The BMW i8 offers jaw-dropping styling layered above a groundbreaking petrol/electric plug-in hybrid powertrain but its implications and potential impact go well beyond that. It would be no to exaggeration if BMW were to claim that the i8 is one of the most crucial new cars of the last decade. BMW's electric car sets the sector benchmark for fuel efficiency with performance to match and in years to come we might look back at the BMW i8 as the car that saved the supercar.
Picking up where the striking and clever BMW i3 plug-in hatchback left off, the i8 is the second model in BMW's 'i' range. Both share head-turning looks with the engineering and advanced materials to match. The combination of an aluminium chassis and those carbon fibre reinforced plastic body panels make the BMW supercar both strong and light. If the otherworldy styling grabs your attention, the engineering you can't see will blow you away.
BMW i8 vs BMW M1: video
Despite setting its sights on cars like the Audi R8 and Porsche 911, the i8 sports a less-than-exotic sounding turbocharged 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine that sits behind the back seats. But don't be fooled, as thanks to an an additional 129bhp electric motor linked to lithium-ion batteries, the BMW boasts a healthy combined power output of 357bhp and a thumping 570Nm of torque. As a result, the i8 will blast from 0-62mph in just 4.4 seconds and go on to a top speed of 155mph. Yet while the performance figures are pure supercar, the i8’s running costs have more in common with a supermini.
Thanks to its plug-in petrol-electric powerplant, the i8 claims a remarkable 134.5mpg and CO2 emissions of 49g/km. Of course, these figures are only really achievable if you charge the BMW’s batteries once a day and the majority of your journeys can be completed within the 22 mile electric range. Even so, use the petrol engine all the time and you can still expect a return of more than 40mpg, which is impressive when you consider the available performance.
Raw statistics aside, the i8 represents a sea change in the engineering of higher performance vehicles. It seems likely that one day all new sports cars will be like this.