[evanevery]

Originally Posted by MichaelJohn

I go shopping in mine all the time (all electric). Don't forget, there's a back seat which is great for storage. I don't know anything about bulk toilet paper but it's not high on my shopping list.

And why isn't the i8 a sports car? Mine sure feels like one. Have you driven an i8? - you might be surprised. It has made me totally forget my M5 as it is way more fun to drive. Once I felt that instant torque and 1/2 ton less weight I never looked back.

Btw, there is no frunk.

I had a Chevy Volt for several years (great car BTW), and I currently own a Tesla Model X (daily driver). We had an i8 "Fleet Car" at Autobahn Country Club and when I drove it on the track during one of our daily touring laps, I really liked it. The i8 is/was very comfortable, responsive, and fun to drive. Even sounds great (fake or not)...

My M4 is my current track car and I'll be selling my M6 Convertible when I pick up my i8 Roadster. The i8 is by no measure a practical car but its fits nicely in the fun summer convertible category...

All I need now is several hours of practice getting in/out of the i8 BEFORE I go to the Welt to take delivery. (I'm by no means a small guy!) The Internet does not need yet another video of a fat guy trying to get out of an i8! ;-)

[evanevery]

Originally Posted by RPiM5

The i8 is a Innovation Car that is fun to dive and sporty, but is by no means a Sports Car. A Porsche 911 is a Sports Car. Even a base Carrera is lighter than an i8. I'm not saying the i8 is bad, quite contrary, I've driven one and it drives great! Thanks to it's CFRP construction mostly. It's definitely a sporty car one can throw into corner with decent power too. It definitely drives better than an F10, heck most lighter cars drive better than an F10 M5 for sure. The i8 is a wonderful car for what it is, but calling it a pure sports car is a stretch. Also for comparison, the new 2019 Aston Martin V8 Vantage is a Sports Car and has a lower base price than an i8 Spyder. But the Vantage lacks the innovative hybrid drive drivetrain that the i8 features, so we don't call the Vantage an Innovation Car like i8. For further comparison the Acura NSX is both an Innovation Car and a Sports Car, some would even call it a Super Car. I really don't care about any of this stuff though, and I'm not trying to debate, I'm just bored at the moment and I like to write stuff on these forums.

I agree...

I'm not buying the i8 cause its a great sports car (its not).

I'm not even buying the i8 cause its a decent EV (its not - I already own a Tesla - and there are lots of better EV's).

I'm buying the i8 Roadster cause its a fun car. That's it. Not cause its any better than anything else at doing pretty much anything. For me, its just a replacement for my existing summer fun car...

No excuses... Its just not that complicated.

[Longboarder]

The coupe is a terrific daily. The silver spyder with black wheels here looks great. Some haters out there not sure why. If you have the jack for one of these u prob have a bunch of other cars too. This thing is really different and special. Peace.

[JasH]

I've seen this car numerous times since Munch last summer, and my view is unchanged.

It is stunning with the roof down But the normal coupe looks better, if the roof is up.

Roadster is also a bit too long, at the rear. Front bonnet vent & aero is not as nice on both new models. The Roadster/Coupe badging on the new ones is tacky and needless.

The panel on which the Roadster badge sits works well enough on the grey car, but looks poor on other colours.

Seats are awesome, and a huge improvement.

Other than that, the i8 is what it always was: a sports/GT hybrid, with supercar looks

[JasH]

Also this:

https://www.topgear.com/car-reviews/i8/first-drive

[Paul-Bracq-BMW]

Originally Posted by ThugzZ BunnY

I just want to know how the top works.

Here you go...

[Paul-Bracq-BMW]

Originally Posted by evanevery

I'm doing a Euro Delivery (in conjunction with 2-Days of BMW Nurburgring training) so I'm already trying to figure out how/what to pack for the two weeks... ...and its only me!

I think with a few soft bags you'll be fine...

enhanced photos of the compartment behind the front seats...

[evanevery]

Originally Posted by Paul-Bracq-BMW

I think with a few soft bags you'll be fine...

enhanced photos of the compartment behind the front seats...

Thanks!

Yup, I'm with you!

Normally I travel with a mid-size rolling duffle (and a backpack for carry on) but I'm thinking to break down my checked bag into two smaller ones. Here's hoping the smaller/softer bags survive the airlines...

