Seriously, The BEST Hybrid You Can Buy Today Is a 10-Year-Old BMW!

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[HolidayOnRoads]

I own an i8 since 1, 5 years now. The maintenance costs are about 600 USD a year. The services that are being made are changing the fluids, replace filter, s etc. Repair costs since now: 0 USD. The fully charged battery is good for 53km of range. Parts are no issue since now, but that might change in the future - but that is not a specific problem with the i8. My 2004 Z4 is sitting at the BMW dealership for about 3 weeks now, waiting for parts...

[dansimmons]

Like if you paused this video half way through to check autotrader 😅

[WalterA-bd]

A car way ahead of its time. Still looks good today. Glad you were finally able to purchase an i8.

[Moose-wjsc]

I’d have to agree when I saw this the first time 9 years ago, I thought it was a technological well situated hyper car. Despite what people say, BMW had some great innovation with this vehicle and it’s still one of those vehicles that I see drive by that I would love to have a drive through some scenic roads.

[Gadne.]

I think that in order to understand the philosophy of i8, one has to own one. Preferably here at the “old continent”. As I think that i8 was mainly designed for “EU kind of use”, meaning 6x higher gas prices & emission taxes, shorter commuting & shorter distances, 10x better public charging network (compared to US), 2x better home charging speeds (220V house hold network) etc.

The problem that i8 faces is that used car buyers (especially at the US) compares it only to Corvettes, newer Mustangs and Camaros, older 911’s etc. When it was targeted to whole different type of audience. It was never meant to be a 500bhp track day sports car, 0-60 under 3 sec type of super car, despite the “supercar” design.

The design was meant to relay futuristic, efficient dynamics, similar to the i3 (which no doubt is kind of anomaly in the USA). There’s plenty of books out there regarding the whole philosophy of designing a i8, shame that almost no-one will ever understand as they won’t read anything. They just judge anything, cars and other crap simply by looks, by numbers. Without ever understanding anything more in depth. But in order to fully enjoy the i8, one has to understand its philosophy rather than complain about 3 cyl engine or “slower than Corvette” ¼ mile numbers.

I’ve owned my fair share of sports cars and the i8 has really grown into me. Here in EU one really can take full advantage of the “plugin hybrid” system, one can charge the car every night at home and every day at work or during grocery run, one gets huge tax benefits, insurance benefits and when gas cost 4-5-6 times more than in US – one saves $300-400-500 per month on gas alone. Last smiles per miles and miles per miles; I put 39 liters (10, 3 US gal) of fuel into the car and got 1409km (875, 5 miles) out of one tank of fuel. Simply by charging the car when ever I could, and here in EU one really has plenty of places to charge EV vehicles.

I wonder what type of transportation would your average US citizen use, if the gas would cost as much as here in Europe; around $7-8 ... even 9 dollars per US gallon. I assume that i8 kind of cars would actually make some sense then...

[vishous]

Bought my 2019 i8 Coupe 3 years ago, absolutely love it only have 14k miles on it. Still one of the most unique cars on the road

[jjc]

Had an i8 since 1.5 years ago. Love it!! No issues whatsoever. Just done the annual oil change for 400 Canadian dollars and that's all. I did wrap the car for 3000 bucks and got spacers to push out the rims for a better ride and looks good too.

[desertwindauh]

I picked one up a few months back and am delighted with it. It has more than adequate power and works without fault whatsoever.
I find that the looks are captivating, easily the most visually appealing BMW in years (apart from the Z8, 1M and M2).
I have managed to crack the ingress part, but have yet to adequately find a consistently dignified method of egress. This is the ONLY downside.
By the way, I greatly enjoyed your Alaska to USA adventure and hope you compile more i8 adventures.

[TheTravelingTank]

Both this and the i3 may have been flawed vehicles when they came out but as the vehicle landscape has changed they are some of the few cars that became more stylish with age with many features and ideas people are begging modern cars to have

[WrenchesOnJunk]

Agree on the BMW interiors from the late 2010s - especially the preset buttons, which you can actually set to almost any function in IDrive, one of the best features I’ve seen in an infotainment system.

[kevinburke]

I had the i8 roadster as a Company Car in the UK for 3 years. I bought it from the local BMW dealer second hand, a year Old. One owner, just a few K miles. Big discount on new. Problem was I put too many miles on it. No faults or unscheduled days off road. Only expenses were tyres all round, front brake pads & discs. Looked great especially with the roof down. It was great learning curve from ICE to Hybrid. I got the Home Charger with Government Grant. Train myself to to plug it in every night. Left home in an ambient car with a full battery every morning. Gave me the confidence to go Full EV. So, I bought a second hand Porsche Taycan. Had it 16 months now. Big learning curve with charging regimes! The car itself is great will serve its purpose for the next few years! Would go back to ICE? Well, I've had 3phase 100Amps/phase fitted at home! What do you think?

[carguytom]

I own several cars (488 Pista, 992, Portofino) and two i8 roadster. The i8 is not the best handling and by far not the fastest, but none of the other cars give me the feeling of driving a milestone in (BMW) car history and a concept car in one. For me a amsterpiece and future classic, more than a Z8 or M1.

[jeffk]

This car looked like a spacecraft when it came out. I love the looks.

[tonygriffiths]

Many thanks for this great review. I wanted an i8 ever since it launched. Bought a 2016 plate in calypso grey this July and I absolutely love it. A fantastic car, amazing looks, awesome drive, real head turner. So many people have commented on it. Why did I wait so long?? Best wishes from the UK 😊

[godofdun]

Keep us updated on repair/service, I hear both good and bad things about these things. Those 3cyl mini engines are not so good sometimes.

[Hybridog]

I always found the rear body styling fantastic on this car. The way the rear roof line and fender come together and create that aero channel that comes out over the tail light - just brilliant and beautiful. It's like the whole side of the car is a giant NACA duct. I wish this car was a BEV - I'd buy one.

[PamenterDoug]

PHEVs are totally underrated. Clearly this one is the best. I have a 2021 Kia Niro SX PHEV and love it. Absolutely bland styling (opposite of i8), but super cool and fun to drive with fantastic gas mileage. Now, I just need to look for a used i8. 😜

[samwiley]

As someone still driving a 2014 BMW 535i, I kindof enjoy someone enjoying my old school buttons

[OldThomMerton]

This design is the blueprint for an inexpensive and fast car with great mileage.
- Yes, it cost HUGE amounts of money when built. HOWEVER, these days the tech has improved. Today, a front ICE engine/rear electric drive PHEV vehicle could be much less expensive . . . Toyota uses this concept these days, but in a Toyota (efficient, reliable, not fast).
If a fast, efficient vehicle was available in the 50k range with better utility space, imagine how many vehicles that a manufacturer would likely sell!

Love that car, way ahead of it's time!!!

Great video, Roman . . . you delivery is so much better when you love a vehicle . . . sometimes you really over emphasize the negatives.

[MugatuJag]

Absolutely love that I8. They are a steal at 40 K, and definitely future classics. There’s no way they’re not gonna double in price in the next decade.