BMW i8: Fully Electric Range / Real-Wold Efficiency Tested & How to Get The Best MPG

[@loonymoon1]

Always enjoy seeing an i8 in the wild. Such a great looking car. I've had a nice little mutual appreciation moment in my i3S with an i8 driver one day slowed down to let them pass at a roundabout off a sliproad, then they did the same coming off the roundabout waves both ways. PS. love the way you mention "other lower level hybrids" as a prius is next to you.. ;-) lol

[@autohitman]

I own an i8 and have for a little over a year now. I’ve owned many cars and it’s by far my favorite car I’ve owned. Great review 👍

[@Gadne92.5]

Same here. I bought mine April 2023 and been in love ever since. I especially love the looks from "non petrolhead" ppls when you're cruising silent in the neighborhood. Most of the people cannot comprehend a sports car without any sound. And the dihedral doors, one never gets tired of operating / looking at them =D

[@edmondhung6097]

May I ask is it true that i8 requires disassembly the rear subframe and take the engine out if anything other than oil change and replace air filter need to be done?

[@autohitman]

@@edmondhung6097 I know there can be quite a bit of work done without removing the subframe/engine. There is a rear top engine cover that is pretty large. For any major engine work and I’m sure some things, I know that is required. I’ve saw a few videos on KZbin from others who had to do that. Most of the i8 groups I belong to seem to work out their issues and I have never heard of someone having to go to that extreme of removing subframe/engine and I’m pretty active in many popular i8 groups. Hope this helps. 👍

[@Gadne92.5]

@@edmondhung6097 What do you mean? All the normal maintenance can be done engine in. There's plenty of room as the engine has such a small size. There's plenty of info at KZbin channel named "Pats Online Garage".

[@kelechiaguocha1]

@@autohitman hi what i8 group are you in? may i join too?

[@KentBuchla]

BMW was actually surprised at the demand and sales for the i8 and they recalculated their figures UP in order to meet demand. The i8 sold far better than projected.

[@jonathantaylor1998]

Like others have already commented, seeing an i8 on the road is both a rare and special experience. I just think it's one of THE most wonderful car designs - a great combination of aero-efficiency and muscular aggression. Lucky you, Martin for having the chance to drive one for a day - "all in the name of You Tube science"...!! 😎

[@stevemain9582]

ive had my i8 roadster sice 2020 and have loved every moment, with lots of performance driving, my average mpg is about 48mpg and did 1700 miles in 2022 to lake garda via the alps and got an average of 42 mpg with lots of motorway driving around 85/90 mph equivalen 130 to 150kmh

[@MrWobling]

Had a driving experience in one of these - ragged it around the Top Gear test track. Amazing car - best drive of my life. So much fun!

[@Jesse-Jackson]

I used to have one that lived in my apartment complex. I would look forward to seeing it pull in all the time it was like seeing a rare pokemon in the wild knowing it could pop up anytime! I would also actively walk around to get a look at it as well lol since it lived in the back and I up front. Miss the old bat moved out of the complex a year ago!

[@hypermiler3977]

Great video! Wonderful car. Just very elegant, car and video. 😊 Btw, regeneration and acceleration by the electric front motor and the 15 kW rear electric starter /generator /motor helps the fuel economy quite significantly, even on the freeway.

[@kelechiaguocha1]

thanks for posting. love this car

[@alancrossley4461]

That was a truly excellent presentation, very clear and informative. Thank you.

[@GuilesGarden]

Great video to see realistic numbers and what to expect!

[@richardpowell6096]

Thank you for the video What year is your i8?

[@MM-qd4km]

Probably the only thing that I would replace my Ampera with and it would look great next to our i3. Just need prices to decrease or budget to increase 😂.

[@NetoGod]

There it is, love the beanie too!

[@nickslidel]

Great vid. Very clear and informative! Thanks!

[@macbook9084]

Excellent informative video Thank you

[@Gadne92.5]

Why to left the car in Comfort mode? Most of conscious users will use the Eco Pro -mode. And this was a video about how to use the i8 day-to-day basis with best overall efficiency, for best MPG? 🤔 Even with the smaller HV battery ones (2014-2017) I notice real difference between Comfort and Eco Pro -modes. Range is like 2-3km better (depending on the ambient temp, cabin temp, driving environment etc) with Eco Pro. In mileages that's like 1 ... 1,5ml yet that's real difference while keep in mind how small the usable capacity of the i8 HV-battery is (5,2kwh for older ones and 9,4kwh for later ones). The most range I've got out of mine (2014 car with 5,2kwh net capacity and with 85k km / 53k miles on the odometer) is 32km / 20ml. That's with Eco Pro + Sat Nav, AC OFF but HVAC ON and flat country roads with 60-80kph / 40-50mph speed limits (common here in EU). Ambient temp being 15-16 C or 60-65 F. Using Sat Nav on daily basis: Like so many of the BMW plugin hybrids, also the i8 achieves better efficiency if Sat Nav is being used while in Eco Pro -mode. When the car knows where its heading it can take full advantage of all regen places on the route. This is especially noticeable when driving such distances that requires both the EV and the ICE to be used. Just like the narrator said at the @11:50 mark 👍 I personally have programmed my mostly used addresses into those BMW "favourite" -buttons at the radio panel.

[@supercharged2414]

Not very sought after in the USA. They sit for sale for many days. They made about 16,500 total.

[@darioaiello1373]

Do you use imperial MPG or american MPG?, because it makes quite a difference...

[@uttherkunst3806]

They’re based in the UK.

[@Gadne92.5]

@2:10 Nice maintenance from ... someone: Service overdue since October 2023. I take this was filmed around Jan / Feb 2024 -> 3 months overdue service indicator will terminate at least some of the warranty what / if vehicle was still having from the Main Dealer. IDK if the HV-battery / electric drivetrain is excluded but rather appalling nonetheless. Not wise with £50-60k car.

[@Cristian_is_saved]

What year was the I8 in the video?

[@rogerhudson9732]

Something about the i3 and the i8 scared the management board at BMW so all following 'i' cars have the boring vibe of the old BMW barges, sad but i3 and i8 will definitely be classics.

[@hussilveridico3002]

Great Car

[@stumbledotcom]

Still find it exciting when I spot one in the real world. I believe they had a synthetic engine sound. Was it active for this video?

[@Gadne92.5]

You can't decode the synthetic engine sound from i8. It needs special BMW "Ista" software. Its on when ICE is running and when in Sport its simply louder and more aggressively "tuned" sound.