If you have ever wondered what the sports car of the future will look like, a great place to look is at your BMW dealership. The BMW i8 is how BMW sees it, and if that is the case, the future may be brighter than we thought. If we had to guess what the sports car of the future would be, we can be almost certain that it will be electric or have at least hybrid power. It would also be made of high-tech materials and be futuristic looking — the i8 checks all those boxes.

2019 BMW i8 - Driven

Specifications

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• Model: 2019 BMW i8 - Driven
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Exterior & Engineering

The i8 started life as a concept car, but in a rare move, it went from being a concept to reality without changing very much. Its shape is recognizable as a supercar, and it turns head wherever you go even five years after its introduction. The launch of the BMW i8 sees the world’s first sports car to be developed from the ground up under the banner of sustainability complete its journey from vision to reality. Both the exterior and interior embody a revolutionary, pioneering take on driving.

There is a low-slung hood, almost totally blanked off kidney grille, air curtains in the front apron, sealed underbody, contoured side skirts, and air ducts between the rear lights and roof frame that allow the air to be channeled extremely effectively as it hits the car. The large wheels with their aerodynamically optimized design also help to quell efficiency and reduce turbulence. Their effect is reinforced by aeroflaps positioned behind the front wheels and ahead of the rear wheels.

Precisely defined air flow across all areas of the body provides a balance between air resistance and lift - a design that minimizes drag and improves directional stability.

The i8 was designed from the start to be the car of the future, so engineers had to rethink everything. The passenger cell is made from carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP), and an aluminum frame holds the combustion engine and electric motor, the battery pack, and the suspension. CFRP is 50 percent lighter than steel and 30 percent lighter than aluminum yet stronger than both.

The instrument panel support is made of magnesium, which is around 30-percent lighter than the one in the BMW 6 series. In addition, the high structural rigidity of the magnesium support structure gives it a strengthening effect which allows the number of components to be reduced, thereby lowering weight by a further 10 percent. Innovative foam plastic technology used in the air conditioning ducts cuts their weight by 60-percent compared with a conventional solution, while also improving acoustics thanks to its sound-absorbing properties.

The BMW i8 is also the world’s first volume-produced vehicle to be equipped with chemically hardened thin glass. This innovative technology, so far used mainly in smartphone manufacturing, lends the material impressive strength. In addition to excellent acoustic properties, a further advantage of this solution is a weight saving of around 50 percent compared with conventional laminated glass.

2019 BMW i8 Exterior Dimensions

Drivetrain and Performance

Since the i8 was designed to be a hybrid from the start, everything could be located exactly where engineers wanted. A 1.5-liter, turbocharged, three-cylinder gasoline engine is placed behind the passenger seats for optimum weight distribution. The engine’s 228 horsepower is channeled to the rear wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission, while the electric motor propels the front wheels via a two-speed automatic gearbox.

In today’s world where you can buy so many cars with 500+ horsepower, 369 horsepower does not seem like a lot. Thanks to the use of high-tech materials, the i8 is actually pretty light at about 3300 pounds, so it is not slow by any means. But the goal of the i8 was not to build a competitor to the Porsche 918 that costs close to a million dollars. The i8 is about efficiency, so it is unique because it will go over 300 miles on an 11-gallon tank of gasoline, which is about the same as an economy car. We averaged about 35 mpg driving on the gasoline engine which is spectacular considering the performance. Driving on only the electric motor, you can go about 20 miles driving only the front wheels.

With a low center of gravity and a wide 67.8-inch rear track, the i8 feels very plated and is amazing around curves. The front tires are 215/45-20, and the rears are 245/40-20. They do not provide a ton of grip but don’t worry because the steering does not really like to talk to the driver. Fortunately, the limits are high enough that you will never have any problems on the street.

BMW i8 powertrain and performance specs

Final Thoughts

The i8 is an engineering marvel, and it drives worthy of a car with the BMW logo on it. It is one of the most advanced cars on the road today and really showcases where we are headed. A starting base price of $147,500 does not seem cheap but, when you start to consider how much technology is crammed into this car, BMW cannot possibly be making a profit from that price.

Further reading

Read our full speculative review on the 2020 BMW i8.

Read our full review on the 2019 BMW i8

Read our full review on the 2019 BMW i8 Roadster.

Read our full review on the current 2017 BMW i8.