BMW i8

[CarolineK]

Parked up in a carpark beside a white I8 today. I had originally specced a Jaguar Ipace HSE before opting for the 4S and had also been wistful / thinking about an I8.

Sitting in my Carmine Red 4S today I had absolutely no regrets about getting the Taycan.
Has anyone had an I8 and then a Taycan?

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[philkent]

Parked up in a carpark beside a white I8 today. I had originally specced a Jaguar Ipace HSE before opting for the 4S and had also been wistful / thinking about an I8.

Sitting in my Carmine Red 4S today I had absolutely no regrets about getting the Taycan.
Has anyone had an I8 and then a Taycan?

Carmine Red is a nice colour ?

I had an i8 for 3 years and due to pick up my Volcano Grey Turbo S Friday. I am expecting the Taycan to be a totally different experience. The i8 was definitely a different style which attracted attention especially when the doors opened! But its handling wasn’t really a sports car with its relatively skinny wheels

 

[Kingske]

Parked up in a carpark beside a white I8 today. I had originally specced a Jaguar Ipace HSE before opting for the 4S and had also been wistful / thinking about an I8.

Sitting in my Carmine Red 4S today I had absolutely no regrets about getting the Taycan.
Has anyone had an I8 and then a Taycan?

@evanevery did, if I remember well...

 

[Yves_0016]

Parked up in a carpark beside a white I8 today. I had originally specced a Jaguar Ipace HSE before opting for the 4S and had also been wistful / thinking about an I8.

Sitting in my Carmine Red 4S today I had absolutely no regrets about getting the Taycan.
Has anyone had an I8 and then a Taycan?

Yes, I have had both. I8 is a small 2 seat PHEV with virtualy no boot. Don’t get me wrong, fabulous car, I loved it, but it’s not really comparable to the Taycan.

 

[YWGT3]

I have an i8 but intend to keep it. The i8 is vastly different than my Taycan Turbo. While it doesn't possess the athleticism nor stellar GT ride quality of the Taycan, it evokes a visceral sense of sportiness. Specifically, its low slung stature offers a low-to-the-ground visual experience. Thanks to its carbon-fiber cabin, the i8 feels exceptionally light and nimble during a spirited drive.

The contrast between the i8 and Taycan couldn't be more apparent. The former is an exercise in radical design with an aim towards achieving hybrid energy efficiency. Whereas, the all-electric Taycan is up for any occasion, whether it be a relaxing and sedate ride in the country or exercising its brute force and enviable racing prowess on the track.

 

[epirali]

I also own both the i8 roadster and the Taycan. Others have said it perfectly above, these are two very different beasts and honestly not comparable.

In someways, between all my various cars, I would have to say if I had to keep only one it would be the i8. Not because it’s the fastest, nor is it the best, or any single element. But the totality of the innovation, the way it has so many different characters, the effortlessness of the drive train, it would have to be the one I keep.

And I am still amazed every time I put it into sport mode, because it has a six speed turbo 3 cylinder driving the back, a two speed electric motor in the front, AND an auxiliary smaller electric motor in the rear just to cover turbo lag. And somehow it manages all this in a way that is mind boggling. And it still surprises me that BMW went from this demonstration of a concept to almost a complete lack of presence in the current EV market (the i3 is pretty much unchanged since launch with minor tweaks).

As an aside it is amusing to see that the new McLaren that replaces the 570 is essentially an inverted i8 (electric rear, engine in front) with everything made bigger.

 

[Nipri]

I had an i8 when in it first came out in the UK for 3 years which was in my view way ahead of it's time.
From the i8 went to Jaguar I Pace First Edition which to be honest is the best car have ever owned. Driver's car for sure.
Cannot wait to get the Taycan which I am hoping will be even more enjoyable.

 

[Tay Tay]

For me the i8 was oddly missing features like heated steering wheel (more efficient than heating the whole cabin), blind spot monitoring (missing in a car of the future? really?) and even super basic things like memory seats. Not to mention the performance didn't back up the looks.

P.S. It sounds good driving by but then you realize there's a speaker literally in the tailpipe.

 

[rs38]

i8 and Taycan share
- the difficult "getting out of the car"
- a stunning design
- first adopters of a new technology of their vendor
- sporty drive
- great eco driving
- the list price
- learning curve with car connectivity (OEM and driver)

They differ in
- weight (i8 is ~1000kg lighter!!!)
- age (Taycan is 6 years younger)
- car count (i8: ~16000 coupé and 4000 roadsters, this is what Porsche sold in 2020)

 

[Nipri]

In the UK one can buy delivery mileage i8 Roadsters for less than half price!

 

[epirali]

Nipri, not to get off topic but I also have an 8-Pace and completely agree. It’s in some ways as much fun to drive as the Taycan. Less surgical but great feel. And not to mention the fact that once when a car was sliding at me from the opposite direction on a narrow road at 50 mph I went up a 35 degree grass embankment at full speed, avoided the collision and came down. Didn’t even have a blade of grass on the side. That car can do off-road, snow and gravel and a track on the same day! I was glad I wasn’t in the Taycan or i8 that day.

Tay Tay the i8 was never about those features or luxury. It was almost a statement or a concept of driving technology, not luxury or comfort teach. And what a statement. It wasn’t fir everyone and I think a lot of people didn’t get it or were not interested in it, that’s why it can be had so cheap now. I’m keeping mine until they no longer fix it.

 

[Tay Tay]

Tay Tay the i8 was never about those features or luxury. It was almost a statement or a concept of driving technology, not luxury or comfort teach. And what a statement. It wasn’t fir everyone and I think a lot of people didn’t get it or were not interested in it, that’s why it can be had so cheap now. I’m keeping mine until they no longer fix it.

Would you really prefer it the way it was or with an M engine? A blind man could see that that would've been an instant classic. BMW was so close but then totally squandered the opportunity to make it a car people would buy or dream about. Shouldn't their goal be to produce desirable products? Instead they seem hell-bent now on putting things in their cars people don't want (cf. the new M3/M4 grille).

 

[epirali]

It was quite desirable, but to a particular set of people (raises hand). For them to make it an M or faster it would require bigger battery, bigger electric motor, and probably six cylinder. All that meant more weight, less balance, and less nimble. They always were clear about the philosophy, more with less. And that is why I for one love the car. The fact that on curvy roads it can almost keep up with cars MUCH more powerful than it is, and do it with so little is something. It was never meant to be a straight line speed demon, and boy does it handle well. The limits ultimately are the front tire size.

 

[louv]

Yup. I had an i8. Loved it. 33,000 miles over 4 years. Drove it cross country (big surprise, right?), drove it for a winter in Maine, had it as my only car when I lived on Maui.

 

[HK111]

I tried the i8 as I really liked the design and wanted to like the car. I took it to the Autobahn to 250, but I could not get over the impression/fact that "it has no engine". They should have put a large engine and large wheels on the thing, and it would have sold many more units, I think.

@louv: Why did you leave Maui, if I may ask? Isn't that supposed to be paradise?

Cheers,
Henrik

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