2019 BMW i8 Roadster review | Fully Charged
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 พ.ค. 2019
- Jonny Smith reviews the BMW i8 Roadster for the Fully Charged Show:
Few cars of any price or propulsion can claim to make a bigger visual or technological impact than BMW's i8.
Now with the roof removed (some 3 years after the coupe was born) you lose the rear seats but gain even more futuristic looks, together with potential facial sunburn.
The £124,000 (roughly US$163,000) plug-in hybrid now hosts facelifted tech including revised li-ion cells, rising the pack capacity from 7.1kWh to 11.6kWh and EV-only range now claimed to be 33 miles.
It may not be pure EV, but there is no doubting the influence, the technical prowess and positive attitude BMW’s flagship i vehicle brings to the plug-in party.
Grabbing people’s attention to appreciate a carbon fibre small engined plug-in sports car that looks way more expensive than its price tag is no bad thing.
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Surefire future classic! Niche, made in relatively low numbers, and expensive to buy new. Just a first stepping stone to what could be called full electro-mobility in the sports sector, but i think a very very decent attempt by BMW. Every owner i've ever talked too loves their i8, and like its little brother the i3, it's a car that gets under your skin somehow ;-)
You should do an episode about the original Tesla Roadster!
It is an expensive bad joke with a tiny battery pack as an excuse to being a little less of a stinker.
No luggage space worth speaking of. Only two seater. Slower acceleration than a Tesla Model 3. More expensive than a Tesla S. The only feature this version has over the Teslas is that it is a Roadster. And that awful engine sound for man with tiny dicks.
A very very decent attempt? Surely you are joking. No clue why this is pinned by fullychargedshow.
@@harryc266 You seem to want to misinterpret FutureChaosTV. It is not the acceleration that makes this an expensive bad joke.
Why "this" is something that needs to be produces and that's why tesla fan boys should not hate it?
It is a bloody two seater to show off or for wealthy people to do recreational driving.
This is not about e-Mobility or solving problems in cities or reducing carbon footprint.
When people talk about the carbon footprint of a BEV, were does this car stands? Such cars do not get mileage to compensate for anything.
No definitely not! BWM have massively overcomplicated the drivetrain, so if something breaks it costs a fortune to fix. The front looks good, but the back looks very ugly.
What a good reporter. Its all about the car, not him. He presents in an interesting style sure, but its all relevant, there's no "look at me, Ma" at all.
I made this exact comment on a previous video. Quite a change from the Top Gear crew, or even other 5th Gear presenters.
@@shoelessjoe428 but it's a style Doug DeMuro proved people want on youtube
Jonny is a great presenter! He was always my favorite on Fifth Gear. An excellent counterpoint to "Tiff the Stiff" Needell...
Jonny isnt your normal car journalist. Cars can be more than the sum of their parts, sometimes character is worth more than performance or practicality. Jonny understands this.
Wouldn't really want to draw attention to those legs would you!
I can't help but to think that they did a huge mistake of not going full EV and giving it a more of a futuristic interior experience.
Many years ago, Car had an interview with Renault‘s chief designer, and found that although exotic styling got people’s attention, when it came to buying they were far more conservative. This was soon after their fling with the Avantime, Val Satis, and first gen Twingo. For all the column inches garnered by cutting edge styles, bland sells. As VW can confirm.
If this was full electric, it would be mega and probably sell a lot more!
If they go full EV i think the range would be terrible, especially if you drive at supercar speed. Perhaps the next gen EV tech would make more sense.
What's the F'ing point for Hybrid ? Full EV's the way to go, extra complexity/expense to put a 100 year legacy ICE inside !
That would be an entirely new vehicle with all of the extra associated R&D costs that the likely sales of the roadster would in no way cover, so the reason why they haven't is obviously surely
Jonny is the best automotive journalist in the business! He Makes it all about the cars yet still manages to put his own style into it. Keep up the great work mate!
Josh Myers V kind man - cheers
Astonishing, beautiful car and beautiful photography in a beautiful landscape. Can't believe the i8 isn't EV only.
Mike W , there is an i8 hydrogen test model, whether that is the next step it will be interesting www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/scoop/bmws-hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered-i8-research-vehicle-revealed They are also looking at this for Rolls Royce, they are heavy enough without batteries.
I want to love this car, because I see what BMW was trying to do. But it's not 2012 anymore, and this vehicle still burns oil. The 30 mile range just isn't enough to give me the joy that EVs bring.
I was a little amazed by this car in 2012.. looking back at this car in another 10 years, it's going to look daft. It is a compromise in every single way. And while compromise in and of itself isn't a bad thing... this car does nothing to push anything to the limits. Except maybe one's budget.. in which case you can just get such better cars for the same price.. sorry Jonny.. it's great that you have an emotional attachment to this thing.. it's a cool look on the outside.. the interior looks a bit shit honestly, but that's normal for all BMWs in my opinion.. and as for performance.. a complete let down for the cost.
airheart1 the way this cars built is so advanced and the amount of power the car gets from hybrid technology is far superior to most cars. I don’t think you fully understand what you’re talking about.
