Wow. I'm not a BMW fanboy but this car blows me away. Especially the fact they did it for under $100,000. It's less than a loaded GT-R or Stingray Zo6. I can't think of a car I'd rather have right now for under $100,000. Definitely best new car of the year.

BMW managed to make their 3 cylinder hybrid sound better than both their flagship twin turbo V8 and twinturbo straight 6 on the M5 and M3........BMW, you confuse me so..

If BMW can make a 3 cylinder sound so good, beats me why their M3 needs the video game soundtrack pumped in to give it a decent sound. The M5 only needs it cos of excessive insulation.

people don't seem to understand the i8. its supposed to highlight a future where sports cars can be as economical as a city car but still have impressive performance when you want it. it is therefore not comparable to a 911 or R8 which are made to look almost out of date compared to this

It looks more like a prototype than a production car. With that said, I kind of like where this hybrid tech is headed. Cannot deny the fact that I love the 918, so this could essentially be a baby 918 with a different badge and more obtainable for me at the moment lol

One day people will be saying electric cars are so much better then gasoline versions! That day will be very exciting.

Porsche should be scared. I don;t see how they won't lose market share because of this car. It makes a 911 look so last year...

look at the back of the I8, looks like it is giving birth to a 911 and once it is seen, it cannot be unseen lol

Great video; this car is very alluring. I am normally drawn to pure sports cars, but they are are purpose built for driving enjoyment and when you need to use them for everyday activities they start to fall short with their horrible mpg, ride comfort, fixed ride height, noise etc. With a car like this you get superb practicality as well as some fun when you want. On the other hand, cars that lean to the purer end of the spectrum while still having reasonable practicality are also welcomed.

Driving that BMW i8 along the Castle Stuart - Dalcross Airport road must have been brilliant!!!

It'll be interesting to see if some of this hybrid tech ends up in the next generation of M cars. A 50+ mpg M3/M4 would be quite a proposition.

the sound of the future eco-friendly cars is the sound of a V8. thanks BMW :)

This is the best Autocar Video I have watched this year

Nice review !!! I believe there are different wheel / wider tyre options you can order from the dealer, if you don't like the standard skinny tyres / wheel option !!!

Even though I didn't quite agree with all of his recent reviews, I am glad that finally someone has grasped the idea and the purpose of the i8. It is indeed a brilliant car and a showcase for what is possible.

3 Cyls, 1499cc for $140,000 USD. Sure bring it on.

Best i8 review ever. Great car, especially as roadster. With only 3884 built, a future classic.

Sports car of the future. In a few years BMW can build this car for half the price. It costs so much now because of all the new tech they had to come up with for the first time. Also a lot of new manufacturing tech for this car. Still, they sold all the first years production very fast and has to increase production rate.

it's amazing how much it looks like an M1... nice vid... thx

I don't think the i8 actually makes a huge profit per car for BMW but it is BMW's clever way of experimenting and showcasing their tech for future generations similar to how other companies use their supercars.

Amazing technological feat, I think it's worth the near £100,000 price tag, because of all that ground breaking technology packed into every part.

I'm in love. The looks, the tech... It's like a futuristic wet dream.

When this type of automotive technology comes to America, the sun has already burned out...

Steve again at its best, in an absolute dream-car. What a beauty and beast in one...

2:05 "And that in a nacho"

I want to know how that sound is coming out of a I3 turbo. I suspect some speaker wizardry a la M5.

Every car channel im subscribed to uploads within hours of each other lol wierd

35 mpg in city and 60 on highway... That is 7 Liters/100 km in city and 4 liters on highway. Nice car, I don't really like how the rims look when the car moves. Except that, perfect.

this bmw is defining a new idea of what a future sport car should be capable of, in 50 years time we will be looking back at it as a pioneer

What a spaceship, makes everything else bar 918/LF/P1/modelS look like a benz patent motorwagen.

You may want to re-do the math on that power to weight ratio...

The coolest production car I`ve ever seen. I never thought BMW would come up with something this forward- thinking.

now that was a great review by Steve. The i8 is an incredible driving machine.

Man I wish they would stick the old E60 M5 V10 in this thing. That S85 engine is the antithesis of hybrid but in terms of raw performance, I can imagine it dusting an R8 no problem.

