Skip to main content

BMW i8

The i8 is the flagship of BMW™s burgeoning eco-friendly i sub-brand. Offered exclusively as a coupe, the i8 uses an advanced plug-in hybrid drivetrain to provide an exhilarating driving experience while returning better fuel economy than even the tiniest economy cars sold on these shores.

The central part of the i8 is a new architecture called LifeDrive that was inaugurated by the all-electric i3 city car. Crafted out of aluminum, the Drive module includes the gas-burning engine, the electric motor, the lithium-ion battery pack and all of the car’s electronic components. The Life module is built out of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) and mainly consists of the 2+2 passenger compartment.

Thanks to the LifeDrive architecture, the i8 tips the scale at a claimed 3,285 pounds and boasts a perfect 50/50 weight distribution.

VEHICLE TYPE: mid-engine, front- and mid-motor, front/4-wheel-drive, 2+2-passenger, 2-door coupe

ENGINE TYPE: turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 12-valve 1.5-liter inline-3, 228 hp, 236 lb-ft (includes integral electric motor contribution); AC permanent-magnet synchronous electric motor, 129 hp, 184 lb-ft; total system output, 357 hp, 420 lb-ft

TRANSMISSION: F: 2-speed automatic; R: 6-speed automatic with manual shifting mode

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 110.2 in
Length: 184.6 in
Width: 76.5 in Height: 50.9 in
Curb weight: 3360 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS:
Zero to 60 mph: 3.8 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 9.6 sec
Zero to 150 mph: 26.0 sec
Rolling start, 5-60 mph: 4.8 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 12.4 sec @ 113 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 155 mph

FUEL ECONOMY:
C/D observed: 24 mpg

TEST NOTES: Launch control trims several tenths from the zero-to-60 time. In eDrive mode, acceleration to 60 takes 9.5 seconds and speed is limited to 75 mph.

Price: $136,625 (base price: $136,625)

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Maserati Ghibli vs BMW 6 Series : Which Will You Buy?

When considering vehicles like Maserati Ghibli and the BWM 6 Series Gran Coupe, both reflect an effort toward blending dignified luxury with exhilarating performance. Though beholding vehicles of this caliber is always an exercise most fruitfully left to the natural eye, the image above serves as a simple example of each sedan’s inherent dignity. In lieu of experiencing each vehicle’s performance profile from behind the wheel, the table provided similarly works to demonstrate what both Ghibli and BMW’s 6 series have been engineered to accomplish. Comparing the Maserati Ghibli vs. BMW 6 Series in this regard yields a number of important emphases. Local clients will notice that both vehicles develop their identity around six-cylinder engines with a pair of strategic turbochargers. Yet regardless of identical displacement and analogous induction technology, Maserati serves its Ghibli clients with significantly greater quantities of horsepower and torque. In addition to t...
Read more

McLaren 650S Sprint

McLaren’s new 650S model now comes in three flavors, the standard road going 650S, the competition-spec 650S GT3 for serious racers, and now there’s the 650S Sprint which is aimed at track enthusiasts who still want a little bit of comfort. The 650S Sprint also replaces the MP4-12C-based 12C Sprint as McLaren’s track toy for the super-rich. Compared to the road model, the 650S Sprint features increased downforce and better cooling airflow to the 3.8 litre twin-turbocharged V8. It also features a competition-spec fuel tank and quick-fill cap, a larger radiator borrowed from the GT3 car, a new hood with additional cooling ducts for the radiator, front wing louvres for improved airflow, reduced ride height and recalibrated damping and spring rates, 19-inch center-locking race wheels with either Pirelli slicks or wet tires, onboard air jack system, and an upgraded braking system. On the inside the McLaren 650S Sprint features a stripped-out design with a FIA-approved rol...
Read more

Porsche 913

Forgetting the Panamera, Cayenne and Macan, Porsche offer a pretty well-rounded sports car range. Starting with the Boxster and Cayman, and moving up the multitude of variations of the Porsche 911, all the way up to the 918 Spyder supercar. But there is a HUGE price gap between the top of the range 911 Turbo ($250,000 will all the options ticked), to the 918 Spyder ($800,000). Somewhere in that range Porsche could surely offer something to compete with the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini. Something like the 913 possibly? Conceived by the fertile mind of Rene Garcia, a professional 3D modeller who has created conceptual vehicles and highly detailed models for some of the biggest movies of the past decade, including the Matrix Trilogy, Transformers, the latest Star Trekthrillers and The Avengers, the Porsche 913 is an exquisitely rendered design in every detail. It has a bit of the 918 Spyder about it, but there’s also a lot of originality to the design. It looks like a Porsche, ...
Read more