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      07-08-2015, 10:32 AM   #45
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Epirali View Post
Well I have to disagree respectfully about the steering. It is electro-mechanical, but it is one of the best "non mechanical" steering setups I have driven. It makes perfect sense and gives feedback.

And for my current desires I much rather have a perfectly balanced car than a "track car for the road." As someone else said I have a real track car for the track.
True.

The steering gives excellent feedback and the initial turn-in is limited by the tire construction and size. I'd be very interested to drive it with a proper set of tires.

As far as the track goes, I seriously doubt that the i8 ever sees a track for more than a few experimental laps. It is not the proper tool for the job, period.


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      07-08-2015, 11:16 AM   #46
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Originally Posted by bernpep View Post
It's not just the i8,all current BMW's have almost no road feel to me.
They feel on par with my Honda Ridgeline. The last steering in a BMW I had that felt good was my E46 M3. Just about perfect.
I will still take the full mechanical steering of a Lotus, and the assisted steering of my Roadster M over the electrically controlled ones any day. There is no feel. But the i8 wheel at least "makes sense" where my Audi sometimes "helps" me right off the hairpin turn.
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      07-08-2015, 11:19 AM   #47
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MKSixer View Post
True.

The steering gives excellent feedback and the initial turn-in is limited by the tire construction and size. I'd be very interested to drive it with a proper set of tires.

As far as the track goes, I seriously doubt that the i8 ever sees a track for more than a few experimental laps. It is not the proper tool for the job, period.


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No argument, it has been said over and over: the i8 was never meant to be a track car.
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      07-08-2015, 12:33 PM   #48
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alpina_B3_Lux View Post
Well I've driven it for a day, and while it's quite impressive as a technology statement the driving experience is rather underwhelming. I did not like the steering, the handling is ok but far removed from real sports cars, and while the acceleration is nice it is not impressive for a car in that price segment.

The biggest disappointment is however that after a good 10 minutes of WOT driving on German Autobahn the battery is empty and you're left with a measly 3 cylinder car that is outgunned by any ordinary diesel car pootling around. Embarrassing to say the least.

As someone else said, you can buy it for a lot of reasons, but wanting to have a true sportscar is not one of them.
The Audi R8 5.2 is a great car. It's more practical, reliable and versatile( track worthy and street worthy) than the Lambo (although owned by Audi) and the Ferrari. Almost considered it over the i8. However, I didn't like the new facelift nor the fact that it didn't mitigate my carbon footprint concerns. As previously mentioned, I've done my fair share of carbon polluting and wanted to find a sports vehicle that was more eco-friendly. While the i8 is definitely not meant for the track (don't understand why it's constantly being reviewed among track worthy sports cars), it certainly offers sufficient power and handling on urban roads to satisfy my racing proclivities.

As it pertains to strictly track performance and If I ever were to care less about pollution and other environmental issues, the Porsche 911 Turbo is worthy car among track cars. It's a workhorse that has superb-predictable handling, power and grace on the track. Plus it's a heck of a lot cheaper to own and maintain than some of the supercars in the market. But for me, the i8 has exceeded my personal needs and expectations for a more environmentally friendly sports vehicle.

If I ever get the track car itch, I've learned from experience (personally had a car that was track worthy sitting in the garage collecting dust and taking up real estate), it's more practical to borrow one of my friends' track oriented cars for that rare track occasion which occurs less than 2-3 times a year for me.

Last edited by YWGT3; 07-11-2015 at 06:32 PM..
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      07-08-2015, 12:42 PM   #49
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195 F & 215 R tire width on the i8.

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      07-08-2015, 12:46 PM   #50
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Quote:
Originally Posted by b0bab0i View Post
195 F & 215 R tire width on the i8.

Mine came with 215 F & 245 R (2015 model yr.). I know of at least three others that came with the same profile tires.
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      07-08-2015, 02:03 PM   #51
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Quote:
Originally Posted by yw View Post
Mine came with 215 F & 245 R (2015 model yr.). I know of at least three others that came with the same profile tires.
AFAIK All US vehicles came with 215 Front and 245 Rear. Press cars were European spec and came with the narrow tires outfitted.
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      07-08-2015, 02:03 PM   #52
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Quote:
Originally Posted by b0bab0i View Post
195 F & 215 R tire width on the i8.

My i8 uses the 215 F and 245 R as well. Quite the contrast of the upgrade 255 F 325 R I have in my M6 but they will do for the time being. What tires do 2003 Z4s come with?
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      07-08-2015, 09:26 PM   #53
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Good comparison.

