Oh Look, BMW Brought Its Pathetic i8 Facelift to Detroit

TopSpeed

By Alex Oagana

Published Jan 17, 2018

Not again...

Remember how BMW brought the i8 Roadster, a facelifted i8 with the roof chopped off, at the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show and called it "new?" Well, it's happening again. It's been a little more than a month and BMW unveiled the "new" i8 Coupe at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show. The same car they first introduced in 2014, but with revised headlamps and taillights, a bit more horsepower, and a marginally improved range. BMW is either shameless and pathetic or is simply using the i8 to troll us at every auto show throughout the year (don't forget about those "special-edition" models with "custom" paintjobs).

No kidding, the only thing that sets the "new" i8 apart from the pre-facelift model performance-wise is the extra 12 horsepower. The revised coupe now delivers 369 horses and the increase doesn't make a difference in the 0-to-60 mph sprint, which remains unchanged. But that's not an issue. Mid-cycle facelifts don't bring faster sprints most of the time, but it becomes a problem when the car in question is labeled "new." What else is new. Oh, it gets an extra three miles while in all-electric mode.

Yeah, I know that other BMW models get similar upgrades with changes that you have to look for with a magnifying glass, but the i8 deserves a bit more. It's a special car and it needs special treatment. I would have been happy with revised bumper vents, a new diffuser, and a rear spoiler. A stripe package would have been fantastic too. But nope, BMW is stubborn as a mule. Or drunk.