HarryC26 I understand statistics. And I understand that for $150k, I can get cars with far superior performance in every aspect. Now.. I understand statistics don’t entirely encompass something we have an emotional feeling for. And the look of this car can endear that kind of emotion.. but I’ve never been a big fan of BMW interiors.. or styling in general. And I’m just saying.. this car’s performance does not match its price tag. For me at least.
And if the reinforced plastic with carbon fiber was as amazing a material as Jonny says... have we seen it adopted into anything else in the last 5 years? If it has, I'm unaware of it. Of course Carbon fiber use is slowing growing.. but I haven't heard of this specific use of it as a plastic reinforcement in use in anything else.. maybe I'm just uninformed about it
And lastly.. no matter how amazing this hybrid use is/was.. it's still far less efficient and powerful then a well built, pure EV.
P.S. Oh, and it still spews out poison... past its 30 mile electric range.
P.P.S. Here's one I8 competitor in the same price range, and also a type of hyrbid, albeit different entirely. The Acura NSX. And the NSX blows the doors off the I8. And the day a Honda/Acura, for the same price, shreds a BMW... I don't know what to tell you except.. unacceptable effort and engineering.
airheart1 Because car company’s don’t have to change or use innovative materials until it’s too late that’s why nobody is using carbon plastics apart from bmw. That’s why bmw is actually trying to produce a decent hybrid sports car. That’s why it doesn’t have a v8. The list goes on 😂
oh and the NSX is more expensive, has 3 miles of electric range, produces more “poison” than the BMW, and is less luxurious - yet that’s all okay because it’s faster? 🤣🤣🤣🤣 so hypocritical!
Yeah it’s totally it’s unacceptable for bmw to produce a sports car that’s as fast a 911 but only has 3 cylinders and is a hybrid. Okay then. Yes they’ve totally failed.
Secretlyanothername, 30 miles is ideal for the big cities where the most will live, with charge zones and it does generate a bit. The problem is infrastructure I am in the North West, and it is poor. Presently, you need the engine to travel distance, the development of EV cars is ahead of the infrastructure.
if the I8 was all electric it would sell like hot cakes even if it had half the range of a tesla
at some point bmw will do that. they had two iterations in their battery technology where they added 50% more energy each time. i guess with the next iteration the energy density will be good enough. that will probably be at 300 wh/kg
it has unlimited range... its a hybrid.
@@harryc266 it has 30 miles of electric range the energy source of the internal combustion engine costs $3+ a gallon lol
@@maschinenraum 300 wh/kg they could easily make a 300 mile EV. I don't think they are there yet, but new i3's have about 150 miles and im not sure of their battery energy density.
they don't have a large supply of batteries and they don't have any charging infrastructure so i imagine theyre going to push off EV's as long as they can
@@maschinenraum bmw is outsourcing their battery production to some chinesse company
0:05 that's not a noise you hear very often on this channel unless it's one of Roberts V8 impression
Yes and I hope this is the last time to hear these shit.
@@useyourbrain2174 I understand your sentiment but with the i8 and i3 with range extender you've got a vital function in the ICE unit if you live in a charger-sparse setting. I live in Nebraska and range extenders make traveling with an EV practical if you travel around the state - not just the cities. There are places where you would find yourself hundreds of miles from any charger at all unless you count RV campgrounds which I don't since their 220V connectors aren't always maintained well enough to handle continuous L2 charging without lighting up. I currently feel rather penned up with my LEAF which needs to stay in my metro area but an i3 with a range extender or this unit could go further. They would be quite liberating, even better than a Tesla.
The cinematic shots are amazing ... Fully charged camera crew brought the beauty of this amazing machine even more Amazingly
Can not fault the camera and sound work.
@@earlpottinger671 They did a great job with it
Hmm, dope tech but my feeling is it's not electric enough for this show. Not any more!
Johnny is an electric and combustion engine gear-head. i like that. fun needs to always be important, and sometimes the sound of an ICE is fun.
I agree, I love it but it is starting to show its age EV wise.
That key is useless in today's world. It would have been fantastic 10 years ago.
Was thinking the same thing - they'd have been better much better off putting the money in a stunning smartphone app
Yep, that stupid key came out in 2015 and it was very outdated back then
@@utuber2 What happens if your phone runs out of battery, though?
It is useless, I had one with my new car and it's stayed on my office shelf ever since!
The roof mechanism is one of the best designed one I've ever seen, amazing!
next to the Lambo Hurican
@@midwestslim Even the Hurican pails compared to the 720 Spider. Several patents for that. Simple, fast, at speed, blows the competition away.
meh, the design is neat, but for someone who has been driving electric for 8 years, its just old tech under the hood. not worth it.
and what other company has design, made and successfully made a hybrid super car?
