Plug-in hybrid BMW i8 sports car finally loses its roof, gains power
What is it? A soft-top convertible version of what BMW says is the world’s best-selling plug-in hybrid sports car.
Why does it matter? I know what you’re thinking: “That really is a small market niche.” And, indeed, BMW has sold only 364 i8 coupes in the U.S. so far this year (BMW doesn’t break out Canadian i8 sales). So, no, there isn’t a plug-in sports car revolution happening.
Nonetheless, the futuristic semi-supercar is fantastic piece of technology, a seamless marriage of a frugal but peppy 1.5-litre turbocharged engine (a la Mini) with the torque-laden, instant throttle response of a 105 kW electric motor — some nine kW more than the original version — that together produce 374 horsepower, up 14 from the original. The battery is bigger, now holding 11.6 kWh, and the soft-top roof is pretty quick too, taking only 15 seconds to open or close and adding only 60 kilograms to the i8’s curb weight. When will Canada get it? The first half of 2018 is as precise as BMW Canada is willing to get.
Should you buy it? Well, that depends. Do you want the sportiest sports car that $150,000 can buy? (probably more, because the i8 Roadster will almost certainly cost more than the Coupe’s $149,900.) If you do, there’s a whole bunch of better choices.
On the other hand, the number of hybrids that can accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in just 4.6 seconds and travel 53 kilometres on a single electric charge are few and far between. And few sports cars, electric or traditional, look quite so futuristic as the new i8 Roadster, its combination of traditional silhouette and avante garde flourishes stunning. And, chances are you’ll have the only one in your town.