Although, I'm a little disappointed the Miata wasn't included. It's a great bang for the buck, great driving feel, much more nimble than all 3 cars and is great with fuel efficiency. It's also very quiet.






(Where the fck do we draw the line with these types of comparisons?)
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      07-08-2015, 10:02 PM   #54
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I don't know if people realize how silly the comparisons some of you make between the i8 and cars like Prius and Miata comes across to those of us who know better. I mean no one who owns an i8 goes around bashing other "sports" cars like the M cars, we don't go around discussing Porsche and R8s. Yet for some reason, as I keep saying, the i8 seems to be a trigger for a lot of people.

If you seriously think i8 is not in the league of "true sports car," whatever that means to you, then great. Don't worry about it, it's just a glorified Prius or Miata. Every award, every test drive, every person who walks away impressed is just wrong. Every article in which despite i8 not being as good in every "quantifiable measure" the as the cars you worship and still comes away the winner by experience is just a trick.

Those of us who can have any car we want yet choose the i8 are just deficient in some way. Maybe we will wise up one day and buy a real car.

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      07-09-2015, 03:46 AM   #55
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Epirali View Post
Well I have to disagree respectfully about the steering. It is electro-mechanical, but it is one of the best "non mechanical" steering setups I have driven. It makes perfect sense and gives feedback.
I found it rather vague with not much feedback from the road. Quite similar (although certainly better) than my 530d for which this is also appropriate. With the i8 I felt there was a dichotomy between the very sportive and even spectacular design and the way the car feels when you drive it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Epirali View Post
And for my current desires I much rather have a perfectly balanced car than a "track car for the road." As someone else said I have a real track car for the track.
Well, of course your mileage may vary, and I don't want to criticise at all any i8 buyer who thinks that car is perfect for himself. So much the better.

It's just when I see it compared to sportscars like the AMG GT S or the Porsche Turbo here that I disagree with even comparing them. They're in two entirely different categories. The i8 is not a sports car, even if it looks that way.
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      07-09-2015, 07:43 AM   #56
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alpina_B3_Lux View Post
It's just when I see it compared to sportscars like the AMG GT S or the Porsche Turbo here that I disagree with even comparing them. They're in two entirely different categories. The i8 is not a sports car, even if it looks that way.
Very true indeed.

And yet the comparisons are made because NOT being a pure sports car it actually manages to hold up to cars that are pure sports car, and yet offer things a pure sports car can not for daily driving. Including a driving experience unlike other cars (with one or two exceptions).
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      07-09-2015, 10:00 AM   #57
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Epirali
I don't know if people realize how silly the comparisons some of you make between the i8 and cars like Prius and Miata comes across to those of us who know better. I mean no one who owns an i8 goes around bashing other "sports" cars like the M cars, we don't go around discussing Porsche and R8s. Yet for some reason, as I keep saying, the i8 seems to be a trigger for a lot of people.

If you seriously think i8 is not in the league of "true sports car," whatever that means to you, then great. Don't worry about it, it's just a glorified Prius or Miata. Every award, every test drive, every person who walks away impressed is just wrong. Every article in which despite i8 not being as good in every "quantifiable measure" the as the cars you worship and still comes away the winner by experience is just a trick.

Those of us who can have any car we want yet choose the i8 are just deficient in some way. Maybe we will wise up one day and buy a real car.

We all know why the i8 is the trigger...

Alpina_B3_Lux To me the i8 feels every bit as much a sports car as my M6 does. Albeit slower than my M6 it feels every bit a sports car in a different and unique way.
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      07-09-2015, 12:46 PM   #58
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Twitch Massacre View Post
We all know why the i8 is the trigger...

@[Alpina_B3_Lux]To me the i8 feels every bit as much a sports car as my M6 does. Albeit slower than my M6 it feels every bit a sports car in a different and unique way.
I've driven the M6. To me it's a large and very powerful coupé, but not a sports car. It's simply to big and heavy for that. But that's just my own view, of course, YMMV as I said.

But at least the M6 you can do WOT runs on the Autobahn for longer than 10 minutes without half the power missing all of a sudden. The i8 is nice if you live in countries with low speed limits. For me here in Germany it's simply not an option.
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      07-09-2015, 12:47 PM   #59
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Epirali View Post
Very true indeed.

And yet the comparisons are made because NOT being a pure sports car it actually manages to hold up to cars that are pure sports car
Not in my book it doesn't. But again, my requirements aren't everyone's.
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      07-09-2015, 12:51 PM   #60
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alpina_B3_Lux
Quote:
Originally Posted by Twitch Massacre View Post
We all know why the i8 is the trigger...

