But Sport mode is the one you care about.
Isn’t it always? Here, we enjoy the full benefit of the turbocharged
three-cylinder and its 236 lb-ft of torque. It’s also boosted by the instant
torque delivery of that electric motor (184 lb-ft), channeled to the front
wheels, so the i8 has the ability to deploy torque in a way that not only
affects velocity but also handling balance. More on that later.
In Sport, the battery is kept at a higher
state of charge and is more aggressively replenished under braking. While BMW
has carefully downplayed expectations with this car - the company line during
development was always that the i8 would be “quick enough” - in reality, it’s a
rocket: 0-60 mph in just 3.8 seconds. And while acceleration falls off
significantly at very high speed, the car can still tickle its 155-mph limiter.
EPA fuel-economy figures are not yet available, but based on my drive, 40 mpg should
be no problem. Welcome to the brave new world of fast hybrids.
Shifting
the gear lever to the left, into 'Sport mode', means the i8's petrol engine
runs almost continually
So much of the i8’s appeal comes from the
fact that the experience of the car is something entirely foreign to most
drivers; Chevrolet Volt owners won’t bat an eyelash at the silent getaway, but
they might once the i8 is strolling along in Sport mode.
Personally, I love the i8’s silent,
low-speed theater. This, more than any other aspect of the experience, may be
what persuades people to try something new. Much of our motoring life is spent
at a dawdle, so why not enjoy the glowing smiles of other people in traffic, or
the undeniable heart-rate reduction that comes with electric-only propulsion?
You instinctively feel less aggressive, less hassled, and more tolerant of
others. Don’t ask me how this is possible, but between the absence of noise in
situations where noise doesn’t add to the experience and an interior that feels
like chill-out music made tangible, I felt the presence of a calm, young
Skywalker.
Sport
mode changes the i8's instrumentation for a more performance-orientated layout
Beyond the striking origami styling and the
impressive 0.26 drag coefficient, the i8 is really a vast and ambitious
exercise in calibration. Clever people with computers were charged with taking
the sort of components widely regarded as the natural enemy of sporty driving
and fashioning them into something both intuitive and enjoyable.
And at around-town speeds there is much to
enjoy: instant electric torque for nipping into gaps, ghostly serenity. There
are also less edifying traits. In full-electric and Comfort modes, the i8
creeps insistently against the brake pedal. The idiosyncratic pedal modulation
- lift your foot gingerly, let the car roll, then apply throttle - takes a
little time to learn, and I had the odd jerky moment even after a day behind
the wheel. It’s a small point, but noticeable. Likewise, ride comfort in town
isn’t quite where you’d hope it would be. At first, I wondered if the silence
was forcing my ears to seek out new noises for punishment, but no. The car is
very firm. Dynamic dampers vary their responses with the driving mode you
select, but even in Comfort, the i8 is, if you’ll forgive the technical jargon,
too jiggly.
Drivers
can monitor whether the electric motor or internal combustion engine is
providing drive
No matter for this first meeting, though. I
was too busy feeling like a superhero and playing with dashboard toys, of which
there are many. The cabin is a beautiful amalgam of familiar BMW bits and
sci-fi displays. The main dash screen looks fantastic, but I struggled to read
it, especially when it changed to orange in Sport mode. (Sadly, that’s also the
only mode that shows a tachometer.) But for showing off to your mates and
feeling like you’re driving something extraordinary, it’s a great cabin.
Standard sports-coupe caveat: The rear seats are for tiny kids, or more likely,
holding a bag. The trunk is very small.