The i8 has a top speed of 155 mph and can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in under 4.4 seconds (like most BMWs). As a result, its straight-line performance is comparable to that of a genuine BMW M vehicle.
The i8’s engine, which BMW expertly designed, is responsible for the power. Unbelievably, the 1.5-liter, three-cylinder MINI Cooper served as the engine’s source. However, it has been altered to provide more naughtiness, producing 231 horsepower while receiving an additional 143 horsepower from an electric motor. The i8 is by no means slow thanks to the innovative hybrid configuration.
As a result, the i8 not only has a sharp appearance but also has the ability to move quickly when necessary, and since it is a BMW, the driving experience is also rather good.
In This Article...
The sporty BMW i8 is speedy, bends like a sports car should, and is a blast to drive.
The BMW i8 provides all the driving enjoyment you’d anticipate from a premium sports vehicle, despite its remarkable fuel economy ratings and pure-electric driving range. This deviates as much as it is possible from the conventional perception of an electric vehicle.
Drivers of the BMW i8 can select between Eco Pro, Comfort, and Sport settings. The i8 is set up for long-distance cruising in Comfort, while the first setting attempts to make the car as economical as possible, offering the best fuel economy.
However, Sport is the one to choose if you want to drive the automobile a little bit faster. When you choose it, the electric motor and gasoline engine are ready to give maximum acceleration, and the dashboard dials become red. The BMW i8 can go from 0 to 62 mph in 4.4 seconds while maintaining a top speed of 155 mph when fully used.
By choosing Sport mode, the car’s suspension is stiffened, the steering is made heavier, and the ingenious brake-energy-regeneration system, which slows down the vehicle and charges the batteries everytime you depress the accelerator, is activated fully.
You’ll hear right away that the 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine sounds nothing like the V10 engine found in an Audi R8, for example. Performance, though, is similarly astonishing. The BMW reacts immediately when you push the accelerator, regardless of speed, thanks to the electric motors. Things get even fiercer when Sport mode is activated, and the engine sound like that of a miniature Porsche 911, despite having half as many cylinders.
The automatic gearbox is enjoyable to use (as are practically all BMW automatics), and acceleration is essentially flawless.
The BMW i8 feels incredibly agile and has lots of traction in turns thanks to its four-wheel drive system. Body lean is minimized, and the car’s handling encourages confidence in tight turns.
Despite its distinctive charm and brutal acceleration, the i8 falls short of the Porsche 911’s wholesome, energizing sports-car experience. The BMW i8 feels more like an astounding technical feat than a performance thoroughbred, in contrast to how the Porsche 911 feels like a genuine sports vehicle.
View Additional High-Speed Videos:
The i8 is seen in the video accelerating to 155 mph from a complete stop on a famous German roadway (250 kilometers per hour). BMW claims the i8 can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph (100 kph) in 4.2 seconds, which is quick given the hybrid powertrain of the vehicle. The i8 is powered by an 11.6 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery and a turbocharged 1.3-liter inline-three engine. 369 horsepower (275 kilowatts) and 420 pound-feet (569 Newton-meters) of torque are produced collectively. An eight-speed automatic transmission distributes power to all four wheels.
Even though hybrid powertrains are far more widespread now, the BMW i8 still seems like a car from a future we have yet to realize as 2019 comes to a close. Unfortunately, the BMW i8 won’t last for very long. There won’t be a “direct replacement for the i8,” according to BMW Director of Development Klaus Frolich, earlier this year. Later, BMW stated earlier this month that it would stop producing the i8 in April 2020. The BMW i8 didn’t sell in large quantities—this month saw the production of the 20,000th i8—but it helped popularize hybrid vehicles in a similar way to how Tesla did with electric vehicles.
Video: BMW i8 Coupe performs a top-speed run that seems nostalgic
Sometimes it’s simple to overlook how ancient the BMW i8 and i3 actually are. For instance, it’s difficult to believe that the 2013 introduction of the i8 because it still has a very futuristic appearance. Yet it is approaching seven years old and has been around for more than six. However, the futuristic plug-in hybrid still stands out from the crowd, which is why it’s so well-liked today. It wasn’t intended to be a supercar in the first place, regardless of performance.
I concur with others who feel it’s unfortunate BMW didn’t choose a more daring powerplant for the i8. Although I can see why the i8 was introduced with a 1.5-liter 3-cylinder engine under the hood, I believe a more daring strategy would have also been successful. The i8 set out to demonstrate that you could enjoy driving while still helping the environment, and I believe it succeeded in doing so.
Last year, the plug-in hybrid underwent a makeover that added a little bit more power. The car in the video below is the latest variant, and according to BMW, it should be a little bit faster. It has 374 HP and 570 Nm of torque. The reported time for the 0-62 mph sprint is 4.4 seconds, but the video made by the folks at AutoTopNL shows 4.3 seconds. If you ask me, things are more than decent after that.
In just under 11 seconds, the i8 accelerates from 62 mph to 124 mph (100 km/h to 200 km/h), which is not bad at all. In fact, the i8 can be shown accelerating from 0 to 124 mph (0 to 200 km/h) in just 15.38 seconds and hitting its electronically regulated top speed of 155 mph (250 km/h) in just under 34 seconds during the final run in the video. Not bad for a car that is six years old and has a 1.5-liter, three-cylinder engine.
0-100 km/h BMW i8
BMW’s i8 may have a state-of-the-art hybrid powertrain and outrageous style that would lead you to believe it is a supercar-slaying monster, but in reality, it is far more subdued than its appearance would lead you to believe.
