The Future Has Arrived
I am lucky enough to be able to sample some pretty exotic machines but surely none come as beautiful and exotic as the BMW i8
Futuristic lines, butterfly doors, carbon body, plug-in hybrid motor, the BMW i8 is all these things and more.
A joy to drive thanks to its light weight, nimble handling, with ample power supplied by a 3 cylinder 1.5 Liter turbocharged petrol motor driving the rear wheels, "that's not a lot" I hear you say, but wait, add to that TWO electric motors, the first one drives the front wheels only and is fed by a massive battery pack charged by harvesting braking energy. And cleverly BMW use the starter motor to add power to the petrol engine and fill any gap caused by turbo lag. Inside it sounds like a sports car, but that sound is artificially produced though the speaker system giving the i8 a sporty engine noise.
Futuristic lines, butterfly doors, carbon body, plug-in hybrid motor, the BMW i8 is all these things and more.
A joy to drive thanks to its light weight, nimble handling, with ample power supplied by a 3 cylinder 1.5 Liter turbocharged petrol motor driving the rear wheels, "that's not a lot" I hear you say, but wait, add to that TWO electric motors, the first one drives the front wheels only and is fed by a massive battery pack charged by harvesting braking energy. And cleverly BMW use the starter motor to add power to the petrol engine and fill any gap caused by turbo lag. Inside it sounds like a sports car, but that sound is artificially produced though the speaker system giving the i8 a sporty engine noise.