The excitement is building... BMW i3 and BMW i8 media preview ride along review

[Its_lobelt]

Originally Posted by W///

Pipe the sound from what? A 3 cylinder? Get over it. I still laugh at all this talk about active sound. If you hate it SO much, disable it and get straight pipes if that's what you want.

There were so many intersting parts of the video (I loved hearing the car in full electric mode, that was really cool). All this talk about active sound has been beaten to death already.

Thank you. Someone had to say it. This talk always always seems to come from the "purists" too. Who cares where the sound is coming from as long as it sounds good no?

[misterbeemer]

Originally Posted by ROB_S2K

Thank you. Someone had to say it. This talk always always seems to come from the "purists" too. Who cares where the sound is coming from as long as it sounds good no?

Hmm...or the driver could make the "vroom" sound himself/herself each time he/she steps on the accelerator. I mean why should BMW bother adding this active sound stuff? They should just tell the customer to make the sound themselves.

[blacknbean]

i honestly would rock the i3. provided its not too big, it would make a great city car

[Its_lobelt]

Originally Posted by misterbeemer

Hmm...or the driver could make the "vroom" sound himself/herself each time he/she steps on the accelerator. I mean why should BMW bother adding this active sound stuff? They should just tell the customer to make the sound themselves.

Last time I checked when I make a vroom sound it doesn't sound anything like a car.

[JasonCSU]

Originally Posted by W///

Pipe the sound from what? A 3 cylinder? Get over it. I still laugh at all this talk about active sound. If you hate it SO much, disable it and get straight pipes if that's what you want.

There were so many intersting parts of the video (I loved hearing the car in full electric mode, that was really cool). All this talk about active sound has been beaten to death already.

Originally Posted by ROB_S2K

Thank you. Someone had to say it. This talk always always seems to come from the "purists" too. Who cares where the sound is coming from as long as it sounds good no?

I'm sorry, but the active sound in any model gives the impression the car is trying to be something it is not. I guess it is acceptable for cars to be "posers" these days instead when it comes to sound. What is the problem with letting a car sound natural? Assuming the active sound hadn't been enabled yet, the 3 cylinder didn't sound bad. It had an air cooled boxer engine sound to it. The all electric mode, while quiet, also had an interesting sound to it. However, this is where active sound could potentially get out of control by letting your car sound more like a video game when in all electric mode. I don't know, maybe customers want that and are demanding it. If that is the case, let those of us who don't want it have the option of disabling it.

[bimmerJP]

Originally Posted by BlackJetE90

Problem it is only sports car fast for ~20 miles. The power ratings they are touting are combined ratings. So once you exhaust the electric range, which has been said to be 20 miles. You are left with a $100,000+ sports car running a slow as piss 3-cylinder engine. The i8 needs a bigger gas engine to be called a sports car.

What the hell are you talking about!? The 20 miles range is "electric mode only!" Do you even realize what you are saying? When the i8 is in its sports mode, both the 3 cylinder engine AND the electric motor will be working. The 20 miles range is when it's running on e-mode, or whatever they call it. Besides, it's a hybrid, not an electric car. As long as you have gasoline in there, you should never run out of battery.

[W///]

Originally Posted by JasonCSU

I'm sorry, but the active sound in any model gives the impression the car is trying to be something it is not. I guess it is acceptable for cars to be "posers" these days instead when it comes to sound. What is the problem with letting a car sound natural? Assuming the active sound hadn't been enabled yet, the 3 cylinder didn't sound bad. It had an air cooled boxer engine sound to it. The all electric mode, while quiet, also had an interesting sound to it. However, this is where active sound could potentially get out of control by letting your car sound more like a video game when in all electric mode. I don't know, maybe customers want that and are demanding it. If that is the case, let those of us who don't want it have the option of disabling it.

You're right, the 3 cylinder doesn't sound bad. In a 1er or 3er. A 100k Euro car? Doubtful. I actually really liked it in the 1er video that was floating around, don't get me wrong.

This is what I said in my post. If you hate Active sound so bad, pull the damn fuse. That's all it takes! To me, it just seems like people make such a huge deal out of it! Besides, there's a video on YT that shows an M5 with Active Sound on and off, and I can hardly tell the difference to be honest.