It is a thing of beauty as well...inside and out, they really out did themselves in the Design. If I had a wish, I would love to see BMW create a Track version for Le Mans to go head to head against Porsche, Aston Martin and Corvettes.

This is by far the most beautiful car on the market imo.

How is the power to weight ratio 393 hp/t ? 357hp / 1,5t = .....?

This is the way forward the rest will follow soon it will be intresting to see the motor world in 5 years

The back looks like it's shitting out a 911

Another glowing review for the i8! Just like the i3 is getting. Just like the M235I and 228i are getting, and just like the new M3 and M4 are getting, not to mention the 4-series and 4-series Gran Coupe. All just in the last year... Just wait until the M2 comes out, that will be another monster and game changer. It's a good time to be a BMW enthusiast. The i8 in Mineral(metallic pearl) white is fascinatingly, and devastatingly attractive. I cannot stop looking at it. It had to take big balls to put all that engineering, money, and tech into a car and wrap it in that avant garde styling instead of something bland and boring so as not to not detract buyers with progressive styling even before they had a chance to open the door and want to learn more about it.

Everyone looks at the 3cyl that they are getting 228 HP 238 lb-ft and immediately moves on to the electric motor adder. But the fact that they are getting those numbers out of a 3cyl engine in mass production is astounding. then you think on the electric motors.

i just love the way it looks and would buy it just because of that if i had the money

The i8 is 0-60 in 4.2sec but track records have shown it to be as fast as 3.8sec

I would love to ride my bike along these roads, when I go to England next year.

It would have been even more exciting if the combined power output was closer or more than 500 hp

Closer to 160,000 US, but still, quite the price. But this a truly amazing car in every way. I really hope the price does not kill off the i8. I cannot recall any car that went from concept to production with no readily apparent changes. It looks exactly like the Vision concept in every way, meaning a car one would expect to see on the road 15 years from now, and performance/economy/emissions-wise, it is just a piece of design genious. I hope there are enough uber-rich BMW fanatics in Abu Dabi and Europe who will buy enough of these cars to keep them alive. Here in the US, a large market to be sure, I don't see them selling enough to the extent that people will see them driving along on a regular basis, which would be awesome. I hope the battery, electric motor, and hybrid system in general become cheaper, and become so quickly, to the extent that BMW can bring the price down to at least somewhere in the range between the M3/4 and the M5/6. Hang in there i8!

Great review Sutters

Such a nice car! I'm getting one!

great review & an awesome car

Grandes máquinas!!!

Its nearest competitors (P1, 918) cost 10 times more and you can't even buy them any more. So this car is a bargain.

Good car review - slightly marred by unnecessary and annoying background music clip.

really really really nice video

Honestly I think people are just thinking about the specs, like 3cyl motor. But damn 420lbs of torque come on

Junior LaFerrari.......... what an amazing compliment

Forget the ridiculous price and the skinny tiers ...its a stunning car !

amazing engineering.......

Wow... "Fantastic value at £95,000" fast forward 5 yrs>>> wowzers, unbelievable value for around £40,000... It's on my shopping list for when it hits £30,000, I can't wait!

God, this looks positively amazing!

OK, OK, I stopped reading many of these comments and let me give you a perspective from an owners point of view. BMW here in US gave my wife and I a competitive lease that brought it in under many of the 750s on the showroom floor. We have owned several BMWs (5s and 7s but includes an M3). We have just sold our second Nissan GT-R (2009 and 2013). We owned and tracked a Gen 4 Viper even as we now track a Gen 5 Corvette Z06 - getting the picture? We love to drive real cars - both my wife and I are regulars at NASA HPDE events. So, this i8 is all and much more as described - we live in Colorado and last 8 weeks have driven to and back from Dallas, Phoenix and most recently, Toronto - this last trip a 3200 mile return trip. The mileage returned was phenomenal - we have never experienced stopping just once a day and spending $25 on gas! While it is neither a Viper or even a GT-R, there are times where it feels quicker! Mid-range / torque is unbelievable. 3 Cylinders? Our motorcycles had more cylinders and I was so, so suspicious. But no longer ... we will now definitely be looking to add the "spider" as and when it comes out. We walked from the Tesla shop as we think they aren't appropriate for us - we want a hybrid as here in the west of the US. No question - but others will prefer the complete opposite and that's fine by us. We have friends in both camps and it's just a subjective thing - but we now have absolutely no desire to move away from hybrids and indeed, we are looking at replacing our Jeep SRT with a hybrid SUV ... stay tuned!

