Looking to possibly pick one up as a daily driver. Any input from owners? Good/bad car for a dd?
I have one. I've put a few thousand miles on her since April, will probably average about 10k a year. I drive her to work in Philadelphia, to our shore home 100 miles away, run errands with her and take my kids to school in the mornings. She can do it all. It takes a few tries to come up with an easy way to get in and out of the car, but once you find your sweet spot it becomes second nature. Excellent ground clearance for what it is, I've never bottomed her out. I would definitely recommend a clear bra for the front, it has the potential to pick up stone chips really badly. I have about 9k miles on her. Bulletproof so far. I can barn storm with her on back roads with my friends and she is NEVER a step behind in sport mode or drive in electric mode in the City in peaceful serenity on pure electric power. The car is really fascinating. The more time you spend with her the more is revealed. I feel like a fighter pilot driving her. Extremely engaging car, but in a very different way then say a McLaren or a vintage car. I love the thing. There is nothing on the market like her. Btw- This last tank of gas, driving mostly locally... I averaged 56mpg. That's incredible for a car with its breadth of performance. FWIW, there are a lot of opinions by people on these car, few of whom have ever even driven one, much less lived with it for any meaningful period of time. Professional journalists love the car and I have yet to meet an owner who isn't smitten. I doubt you will regret the purchase!
I'm Looking to trade in my Tesla Model x. Just bored of the car. They are relatively cheap on the used market. Any difference between the models Years? Or anything specific I should be on the lookout for? Appreciate your words of wisdom.
Aside from the addition of "laser lights" whatever the heck that means in 2016, changes have been very minor and limited to largely interior trim, etc. I would get a 2015 as they have depreciated nicely. Honestly, they are so damn reliable there is nothing to really look out for as far as I know. Just make sure you get the performance tire option. A lot of the understeer complaints arose from the standard tire package which is hopelessly undersized. However, the vast majority are spec'd with the larger tire option.
I have one. Love the car. I don't DD it because it gets too much attention and the roads in Pittsburgh are rubbish. It's a fantastic car though. I highly recommend it. I'd be happy to address any specific aspect your curious about.
There are plenty on sale. Looking to pick something up with 5k miles or less. What are the different trim levels available? Other than laser lights- any options to be aware of?
Mine has lasers. You don't notice them until you're going quickly but they are very powerful. Mine has whatever the highest trim level is but I sat in a couple and didn't notice much of a difference. There aren't a lot of options on the car. There are carbon fiber interior upgrade pieces you can buy to replace the plastic that look great. They are like $4k. I'm going to have my dealer insert them this summer. They just pop out the plastic and pop in the CF. the seats are great and interior is quite roomy.
Agreed. I have the highest trim level too, it's called the pure impulse world or something like that, I don't even know if they make that trim level anymore. Aside from being invited to events around the world, which I don't have the time nor inclination to attend, most of the differences between that and the base model are subtle trim differences.
