Here Are The New, More Capable BMW i8 Coupe And Roadster
Here’s the liquid sugar with which to ice a handsome stack of news today: the new BMW i8 and its drop-top Roadster brother have been revealed in full after we first learned about them earlier this year.
Underpinning both body styles is a new, improved eDrive system with more power, a longer electric-only range and the ability to switch to the motor more of the time, but the headline act is the electrically-retractable roof panel that disappears into the Roadster’s tail.
It operates ‘very quietly’ at up to 31mph in a speedy 15 seconds. As it drops, the rear window rises by 30mm to act as a wind break and stop some of the turbulence in the cabin.
It’s about 60kg heavier than the new hard-top version, says BMW, courtesy of the roof mechanisms and a bit of extra chassis bracing. The official unladen weight stands at 1595kg. While the Coupe is a tenth faster to 62mph than the old one, at 4.4 seconds, the Roadster drops two tenths on that as it labours just that little bit harder to get its mass moving off the line.
The 2018 i8 siblings share an upgraded drivetrain with electric motor power up to 141bhp from 129bhp. The power bump comes from a significant boost in energy density, with cell capacity up from 20Ah to 34Ah.
As before, the motor powers the front wheels. Revisions to the three-cylinder turbo petrol engine powering the rears take power to 227bhp and torque to 236lb ft, and total system output is up by 15bhp at 369bhp.
Electric driving range is now up to 34 miles for the Coupe and 33 for the Roadster, and thanks to lifts in the upper speed limits the motor can sustain, you can now drive at up to 62mph on electric power in hybrid mode, up from 43mph before. That now rises to 74mph in eDrive electric mode.
Official NEDC test cycle fuel economy averages – the ones that bear no relevance to the real world – put the Coupe’s economy at 148.7 miles per gallon and the Roadster’s at 134.5mpg. A full recharge via the 3.6kW BMW i Wallbox takes under three hours.
Comments
When you make a design so futuristic that it can’t get a facelift without looking the same
They didn’t even change the front end from the concept car.
BMW should make a 4cyl turbo with 400Hp, and an Inline 6 with 500HP for the I8
They should have gone with the inline 6 in the beginning.
Seems like they just made it half through our expectations…
Hue hue hue
Definitely. The chassis is the i8’s strength, and I think it can definitely handle 600hp (including electric motors) to make an NSX competitor. Alas, BMW said there would never be an i8M. We’ll just have to do the engine swap ourselves…
Or f*ck economy and S85-swap it.
i wouldnt go with the 4cyl mabye 6cyl with more hp
Yeah, its a nifty car, but I just think the i8 deserved something like a mid to rear mounted V6 or V8 so that it could have some real ass kicking abilities. Not to say it isn’t fast, but it could be so much more than what it is.
I think maybe BMW is trying to be the alternative choice. The ‘quirky’ choice. If you want a V6, you buy a GTR, if you want a V8, you buy a Merc. If you want something a bit different, you buy an i8
I think it was more meant as a technological exercise for BMW for them to show what they can achieve with a 3-cyl and elective motors
inline 6 not V6. BMW makes inline 6 engines. that’s like what they are known for.
Its not particularly fast. Around the Nurburgring, the previous RenaultSport Megane was faster, and that’s despite the fact that the i8 had wider Michelin Pilot Sport tyres instead of the standard skinny low rolling-resistance tyres.
It looks really good!
That bottom pic
It’s disturbing
Why the hell do you have the same dream car?
Remember kids, while this is cool, it’s not a supercar. I like the roadster, after not really liking the coupe.
No one said it was ;)
I have to say that roadster looks beautiful.
Oh I was hoping for a 6 cillinder.. but more battery density is also cool i guess
Looks great and… well, thats it?
Great car for those who care about the looks, but not for those who care about driving
Well its a grand tourer. But its a Comeplete POS when compared to the lexus lc500, maserati gran turismo, porsche 911, and bmw’s own competitor the M6. The chasis of the i8 is great. But BMW ruined with the powertrian
It… looks the same?
Oh dear BMW is still lost.