BMW i8 is a known super car to everyone as it was first debuted and shown to people in a super hit Hollywood flick Mission Impossible 4. In this movie this car is shown in the climax scene driven on the roads of Mumbai. Audience in theater were quite amazed when they saw this future car in the movie and I myself didn’t wink my eyes when I saw this car in the movie.

So from then to now i tried to read all updates about this car and now I am writing this post after long hours spent on experimentation. This is my review on one of the most anticipated car in the automobile history.

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History & Advent:

2009-2010:

The BMW i8, first introduced as the BMW Concept Vision Efficient Dynamics, is a plug-in hybrid sports car developed by the German Automobile Legend BMW. This was first started in the year 2009 under the vision of fine automobile designers Mario Majdandzič and Jochen Paesen (Exterior Design and Interior Design). At first it came with a combination of a three cylinder turbo diesel engine and two electric motors with 139 horsepower. It was first unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto show and then followed by Auto china in the year 2010

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2011:

With some Major and as well as Minor changes, the 2009 model was redesigned and then unveiled at 2011 Frankfurt Auto show. During this year BMW named this experimental car as BMW i8 Concept. It was also shown at Tokyo Motor Show 2011 and Geneva Motor Show 2012. It was featured in the film Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.

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2012:

The BMW i8 concept is redesigned and gives it a Spyder model look during this year under the vision of Richard Kim and was unveiled in Auto China 2012 in Beijing and won an award of the best concept car. Carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic was first introduced in this car in the same year.

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2013-2014:

Was considered as the present running BMW i8 model officially. The design of the BMW i8 coupe prototype was based on the BMW i8 Concept. This model has major changes right from its looks and as well as performance. The enhancements include Carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic for less weight, aerodynamically optimized body with BMW eDrive technology and carbon emission was reduced to 59 g/km.

It also included with a hybrid synchronous electric motor as a secondary power source which was developed and designed exclusively for this car by BMW motors. It is designed to work individually as well as also to assist the gasoline engine during acceleration. The recorded top speed in electric mode is 121Kmph and reaching a maximum distance of 35kms. It takes about 3hours for a full recharge. This monstrous prototype was tested in Miramas test track in France.

After this initial testing, with slight changes to this prototype the final production model was designed and shown in 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show and then followed by Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez under the vision of Benoit Jacob. After this the product was started in April 2014.

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Performance :

While reviewing this car we have to consider the three modes in this car : SPORT, COMFORT and ECOPRO MODE. I will review those three modes hierarchically so that we can understand the aspects very easily.

Starting with Comfort Mode, the car in the comfort mode will use both the power trains. This mode offers a constant balance between a sporty performance and as well as efficient fuel consumption. This mode offers an unrestricted access to all the resources of the car and the user really feels quite comfortable in this mode. The maximum range of driving experience in this mode is about 500kms, if the fuel in the tank is full and battery pack is fully charged.

Then the Eco-Pro Mode. In this mode the car runs solely on electricity. This mode can also use fuel only under circumstances of battery charge drops below a given level; this mode is also designed in such a way that in circumstance such as battery down, Throttle failure occurs – the internal combustion engine gets automatically activated. It is more like a common eco-safety car in this Eco-pro mode. The performance of the car is increased to 20% when compared to the comfort mode as there are some restrictions which are applied on using certain features of the car such as air-conditioning, seat heating etc. This is the best of the three modes

Then comes to the most anticipated Sport Mode. It offers features such as manual gear selection, suspension settings. In this mode the driver can get the maximum acceleration and the top speed. And while getting at this, lots of energy is produced and wasted, and to save on this – BMW founded a technique to keep the battery topped up, while running in SPORT mode the car also activates “maximum energy recuperation during overrun and braking” through this the electric motor’s generator function’s and it recharges the battery using kinetic energy.

Safety Review:

This awesome car is a two faced one. One is a monster which can run quite high and the other is an eco-specialist. The car offers maximum safety although it has the power to sprint like a leopard. This car comes with safety measures like side and curtain airbags and the battery is also well protected by a crash proof mesh. It provides maximum safety in Eco-pro mode. It also has an intelligent safety system to ensure extra safety

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Looks:

When it comes to looks, the BMW i8 is unbeatable – as it is considered as a design that will stand as a remarkable resemblance for the future sports cars. Narrow headlights, laser technology, Carbon reinforced body, dihedral gullwing doors – all of them are jaw dropping. Complimenting these looks, one of the top clothing brands Louis Vuitton produced a series of carbon-black luggage for BMW i8 !

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Rivalry & Running Cost:

BMW i8 faces rivalry from some of the finest cars in the world – right from Audi’s prestigious R8 to Ferrari Berlinetta, Porsche 911 turbo to the C7 corvette Stingray. And yes, It costs a whopping $135,925 🙂

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Bottom Line:

Pros

Design

Potential mileage

Performance

Looks

Eco Features

Cons

iDrive doesn’t meet the expectations

Very Narrow Base(not suitable on Indian roads)

Price tag

Although it has some demerits, the car looks fantastic and remarkable. But we have to consider that BMW should pay some more attention to make this car as a role model to the future cars. If anyone is ready to spend a whopping $135,925, this will not be a wrong choice as the car has some amazingly distinctive features when compared to other cars in the market.

Visit BMW Website: www.bmw.com