@[Alpina_B3_Lux]To me the i8 feels every bit as much a sports car as my M6 does. Albeit slower than my M6 it feels every bit a sports car in a different and unique way.
I've driven the M6. To me it's a large and very powerful coupé, but not a sports car. It's simply to big and heavy for that. But that's just my own view, of course, YMMV as I said.

But at least the M6 you can do WOT runs on the Autobahn for longer than 10 minutes without half the power missing all of a sudden. The i8 is nice if you live in countries with low speed limits. For me here in Germany it's simply not an option.
I think your definition of a sports car is quite skewed and narrow. It seems under your criteria almost nothing would fit the bill. The common categorization of a sports car in the automotive industry is quite broader than that which you are abiding to.
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      07-09-2015, 12:57 PM   #61
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Originally Posted by Alpina_B3_Lux View Post
Not in my book it doesn't. But again, my requirements aren't everyone's.
Which kind of is my point here. What you call a sport car others do not.
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      07-09-2015, 01:58 PM   #62
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alpina_B3_Lux View Post
I've driven the M6. To me it's a large and very powerful coupé, but not a sports car. It's simply to big and heavy for that. But that's just my own view, of course, YMMV as I said.

But at least the M6 you can do WOT runs on the Autobahn for longer than 10 minutes without half the power missing all of a sudden. The i8 is nice if you live in countries with low speed limits. For me here in Germany it's simply not an option.
Yes, you're quite right, there is no autobahn here in the U.S. to test out the claim regarding the i8's drop to half power after 10 min. However, I've driven in sports mode at 90+ mph at a friend's business park, that's currently under development, for over 20 consecutive minutes but could not replicate your claim of 1/2 power or full electric depletion in 10 minutes. Also had the AC going at 68°F or 20°C. In fact, I had 9 electric miles left over from the 20 minute run on the course (oval-linear NASCAR like, without the bends along the two end curves). I started off with a 20 mile electric charge. Ambient temperature was 82°F or 28°C. And when I arrived home, the electric reserve was back up to 14 miles while driving in sports mode.

Perhaps, BMW did not provide you with an optimally charged i8 before your full day test drive (which I find quite impressive. My test drive: for the i8, to my dismay, was for only around the block; for the Audi R8 5.2 was for less than 1/2 hr.; and for the Merc GT 1/2 hr. as well). Let me know which dealer offered you the full day test drive as I have a buddy in Hamburg who would like to try out the i8 for a day as well.

Last edited by YWGT3; 07-10-2015 at 12:17 AM..
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      07-09-2015, 03:42 PM   #63
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I am fortunate to have both a 911 turbo and an i8. The turbo is a 6 speed manual and there is as much discussion about manual vs the new auto/manual as whether the i8 is a sports car or a family coupe. Porsche dropped manuals because they did not want to produce them as opposed to no customer demand. The reality is there are many greats cars and one can love or dislike each and every one. The i8 and the turbo were never built to compete with each other so the comparisons kinda fall flat.
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      07-10-2015, 08:00 AM   #64
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Originally Posted by Twitch Massacre View Post
I think your definition of a sports car is quite skewed and narrow. It seems under your criteria almost nothing would fit the bill. The common categorization of a sports car in the automotive industry is quite broader than that which you are abiding to.
Maybe. But I don't really care about other people's definition. It's me that buys a car and not other people, so for me it's only my own definition that counts. I hope that's clear enough now.
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      07-10-2015, 09:56 AM   #65
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alpina_B3_Lux View Post
Maybe. But I don't really care about other people's definition. It's me that buys a car and not other people, so for me it's only my own definition that counts. I hope that's clear enough now.
It is. It is your opinion, and as such it applies mainly to you.

It was when you decide to keep repeating it as something we should all agree with is when I decided to clarify my position. I won't speak for others here.
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      07-10-2015, 10:51 AM   #66
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SlammedR8 View Post
No offense, but you have a 2009 Porsche (and I'm assuming its not a Turbo, as your sig doesn't say so). So I too would take a brand new BMW i8 over any 997 (non-turbo).

However, this is comparing a brand new 991 Turbo which is (again, no offense) leaps and bounds better then any 997, and especially a non turbo 997.

As others have said, this comparison is just not realistic...
Can you define "leaps and bounds"?

Many Porsche people, of which I am one, will tell you the 997.2 is the best 911 ever built.

How many have you owned?
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