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      08-15-2014, 11:47 AM   #45
JasH
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Rich, thanks Bear in mind though that an S1 Exige is infintely harder to get in and out of than an S2 Elise, which is what you would have tried in the US. The i8 is a bit easier than even the S2 Elise though

Thanks too Golfer.

RSingh,
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      08-15-2014, 11:48 AM   #46
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wonderful review, m8. really, really enjoyed it.
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      08-15-2014, 11:52 AM   #47
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ddk632 View Post
You don't.

I am positive that the 1:18 scale model will be able to pull 1.0 lateral Gs safely on your desk, though!

oh on my desk i'm frying the batteries off this toy

every single time i read something along the lines of "at the limit" and its on the road i immediately call bullshit and stop reading.

at the limit? everyone uses this term so loosely its laughable. at the limit you should have tire smoke, opposite lock, at the least.
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      08-15-2014, 12:39 PM   #48
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Did you received the car for longer time, what were the terms?
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      08-15-2014, 12:40 PM   #49
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Excellent review, thanks for sharing. Happy motoring
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      08-15-2014, 02:57 PM   #50
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NICE

First and foremost - thank you for your time in crafting such a thoughtful post and I am officially jealous. I put a deposit down on the car in the US quite some time ago and you will get yours before mine - really

Your post has re-enforced my excitement for the I8. I only sat in it so far and that was for 5 minutes....so I actually drove the new M4 and started to think about that car instead......nah, not really

Enjoy your new toys everybody in the meantime!
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      08-15-2014, 06:14 PM   #51
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Fantastic write up! The question is- when are you getting one?
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      08-15-2014, 08:53 PM   #52
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2014 335i  [9.74]
I'd argue the massive door sills exclude the i8 from being a comfortable daily driver... But thanks for sharing your experience. Good luck with the new car.
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      08-16-2014, 02:50 AM   #53
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excellent review
, thank you very much
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      08-16-2014, 06:38 AM   #54
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JasH
Thank you both

I parked the i8 slightly too close to the Ferrari, as there was enough space to have placed it a few inches further away. In that position I had to fold back the Ferrari's wing mirror (per the photos) to enable the passenger door of the i8 to open. There was then enough clearance. So, no real problem at all.

In fact, the gull wing doors probably need one third less side clearance than conventional doors would.

And, YES I placed my order for one today. ETA 2 March 2015.

Fully loaded with all options except laser headlights
Congrats. What stopped you going for the headlights? Cost?
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      08-16-2014, 06:52 AM   #55
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Quote:
Originally Posted by clbmw View Post
Congrats. What stopped you going for the headlights? Cost?
Not sure about Jas' reason, but that's why I haven't opted for Lazer lights - BMW are wanting £8k (yes you did read that right 8 thousand pounds sterling, i.e. over $13,000!). The lazer light technology is only in the main (full) beam section of the headlight, which I seldom use, and even then the standard LED ones aren't exactly going to be poor at lighting up the road ahead.

T

EDIT: Just noticed you're also in the UK @clbmw, I wrote that thinking you were an American member.
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      08-16-2014, 06:53 AM   #56
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First official photos of BMW i8 Key fob - today's news!

http://www.bmwblog.com/2014/08/16/fi...mw-i8-key-fob/

Excellent write up JasH! Congrats for ordering your i8!
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      08-16-2014, 09:34 AM   #57
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Thumbs up Thank you

Danyutz, not yet, it will be delivered in May 2015.

pbw, thanks

ChiTown, thank you, and I am sure it will be worth the wait for all of us.

Glenn, it all a case of what you are used to. Believe me, the sills are a complete non-issue and non-obstacle for me. I barely noticed them by the end of my second test drive (I had jumped in and out of the car well over 15 times by then).

Delia, thank you. Delivery is May 2015.

EdM5, thanks

clbmw, laser headlights are not yet approved to be legal in the UK. But even if they were, £8,000 is too much for them. So, both things stopped me.

Tilum, thanks, that reinforces my decision. I too only use main beams a fraction of the time. But I do accept that when I do use them, more light would be very welcome.

lasovan, thank you btw, that key fob might be a dummy. See the date on it [spotted by Tilum in another thread]

Last edited by JasH; 08-16-2014 at 11:36 AM..
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      08-16-2014, 09:53 AM   #58
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That is a lot for headlights that only work on high beam!

