Bystanders, in fact, constantly invoked the DeLorean from the Michael J. Fox movies as they enthused over the BMW’s cinematic shape. The i8 may not have 1.21 gigawatts, but designers created the i8 to thrill and enlighten would-be Doc Browns: Born from the company’s multibillion-dollar investment in sustainable transportation, the i8 was intended to look, drive and even sound like a sports car of the future.
As with some other electrified cars, including the Tesla Model S, the BMW’s exclusivity can dampen the feel-good story. At $136,650 to start, and with BMW declining to estimate production totals, the i8 is too rich and too rare to save the planet. But its technology, especially its groundbreaking use of carbon fiber, may influence a global trend to drastically reduce vehicle weight and therefore improve efficiency.
That trend is already spotlighted in the i8’s sister car, the distinctive but less breathtaking i3 city car, which at $42,300 is easily the most affordable carbon-fiber-intensive car in history. In both “i” models, the passenger cell is formed of light yet ultrastrong carbon fiber in a patented process that molds components in minutes, rather than over the thousands of hours it once took to craft the material by hand for cars that cost $1 million and more.
Even with 7.1 kilowatt-hours of lithium batteries strung below its floor, the i8 weighs 3,455 pounds, about 700 less than a similarly sized Aston Martin DB9 and at least 1,000 less than the Tesla. Slashing weight sets off a chain of energy-saving benefits, allowing lighter, less-powerful batteries, engines, brakes and other components to meet the desired level of performance.
The BMW happily demonstrated its dual personalities on the street. As for one question: The BMW whips the battery-bloated Tesla in acceleration and agility. (The coming Tesla Model D might end up faster in a straight line, yet the BMW is vastly more connected and engaging everywhere else.) But the BMW’s back seat is purely for luggage or child seats, whereas the Tesla is a spacious luxury car, so the comparison is not green apples to green apples.
The i8’s front wheels are driven by a 129-horsepower electric motor and a 2-speed transmission that operate entirely behind the scenes. The rear wheels are served by a 228-horsepower turbocharged 1.5-liter 3-cylinder (adapted from the Mini Cooper) with integrated electric assist. Using paddles or a console lever, drivers operate a spectacularly quick 6-speed automatic transmission to manage a total of 357 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque.
I first toggled up the eDrive mode, which propels the i8 for up to 22 miles strictly on front-drive electricity, albeit at a Prius-like pace of 9.5 seconds to 60 m.p.h. and a top speed of 75 m.p.h.
But since the BMW’s all-wheel-drive Sport mode can replenish the battery on the fly (adding one mile of E.V. range for roughly every 17 miles driven), eDrive mode has a philosophical purpose beyond short electric commutes: For modern megacities like London that charge entry fees for internal-combustion vehicles — and may one day ban them — hybrids like the i8 could conserve or replenish the battery range to qualify for entry.
The BMW defaults to a Comfort mode that maximizes electric efficiency, but automatically blends in engine power when the driver shoves harder on the accelerator. That mode produced the best gas-electric mileage, with gentle driving eking out 38 m.p.g. on the highway.
Over several rip-roaring days, the BMW delivered a solid 31 m.p.g. over all, 3 better than the E.P.A.'s combined city and highway estimate. That economy was about 50 percent higher than the 20 m.p.g. I’ve experienced in rival sports cars like the Stingray and Porsche 911.
With wall current far cheaper than gasoline, the E.P.A. figures a bigger edge in energy costs. The i8 owner will pay $1,550 a year in electricity and gasoline to cover 15,000 miles, compared with $2,800 for the Stingray and $3,700 for the Aston DB9.
The E.P.A. credits the i8 with 76 m.p.g.e. (the electrical equivalent of a gallon of gasoline) in eDrive mode, within sight of the Tesla’s 89 m.p.g.e. The Tesla, of course, can cover roughly 250 miles on batteries alone, while the BMW must sip premium unleaded to raise the total range to 330 miles.
But here’s what the Tesla can’t do: keep pace on a track or on twisty roads with Porsches, Corvettes or BMW’s own M3 and M4 — with fill-ups around every corner and no worries about being stranded with an empty battery. As for the cabin, it’s clear that BMW wanted the i8 to feel like an everyday sports car, with no intimidation factor.
Reminiscent of the 6 Series, the interior is intimate and luxurious, including enviro-friendly leather and a 10.2-inch iDrive screen, but one could quibble that the cabin doesn’t match the avant-garde dazzle of the exterior. The efficiency-coaching digital driver’s displays are cramped and not terribly exciting. Available blue seatbelts that match the two-tone exterior trim add some sci-fi flair.
With efficiency runs out of the way, it was time to pivot open the featherweight doors, climb over the awkward sills (falling into the car is almost easier) and admire the performance. What I couldn’t admire was the electric motor under the hood. If the i8’s lowercase name recalls an iPhone, the car mimics one as well: Officially, the sealed hood can be opened only by technicians. And there’s barely enough storage in the cabin for that iPhone.
Perhaps it’s better to imagine that a profligate engine is under the hood. Step on the i8’s throttle, and after a beat of turbo lag, you’re whisked into motion like sauce in a blender, propelled by 420 pound-feet of electric-boosted torque. Abetted by the stellar transmission, upshifts unleash a crackling barrage that you’d swear was old-school internal combustion. In reality, the BMW pipes a synthesized simulation of engine noise through door speakers to complement the exhaust soundtrack. It sounds so incredible — like a Porsche flat 6 hooked to a humming flying saucer — that you’d never know a miniature 3-cylinder was doing the work.
Initial handling impressions were less positive: omnipresent understeer and a relative shortage of tire grip. The 20-inch tires are indeed much narrower than typical sports car tires, helping to save fuel.
But my impressions rapidly changed: The faster you go, the more the BMW balances out, with beautifully quick steering and rock-solid poise aided by a lengthy 110-inch wheelbase. The brakes feel strong and natural by the standards of hybrid cars, though their regenerative function makes them touchy in low-speed traffic.
For some electric-car fans, one i8 number that’s out of balance is the price, which on the test car reached $138,650 with one option, a $2,000 Giga World leather package. But the i8 is at once an auto-show exotic, a technological tour de force and a BMW. Anyone who expected it to sell for the price of a Chevy Volt, or even the Tesla Model S, was bound to be disappointed.
I’ve also heard suggestions that the i8’s design may not age well, because it’s so singular, truly of-the-moment. I think the opposite is true. The most collectible cars of any era are striking, rare, advanced and high-performing, and evoke nostalgia for their specific era.
The i8 fits four of those descriptions, with nostalgic yearnings for 2014 yet to be determined. And unlike the notoriously slow and unreliable DeLorean, the BMW is actually a car worth driving.