BMW

i8

Just a quick glance in the direction of the BMW i8 and it’s instantly clear this is no ordinary car. Far from it because the i8 boasts incredible driving dynamics and handling yet is powered by a combination of electric motor, high-voltage battery and 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine. The result is truly awesome.

The good

Design, handling and performance

The bad

Asking price - ouch!

Tech Specs

Price from

£104,540

Combined Fuel up to

134.5mpg

0-62 from

4.4 seconds

max speed up to

155mph

co2 from

49g/km

Test Drive

BMW i8 – first drive

Judging by the number of people who pointed their mobile phones in my direction to catch a quick snap shot of the dazzling i8, the car is the ultimate crowd-pleaser.

Bystanders going about their everyday business were drawn to the car’s spectacular styling, elegant and shapely curves, futuristic light clusters and of course, its blistering driving dynamics.

Admittedly, the i8 has a price-tag that is approaching the £100k mark and that’s before you add on any extras, but it really is the supreme driving experience and boasts all the bells and whistles you could wish for.

The practicality of a supercar does not suit everyone’s needs, but for edge-of-the-seat excitement and tech spec galore, the i8 could be the perfect car.

Boasting a low slung stance with gullwing doors, there doesn’t seem to be any elegant way of entering or exiting the vehicle, but who cares? The model features a 2+2 seating configuration along with exceptionally sleek streamlining, 20-inch alloys, adaptive LED lights, a carbon-fibre reinforced plastic roof, tinted windows and plenty more besides.

It is the second model in BMW’s i line-up and that means it’s a little bit different to the norm. It is in fact a plug-in hybrid sports car powered by a compact turbo-charged 1.5-litre petrol engine which works in tandem with a 96kW/131hp electric motor.

And for anyone who believes hybrid cars are sluggish, slow and bit milk float-like then think again. That’s because the i8 can race to 62mph from a standing start in a blistering 4.4 seconds and it tops out at an electronically-limited 155mph. No slouch then!

The electric motor can power the vehicle unaided up to 22 miles and a top speed of 75mph can be reached in electric-only mode. In addition, the charge can be stored which will prove very practical and finically sound for anyone who travels through congestion charge zones. And according to official figures, the car can deliver a whopping 135mpg with carbon emissions of just 49g/km.

The interior of the i8 is very futuristic in its design although there are plenty of instantly-recognisable BMW design cues throughout.

Wherever you look there are techno treats galore to be explored, such as the head-up display, an 8.8-inch high definition flat-screen colour display, a pitch perfect Harman Kardon sound system with loudspeaker system, heated premium leather seats, dual-zone air conditioning, sat nav, cruise control, enhanced Bluetooth with USB connection and voice control, a leather instrument panel, blue seatbelts to match the interior colour scheme and a whole lot more.

And although the boot can only hold 154 litres, buyers can choose some bespoke luggage that maximises the space as an optional extra

A few options on the test car bumped up the asking price from £99,845 to £105,880, but it’s worth remembering we are in supercar territory here where the pound signs are not the most vital factor to buyers.

The driver can select from three different driving configurations – comfort, eco pro and sport – and there is also an eDrive setting for pure electric driving.

The i8 features a construction ethos that makes full use of carbon-fibre reinforced plastic that is very lightweight but doesn’t compromise on safety in any way, shape or form.

In fact the i8 weighs just 1,490kg and with the battery positioned low down in a central housing the car has an excellent low centre of gravity.

Which brings me nicely to the car’s performance, dynamics and handling and it certainly lives up to all the hype and fanfares.

With the slightest pressure on the accelerator pedal the car responds with instant power and acceleration through the six-speed automatic transmission. And that’s when you are driving in pure electric or the eco pro and comfort modes.

However, slide the gear stick over to sport and the i8 delivers a whole new driving sensation. It’s edgy and smooth at the same time with a relentless amount of power on tap as it moves breathtakingly fast through the gears.

The road-holding is superb and tight bends can be attacked with the utmost confidence.

You can expect to feel a number of bumps and dips along the way even when driven in the more conservative modes, but once again it is worth reiterating that the i8 is a supercar and not a pipes and slippers model.

The car takes about three hours to charge to 80 per cent from a domestic power source and two hours from a fast charger.

All in all, the BMW i8 is a headline-grabber that is likely to scoop motoring accolades the world over, not least of all in its biggest selling markets of the UK, USA and Germany.

For me the only downside could be those beautiful gullwing doors. They need half a metre to open and it seems to me no matter how far away from a supermarket entrance you park, someone always decides to put their pride and joy in the neighbouring bay.