Sci-fi looking BMW i8 is an intriguing hybrid
Last year for my annual Exotic Car Though Niagara tour, I disrupted the calm with a Lamborghini Huracán. Its electric-orange paint and howling soundtrack had me fielding a barrage of questions from slack-jawed onlookers. There were easy answers, like “V10,” “610 horsepower,” “about 300 grand” and “yes, it’s freakishly fast, no, you can’t have a ride and yes, my licence is still intact.”
Things aren’t quite so straightforward this year. The vehicle of choice is a Proton Blue Metallic BMW i8 that for all the world looks like it flew in from the set of a sci-fi film. Its intricately layered bodywork and scissor doors effortlessly pin the gawk-o-meter. But how am I to keep a straight face when declaring, “Yeah, we’re packing a 1.5-litre three-cylinder and a whack of phone batteries”?
Joining me on this excursion is good friend Dave Johannesson, a fine drummer and knowledgeable wine enthusiast (insert joke here). He’s also a car nut.
This is BMW’s first plug-in hybrid, and the company surely shot for the moon. The i8 is all-wheel drive by virtue of its 228-hp midmounted 1.5-L turbo three-pot that drives the rear wheels, and a 131-hp electric motor powering the front. Total net output is 357 hp and 420 pound-feet of torque, which launches this carbon-fibre lightweight to 100 km/ h in a mere 4.4 seconds.
The i8 has a very wide sill, so sliding in can be somewhat inelegant, but once ensconced in the excellent seats, it’s all BMW inside. We pull the featherweight doors closed and glide off in EV silence.
On a full charge, there’s about 25 kilometres of emission-free progress before the gas engine kicks in. Your granny could pilot this, although she might not like being eye level with the lug nuts of an 18-wheeler. People stare, thumbs point skyward and cellphones snap
Your granny could pilot this, although she might not like being eye level with the lug nuts of an 18-wheeler.
away as we make our way along the QEW.
Dave is amazed at the civility of this blue wedge.
“Well, Dave,” I explain, “the i8 gets standard adaptive damping, and the structure is so strong and light that BMW is able to get the best of both worlds: compliancy and great handling. And in keeping with its eco mandate, the carbon weave comes from a dedicated hydro-powered facility in Washington state.”
“Cool. So you’ve made your greeny point. When are you going to scare the crap out of me?”
Time to switch from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde. Tapping the shift lever to the left puts the i8 into Sport mode and transforms its personality; the gas and electric power sources are put on high alert. The suspension firms up and the six-speed transmission drops down a cog. I take the Bartlett exit off the QEW and give ’er some welly. The i8 bolts ahead and digs into the off-ramp, cornering hard, flat and stable. And where did that noise come from?
The cabin fills with the bark of an angry … three-banger? Sounds more like the classic song of a BMW straight-six, which it could very well be, since what we’re hearing is mostly synthesized sound piped in through the speakers. Hey, I’ll take it. The i8 plays the supercar card to a tee, popping off rude upshifts as I tickle the right paddle.
Making our way south on Bartlett Road, we come to Route 81, which is the main artery through the Niagara Escarpment and Twenty Valley. The escarpment is vital to the microclimate that makes this Ontario’s most active wine region, boasting about 50 wineries.
Dave has been observing (and quite possibly drinking) the vintages here for years, and explains how they have got progressively better as the vines’ roots reach deeper into the ground.
First stop is Angels Gate in Beamsville, where we pose the i8 in front of the winery’s charming Spanish-style villa. Dave tastes the 2012 Feet First Pinot Noir which, as its name suggests, is produced the old fashioned way: the grapes are squished underfoot. According to our server, Ron Ardito, this is less distressing to the grape and results in a better wine. Dave’s not arguing, although I can’t help wondering how many pound-feet are in one bottle, and if it’s more than our i8’s impressive 420.
At nearby Fielding Estate Winery, the young lady pouring the samples says our BMW looks like a Transformer. Must be a generational thing.
After humming through quaint Jordan Village, our day winds up in Niagara-on-the-Lake, where I park the i8 in front of the Royal George Theatre, open the dihedral doors, step back and wait for the fireworks. The crowd descends like buzzards on a gut wagon. As would be expected, most are amazed that the i8 is a three-cylinder plug-in hybrid and it only costs $150,000.
Arto Huhkio from Finland asks if he can sit in it, and how can I argue when he starts rattling off a list of great Finnish race drivers? Hakkinen, Makinen, Raikkonen, Rosberg ….
Indeed, this brainy 2+2 thinktank is equal parts intrigue and excitement. And costing Porsche 911 Carrera 4S money, the i8 makes for a viable alternative. The Porsche is ultimately more engaging and visceral, but you won’t be seeing 5.9 L/100 km like we did. Tasting notes from Angels Gates’ 2010 Riesling sum up the 2016 BMW i8 nicely — light body, complex, long legs and just a hint of petrol.