BMW i8 2015
The i8 took the obstacles like a champ, throwing gravel and begging for more. The car never exhibited anything other than supreme confidence.
The i8 impresses, but it’s a hard sell. The model I drove is $150,000 and is filled with quirks. I can’t decide if items like squeaky windshield wipers or an odd instrument cluster are supercar sacrifices or something to do with a first-generation vehicle. There isn’t even Sirus Radio in the i8. The interior is filled with standard BMW parts and the lack of proper storage is laughable.
For my money, a Porsche 911 Turbo or fully equipped Audi R8 are better buys that will provide as many thrills as the i8. And if you can afford any of these cars, the cost of gasoline likely isn’t an issue anyway. Neither of these cars are as comfortable in heavy traffic as the i8, though.
The i8 is the car of tomorrow. Little issues with the creature comforts isn’t a problem to BMW. The car company is more interested in working the kinks out of the advanced powertrain and developing an affordable carbon fiber manufacturing process. Getting a quirky i8 to market is more valuable to BMW than spending years turning the i8 into the perfect car.
There are sports cars that are faster and more capable than the i8. There are sports cars that get better fuel economy, too. The i8 doesn’t even have a trunk large enough for golf clubs and the back seats exist only for insurance purposes — they’re the smallest I’ve ever seen. The inside is a standard BMW affair with similar trim, switches and infotainment systems as the car maker’s other models.Releasing a flawed product is standard operating procedure for car companies. Look at the Chevy Volt. GM rushed that product to market. The engineers needed the data that can only come from releasing a product in the wild. The first Volt was expensive, buggy and not the best value on the market — just like the i8 is right now.
I enjoyed my time with the i8. It’s a fantastic car and foreshadows a future where electric motors and gas engines work together to provide countless thrills. The i8’s engine whirls like a sci-fi spaceship. First a slight electric whine and then an explosive roar. It’s intoxicating and thrilling.
BMW and other car manufacturers are constantly striving to produce the ideal automobile. With each model, they inch closer to the perfect car. With the developments behind the i8, BMW gained not inches, but feet. The electric revolution should not be feared but embraced. If the i8 is any indication, the future will be thrilling.
Detials about i8
The BMW i8 can go from 0–100 km/h (0 to 60 mph) in 4.4 seconds and has a top speed of 250 km/h (160 mph). The BMW i8 has a fuel efficiency of 2.1 L/100 km (134.5 mpg-imp; 112.0 mpg-US) under the NEDC test with carbon emissions of 49 g/km. EPA rated the i8 combined fuel economy at 76 equivalent (MPG-equivalent) (3.1 L gasoline equivalent/100 km; 91 mpg-imp gasoline equivalent).
The initial turbodiesel concept car was unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. The production version of the BMW i8 was unveiled at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show. The i8 was released in Germany in June 2014. Deliveries to retail customers in the U.S. began in August 2014. Global sales totaled 1,741 units through December 2014
The BMW i8's second power source is a hybrid synchronous electric motor specially developed and produced by the BMW Group for BMW i. The electric motor develops maximum power of 131 hp (96 kW) and produces its maximum torque of around 236 lb-ft (320 Nm) from standstill. Typical of an electric motor, responsive power is instantly available when starting and this continues into the higher load ranges. As well as providing a power boost to assist the gasoline engine during acceleration, the electric motor can also power the vehicle by itself. Top speed in electric mode is approximately 75 mph (121 km/h), with a maximum driving range of up to 22 mi (35 km). Linear acceleration is maintained even at higher speeds since the interplay between the two power sources efficiently absorbs any power flow interruptions when shifting gears. The BMW i8 has an electronically controlled top speed of 155 mph (249 km/h), which can be reached and maintained when the vehicle operates solely on the gasoline engine. The model-specific version of the high-voltage 7.2 lithium-ion battery has a liquid cooling system and can be recharged at a conventional household power socket, at a BMW i Wallbox or at a public charging station. In the US a full recharge takes approximately 3.5 hours from a conventional 120V, 12 amp household circuit or approximately 1.5 hours from a 220V Level 2 charge.
Open an i8’s doors and you’re greeted by a cabin that is at once extremely beautiful yet, if you’re used to seeing inside BMWs, reassuringly familiar. Just as it should be, then: special yet also entirely usable.Pleasingly finished, high-grade materials are presented in an interesting, slightly futuristic fashion. Blue – the motor industry’s eco colour of choice – features here and there, but for the most part BMW’s traditional materials abound. One of our photographers thought it a pity that the bold material choices of the BMW i3’s interior hadn’t been continued here, but by and large our testers felt it spot on.The driving position and controls are sited entirely as you’d expect them to be on a BMW sports car or GT. You can sit long and low, with a good wheel extending out towards you and backed with classy paddles.
The front passenger fares equally well. The window line is high, so it’s snug and secure rather than airy. The i8 also joins the Lotus Evora as being the only cars on sale that are both mid-engined with +2 rear seats. It’s unusual because there’s only so much space in the wheelbase behind the front seats, but BMW has done a decent job. You can fit nippers back there, but really it’s a three-seater, as a tall adult driving all but eliminates rear legroom on that side.Behind all of that lies a 154-litre boot, nine litres larger than a Porsche 911’s.Standard equipment is comprehensive and includes climate control, cruise control with a braking function, DAB radio, a heads-up display, Bluetooth and USB connectivity, typre pressure monitoring, variable damper control, electrically adjusted and heated front seats, front and rear parking sensors and an 8.8-inch media system display.
BMW's latest-generation iDrive underpins the way the entertainment and information systems work in the i8 but, as with the i3, there are a few additional features to work around. Fortunately the system is so intuitive that you don't have to churn through the handbook to fathom it – once you're used to where a few mission-critical screens lie, that is.One of our preferred ones shows the current level of battery charge, but there are myriad ways of seeing what the powertrain is up to. BMW's navigation remains best in class for telling you where traffic queues are and by how much you'll be delayed.
Source- techcrunch.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment