Review: BMW I12 i8 (2015-20)

Overview

Commencing production in April 2014 and officially released in Australia in February 2015, the BMW I12 i8 was a ‘2+2’ seat coupe with a plug-in hybrid powertrain.

Powertrain

The BMW i8’s powertrain consisted of:

• A 1.5-litre B38 K15T0 turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine which drove the rear wheels. The engine featured a high pressure twin-scroll turbocharger, four valves per cylinder, BMW’s ‘Valvetronic’ variable valve control and a compression ratio of 9.5:1, while an ‘Auto Stop-Start’ function minimised fuel consumption by shutting down the engine when the vehicle was stationary in traffic;
• A 96 kW electric motor which drove the front wheels. As well as assisting the petrol engine during acceleration, the electric motor could power the vehicle independently with a range of up to 35 km for ‘everyday driving’;
• A secondary 15 kW electric starter motor and generator which was used to start the petrol and generate power to recharge the batteries;
• A liquid-cooled 355 volt lithium-ion battery – mounted centrally in the underbody section of the vehicle – which had a maximum usable capacity of 5 kWh and supplied power to the electric motors. When running, the battery could be recharged by either the electric motor on the overrun or the high-voltage starter-generator which was responsible for starting the petrol engine. It was also possible to recharge the battery from a conventional household power socket or BMW ‘i Wallbox’.

The I12 i8 could accelerate from rest to 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds and had an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h; over the combined EU test cycle, fuel consumption was 2.1 litres per 100 km.

Range

The petrol engine provided the i8 with an estimated range of 550 km from its 30 litre fuel tank (though a 42 litre tank was also available), while the electric motor could provide a range of around 35 km in isolation. Furthermore, the driver could use the ‘Drive Dynamic Control’ and ‘eDrive’ buttons to select from five drive modes: Comfort, Eco Pro, Sport and eDrive for pure-electric driving (in combination with the Comfort or Eco Pro modes).

Dimensions and body

The I12 i8 was 4689 mm long, 1942 mm wide, 1298 mm tall and has a 2800 mm long wheelbase; its drag coefficient was 0.26 Cd. The passenger cell for the i8 was manufactured from carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP), contributing to a kerb mass of 1485 kg and a 49:51 weight distribution.

Steering and suspension

The i8 had electromechanical rack-and-pinion steering, double wishbone front suspension and a five-link rear axle.

Safety equipment

Standard safety equipment for the i8 included dual front airbags, front seat-mounted side airbags, full-length curtain airbags (i.e. for front and rear occupants), ABS, electronic brake force distribution, brake assist, electronic stability control, traction control and front seatbelts with pretensioners and load limiters.

Features

Standard features for the i8 included 20-inch forged aluminium wheels with 195/50 R20 front and 215/45 R20 rear tyres, a 280 watt Harman Kardon HiFi audio system with eleven speakers, a six-channel digital amplifier and a DAB+ tuner, BMW’s ‘Professional’ navigation system with an 8.8-inch display and 20GB hard drive, Bluetooth connectivity with full voice control, dual-zone climate control air conditioning, power adjustable and heated front seats, cruise control with braking function, a head-up display, LED headlights, front and rear parking sensors, automatic headlights, rain-sensing wipers, a leather steering wheel, remote central locking with proximity key (BMW’s ‘Comfort Access’), power windows and mirrors, a height and reach adjustable steering wheel, tyre pressure monitoring, a trip computer, an alarm and immobiliser.

Related links

• Press Kit: BMW i8 (April 2014)
• Specifications: BMW I12 i8 (February 2015)
• BMW Australia: BMW i8
• Wikipedia.org: BMW i8