[zagaboo]

Hi all. First post. Thought I’d share my ownership experience.

Background

We use the wife’s company car (RR Evoque) as a workhorse and I like to splash out on something a bit fancier, even though my typical driving is largely commuting up and down the M1 from home to my offices in Leeds and Nottingham. (Caveat: I know the ideal car(s) for my driving needs would be a 330d and a weekend toy. I don’t want 2 cars, I just want one and want it to be a bit different from the mainstream).

My previous daily driver was a 61 reg Audi R8 (incidentally first owned by Harry Styles!!) The R8 was a truly great car, but I found it demanding to drive when not in the mood, with the R-tronic gearbox being particularly painful in crawling traffic. The slightest traffic jam was enough to make me arrive at my destination feeling knackered. Main bug bear though was that the technology was prehistoric. Stream audio over Bluetooth? Not a chance! I like to drive fast (but sensible) and averaged around 21 mpg. As well as petrol costs, the car was out of warranty (£1200 a year to keep up) and road tax was the top band at £500+. In short, not the cheapest car to run.

I have a decent job, but not mega rich and am a Yorkshireman, so legendary tight with the cash ;-)

The BMW i8

Had my eye on an i8 for a few reasons:
- Tech that is actually in this century
- Better Ride and more forgiving than an r-tronic in crawling traffic
- Fast when you want it to be, frugal when you don’t
- +2 occasional practicality (came in handy on my previous 997.1C2S and XKR-S)

So, I bought my i8 in December 2015, taking an available car from UK stock. BMW had a fairly decent deal on at the time of £4K deposit Contribution and 3.9% BMW finance. There was also some uncertainty around grants after March 16, so I decided to bite the bullet and took delivery on Xmas eve.

Given the attractive finance deal, no need to tax, half petrol costs, no need to extend warranty vs the R8, the cost of the new i8 was not that much more than what I was paying for the R8. Happy Days! On the downside, I’m expecting massive depreciation on the i8, whereas it has slowed to £5K/YR on the R8. C’est la vie. You pays your money, you takes your choice….

The Car
- Vehicle £103,810
- ZI8A I12 i8 B38 1.5i
- C23 Sophisto Grey / BMW i Blue accent, metallic
- NFCJ Carum Grey BMW i Spheric leather with Sitka cloth accent

- Options £3,910.00
- 2BQ Brake callipers, Black w/ BMW i Blue accent and designation
- 2W8 20" BMW i W-spoke style 470 alloy wheels
- 322 Comfort Access
- 4AA Headlining, Anthracite
- 4FG Seat belts, BMW i Blue
- 4U9 eDrive exterior sound
- 674 Loudspeaker system - harman/kardon
- 6AK BMW Online Services
- 6AM Real Time Traffic Information
- 6AN Concierge Service
- 6AR Internet

- Total £107,720


Ownership Observations

I charge up every night via a standard external plug socket that is very conveniently located at the front of my drive. I use precondition almost every morning, as I like a warm car. When I get in indicated max electric range is 16 miles. Never seen it any higher.

I drive in Comfort Mode almost all the time, but shift into sport mode when I fancy a blast and also when I am near ‘tricky junctions’ as I find the immediacy of the throttle vs actual forward motion in sport mode much better for pulling out at said tricky junctions.

Typical Daily Drive to Leeds is 3 miles on county roads to motorway, 15 miles on motorway, 3 miles into city (and return journey home). Typical Trip to Work Leeds: 50.4 MPG / 8.4mi/kWh

Typical Daily Drive to Nottingham is 3 miles on county roads to motorway, 45 miles on motorway, 10 miles into city (and return journey home). Trip to Work Nottingham: 40.9 MPG / 15.1mi/kWh (latter probably skewed by constant 50mph steady state runs through roadworks)

All Time Averages over 1800 miles: Petrol Consumption: 42.9 mpg / Electrical Consumption: 13.1 mi/kWh.

I drive the car no different to how I did in the R8. The R8 averaged 21 mpg. For comparison with other sports cars, the XKR averaged 19 mpg and the 997.1C2S averaged 26 mpg.

The Doors/Parking

Never had an issue with doors, but I do park carefully and often seek out an end space where there is no chance of getting blocked in. Maybe overly paranoid, as I sometimes ‘squeeze’ into a space (using the excellent birds eye view feature) to then realise I have absolutely miles of space to open the doors. In short, I don’t think there is an issue with the doors in parking spaces. You may get blocked in by some tool, but that could happen in any sports car.

Getting In/Out

I opt for the ‘ol bum in, legs in routine and find this fine. Need to be careful to pull feet in to avoid the sill, as it scuffs super easy. I’ve covered in silicone spray and it seems to help.