[Jason]

Originally Posted by W///

This is what I said in my post. If you hate Active sound so bad, pull the damn fuse. That's all it takes! To me, it just seems like people make such a huge deal out of it! Besides, there's a video on YT that shows an M5 with Active Sound on and off, and I can hardly tell the difference to be honest.

That fuse pull was done by our M5POST member (see http://f10.m5post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=680384).

Pulling the fuse disables active sound, but it also disables the entire audio/stereo system.

[dmboone25]

Originally Posted by JasonCSU

I'm sorry, but the active sound in any model gives the impression the car is trying to be something it is not. I guess it is acceptable for cars to be "posers" these days instead when it comes to sound. What is the problem with letting a car sound natural? Assuming the active sound hadn't been enabled yet, the 3 cylinder didn't sound bad. It had an air cooled boxer engine sound to it. The all electric mode, while quiet, also had an interesting sound to it. However, this is where active sound could potentially get out of control by letting your car sound more like a video game when in all electric mode. I don't know, maybe customers want that and are demanding it. If that is the case, let those of us who don't want it have the option of disabling it.

I like the video game analogy. I mean, I don't understand BMW's goal with this type of gimmick. It isn't all real, so why do it ?

In by head, this is just an excuse not to make a better exhaust. Just seems fake and trite.

[W///]

Originally Posted by Jason

That fuse pull was done by our M5POST member (see http://f10.m5post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=680384).

Pulling the fuse disables active sound, but it also disables the entire audio/stereo system.

Interesting, didn't know that. Thanks for the correction. Would it be possible to code out maybe?

[bimmerjph]

Originally Posted by JasonCSU

I'm sorry, but the active sound in any model gives the impression the car is trying to be something it is not. I guess it is acceptable for cars to be "posers" these days instead when it comes to sound. What is the problem with letting a car sound natural? Assuming the active sound hadn't been enabled yet, the 3 cylinder didn't sound bad. It had an air cooled boxer engine sound to it. The all electric mode, while quiet, also had an interesting sound to it. However, this is where active sound could potentially get out of control by letting your car sound more like a video game when in all electric mode. I don't know, maybe customers want that and are demanding it. If that is the case, let those of us who don't want it have the option of disabling it.

I agree if thats how it sounds with out the Active Sound, then don't even bother. It sounds good already. much better than I thought it would. The reviewer was right on when he said that it is reminiscent of an older air cooled 911.

[T_F30]

Originally Posted by BlackJetE90

Problem it is only sports car fast for ~20 miles. The power ratings they are touting are combined ratings. So once you exhaust the electric range, which has been said to be 20 miles. You are left with a $100,000+ sports car running a slow as piss 3-cylinder engine. The i8 needs a bigger gas engine to be called a sports car.

..like any car of these days, your petrol motor will actively charge the electric one even while that electric motor is producing the added hp..

[s2kroma]

I just don't think it will sell. Just like the Z8 (collectors edition, collects dust in the garage, no one drives it). They might compare this car to the AUDI R8. I see the combination here of number 8 for some reason?!

[s2kroma]

Boooooooo, didnt even finish watching the video. Its boring.

[SuckMy_Nick]

Love it or hate it.. It's gonna be revolutionary

[jdong]

Originally Posted by BlackJetE90

Problem it is only sports car fast for ~20 miles. The power ratings they are touting are combined ratings. So once you exhaust the electric range, which has been said to be 20 miles. You are left with a $100,000+ sports car running a slow as piss 3-cylinder engine. The i8 needs a bigger gas engine to be called a sports car.

Somewhat true, not completely true. The car will load-shift during lower-load periods to operate the engine at, say, 100HP when the user asks for 50HP, and use the other 50HP for charging. This is already done in hybrids and ER-EV's (you can see this in action in the Prius, which otherwise can't even climb a 5% grade at 65mph, the ActiveHybrid's SPORT mode, and the Chevy Volt's Mountain Mode), and typically you can ask for more aggressively topping off the battery (at the cost of fuel consumption) through a SPORT mode or the like, while the Comfort or Eco mode will pick a lower charge target so that it can regain more energy on a downhill stretch with regenerative braking.

Now, your statement is true in that if you continuously ask for more power than the engine can produce, you will at some point "run out of juice" and your car will revert to a turbo-3-cyl. But given how big this battery is, you'll be pegged at the governed top speed for quite some time.

Very rarely does a driver constantly ask for the peak power output out of the car for more than half a minute at best.

