BMW i8 Review by AutoExpress

Here’s an excerpt of the BMW i8 Review by AutoExpress:

As you knock the gear selector over to the left, the dials turn red and the i8 really comes alive. Throttle response is crisper and the powertrain altogether more responsive, while the six-speed automatic changes gear with more conviction and holds on to ratios for longer. Now, the i8 feels like a proper rival to the R8 and top-end Porsche 911s. Floor the throttle in Sport and the combination of electricity and internal combustion works seamlessly, with the electric unit providing instant off-the-line torque and the 227bhp turbo filling in when the motor becomes less efficient.

You’d think there’d be erratic surges of acceleration, but instead everything works in perfect harmony to deliver a blisteringly smooth 4.4-second 0-62mph time. Engaging Sport also switches on the maximum amount of brake energy regeneration and turns the standard-fit adaptive dampers and power-steering to their most aggressive settings.

Where you previously had a supple, comfortable ride and light steering, Sport mode weights up the latter and makes the former seem instantly firmer. Yet the i8 still feels perfectly adept at dealing with potholes or large ridges without sending thuds and vibrations up through the base of your seat.

In corners, sticking with Sport, you’ll discover that the i8 has a character all of its own – nothing like a traditional M car. Those hefty, powerful, oversteering machines feel brutish compared with the delicate i8. There’s a real immediacy to the steering inputs, giving near-instant turn-in to bends with subtle feedback through the wheel. Pushing the i8 hard, you’ll discover that it naturally wants to understeer, and you’ll have to switch off all the traction control systems if you ever want to coax it into a slide.