The i8 appears set to destroy the traditional supercar big players like Ferrari and Lamborghini with its low-slung profile and the theatrical (and impractical) butterfly doors on the coupe, but in reality, BMW has prioritized efficiency over performance.
A 96kW/250Nm electric motor powers the front wheels, giving the BMW i8 all-wheel-drive traction. A 1.5-liter turbo-petrol three-cylinder engine with 170kW/320Nm of torque is mounted right behind the driver and passenger.
However, the BMW i8’s combined output is listed at 266kW/570Nm, making it comparable in power to the Nissan 370Z Nismo or Audi S5, but outperforming the Mercedes-AMG C43 and Lexus LC500 in terms of torque.
The BMW i8 can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds with a six-speed automatic transmission in tow, which is substantially slower than its rivals in the same price range as the Audi R8 and Mercedes-AMG GT.
Independent testing revealed that the BMW i8’s quarter-mile (0-402 m) time fell between 12.1 and 12.3 seconds.
The BMW i8’s highest speed was also restricted to 250 km/h, which is significantly less than the supercars’ typical top speeds of 300 km/h or more at the time.
It’s difficult to predict how fast the BMW i8 will go without the limitation, but then again, that’s not what it was built for.
The i8 makes up for its lack of straight-line speed with its incredibly efficient fuel efficiency rating of just 2.1 liters per 100 km, partly because of its plug-in hybrid powertrain, which allows for about 40 km of all-electric driving range.
Yes, the BMW i8 is a plug-in as well. In fact, with more than 20,000 sales, it is the world’s best-selling plug-in sports car.
The batteries in the cars from 2015 to 2017 were 7.1 kWh, but starting in 2018, they were expanded to 11.6 kWh for an extended all-electric driving range of 55 km.
With the update, the electric motor was also increased to produce 105kW, giving the 2018 model a new combined total of 275kW/570Nm. However, the BMW i8’s acceleration stayed constant at 4.4 seconds for the 0-100km/h run.
Nevertheless, a convertible version of the vehicle without the two back seats and with a cloth top managed to record a verified 0-60mph (97km/h) pace of 4.1 seconds during testing.
Things we said
For the first few miles, everything is calm as I simply take in the many feelings. The overall refinement of the car is so high that it maintains a serene demeanor even when the tiny 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder comes on. Although the steering is quite light and without any genuine feel, it is clean and precise, and the overall feeling as you maneuver the car through turns is one of ease.
There are many occasions when you really do ignore the whole hybrid perspective and just enjoy the i8 as a beautifully accomplished 357bhp sports car. It feels as quick as the Cayman [981 GTS] across the ground. The technology is so beautifully done that if you have a nice stretch of road or another car to chase in front of you, you can just enjoy driving and the clever engineering fades into the background. Yes, if you stare at the dials then you can get rather fixated by what’s going on.
This hybrid accelerates quickly out of turns, with the front motor making up for any lag in the turbocharged triple’s responses. When you squeeze the throttle, you experience an immediate, proportional urge in the direction you want to go, as if someone had released the rope on a trebuchet.
“The noise is better still.” The three-cylinder has a distinctive tone, and its crystal-clear, electronically boosted sounds actually feel fitting. The i8 is so technologically advanced that there isn’t any of the weirdness that comes from piped-in noise in a basic hot hatch or classic sports vehicle. Like being on board an R18 e-tron or Porsche 919 as it brakes deeply into each chicane on the Mulsanne and brawls out of the other side, the real joy comes from accelerating into and out of every corner accompanied by the wooooooeeeeeeee of the electric engine harvesting and distributing its power.
What is the top speed of the BMW i8?
The BMW i8 accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.4 seconds and has a top speed of 155 mph. The i8’s top speed is limited by a speed limiter that prevents it from moving much faster, like the majority of BMWs. The BMW M5 CS is the quickest BMW vehicle currently available.
How quick is the BMW i8 when the restriction is off?
The M5 is undoubtedly the best, but there are other quick BMW alternatives available. Speed is provided by the 4.4 liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine used in the X5 M and X6 M. Both vehicles can reach 60 mph in less than 4.0 seconds. Although you wouldn’t anticipate a large SUV to have much power, BMW has succeeded in doing so. These two have a 155 mph limited top speed, but without the limiter, it would probably be much faster.
The i8 offers a somewhat speedier option; with this car, it takes 3.9 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph. Two electric motors and a 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine are available. However, the vehicle’s small weight helps it reach a top restricted speed of 155 mph.
The M6 Gran Coupe must be mentioned when talking about quick BMW vehicles. When the competition package is selected, the horsepower increases from 560 to 600, adding significant power that allows it to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in under 3.8 seconds. However, the electronically restricted speed stays the same at 155 mph.
Another very quick choice is the M4 GTS. This vehicle has a 3.0 liter twin-turbocharged I6 engine that produces 493 horsepower and can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 3.4 seconds. But it needs to be coupled with the DCT gearbox in order to reach that speed. It offers speed for an affordable price, starting at $64,200.
But the M3 is no slouch either. While the CRT has a top speed of 180 mph, the M3 GTS has a top speed of 190 mph.
Despite its weight, the M760Li, a Series 7 model, deserves to be on the list. A 6.6 liter twin-turbocharged engine with 600 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque powers the vehicle. In 3.6 seconds, it can accelerate to 60 mph.
This brand is known for being quick, but if you’re seeking for the fastest BMW currently on the market, one of these is probably your best bet.