[x5love]

Is the grill in the i8 (and i3 for that matter) fake?

For design only? Or does it serve some type of function?

[Carac]

Originally Posted by x5love

Is the grill in the i8 (and i3 for that matter) fake?

For design only? Or does it serve some type of function?

Design only, no need for cooling. But the twin-kidneys are a must.

[x5love]

Originally Posted by Carac

Design only, no need for cooling. But the twin-kidneys are a must.

Not if they have no function at all.

Try telling an ///M fan that nonfunctional side vents are a must.

I think it's pretty absurd.

The i8 and i3 fall too heavily into marketing an gimmick (electric blue trim and fake grills for one thing).

Hopefully in the coming years they'll tone down the fakery.

[Tilum]

Originally Posted by x5love

Not if they have no function at all.

Try telling an ///M fan that nonfunctional side vents are a must.

I think it's pretty absurd.

The i8 and i3 fall too heavily into marketing an gimmick (electric blue trim and fake grills for one thing).

Hopefully in the coming years they'll tone down the fakery.

Lots of styling cues aren't necessary on cars, but manufacturers still include them. I know its not quite your point (as vents typically have a purpose), but for example a BMW badge is not necessary, so why not get rid of that as well!

The Kidney Grills help to make the car instantly recognisable as a BMW. FLOG, why are there so many i8 haters out there... if it's not the car for you then fine. But why bother wasting your time p*ssing on other people's joy.

Getting a bit sick of this forum TBH.

[ddk632]

The BMW kidney grill on the i8, beside serving the purpose of brand recognition for the i8 as a clear and distinct BMW, is also partly - not completely - closed, and serves a cooling function along with "active air control vents" - not sure if those are separate from, or referring to, the kidney grille. Hard to find specific technical info but if I do, I'll post it. For now here's a link and screenshot of said link as a source for my statement.

http://www.bmw.com/com/en/newvehicle..._dynamics.html

Click on "Aerodynamic features" to expand the section that I am referring to.

[x5love]

Originally Posted by Tilum

Lots of styling cues aren't necessary on cars, but manufacturers still include them. I know its not quite your point (as vents typically have a purpose), but for example a BMW badge is not necessary, so why not get rid of that as well!

The Kidney Grills help to make the car instantly recognisable as a BMW. FLOG, why are there so many i8 haters out there... if it's not the car for you then fine. But why bother wasting your time p*ssing on other people's joy.

Getting a bit sick of this forum TBH.

Come on dude, this forum is a place of discussion. People are allowed to have opinions. I'm not at all trying to rein on anyone's parade, and I also don't think I should have to keep my mouth shut. If you don't like what I have to say in the thread, go to the majority of others that praise the i8. It's cool.

The badge example is a bit extreme, and not really analogous. A grill's function is to cool an engine, a badge's function is to mark a product with the brand. Taking something functional and using it to simply bolster a brand isn't satisfying IMO.

There's a lot of gimmick with the i8--the fake grill, the blue stripes all over it, the scissor doors--all these things are really easy to hate on, and it's not normally a direction that BMW goes with its products. That's probably why you're seeing a lot of hate. A lot of this car is marketing, and I understand why they are choosing to go in that direction, but it certainly makes the car feel less pure, which is something that BMW has always been hailed for.

Don't get me wrong, I love aspects of the car. I think certain styling elements are gorgeous. I think that it can pioneer a new type of car, and hope for the day I can grab a 4 series I can cruise around in electric mode with and get the cylinders erupting when i need a boost. The i8 is very much the start of a new future for BMW that I am in fact very excited for.

All that said, certain elements don't, and probably never will jive with me. Elements derived solely from the marketing standpoint of this car, not from it's function, ability, or technology.

It's about a lack of purity from a brand that's usually been pretty damn good at remaining pure.