We have a BMW i8 hybrid sports car at our office right now and we wanted to share—so we asked you to tell us what you wanted to know about the Bavarians' Future Sled. For answers to any and all performance and numbers-related questions you might have, check out our test of the car; for answers to almost everything else, read on!
Icculus, Backfires: "Does it shock you when you touch it?"
Only your soul.
@austinwates, Twitter:"Is it pretty in person?"
Yes, and it's also somewhat larger than you'd expect.
Kc Wittbot, Backfires: "Can you take a picture of the engine? Can it do a burnout?"
No, all the dirty bits are well hidden. But you can click here and here and here for some quick phone shots we took of the powertrain out of the car at a background event a couple of years ago. And we hate to disappoint, but no burnouts—the i8 is four-wheel drive and doesn't quite have the pound-per-horsepower rating of a Veyron.
Michael S., Backfires: "How does it compare to the Tesla Model S?"
They're totally different animals. The Model S is more like an electrified E-class wagon, while this BMW is something akin to a slightly less complicated, less capable—but much cheaper—Porsche 918 Spyder.
Benjamin Hollick, Facebook: "Does it have a flux capacitor?"
Sadly, it does not. But it does have blue seatbelts.
Bait83, Backfires: "Are those 'laser-beam' headlights as cool as they say?"
Our car doesn't have the laser headlamps, as the legality of the things in the U.S. needs to be sorted. But, yes, they're cool.
Miles Ransom, Backfires: "If it had wider tires versus the narrow ones fitted, would it be a better performance car?"
That's a tough question to answer. The i8's tires are tuned specifically for this car, and so are the rest of the suspension components (such as the dampers, springs, bushings, and geometry). Change one of those elements and it will throw off everything else. Stickier rubber will no doubt increase grip and give better skidpad and braking numbers, but it may throw off ride and handling. Our man in Germany says a gas-only version of this car is coming, though, and we'd be surprised if BMW used the same rubber.
Muhammad Bilal, Facebook: "Does it bend?"
It's an i8, not an iPhone. That said, if you hit something hard enough, we're sure something would bend.
Shift and Bricks, Backfires: "Is the styling of the i8 and i3 the direction BMW will take its mainstream vehicles or will the funky/super-aero designs stay with the purpose-built hybrids? With all of that blue, I think the cars look like vehicles for a Tron sequel."
As we understand it, the mainstream vehicles will remain just that. Some "i" cues may be sprinkled into future designs, but don't expect anything drastic. We really want to see an i8 wrapped in a single color, though.
Wolvesq, Backfires: "If they remade Back to the Future today, would this be your pick to replace the DeLorean?"
Absolutely not. Doc Brown got cut off before he could tell us exactly how the stainless-steel construction interacted with the flux dispersal, but we'd play it safe—it sounded important. This is time travel we're talking about.
Actros617, Backfires: "Which is faster, BMW M5 or BMW i8?"
The M5's top speed is 5 mph higher, at 160. Both are governed.
John Edrick Asuncion, Facebook: "Aluminum or plastic bodied?"
The i8′s body is predominantly skinned in thermoplastic panels. Underneath those it sports a carbon-fiber tub, while the doors and parts of the car's structure utilize aluminum. Total weight, including the car's lithium-ion battery pack? Just 3360 pounds, according to our scales.
Tom, Backfires: "How is the handling, really? Not measured as a hybrid futuroid spaceship, but as a proper sports coupe—does it measure up?"
The i8 isn't the equal of, say, the Porsche Cayman or Chevrolet Corvette in terms of dynamic goodness. It's simply too different to deliver on that level. But while the i8 doesn't have the ultimate grip, it has a good deal of the grace of those cars and is really quite good. And as a sort of vanguard in its particular segment, it's hugely impressive. Remember that the first Corvette wasn't very good.
Wardotron, Backfires: "As we all know, the Porsche 911 is often touted as a 'practical supercar.' Of course, the car is a familiar sight outside Home Depots across the land; massed ranks of 911s being loaded with bags of sand, lumber, and lengths of roof guttering. Is the BMW i8 as well suited to this purpose as the Porsche?"
The practicality of the 911 is in the rear parcel shelf, the ease of entry and exit, and its relatively cavernous frunk. The i8 has none of those. Getting stuff in and out of the BMW's back seat isn't all that easy or graceful.
crwpitman, Backfires: "What do you find is the most interesting exterior surface detail?"
It's difficult to ignore the lateral C-pillar extensions, which are intended to aid aerodynamics. The winglets stretch out to almost meet the peaks of the rear fenders, but don't touch, creating a swoopy air chute. Speaking of those C-pillar flourishes . . .
Alexander Dewitt, Backfires: "Do those floating rails over the back end of the car bend?"
What's with all the bending questions? Anyway, not that we noticed—but then, we didn't sit an editor on one to see if they give. After all, we have to return the i8 to BMW at some point.
Jarret Arnez, Facebook: "Do the doors raise with a push of a button?"
In a way, yes. Like the Corvette's doors, the i8′s open via a button both outside the car and inside the car, but it doesn't motor itself up. A tuned spring/damper setup helps push the door up and open, and the relative lightness of the panels makes closing them a snap, too. There's also a mechanical release toward the back of the door; the Corvette has similar releases on the floors near the sills.
Maarp, Backfires: "Is there enough room in a crowded parking lot to open the doors?"
Absolutely, but if you're really parked in, trouble may be had. Ideally, the i8′s doors require about a foot and a half of space free next to the car to open. The hinges run along the A-pillar, meaning when the doors are opened, they swing up and forward; the doors' limited vertical height keeps the lateral space needed for swinging them open them to a minimum.
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Pete Botkin, Backfires: "How many times have staff members banked their heads and/or fallen down while attempting to climb in or out?"
So here's the deal: The door openings are long but short as measured in the vertical dimension. Getting through the slim opening thus requires a sizable step over the i8′s substantial sills while also ducking and dropping your butt toward the seat and sliding a leg between the sill and the dashboard at the same time; once half inside the car, draw your other leg inside—pants, not skirts, are recommended here—and swing the door shut. It's not easy, graceful, or cool-looking, and even the most compact C/D staffers fumbled the play at least once.
Studbike, Backfires: "Describe loading a bag of golf clubs into the back seat."
Have you ever played pick-up sticks?
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