I love BMWs and I have enjoyed many. I bought new a 2002Tii and later I owned many M3s. I love the look of the BMW hybrid. Nothing on the street looks like it and only a few are as stunning. I must admit I was disappointed with the performance. Very little power or pick up. Of course the miles per gallon quoted are very good. I also did not like the step the driver had to get over to get into the car. I know it adds stiffness to the car, but I think it would be a pain. I never really drove the car enough to aee how the handling feels. It is an amazing looking car with great gas mileage. BMW's in my experience have always been good cars. I drove the Acura SNX hybrid the same day and feel in love. It handles better than the 458 I traded in. I am not sure how it compares to the newer 488 model. The electric power is used to help acceleration as the gas power seamlessly comes in. Of the two cars the BMW is a stunning car on appearance while the Acura is okay, not ugly just okay. Jay Lenos garage do a nice piece on the car. I think it is worth reviewing Best Lee
"Very little power or pickup" ... I don't know what mode Lee drove the car in, but the i8 makes 420lbs of torque right off the line and it will push you back in your seat like only an electric torque boost can. Granted it's not as quick as my Mclaren was, but 4 seconds to 60 is not slow by any reasonable measure, especially for a car with no track pretense. Just my .02
You may be right about the mode. I did as your question on performance mode and the dealer said or it was in the top mode or only had one mode. I just do not remember. The sales manager told me the car was for pleasurably cruising not for track.Many of my other cars have modes, some up to four modes of driving. I was triple teamed by sales people and they know me from my Porsche turbo 911 purchases in the past. I gravitate to high power cars some with handling others not so much. So maybe I just expect to much. This is why I love my new hell cat which drives like a modern sedan but it is not even close to a sports car. I plan on looking into the Demon. Hopefully it has the Hell Cat power but sports car handling. If you said if you like high HP why buy the Acura NSX? I would say it acts and pulls like a powerful car and is a wonderful driver. Great question. When I am in the market for a car I will revisit the BMW. Lee
Lee, the NSX has really grown on me. I spent some more time with one and it's beautiful, the performance is great and it's quite small actually! Which I like in a sports car. I don't love the interior quality as I think Acura uses cheap plastics. It's well above i8 in terms of pure performance but as a DD I think i8 takes it. More interior storage, better gas mileage and an actual e-mode make the i8 a superior DD. NSX is a far better super car.
Perfectly stated although I am not sure of the cheap plastics, but I do not pay much attention to that stuff so you may be correct. The BMW i8 has the much better curb appeal. Lee
Lee, I read an article this morning on NSX vs 918 by EVO. Fairly short article but even against the 918 EVO enjoyed the NSX. They said NSX vs 570s feels very similar in spirit to 918 vs P1. Obviously the NSX isn't mind alteringly fast like a 918, but the way it incorporates the hybrid tech is well done like a 918.
I bought one home last month, and yesterday I put a Pedal Commander throttle controller on it. I think it must be my condition, but I feel the drive by wire hesitation on every new car. In sport mode with the throttle controller on it (though it has no additional power), it takes of like its tail is on fire, big difference. For anyone who is interested (I'm not) there is a guy in Europe who sells sound boxes (can make the car sound like an Italian V8) for $1100.
I really only ever drive in sport or electric mode. Never comfort. I wish the modes were electric, sport and sport plus to be honest. But as long as you're in the right gear, throttle response in sport mode is great.
Jo Sta 7 & Joe Zaff: Any long term ownership updates for us? Considering to trade my R8 for an i8........looking for yea/nay opinions..... TIA
Tremendous car. But tell me, what do you like/dislike about your R8? Understanding that can help me better address whether I think it makes sense for you to trade it in for the i8. There are certainly pros and cons to a trade like that.
I love everything about it (sexiest rear end of any car)........but have for 8 years.......may be time to edge into e-cars......if not the i8, then for sure the mission-e....maybe i8 first then into the m-e? (I'm too old to enjoy street racing; did my competitive track time when young; thinking about the future of enjoyable driving........) I live where I can access wide open country, but still have frustrating 'wait times' (ferries & borders).
A friend has one. Gets lots of attention. It is very hard for me to get in or out especially on the passenger side. There is very little storage space. Not my cup of tea. My Audis (S4 and RS5) are much more fun to drive and live with. But nothing compares to my 458 spider.
I still have mine, though don't put very much mileage on any of my cars, I would not put it in the same league as a R8 (maybe the old V8), but take the traction controls off shift it yourself and push it hard, and it does respond pretty well and can be fun, though those tires will squeal pretty loud. It was never meant to be a sports car, though it does an amazing job of looking like one.
I disagree with that. It’s a great sports car. An even better GT. It’s new age sports car though. It’s not raw and unrefined. It’s uses modern tech to amplify the performance to its maximum given the package. Plus it looks unreal. Correct me if I’m wrong but for butterfly doors, it’s just the i8 and McLarens, right? For mass produced cars.