don't care about the fancy tech, but FINALLY bmw have stepped up their interior design

My opinion about the price is starting to change. It's really a bit more than just a hybrid sportscar. The R & D accounts for much of the price of course, but the car itself is making the price worth it each time I watch a video about it (albeit, no, I'll probably never invest in one). The car is gorgeous, but imagine it stretched out a bit. Longer wheelbase, longer overall body length. It would suddenly have the look of a supercar. That imaginary stuff aside, when you think about it people pay the same amount of money for relatively lesser cars, like nicely equipped Porsche 911s that have about the same amount of straight line performance, and stats in general. And with a combined 357 hp and 400+ lbs./feet of torque moving around the amount of weight that it has to it (similar to an E46 M3), I have a feeling that BMW is going to come out with some sort of M variant with different gearing to move the "slider" more towards sport and a bit further away from economy/emissions. With a weight of about 1500 lbs. and a combined 357 hp and 400+ lbs./feet of torque with a lot of that torque available at 0 rpm, as is the nature of electric motors, then torque-filling for the gas motor until the full amount of torque that's available arrives, and effectively AWD, if the gearing was adjusted with getting more sportiness out of it in mind, on paper this car should easily be able to do 0-60 mph in the mid 3 second range or quicker. And that's supercar territory. I remember things about a decade ago when if a supercar did 0 to 60 in the 3 second range, even high 3 second range, people's jaws dropped and were amazed. Now we've become jaded and expect 2 second range 0-60 times from "our" supercars. So again, I really am reconsidering things and thinking the sticker price is about right. It's power figures show it's a beast being held back on a chain for the sake of a nice balance between quickness and economy/emissions through gearing. And if some sort of M variant is in the works, with gearing allowing this car to get to 60 in the 3 second range, I can't imagine the economy going down too much, or the emissions going up too much because the power figures will stay the same and since it would just be a matter of changing the gearing, any sort of loss on the "green" side of things will only come when the driver is driving the snot out of it, then go back to being almost exactly as "green" when driving normally around town or on the highway. So as a big fan of BMWs, I used to have a manual shift E90 3 series and my son has a manual shift M Roadster (based off the Z3), please BMW entice me into buying an i8 M variant that is still just as green when driving normally, but with different gearing for the gas and electric drivetrains so it will be able to do 0-60 in the 3.5 second range or quicker for starters, and be a real track day contender when the mood for driving it all out hits me. I'm doing my part for the planet by driving a hybrid at the moment, and it would be great to be able to go ahead and lay my money down for a "more than sport" hybrid that would be just as green as my current non-sporty hybrid when just peddling normally around town, but then, just through a change in gear ratios, becomes a green monster with the power goods to do 0-60 in 3.5 seconds or less for short periods of time of canyon carving, the odd autocross, or track day. Then I'd seriously consider investing in one, not only for the fun and doing my part environmentally, but also because I think the i8 and a possible M variant are sure to appreciate in value (an instant collector car investment in other words). And all an M variant would need to do is, again, just change the gearing, and maybe the suspension a bit. Luckily my finances are in very good shape at the moment, and I'm definitely at least going to test drive an i8, ask about a possible M variant or if something can be done about the gearing. And who knows, I may just take one home. Again, luckily my finances at the moment are such that I can put the money down on a 100 to 200 thousand dollar car. Every time I see an i8, the more and more I think about just making it happen and have a car that looks like it came from 20 years from now in my driveway. Actually, completely forget that last part. If I get an i8, it will definitely have a nice cozy home in the garage, away from the elements when not in use. Really, who would leave an i8 out on their driveway, the sun beating down on all it's gorgeous surfaces? Well yeah, super insecure people who want to show off. But all that will get you is the hand prints of a million neighborhood kids' hands on your i8 and maybe even a keying job from a jealous neighbor not reacting well to your new showing of wealth. So definitely in the garage it would go when not in use :) It is scary how much I'm considering getting a 100+ thousand dollar car. When I had my CLK that was one thing, but this is a number with one more figure. I don't know if there is something subliminal going on, causing me to write this much about it for starters, but every time I see an i8 I start thinking "buy,buy,buy,buy." Oh the consumerist society we live in. But I've been an aerospace engineer most of my life and why not live the dream a bit with a car like this? And if I sell it, I'd probably make a profit. Oh the power AND hybrid-ness, the looks, the doors, everything. I might end up doing it. I really might.

