Living With the BMW i8 Roadster // Ash Davies on Cars

[@PatsGarageOnline]

I was searching for new i8 videos when I found your channel. I completely concur with your review. I purchased my 2015 i8 Coupe used 6 months ago and have already put 9000 miles (14500km) on the car, because it is the best it has many personalities. It gets better gas mileage than my previous 4 cylinder petrol daily driver, so I spend 75% of my commute on electric (all electric to work, petrol during half of my return trip to recharge, and electric again for the other half of my return trip). It's a fun car for road rallies or mountain driving. I purchased duffel bags to carry my luggage in the back seats of my Coupe and it is very comfortable to drive for 6 hours at a time. It gets a lot of attention everywhere I go. People are constantly taking photos and video. When I go to car events, like Cars and Coffee, I spend most of my time answering questions and allowing others to sit in the car and take photos. I find myself washing and vacuuming it more often because of that. I've done my own service and added a few modifications, taking video so others can learn how to do these things themselves and save a few bucks. It's exciting and I can't imagine going back to Corvettes (which I previously owned for many decades).

[@AshDaviesonCars]

Completely agree, I love its variety of personalities. Super interesting to hear you're making such good use of the electric motor too. How many km's do you think you get to a tank of petrol?

[@PatsGarageOnline]

@@AshDaviesonCars thank you for the reply. I am experiencing about 55km/gal on long highway trips. So, with the 11gal tank, I would be empty in 550km. If I was to use it strictly as a commuter vehicle for work, I could drive for 2.5 months between fill ups.

[@AshDaviesonCars]

i8_pat extraordinary, just getting through a month without filling up is my new goal!

[@georgewellington1975]

A month???? I’m fooking lucky 🍀 me place of work is exact the EV range but sometimes….. when it’s sunny ☀️ (uk) …. Rare …. It’s sports mode time 😉

[@erics418]

Finally someone who’s fully understood the i8. You need to live with it to get it. Most journo’s don’t

[@markdunsford4291]

Agreed! 👍🙂

[@unowen-nh9ov]

Motor Trend put your slow EV on its list of top 10 quickest cars, BMW always conservative with #s, 2 independent sources got 0-60

[@mercator79]

@@unowen-nh9ov yeah sub 4 is realistic. Also, occasion is the right word. Occasion for the driver, and for the carspotters, casual or otherwise. I think I will go drive mine now

[@indetrucks]

Thank you for making this video. I too have an i8 Roadster and will point others to this video when they ask why I picked this car over all the others I could have chosen. I don't want a new Vette, I don't want a new Tesla... I want something more, something unique with all the abilities you mention. I wanted the i8 Roadster. I only have about 2k miles on it now and daily drive it. It is AMAZING.

[@AshDaviesonCars]

Thanks mate, really appreciate it. Hope you continue loving the car - it really is in a class of its own

[@rustylemon2198]

Are you still driving the i8 & if so have you had issues with it?

[@Yossshiii]

Just ordered mine today, and this video makes me excited even more! Thank you, for a very great video! This video should have much more views.

[@AshDaviesonCars]

Congrats on the new car, you're going to love it 👏 Hope you're enjoying the channel

[@14eight]

I really need to stop watching these videos until i have enough money to buy one lmao , great vid btw

[@ayooslimm4650]

I watch em for motivation. I will have this car

[@nikoselin9388]

@@ayooslimm4650 Exactly same here! Working 12-14 hours a day with 3 other brothers to get this car in half a year.

[@AshDaviesonCars]

This was a fun one. More to come on the i8 roadster. If you've enjoyed, please do hit that like and subscribe button. New videos every second Tuesday 👏

[@rodgerlee7302]

Ash, many thanks for the extremely well done, vibrant review. Your enthusiasm is infectious and portrays well the feeling one experiences with this car. I just bought a 2019 i8 Roadster last month. It had 15,005 on it and I must say it is everything you describe and my true dream car! I fall in love with it all over again every time I take it for a drive. Skydiving has been my greatest source of exhilaration and pleasure for over 20 years, but owning and driving this car rivals that. As you so elegantly point out, the i8 can be so many different things and looking at it just evokes a pleasure similar to what one gets when viewing remarkable art. I can't go anywhere without people admiring and wanting to take pictures or talk with me about it. It is super fun to share this car with others who appreciate it.

[@LouisSiah]

1:04 isn't it a 1.5l turbocharged engine?