There is also the front pass seat if all else fails... Better safe than sorry...

I should be scouring all the reviews for performance and tech info etc. But it seems all I'm looking for now is info on what fits where and how best to ingress/egress the car. I've gotten in/out of an i8 once and yes - I've seen the video of the nice fit BMW guy demonstrating how to properly pop out of the car... ;-)

[JasH]

I travelled for a week to Scotland. 2 adults + 2 kids.

The trick is to use decent custom fitted luggage. See the "Hills Alive" set in another thread here. Secondly use their flat carriers for suits, shirts etc, that will sit above the shelf.

On your own, it will be more than easy.

[drlonline]

Originally Posted by evanevery

Thanks!

Yup, I'm with you!

Normally I travel with a mid-size rolling duffle (and a backpack for carry on) but I'm thinking to break down my checked bag into two smaller ones. Here's hoping the smaller/softer bags survive the airlines...

There is also the front pass seat if all else fails... Better safe than sorry...

I should be scouring all the reviews for performance and tech info etc. But it seems all I'm looking for now is info on what fits where and how best to ingress/egress the car. I've gotten in/out of an i8 once and yes - I've seen the video of the nice fit BMW guy demonstrating how to properly pop out of the car... ;-)

Just a little over a week into my 2019 coupe, and I can tell you that the ingress/egress is not a problem even for a somewhat junior-senior citizen like myself. Your roadster should be even easier when the top is down. It may help that I am on the short side (5'8"). I've also had my teenage boys, who are taller than me, in the back seat for short drives. Because of my height, the driver seat is positioned far enough forward that there is at least 8 inches of space between the back of it and the front edge of the rear seats, so no problem with their legs. Head room in rear is of course challenging, but for short trips (< 1 hour), perfectly acceptable.

For me, I never considered the roadster, even though I live in sunny California. Had to have room for the golf clubs, as well as groceries (I'm Mr. Mom since my wife is still working), plus the i8 is my daily driver, so needed the room for extra passengers when the need arises.

Practicality aside, the 2019 car is simply amazing. If you've read my story on this forum, you'll know that I waited a long time to get it, and it was more than worth the wait. This car fits my current life, my passions, and my driving needs like a fine, leather glove. It is simply better and more exciting than I ever imagined, even though I felt I knew a lot about the car before I got it. You will love it

What exterior color and interior world are you getting, and which wheels? And when do you expect to take delivery?

[stressdoc]

My dream is Euro delivery i8 coupé Donnington grey w copper interior. Might have to wait until next summer. Such a huge price difference between certified low mileage 2016 and the 2019, tough to justify, although 2019 is a significant upgrade.

[evanevery]

Originally Posted by drlonline

Just a little over a week into my 2019 coupe, and I can tell you that the ingress/egress is not a problem even for a somewhat junior-senior citizen like myself. Your roadster should be even easier when the top is down. It may help that I am on the short side (5'8"). I've also had my teenage boys, who are taller than me, in the back seat for short drives. Because of my height, the driver seat is positioned far enough forward that there is at least 8 inches of space between the back of it and the front edge of the rear seats, so no problem with their legs. Head room in rear is of course challenging, but for short trips (< 1 hour), perfectly acceptable.

For me, I never considered the roadster, even though I live in sunny California. Had to have room for the golf clubs, as well as groceries (I'm Mr. Mom since my wife is still working), plus the i8 is my daily driver, so needed the room for extra passengers when the need arises.

Practicality aside, the 2019 car is simply amazing. If you've read my story on this forum, you'll know that I waited a long time to get it, and it was more than worth the wait. This car fits my current life, my passions, and my driving needs like a fine, leather glove. It is simply better and more exciting than I ever imagined, even though I felt I knew a lot about the car before I got it. You will love it

What exterior color and interior world are you getting, and which wheels? And when do you expect to take delivery?

My fully optioned Tera World Copper i8 Roadster (with the tera world copper leather interior, laserlights, and Black 20" alloy wheels) is scheduled to be delivered in Munich on July 26. Basically, its the same copper color options you see in most of the roadster press materials (except with black wheels).

[JasH]

Originally Posted by stressdoc

2019 is a significant upgrade.

It's really not.

