Quote:
Originally Posted by PhoenixWolf
Yeah sometimes I digress but I am very friendly and helpful here on this forum.
The reason I say the i8 is closest to the 918 is because the La Ferrari cannot really drive in full electric only mode. There is a report that it can but its for such a short period of time that I believe thats the reason why Ferrari says that it cannot. So for all intents and purposes I continue to say that it cannot.
The i8 is currently in its own class because there's nothing out there that you can buy new that is like it. The closest thing cost MSRP $900,000 and that was the Porsche 918 which you'll have to buy used at more than double that price if you want one. And is the 918 almost $2,000,000 better than the i8? Me personally I would say no, but if I could afford a 918 it doesn't mean I wouldn't get one. 
The McLaren is a track focused car and it can also drive in full electric mode but like the 918 it's been sold out and if you want to get one its at a totally different price point.
The Acura NSX costs more than the i8, but it's much closer to the i8 price point and you can add options till its $50k more. It produces significantly more power with its twin turbo V6. It also has two electric motors up front which gives it torque vectoring across the front axle. But it won't get the same fuel economy in the i8 and it's NOT a plugin hybrid, it has a more traditional hybrid setup.
So the BMW i8 with its exotic looks, the relatively low weight just under 3,500lbs, because of the intensive carbon fiber used, the Jekyll and Hyde personality of the driving modes, and the low cost compared to anything else with the same setup, really makes the i8 something very special in the market right now. And comparing this to the Tesla as an apples to apples comparison which is a 4 door sedan, weighting just under 5000lbs (in the P90D), from a very new auto maker, that is all electric just makes no sense to me. Tesla's are really great cars, but they are different cars altogether. You cannot even use the back seats in the i8 to fit fully grown adults. But again I digress. |
A belated thanks for the decorum and perspectives, good stuff! Now if my buddy's M4 was just a little slower, I'd miss mine less. Still invigorated by the i8, of course! I do wish it held revs, but it definitely holds stares!
Eager to hear how people are liking the I8 tunes!