[@markdunsford4291]

Yes

[@bobwilliam6242]

Amazingly high quality review. You’ve got my sub, and you deserve a lot more! Well done mate 👍

[@AshDaviesonCars]

Thanks bud, I’m new here, still chipping away. Your support means a lot 🙏🏻

[@vm5773]

Thank you for such an outstanding video review of this vehicle, as a BMW i8 owner. Love the cinematography, especially the drone footage and the background music. You make an excellent point about eDrive, providing "endless" free driving up to 55 km, for daily use Interesting point about the regenerative braking, and how unhappy you are with it. That is very good to know about the gritty brakes. I like how you show how to get into the car. Interesting how you never show exiting the car, which I think is the hardest part of it, and never looks glamorous. LOL Great discussion about the "split personality" between the electric and conventional motors. Enjoyed the video at night, with the blue LED lights on in the car. It does look specia. Thanks for an amazing video. Great job!

[@gianniferrari1122]

That moment the family took photos and their children with it too... So heartwarming and nice to see. You couldn't do this in a 911 or a GTR. The i8 is different, and that's what makes it unique. I just wish it had a v10 from the older M5s... That would be epic!

[@zoldfulu8102]

That was a really enjoyable video. Well spoken well presented informative. Thanks!

[@TekMoliGy]

imo the rear is the best looking part of the i8. This is a great video though. i bet this channel will be popular if you keep putting out content of this quality

[@Djsatile]

Love it can’t wait to get mine

[@youknowwhothisis1341]

You know the car is worth it when tourists who have travelled thousands of miles to go sightseeing on a mountain but instead of standing in awe of the mountain in front of them, they are taken by the car instead of the mountain..

[@theraphachukwu]

BEAUTIFUL VIDEO MAN! BOTH THE PRODUCTION QUALITY AND HOW YOU MADE PEOPLE'S DAY... ABSOLUTELY LOVELY 😍

[@klausnielsen7102]

Even being 5 years old design it’s still ahead of time and to a large extend misunderstood !

[@TheCarAdmirer]

Great video Ash! Like the drone footage

[@AshDaviesonCars]

Thank you kindly. @alexeckermann can be thanked for piloting!

[@blacsheep19]

Great video.... Just found your channel and it seems you don't post videos anymore???

[@ypsisteve]

Is that lovely engine noise coming from a speaker?

[@dealerslicenseops]

about to pick one up. can't wait.

[@David-bl1bt]

I really enjoyed your video of this phenomenal car, thanks for sharing.

[@robertcurrie748]

Great video! I ordered my new roadster a few weeks back and due to pick her up on Friday so can't wait! I liked the way you described it as 4 cars in 1! That was the way I kinda looked at it too. People have already asked why not get an Aston Martin or a Porsche but for me it's the whole package that the i8 is which makes it unique!

[@matthiaswolff6198]

This review is so different than the i8 is. I just bought the 2019 roadster in sophisto. Best, Matthias

[@LoLPhuocDat]

you seriously need more views this is amazing

[@AshDaviesonCars]

Thanks bud. I’m fairly new here, still chipping away. The support means a lot :)

[@brygram]

....like you have to even think about looking cool. You are a natural! This video truly expresses the joy a great car can bring to our lives, eliciting friendship among people. The polar white opposite of 'transportation appliance'.

[@jonhpolychronopoulos1960]

2 questions.. can you park easy bc in the back u can’t see anything( if u don’t open your roof)???and secondly is it a big car?? Or it’s a coupe?? I would prefer if it was a little shorter to park easily:(

[@reeeek2017]

It has backup cameras and a birdseye view camera above to assist with park

[@fredyesteban1381]

the bmw i8 also has a display key, right?

[@gliblyaware]

I think if they switched the 3 cyl turbo to the 255 hp 2 litter 4 twin scroll and increase the electric output in concert with that... beast!

[@markdunsford4291]

Nice review. I bought a coupe a few years ago. I wouldn't go back to anything else.

[@Jeremy-yz3jb]

This the only car that gives me the shills, this car is so gorgeous 😍😍😍

[@iainjohnston4929]

Great Vid and agree with you regarding the brakes, although I’m surprised you think it’s slow in all electric. I think it’s a flying machine up to about 30mph. Struggles for traction with the skinny front tyres.

[@AshDaviesonCars]

Thanks bud, appreciate it. I do notice the traction light flashing a lot in all electric, especially over speed bumps! Hope you're enjoying the car

[@autohitman]

Great Review!

[@CarlosWillis]

"a software driven industry" brilliant comment/observation! I think you're absolutely spot on considering now china re running the EV scene with BYD and Xiaomi and Huawei cars.

[@DwainDwight]

I have one, and all this car needs is 100 more horsepower (split 50/50 ice/em) and maybe some slightly wider tires. anyway I love mine. will never sell it.

[@reeeek2017]

How do you feel about your i8 now in days? I dont see many of them

[@DwainDwight]

@@reeeek2017 love it. such a great car.

[@schelber]

Nailed it. 100 more hp and it’s all around perfect. But never selling mine. But I am putting widers on. 245 fr and 275 bk

[@czech-street-workout4193]

Good shit bro!

