Quote:
Originally Posted by ecaedus
what confuses me is how BMW is going to sell this against R8, 911. with that $100K price tag, how many pre-fisker karma customers are they going to get? unless you are really big on green and eco-friendly, why would you spend 100k on a E90 M3-performance car rather than a 911 performance car.
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The E92 M3 is often compared to the 911 (not the Turbo); the M3 is a respectable car to be benchmarked against.
The R8 V8 4.2 does 0-60 in 4.3 seconds
(source). It has 430 HP, 316 lb ft torque, and a starting price tag of $114k. No CRFP frame. No futuristic tech. The interior isn't even that great. No 2+2 back seat. Weights 3,439 lbs with manual gearbox
(source)
Compare to the i8, yes less peak HP at 361, but it has more torque at 420 lb ft, weighs less by over 150 lbs, has the tech, CRFP, etc. 0-60 in 4.5s claimed by BMW, likely to be less when tested properly as is usually the case with BMW. We don't know the price yet but it could be $125k-$150k base price. Again, within the ballpark.
Let's say i8 comes in at $150k; ok, look at Maserati's, which go from the $130's to $180's depending on options. Their performance numbers don't match either for the price. I smoked one in my X6M and the guy wasn't too happy.
People buy Maserati's because of the engine sound, Italian character, beautiful design. To me, the i8 is the German version of that. It's beauty is in the engineering, exotic materials, high-tech, and futuristic (beautiful in my opinion) design.
I think it is very comparable when you consider all such factors. Performance numbers aren't all that it's about. A $70k Ford Mustang GT500 has 662hp and will smoke almost anything on the road in a straight line, does 0-60 in like 3.5 seconds. That's FAST. But for me, it doesn't do anything, because it's missing those intangible qualiites that the R8, the Maserati's, and the i8 all have, albeit they exhibit these characteristics in their own individual ways.
You want R8 V10 competitor (Starts at $151k and $170k for the V10 plus) - maybe that will be this rumored i8 ///M variant, for an extra $40k or so.
It seems to me that the numbers are very reasonably close, and the i8 is most certainly comparable to an R8 V8.