However beating Audi to it and flaunting it might be worth 8k
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      08-16-2014, 10:24 AM   #59
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A very good review. The i8 is cutting edge. These technologies will trickle through to many cars. Eventually most cars in the US will have some energy storage and electric assist to meet fuel efficiency rules.

This car would be more interesting to me with a smaller lighter battery and performance oriented tires.
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      08-16-2014, 10:39 AM   #60
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There was a poster who mentioned that BMW and Bridgestone are working on a stickier tire that after all of the reviews came out which unilaterally cited the tires, particularly the front tires, as the single most limiting factor of handling/performance of the i8. Hopefully that is true and they will have that out soon.

As for a smaller/lighter battery, it's all a balancing act and the smaller the battery, the less power and torque you can squeeze out of the electric motor. The i8 battery is already pretty small.
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      08-16-2014, 11:42 AM   #61
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Diver View Post
A very good review. The i8 is cutting edge. These technologies will trickle through to many cars. Eventually most cars in the US will have some energy storage and electric assist to meet fuel efficiency rules.

This car would be more interesting to me with a smaller lighter battery and performance oriented tires.
Thanks

I had the same thoughts The tyres can be changed easily enough, if even the new stickier Bridgestones that BMW have specified are not to our liking.

About a smaller battery, I too considered the benefits of saving 100kg. That would be great for performance, but then I wondered whether a halved electric range was worth it. (As an aside, it's also possible that a too low range would remove the car's eligibility for tax breaks in various countries.)

And perhaps it would impact its ability to provide enough current in a sustained manner when driven hard in Sports mode. I decided the engineers obviously would have considered this, and came to the decision to install the weight/size of batteries that they did. They got so much spot on in the i8 that I accepted they must have got battery weight/size correct too So I did not dwell on it further
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      08-16-2014, 01:50 PM   #62
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JasH View Post
lasovan, thank you btw, that key fob might be a dummy. See the date on it [spotted by Tilum in another thread]
Might be true. I doubt it though because there's a difference in the design of the key presented in the article. It's the first time I see this version. I made a comparison in the attached photograph. We could assume that the "old" key is a prototype and the "new" one is the production version. I may well be wrong nonetheless.
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      08-16-2014, 02:02 PM   #63
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lasovan View Post
Might be true. I doubt it though because there's a difference in the design of the key presented in the article. It's the first time I see this version. I made a comparison in the attached photograph. We could assume that the "old" key is a prototype and the "new" one is the production version. I may well be wrong nonetheless.
Ha ha, I'm not the only one sad enough to do a back-to-back comparison between the two images LOL. Unless I've missed something, the only difference is that the "new" image shows that the button on the top right has a different icon on it. That doesn't mean to say that it wasn't the dummy key that was shown last year / earlier this year.
Although I love the Display Key, I read a post from an i3 owner who makes a good point... the Display Key will, like with your smart phone etcetera, need charging up. I wonder how often it needs charging and will you be able to even drive the car if the battery goes flat!

T

Last edited by Tilum; 08-16-2014 at 02:08 PM..
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      08-16-2014, 02:44 PM   #64
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tilum View Post
Ha ha, I'm not the only one sad enough to do a back-to-back comparison between the two images LOL. Unless I've missed something, the only difference is that the "new" image shows that the button on the top right has a different icon on it. That doesn't mean to say that it wasn't the dummy key that was shown last year / earlier this year.
Although I love the Display Key, I read a post from an i3 owner who makes a good point... the Display Key will, like with your smart phone etcetera, need charging up. I wonder how often it needs charging and will you be able to even drive the car if the battery goes flat!

T
I have to believe BMW would have thought of and addressed that potential issue. Probably easy to use the key once in the car as it docks into the center console and is presumably connected both for data and power. Of course, regular key fobs have the same issue, albeit with a longer life cell battery.
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      08-16-2014, 02:55 PM   #65
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I certainly hope it is real, and that we are all getting one

I think dronline has it right. It would probably charge via an induction loop or the USB power socket. Being able to charge it in the car would remove all power concerns
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      08-16-2014, 03:19 PM   #66
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True, conventional keys also use batteries, but as you say their battery life is longer... considerably longer (than that of mobile/cell phone battery).
If the battery life is anything like my phone, it will struggle to last a day without having to be charged LOL.

Wireless charging inside the car sounds like a great idea, but it depends on how long it needs to charge up. Most of my journeys will be short distances, thereby not allowing much time for the Display Key to charge up in the car.

Problem is we don't know much about the Display Key (and how it works) as BMW are keeping tight-lipped about it.

T
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