I think the Coupe differences are only:

Improvements:

DisplayKey (which you can retrofit 100% anyway, as I've had done)

Bigger battery capacity - which means 12bhp more. Nice, but not significant.

Better control screen and HUD. Nice

Things that are worse:

Tacky Coupe badge. Minor perhaps.

Poorer aero & worse looking bonnet vent. Not nice at all.

[drlonline]

Originally Posted by JasH

It's really not.

I think the Coupe differences are only:

Improvements:

DisplayKey (which you can retrofit 100% anyway, as I've had done)

Bigger battery capacity - which means 12bhp more. Nice, but not significant.

Better control screen and HUD. Nice

Things that are worse:

Tacky Coupe badge. Minor perhaps.

Poorer aero & worse looking bonnet vent. Not nice at all.

For me, far and away the biggest improvement is the electric range, which as I've reported has reached 30 miles in my real-world driving using Eco-Pro. As the car is my DD, and my typical daily commute distance is 25 miles, I love the fact that I can go all electric for that, and save the gas for spirited driving on the twisties. Even with some extensive mountain/canyon driving in Sport mode last week, my total range (electric and gas) for my most recent fill-up will be ~ 380 miles.

BTW, one added bonus of the car (not related to the LCI improvements) that I never thought of, is the availability of parking spots reserved for plug-in electrics at certain venues such as a movie theater complex. Seems those spots are rarely full and they tend to be conveniently located. With the ChargePoint card, I can plug in to get a quick charge as well as a good parking spot.

[Maxxsirrah]

Originally Posted by drlonline

BTW, one added bonus of the car (not related to the LCI improvements) that I never thought of, is the availability of parking spots reserved for plug-in electrics at certain venues such as a movie theater complex. Seems those spots are rarely full and they tend to be conveniently located. With the ChargePoint card, I can plug in to get a quick charge as well as a good parking spot.

Don't expect that to last long as more and more e cars arrive on the roads, enjoy the privilege while it lasts!

[Maxxsirrah]

Originally Posted by JasH

It's really not.

I think the Coupe differences are only:

Improvements:

DisplayKey (which you can retrofit 100% anyway, as I've had done)

Bigger battery capacity - which means 12bhp more. Nice, but not significant.

Better control screen and HUD. Nice

Things that are worse:

Tacky Coupe badge. Minor perhaps.

Poorer aero & worse looking bonnet vent. Not nice at all.

Tend to agree, but the biggest upgrade to me is without doubt the battery range, quite a significant difference. Oh and the display key came with the later gen 1 cars(in the UK at least), I had one with my March 2017 car

[AwesomeM3]

From the Car and Driver review:

"Supercar price without supercar performance"

Yup

[evanevery]

Originally Posted by stressdoc

2019 is a significant upgrade.

It certainly is if you consider that it now comes with an option for a retractable roof...

;-)

[ericsi]

Whilst i would agree with you that it's far too light an upgrade, it would appear that they have upgraded the suspension as well.

Originally Posted by JasH

It's really not.

I think the Coupe differences are only:

Improvements:

DisplayKey (which you can retrofit 100% anyway, as I've had done)

Bigger battery capacity - which means 12bhp more. Nice, but not significant.

Better control screen and HUD. Nice

Things that are worse:

Tacky Coupe badge. Minor perhaps.

Poorer aero & worse looking bonnet vent. Not nice at all.

[evanevery]

Originally Posted by ericsi

Whilst i would agree with you that it's far too light an upgrade, it would appear that they have upgraded the suspension as well.

Steering has been retuned and don't forget the new LaserLight option! ...and I think I read somewhere that they added additional stiffening for the roadster chassis and that was also worked back into the coupe as well.

[JasH]

Additional stiffening was only needed for the Roadster.

All it achieves in the Coupe is extra weight. They only added it to simplify production.

Laser lights were always an option in Europe btw. A very expensive option.

[Maxxsirrah]

Originally Posted by AwesomeM3

From the Car and Driver review:

"Supercar price without supercar performance"

Yup

Only its not supercar price, about £50000 less than a Lambo or Ferrari and £15000 less than an R8 or the new V8 Vantage or the NSX

Cheapest way to get supercar looks that's for sure and costs a significant amount less to run than any of the aforementioned.