If you are just buzzing around in E-mode and then decide to floor it and have the petrol Turbo engine cut in....how can the engine be warmed up enough to: (A) perform properly (B) not have excessive wear due to full throttle on a cold engine?

Hard to believe it’s been around so long, unfortunately BMW aren’t going to replace it, so second hand prices are going to go up,but just now, you can get a new one with £20 grand off!

Epic. Love it & because it's a BMW the tuners will already be working on getting even more power out of that engine. As a technical exercise nothing comes close. Drive one of these & you will make lots of new friends.

It sounds so nice for a 3cyl

I don't think Steve mentioned the 918 even once in this video, only drawing parallels-multiple times-to the LaFerrari, and even more curiously the 911. Now Steve has probably forgotten more about cars than I'll ever know and has driven more super-cars than most of us can even imagine sitting in, so I can only assume that was a conscious decision on his part, and with reasoning behind it. Just not sure what that reason was.

Is it PHEV ?

1:05 -> I still don't understand why he has to slam that gearstick like that to manual (?). I have never did that in my life, I don't have to slam gearstick like that... You need to barely use any force for it to switch...

You know that the sound comes out of speakers and not from the actual engine, don't you? It still is a cool car though

This is a fantastic car, and hopefully represents the future of motoring...1550kg is class leading for a car of this type/size regardless of powertrain make up. This weight level also includes driver and fluids(DIN)

The i8 is a "moderately-priced" [$140k is "moderate?!?" Compared to the P1, 918 and LaFerrari, yup!] PERFORMANCE hybrid. As such, it is intrigue on four wheels, especially in how it will influence what comes after it, both from BMW and other manufacturers.

I'm down for a test drive when it gets to Oz in December. However in the meantime I'd like to hear why a car is being maketed in the UK at £100K/$200k, is being marketed at $300k in Australia?? The difference of £50k in shipping???

this car looks soooooo good !

it looks marvelous

more like a junior 918 spyder i would think, but than again i haven't driven any of them...i would love to own this car, just wonderful look, tech, sound, flexible and economical car...from the back though, it does look like it swallowed a 911 (once you see it, you can't unsee it- look between the blue lines)

I always give this car a second look, even in 2021.

So, how long before you might have to change those batteries?

Has a naughty flat 6 sound about it

Sounds really good!

Those skinny eco tires would get shredded on a track

no way this is as fast as an r8 v10

This is all very well but what happens when the batteries run out? Imagine the replacement costs! No thanks.

It sounds really good for a 3 cylinder car! o_o

power to weight ratio...393?

Power to weight ratio is wrong there as it weigh 1560 and max power is 357 it only should have 228BHP/tone

I like the upcoming nsx that is a hybrid with v6 that will be faster and less than 100k

This sounds "bloody marvelous" and you are not sure about the sound of the M3?? Oh, please...

this is next gen cars!

That MPG is hilarious. In the "real world" it gets what? 30 MPG max?

Interesting comparing this to the Ferrari La Ferrari. Similar performance with a much affordable/cheaper price.

Brilliant Review, Brilliant Car

Seriously, the only reason journalists/people are getting all wet in the @ss for this car is purely because of the brand; Is it surprising that BMW can make a hybrid? This is no technological advancement; Toyota Prius & Chevy Volt have been doing it for years now, so how's this the future? It's all been done exactly the same way already, come on, with this emperor's new clothes BS!

great review,and excellent car

You didn't say you'd had a test drive

"1,500 mile range and 134 MPG." You really don't understand what you are talking about, do you? Hope someone has since explained to you about MPGe. And how that is in E-mode only, not when you're burning petrol.

I just do not believe that car sounds like that when filmed from the outside. They are just mixing the interior "spekear" engine noise with the exterior sounds.

What kind of tires are on this thing?

For 95k he is right. But I never thought I would see the day that a seat belt looked so sexy! XD

It will be a classic