The Prius, for example can only boost for around half a mile under full throttle (see last sentence of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_...ve#Performance). The ActiveHybrid 3/5 can provide around 20 seconds of boost (http://www.driving.ca/research-car/r...940/story.html). Starting with 100% juice, I'm usually down to 90% after a full throttle 0-70. But remember the AH3 only has a 1 mile electric range, so the i8's battery is much much larger.

So yeah, if you are doing dyno runs on this car all day, sure, you risk running out of juice and being left with a 150HP "sports" car. On the bright side, it beats a dead Tesla at the side of the road, and somehow that's a "sports" car. But in reality, as soon as you let off on the throttle the car is going to load-shift to recharge the battery for your next lead-footed incident, so I highly doubt this will be a real world problem.

[Bigiggs]

Originally Posted by misterbeemer

Hmm...or the driver could make the "vroom" sound himself/herself each time he/she steps on the accelerator. I mean why should BMW bother adding this active sound stuff? They should just tell the customer to make the sound themselves.

Haaaa

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by jdong

Somewhat true, not completely true. The car will load-shift during lower-load periods to operate the engine at, say, 100HP when the user asks for 50HP, and use the other 50HP for charging. This is already done in hybrids and ER-EV's (you can see this in action in the Prius, which otherwise can't even climb a 5% grade at 65mph, the ActiveHybrid's SPORT mode, and the Chevy Volt's Mountain Mode), and typically you can ask for more aggressively topping off the battery (at the cost of fuel consumption) through a SPORT mode or the like, while the Comfort or Eco mode will pick a lower charge target so that it can regain more energy on a downhill stretch with regenerative braking.

Now, your statement is true in that if you continuously ask for more power than the engine can produce, you will at some point "run out of juice" and your car will revert to a turbo-3-cyl. But given how big this battery is, you'll be pegged at the governed top speed for quite some time

Very rarely does a driver constantly ask for the peak power output out of the car for more than half a minute at best.

The Prius, for example can only boost for around half a mile under full throttle (see last sentence of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_...ve#Performance). The ActiveHybrid 3/5 can provide around 20 seconds of boost (http://www.driving.ca/research-car/r...940/story.html). Starting with 100% juice, I'm usually down to 90% after a full throttle 0-70. But remember the AH3 only has a 1 mile electric range, so the i8's battery is much much larger.

So yeah, if you are doing dyno runs on this car all day, sure, you risk running out of juice and being left with a 150HP "sports" car. On the bright side, it beats a dead Tesla at the side of the road, and somehow that's a "sports" car. But in reality, as soon as you let off on the throttle the car is going to load-shift to recharge the battery for your next lead-footed incident, so I highly doubt this will be a real world problem.

BRA-VO my friend... very well said

[Frosty]

I love the comment that it sounds a bit "Agricultural" in 3-cyl on mode

Frankly I cant wait for this car. Something this amazing at a less that $100K price point is wonderful.

I hope it does not have a single HPFP in in anywhere

[bimmerjph]

Originally Posted by Frosty

I love the comment that it sounds a bit "Agricultural" in 3-cyl on mode

Frankly I cant wait for this car. Something this amazing at a less that $100K price point is wonderful.

I hope it does not have a single HPFP in in anywhere

If it is direct injected then it will have a HPFP. Otherwise there would not be enough pressure to push out the fuel in the compression stage. Granted they could just put in fuel during the intake phase (and probably not need one), but that wouldn't be as efficient.

Considering this is based off of a modular engine architecture, I am going to say that its a safe bet this has DI.

[hellrotm]

Originally Posted by bimmerJP

What the hell are you talking about!? The 20 miles range is "electric mode only!" Do you even realize what you are saying? When the i8 is in its sports mode, both the 3 cylinder engine AND the electric motor will be working. The 20 miles range is when it's running on e-mode, or whatever they call it. Besides, it's a hybrid, not an electric car. As long as you have gasoline in there, you should never run out of battery.

No sh*t. "Never run out of battery"...umm no. It is a plug in hybrid, you have to charge it every night. The fact that it has a range put on electric power, means as some point you will run out of electric. At that point you have a 3-cylinder sports car. Do some driving around the city in all electric, add in some combined sporty driving. That battery will fully discharge, you better believe.

[hellrotm]

Originally Posted by Frosty

Frankly I cant wait for this car. Something this amazing at a less that $100K price point is wonderful.

Not going to happen.