[@judebrown2672]

Great vid from England 🇬🇧

[@ChrisMotorONE]

My i8 come with a 1.5L petrol 3, your come in a 1.6L? What engine is that?

[@jaimejesus9611]

What’s better to daily Porsche Cayman gts or this????

[@AwesomeKicks]

Dude your videos are FIRE! So much personality in your videos, and so much information and honest opinions that are really interesting to hear! Wow, what a gem of a channel I found just now. I have my eyes on an i8, really beautiful engineering but at 100 000 USD for a coupe here in Sweden and more for a roadster, I'm waiting until the roadster gets cheaper. A little hard to justify such a car though in the nordics, the noisy interior won't be much fun in colder weather. Wish it was a hardtop and more noise insulated.

[@rss2707]

The car Pullsssssss

[@mistervatvat6849]

My dream car !!!!😍😍😍

[@TreesOnTheBeach]

Beautiful car. Do you still have it?

[@chrisveneracion7633]

Well said! Refined and definite

[@thecircleprojectibiza5037]

Ace video mate

[@AshDaviesonCars]

Thanks Michael 🙏🏻

[@thecircleprojectibiza5037]

Welcome, if you aren’t already a successful presenter, you deserve to be soon. Or perhaps you are just starting...

[@georgemacdonald5282]

Far nicer rear end than the porsch turbo but if you have to charge the batteries it's not really driving for free is it, still a fantastic looking car, thanks for the video, brilliant, thanks george.

[@ION_REAL_ESTATE]

Anazing video mate. Do you still own the car? If not, wat js ur feedback on owning it? Possibly Looking at one.

[@michaelking4806]

If the babes love it what else do you want😁

[@mmabasothopaakane9745]

Gorgeous its my next car after the range rover

[@pussygalore5947]

BMW went too far "Space: 1999" for the design and nowhere near far enough to electrification. Owners surveyed showed their average MPG was 29. That's pitiful considering a v8 BMW 7 Series from the 1990's could get 25 mpg. BMW has also been fudging the sales numbers, at least in the US. Claiming the i8 was SOLD OUT, every dealer still seemed to have three in the lot and the rumours were they were stacking to the ceilings at ports of entry in order for BMW to maintain the mystique. For those who like them, Mr. Depreciation is now your best friend as the coupes are now 40% of original list after 4 years. $60k makes this car attractive; $140k does not.

[@kingcolga266]

Yea i just wait a couple years and pick them up. I guarantee by 2021 the i8 roadster will be under 100k and could find them in the 85-95 k range

[@markdunsford4291]

29mpg reported? Really? No, i8 forums of actual owners say about 45 to 48 mpg

[@philtrickey]

Great vid but I disagree with one point, the look from the rear is amazing and unique! Oh, and getting in and out is a breeze once you learn how!

[@adrianalvin2123]

Hey Ash, can i drive this car and never have to charge it? Only refueling it.

[@AshDaviesonCars]

You sure can. You technically never need to plug it in, since the battery will be charged when you run the engine. You could run it like a normal petrol car

[@rogerkohnen359]

nice video!

[@mobeendanish5954]

this is my dream car

[@andrewfigg6017]

you do know the engine sound is all fake right? also as long as you look at the i8 in the right frame of mind which is a cool daily and not a super car then its great you have to understand its not the fastest or the most fun to drive but still cool in its own right which you do and that awesome

[@hussilveridico3002]

Great Car

[@borinvlogs]

The i8 would be a proper supercar if it had the M5/8's V8 engine with 625bhp combined with 125bhp electric motor making it 750bhp supercar.

[@markdunsford4291]

It wouldn't. It's a GT.

[@borinvlogs]

@@markdunsford4291 So is 911 and I have one.

[@takundabrian4493]

Bro u jus good at these reviews Thats why l subscribes keepit up And look For Jesus Christ my guy You increased my love for the bmw 18 roadster

[@yeshua-Political-Party]

🙏🏻🕊️

[@Tarumpatron123]

My dream car bro😊 one day i will buy this for the sake of god😁🚗

[@Hiyoohiyoo]

The sound is fake though you know

[@Hiyoohiyoo]

Ah okay, you got around to that detail later!

[@theanonymousone9668]

Right-hand drive, kilometers instead of miles. ***click

[@GAMEBRO0]

colouring your video was the worst idea ever

[@filoniz]

Fake sounds

[@random-assdude4986]

This is a beautiful video fr

[@AwesomeKicks]

Dude your videos are FIRE! So much personality in your videos, and so much information and honest opinions that are really interesting to hear! Wow, what a gem of a channel I found just now. I have my eyes on an i8, really beautiful engineering but at 100 000 USD for a coupe here in Sweden and more for a roadster, I'm waiting until the roadster gets cheaper. A little hard to justify such a car though in the nordics, the noisy interior won't be much fun in colder weather. Wish it was a hardtop and more noise insulated.