You Can Already Buy A BMW i8 For Less Than £60k
It doesn’t seem that long ago that I was scanning the classifieds and seeing nearly new i8s being sold for a premium. But, three years on from the hybrid coupe’s release, it’s a very different story on the used market.
The earliest i8s have dropped below the £60,000 mark - by the time you factor in options, it’s likely some of these will have lost almost half their original purchase cost in just a few years.
We’ve plucked out this 18,159 mile example for closer inspection. It’s up for a little over £60k - £63,950 - so what are you getting for your money?
First up, a punchy hybrid powertrain. It’s made up of a 1.5-litre, turbocharged inline-three that powers the rear wheels, and an electric motor for the front axle. Total output is 354bhp, making 0-62mph possible in 4.5 seconds.
It’s the off-the-line thrust that’s the most impressive thing about the i8, with the motor’s instant torque giving you a healthy kick up the rear when you stamp on the throttle.
It’s a little more confused when it comes to handling - low rolling resistance tyres and heavy batteries certainly don’t do wonders for a car with sporting pretensions, after all. But, it’s still capable and exciting to drive in its own unusual way.
You can roll around in near silence for anything up to 22 miles on electric power alone, but don’t expect to fly under the radar: even a few years on from launch, the futuristic i8 is still an attention grabbing car. And that’s before you turn up somewhere and open up one of those dihedral doors…
Would this be your sports car of choice if you had around £60k to blow on a car? Or would you go with something a little more conventional? Let us know in the comments.
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
its price dropped harder than the hype after they revealed the performance figures.
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so you didnt liked the efficient dynamics performance of a prius?
It’s the most useless car, in existence
Slow
Not so good looking
Expensive
Not too economical
Indeed
True
Its not really slow
Looks are subjective
Better now than it was new
How can a 1.5 3 cyl be uneconomical?
It isn’t slow, but it’s far slower than similarly-priced rivals. As for economy, it’s good by exotic-car terms but in real life, it’s pretty average for 350hp cars. I wouldn’t be surprised if a 435d does better mpg.
I just won a bet with my dad.
What?
I would rather buy a EVO!
Or you can also get the same engine for under £10k and with less miles 🤷♂️
Not a hybrid tho
I rather have the i8. I never liked newer Minis except the JCWs.
But does it have…
D I H E D R A L D O O R S
I know someone who spent 100k on one
Id still take an m5
For the price of the i8, you could get an E39 M5 and an E60 M5 with money to spare :D
At £150k, the car really struggles, given that it’s got to fend of the considerably faster 570S and R8 along with the hybrid NSX. But for £60k, this is pretty good considering it offers compareable performance to a new M3 which is also about £60k, and this looks far more exotic. Consider that as far as exotics are concerned, your only other real options at that price are out-of-warranty Ferraris (steer clear) and R8 V8s.
That said, I think I’d still go for an F-type V6 or a used 911.
Theyre £105k, not £150k
I think the i8’s in its own league
F-type, used 911, Cayman, M4, Giulia QV - so many different options with one common trait: they are all much better than the i8
For £60k, I’d rather have a 1 year old C63 AMG
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Qian Li it’s a bot, I’ve seen this user comment the same message on multiple posts
No way, we have a few at work and I find there unevolving to drive pretty slow once moving and are built incredibly cheap. The exterior ‘wings’ feel like there stuck on with double sided tape.