When the BMW i8 Plugin Hybrid car was first presented as a concept study in 2009, I was already fascinated by the design, the lines and the idea of combining a sports car with an electric motor. A design that you immediately fall in love with, a car that is simply different. While there have been few sports cars that immediately appealed to me, the BMW i8 exerted a certain fascination and during my visit to the Kameha Grand Hotel Bonn, the opportunity arose to test the car more closely and take a closer look.
Sports car meets electric drive and as crazy as it actually sounds, it is fascinating. A three-cylinder gasoline engine with TwinPower Turbo technology meets electric drive, which can be charged at standard power outlets. The electric motor produces 96kW (131hp), the gasoline engine produces 170kW (231hp), so together 362hp can accelerate the special vehicle to a speed of up to 250km/h (governed).
BMW i8 Plugin Hybrid Driving Experience
The BMW i8 accelerates from 0-100km/h in 4.4 seconds and offers a range of 37km with electric drive only, while the additional gasoline tank offers 30 liters of capacity.
Admittedly, the car is primarily a beautiful design object, the stated range of 37km with electric drive only are not achievable with a sporty driving style and the range shrinks considerably, but it is still beautiful, but certainly not intended for city traffic.
Driving beautifully along the Rhine, along the Drachenfels towards Limburg, enjoying the day is incredible fun with the vehicle and attracting attention is guaranteed with the vehicle for a new car price between 130,000 EUR and 146,000 EUR.
The scissor doors included as standard look great and are still very easy to operate even for a woman, but at the latest in city traffic in tight parking spaces a real problem. But who wants to drive such a beautiful sports car into a tight parking space or a narrow parking garage? 🙂
The rear end of the car, just like the lines, simply catches the eye – whether at traffic lights in the city, when overtaking on a country road or even when looking for a parking space. Everyone stops and takes a closer look at the car, as if a UFO had just landed in the Rhineland. The combination of silent drive with the special design simply catches the eye.
BMW i8 Plugin Hybrid Electric Motor Electric Drive
At brisk speeds on the surrounding highways, the charged energy of the installed batteries is quickly used up and the combustion engine kicks in, but the package wants to be experienced and gives many a sports car a run for its money. In faster, long-drawn-out curves, you do not have the feeling that the car literally sticks to the ground, as is usually the case with BMW, but it still has a good driving feel.
The BMW i8 should simply be understood as an (expensive but) beautiful sports vehicle. Breathtaking design, incredible rear end and a high fun factor – this is how I imagine a car for a trip in the Rhineland or at the North Sea. However, compared to the BMW M6 Gran Coupe I tested a few weeks ago, I would always go for the BMW i8 or the BMW X6, which I also personally favor.
If you would also like to spend a few nice hours or a great weekend with a BMW i8 or the Tesla S also offered at the hotel, contact the Kameha Grand Hotel in the best case directly before booking. For me, once again a nice car experience and certainly not the last time I will sit in an e-car.
Update from the future: Who would have thought that I would soon be driving around a real race track in a BMW i8 and be part of a Formula E race? At the time this report was written, I didn’t, but I would have liked to tell my former self. That I would drive and own a Tesla myself at some point in the future, I certainly already had some inkling at the time, just not when and how quickly.
