three trains!), the i8 boosted its electric range from an indicated 6km to over 10km and the rest of the trip was able to be completed on EV only.
Use the default Comfort mode and the choice to start or run the engine is automated. So configured the engine starts infrequently but takes care of charging duties when it must. Most of the time it only fires when you’re giving it the berries or on, for example, step-climbs.
Jump on the freeway or head out of town for a bit of racer road ‘entertainment’ and a jab of the stand issue BMW auto gear lever to the left into Sport mode sees the turbo triple fire into life in earnest and perform with a wonderful soundtrack — offbeat and just a little too much like a Porsche flat six to be coincidental. There’s even throttle blipping when you downshift the six-speed automatic via the steering wheel paddles. (The two-speed auto linked to the front electric motor takes care of its own selection)
A 400km day-trip to a couple of favourite corners on the Great Ocean Road delivered an appreciation of the i8’s great long-distance comfort, decent handling and petrol-powered and electrically augmented real world performance. Overtaking performance is especially noteworthy. Locked back into EV mode we covered the 19km (approx.) from Lorne to Aireys Inlet in uncanny near-silence… Just because we could…
There’s decent steering response and feel from the i8’s tiller and unlike many hybrids the brake feel is natural. Regeneration levels are much lower than the i3 making the drive all the more conventional.
No doubt a large dollop of the i8 chassis’ prowess is courtesy of the low centre of gravity the design delivers. With less requirement to control body roll, BMW has been able to use softer spring rates and damping settings and even on ultra-low profile rubber the ride is noteworthy.
Mind you it’s lucky our trip was only two-up and just for the day. That beautiful design, so reminiscent of the mid-engined M1 sportscar of the 80s, means there’s next to no room for rear passengers despite the 2+2 label and very limited luggage space.
But one look at the i8 will tell you it's not about practicalities…It's all about making a statement.
It's also very clearly still a work in progress.
For all its accomplishments, there are aspects of the i8 that betray its position at the very start of BMW's hybrid development cycle. There are times, for example, when the swap from electrical to petrol power is less than seamless.
And ironically, given it's the iCar flagship, the cabin design and materials seem a generation behind the i3. And need we remind you that you can buy more than four of them for the entry price of the i8.
The appearance of the i8 makes it hard to ignore. The technical piece of the puzzle is also admirable. But I just can’t help but feel BMW would have been better biting the bullet and delivering a proper hybrid supercar; or even better still, installing this drivetrain in a rear-engine version of a car that was more like the 4 Series GranCoupe in character.
As a taste of things to come the i8 is appetite whetting… The main course is still, however, some way off…
What we liked: | Not so much |
>> EV mode for commuting | >> Cabin materials |
>> Useable overall range and quick EV recharge | >> Strictly a two-seater in practice |
>> Stunning looks | >> Scissor doors limit access to the nimble |