BMW’s quirky i8 still

Using regenerated electricity to take off from stand-still, the i8 powers away impressively and remains eager if you need it to be.

Combined power and torque mean this feels like a genuine performance car.

It feels solidly planted on the road, too. The electric motor is mounted at the front axle, with the petrol engine at the rear, which makes for great weight distribution.

Don’t bother trying to lift lids and peer at the mechanicals though; you can’t. Only BMW technicians hold that particular allen key.

The eDrive ’leccy motor has a two-speed transmission, while the three-cylinder petrol has a sixspeed transmission attached.

In saying the i8 arrives sans options, it’s still a well-kitted vehicle. It has all the usual drivercentric comfort, convenience and safety BMW drivers can expect. You can select Sport drive mode if saving energy is of little concern, or ECO PRO, which — as in the i8’s baby sibling, the i3 — will turn off all unnecessary power-sapping frivolities and govern available power in order to conserve battery range.

The iDrive system (albeit an older generation in this particular car) and practicalities like parking sensors, heated seats and a premium Harman/Kardon stereo system remain in-situ. There are even two rear seats of a fashion. Boot space? Yes, but pack lightly.

Rather than a one-shot, BMW has insisted on updating the i8; we’ll see it later this year, or possibly early next year. What’s more, a sharp-looking soft-top roadster version has been added to the line-up, too.

Zero-to-hundred will still be counted off in 4.4 seconds in the updated i8 coupe, although system output will go from a total of 266kW to 275kW. The electric motor-only range will go from around 37km to 66km; still nothing to give the likes of Tesla — or even Renault-Nissan — sleepless nights.

Probably due to the extra weight, the mechanicals for the electrically-opening/closing softtop roof bring with it, the roadster records even less range; 53km.

BMW isn’t pinning its hopes on these particular vehicles to win the EV race, however. The i8 was designed as — and even in its imminent update will remain — something of a showcase for aerodynamic design and carbon fibre-centric engineering as much as what a performance-themed EV looks like.

The manufacturer has been focusing on offering plug-in hybrid versions of key sellers like the 3and 5-Series since the i8 first arrived.

In fact, before the news that an updated i8 coupe and a new roadster were imminent, you could have been forgiven for thinking the whole notion of BMW’s iPerformance cars had been

BMW

ENGINES:

1.5-litre threecylinder TwinPower turbo petrol engine (170kW/320Nm) w/ eDrive electrosynchronous motor (96kW/

250Nm)

PRICE: $281,200

●+ Rarity, performance, exterior styling

-

● It won’t get you all that far on electric-power alone, wait for the new one coming soon

parked indefinitely.

With the recent arrival of the similarly updated (and sportier, phwoar!) i3 S, and the new i8 twins on the horizon though, it’s great to see BMW still believes these electrically enhanced, performance-minded, but ultimately stupendously quirky cars have a place in what will be a rapidly evolving model line.

There will be EV sports cars in the future that perform much better and offer more range. But the i8 will remain a true classic.