Getting out is the reverse, but I find the right hand on the still (uk car) can ease a graceful egress. Always, always remember to turn to the rear of the car immediately after exit to avoid bumping head on the door. I did this once, nobody looking ;-)

The Wife

She absolutely loves it! Simple as that. She hated the R8, saying it was the most uncomfortable car she’d ever been in and compared it to ‘like being in a dodgem’. The ride in the i8 is serene by comparison and it would be difficult for the other half to complain unless they are used to RR levels of comfort.

Performance/Driving

Neck on the block here, but without driving like an absolute tool at 10/10ths, I would say the i8 is easier to drive fast than the R8. The mid-range/overtaking ability is simply incredible and much more suited to my type of driving anyway. I can’t recall any of my previous cars being as effortlessly fast in the mid-range.

City centre driving and crawling in traffic is totally chilled – electric mode, near silent with every detail from the DAB Radio audible. I do find the amount of creep when lifting the brake from stationery a little aggressive, but hey ho!

Whereas in the R8 I’d often arrive at a meeting knackered, in the i8 I’m chilled. In comfort mode, there is an incredible grand tourer-like degree of smoothness, largely down to the lack of discernible gear change (even when the 1.5 kicks in). This is at odds with the supercar that lies beneath when you flick the selector into sports mode.

Practicality

Boot/rear seats offer comparable practicality to 997 and XK and is much better than the R8, but I don’t need much anyway – room for jacket, brolly and briefcase!

Verdict

At the outset, I mentioned that for my type of driving, 2 cars would probably suit me best. Well for me, the i8 is indeed 2 cars in one, for whatever mood takes you.

In comfort mode it is a serene, grand tourer capable for 40+ MPG’s. In sport mode, it is a supercar more than a match for contemporary models like the R8.

Buy one. Today. You won’t regret it.

[jcpca356]

Same experience here in Chicago! Thanks for the write up

[formulagt]

I came from an R8 as well - very comparable in certain areas and much better in others depending upon what you're looking for...Thanks for the writeup!

[MalibuBimmer]

Thanks for the report Zagaboo. I know several former R8 owners who moved to the i8.

It sounds like your daily commute would be mileage-enhanced were you to charge your i8 at work. Is there a reason why you don't?

[YWGT3]

Well put (spent some considerable time test driving both Audi R8 4.2 and 5.2).

Couldn't agree with you more on the many points pertaining to the i8, especially its mid range power. Thanks to the i8's overall design, especially its power to weight ratio, fellow member, Aye-eight, has been able to leave several sports cars, which have gotten uncomfortably close, behind on the Autobahn. From my limited track experience, the i8 does an impressive job both in the low and in the mid range acceleration department. Given a set of grippier and wider tires, I can only surmise that it would bring out the i8's true track handling potential.

But beyond the race track and in the real world, as you succinctly pointed out, the i8 is an extraordinarily fun and daily drivable sports car possessing many talents.

[ChiTownM]

Good description of the day to day viability of this car while also being a fun vehicle to play with. Hard to believe that the market is soft on these cars right now but I believe that the more people "get" this car, the better the depreciation curve will look possibly.....time will tell.

[MKSixer]

Very nice and detailed write-up.

Thanks for sharing and enjoy your car in good health.

Cheers-mk

[i8_flyer]

Great article - I pick mine up tomorrow morning!!

[Arobotbrain]

Really helpful ... gets me even closer to ordering mine.

[Hitz101]

I came from an r8 as well. The only thing I really miss & wish the i8 had...is THE SOUUUNNDDD & rawness. I wish it just had some nice crazy real sound & such when it goes over into sport.

Its still not bad how it is though but man my r8 had an epic ass sound to it inside & out

[zagaboo]

Originally Posted by MalibuBimmer

Thanks for the report Zagaboo. I know several former R8 owners who moved to the i8.

It sounds like your daily commute would be mileage-enhanced were you to charge your i8 at work. Is there a reason why you don't?

I don't have a charge point at office in Leeds and only spend 2 days in Nottingham. There is a chargemaster point there but this would mean the parking space being available and having to buy a charge lead (I use a UK 3 pin plug lead at home). Doesn't stack up for me. Also, I always seem to have just enough electric range to get me in and out of the cities, so the overnight charge at home works well for my driving needs.

[MalibuBimmer]

Originally Posted by zagaboo

I don't have a charge point at office in Leeds and only spend 2 days in Nottingham. There is a chargemaster point there but this would mean the parking space being available and having to buy a charge lead (I use a UK 3 pin plug lead at home). Doesn't stack up for me. Also, I always seem to have just enough electric range to get me in and out of the cities, so the overnight charge at home works well for my driving needs.

Thanks for the clarification. Here in the US one of the no-extra-cost accessories we get with the car is the "portable" charger. I've used it at friends' houses a few times. (In fact once it got stuck in the car and I needed a tow.)