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Autocar UK compares the new BMW i8 against the Porsche 911: two high-end sportscars with similar price point and performance, though not exactly in the same category. Which one should you choose?
The initial impression is that the i8 offers a very different driving experience from any traditional BMW sports car. There is an uncharacteristic lightness to the controls and a faint whine from the electric motor under load but, for the most part, the impression is of outstanding mechanical refinement.
The electric motor drives through a two-speed automatic gearbox, providing instantaneous responses and the sort of standing start acceleration to allow the i8 to challenge a well sorted hot hatchback away from the traffic lights in electric mode.
Drive it in isolation over a flowing back road without too many tightening second-gear corners and you may never doubt the dynamic ability of the i8. The steering is precise, if a little light, while turn-in is urgent and it happily accepts increasing lateral forces without awkward body movements.
With its electric motor and combustion engine channelling their combined reserves to all four wheels, there is plenty of traction and the brakes are powerful, albeit lacking in ultimate pedal feel. And besides some annoying patter at the front over pockmarked surfaces, the ride is quite compliant for a car of such sporting pretensions.
And boy, does it go when you put your foot down on the exit of a bend. On smooth roads, it is capable of keeping the rear-engined 911 honest, which speaks volumes for the effectiveness of its high-tech driveline. The Porsche has nothing like the same amount of low to mid-range torque; nor does it possess anywhere near the initial accelerative force out of corners.
But the 911 is not gutless. Above 4000rpm, its naturally aspirated engine provides prodigious shove. But by then, the i8 has already benefited from its initial spurt of electric propulsion and is away down the road. BMW claims 0-62mph in 4.4sec, compared with 4.5sec for the Porsche. However, a constant, linear surge of energy right from the outset makes the i8 feel considerably faster.
