BMW’s futuristic and sexy i8 is a
part-electric fuel-sipper that packs a big sting
We don’t expect a screen siren to have a
PhD. We don’t expect a pro wrestler to be an origami expert. And we don’t
expect a sports car to be an economy champ. So whenever these stereotypical
expectations are shattered, we take our hats off, bow deeply, and hold the
subject in esteem. As should be the case.
The BMW i8 is one such convention breaker.
The super-sexy petrol-electric plugin hybrid coupe does zero-to-100km/h in 4.4
seconds, reaches a regulated top speed of 250km/h, and yet has an insanely low
fuel consumption of over 47km per litre.
The
i8 uses a carbon fibre-reinforced plastic body shell
It looks like a genuine supercar, too –
streamlined, ground-hugging, complete with dramatic butterfly doors. But
instead of a bad V8, the i8 is equipped with a puny 1.5-litre 3-cylinder
mid/rear-mounted engine. It is the same one found in the current-generation
MINI and BMW 2 Series Active Tourer, but it’s been tuned to make 153bhp per
litre.
It is almost unfathomable that a 1.5-litre
car can hit 250km/h, but BMW has found a way around the physics. Firstly, the
engine is aided by a two-bar twin-scroll turbo. Secondly, BMW has kept weight
at bay with the use of carbon fibre for the body and passenger cell, wrapped
around an aluminium chassis. With a dry weight of 1,485kg, it is 155kg lighter
than the Porsche 918 Spyder, the other German plug-in sports car (which is not
available in right-hand-drive). Thirdly, clever design has resulted in a
class-leading drag coefficient of 0.26. With these factors combined, it won’t
be surprising if the car can reach 280km/h without a restrictor.
Drivers
can monitor whether the electric motor or internal combustion engine is
providing drive
While 250km/h may still be deemed tame by
supercar enthusiasts used to even higher speeds, the fact is most drivers –
even those who are used to autobahn commutes – do not exceed this velocity. And
as you might have guessed by now, the i8 is not about boastful, brutish
performance. It is about responsible sportiness. On that count, it pretty much
succeeds.
The car looks fantastic. Some of you would
have caught a glimpse of it in “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol” three years
ago. Here in Tinseltown, where sports cars are a common sight, the i8 turned
heads and raised thumbs without trying.
The
plug-in hybrid i8 features a conventional combustion engine as well as an
electric motor
An “amplifier” ensures that the modest
engine makes all the right sounds inside and outside. The noises are not
artificial – just amplified, with an emphasis on notes typical of a 6-cylinder.
BMW could easily have included an artificial boom whenever the Start button is
punched, but that would have been pretentious.
Like all good hybrids, the i8 starts up
silently. Tug the joystick gearlever down to Drive and it moves off quietly,
too, in electric mode, which is good for about 35km and a top speed of 120km/h.
The test route around Santa Monica was
either too congested or curvy for me to verify the i8’s speed credentials. But
it feels sublimely quick, with acceleration that leaves little doubt it will
match a standard 911 in a quarter-mile sprint.
The
i8's boot offers 154 litres of storage space
Over a day’s drive, the car averaged
11.76km per litre. It is far from the 47.6km/L declared by BMW, but is still
pretty amazing for a car of its performance. Also, the i8 wasn’t driven with
fuel economy in mind at all. For most daily road journeys in Singapore, it is
quite possible to drive in electric mode alone.
To-and-fro trips for work, with errands
thrown in, might not even add up to 70km. In which case, a charger at home and
one at the workplace will be all you need for stylish commutes, with no
tailpipe emissions and low cost (around $6 for 70km at today’s electricity
rates).
In the i8, you sit low down in the “sunken”
cockpit. Visibility is excellent for such a car, though, and its doors are also
lighter than the gullwing and scissor types found on certain supercars.
