Ever since the unveiling of the production ready BMW i8 at the Geneva Auto Show in February, the world’s motoring press have been champing at the bit for the first opportunity to drive what Jethro Bovingdon of EVO magazine describes as ‘the sports car of the future.’ Finally in and around Los Angeles in the last week of April they got their wish.
Here’s more from Jethro: ‘Cruising at 120 km/h in near-silence in eDrive mode is fantastic thanks to the airy cabin, the terrific view ahead, the sense of chassis rigidity, the accurate steering and the easy, instant performance. The three-cylinder engine starts almost imperceptibly, and the i8 feels genuinely muscular, especially under part-throttle loads. People love this car and the complex multi-layered surfaces, kicked-up rear arches, floating roof line and butterfly doors are a sci-fi combination that looks astounding out on the public highway.’
Georg Kacher the world’s most widely read motoring writer was equally effusive following his first experience of the i8 on public roads: ‘Innovative, pacesetting, radically different, the BMW i8 is remarkable. In its performance and handling it feels every inch a typical BMW, and hits the bulls-eye in two contrasting areas – its green footprint is every bit as impressive as the black tyre tracks the enthusiastic can also leave behind.’
Australia’s hard to impress Greg Kable, writing for drive.com.au had this to say: ‘I have parked in the heart of Beverly Hills. Pedestrians stop in their tracks and reach for their phones to snap photographs of the distinctive two-plus-two coupé, which also grabs the attention of passing motorists, causing the traffic to bank up along Wilshire Boulevard.
Then it’s time for some serious driving in the canyons of Malibu. I select ‘Sport’ and the digital instruments change from icy blue to a warmer tone of orange and the i8 instantly becomes a lot more aggressive. There is added response to the throttle, the gear shifts are fired off with greater urgency, and the hi-tech driveline is primed to deliver its maximum performance with a more menacing soundtrack. There is a strapping low-end response, thanks in part to the electric motors, which chime in with heady levels of torque the moment your foot brushes the throttle, extraordinary flexibility to the delivery and with drive being apportioned to each wheel, traction is never in doubt.’
The BMW i8 has surpassed every expectation of the world’s most experienced journalists. Even when they thought they’d seen it all, nothing could prepare them for the vision of the future the i8 gave them. But what’s even more remarkable is that with the BMW i8, the future is already here. And it’s coming to New Zealand. Stay tuned for details.