HarryC26 Ferrari, Porsche, McLaren.
Oh Honda too.
HarryC26 key word successful that’s something the I8 isn’t
PjotrStroganov there hyper cars. And the NSX isn’t a success either.
they're*
I just love your reviews Johnny! You are the best vlogger on TH-cam! You combine knowledge with homour and style!
Pls keep up the excellent work!
Hopefully I will see you on Fullycharged Live! 😀
A Nemeth Many thanks
Completely missed the main trick, it should be a full EV only
Or at least as an option
I think the trick is have a look at what you could have had now have a look at the i3 which is everything this is made of for a quarter of the price.
@@tr33c21 If you took out the motor and all the parts it needs (fuel tank, piping, heat cooling system, etc) and replace with an equal mass of batteries you already would be close to if not over 150-200 miles range with present tech.
Why cover this crap?
That would be an entirely new vehicle with all of the extra associated R&D costs that the likely sales of the roadster would in no way cover, so the reason why they haven't is obviously surely
Stunning cinematography!
Sharp-looking car with many great features however hybrid is going backwards in technology not forward
Anything that's a step away from relying solely on fuel is a step forward. The only way you're going to get petrol heads out of petrol guzzlers is slowly moving them on
But surely not with something which looks as hideous as that contraption?
kinda bummed they didnt take the opportunity of making a full BEV version of this car for the mild refresh. an i8 with a 60~kWh and CCS would be great.
Great review, your passion and knowledge for cars really comes through. I still turn my head when I see one of these...
half-charged
Meanwhile, the customer is being overcharged.
@@RWBHere mean while your response is underrated
What a great car nice to still see the odd supercar get reviewed from time to time. Hopefully when more arrive you can also review those but still do the general cars for the average Joe as well. :) Thank you Jonny for a fantastic review.
I love the looks of this car but can't agree it's a supercar based only on the looks.
Jonny's style of presenting is unique in a way that makes you feel like he is telling you a secret. He makes you really feel the emotions that the cars he reviews evoke. He doesn't shy away from criticism either, but he presents it in a way that doesn't bash the vehicle; but makes you understand what a particular shortcoming is all about in a nice, sometimes humorous way. I will always watch him do a review. Not so much other people who want to be big stars and are on screen more than the cars.
Great video as always! Funny how i saw a few of them driving this week and now this video popup on my feed haha! (The matte black version looks amazing!)
I looked hard at the i8 and the i8 Roadster. In some ways I love it, and in some ways it repels me. For this kind of money it should be all joy, not a mixed bag. I think in decades to come we'll look back at this car as as a historic footnote, a quirky experiment, not a classic. It's BMW stumbling and groping their way into the future, still trying to figure out the formula.
And yeah… Make a full BEV version without fake noises (or at least some way to switch them off) and then I'll take another look. Better do it soon before the new Tesla Roadster hits the streets, though.
It's not electric enough for the electric car folks, yet not sporty enough for the regular sportscar enthusiast, it's a bit in no man's land like the NSX. Does look cool though
It's below the NSX by a margin. That one concerns supercars.
@@Cloxxki Audi R8s yes, McLaren sports series no. At least the i8 has more electric range than NSX
CR-Z is probably a more apt comparison. Neat little car but sub-130 bhp in what was supposed to be a sports car was absolutely pathetic.
The i8 looks great, just wish they went the i3 route and had a larger battery and added a range extender. Lovely shots as always!
Don't forget a more powerful electric motor. Those are to be had for cheap, off the shelf!
Gosh! England is looking dry :)
Marty theMartian Spain 🇪🇸
Middlesbrough, post global warming ...
It a plug in hybrid stop complaining guys, plus there's some amazing engineering and tech in that car. As always thanks for the awesome presenting and friendly feel to the whole video Jonny and the rest of the Fully Charged crew!
They are not complaining about Jonny, they are complaining that for so much money BMW is not delivering as an advance machine as present day tech allows them to do.
even though this isn't really a "fully charged" car, I appreciate that you guys decided to put it up even though it was filmed mid-2018
I don't understand their upload schedule. Do you?
@@Cloxxki maybe BMW put a restriction on the upload?
that opening cinematic shot is just breathtaking. Give a raise to your video crew. the whole video is an eye candy.
Your channel is called Fully Charged not partially charged, co-charged or nod to electric torque car!
Got it😁
Self fully charged
Hybrids can be fully charged too.
@@Liftium and then recharged with fossil fuel. Not really the same but semantics are semantics😉
Patrick Frickel If they’re a plug-in you might use electric only for 90% of the miles a vehicle does.
I love your reviews sooooo much!!!!
Superb as always Jonny.
That key is a monster. It must be Like carrying around a palm pilot..
Been waiting a while for this one!
Really enjoying the quality of your content!
Jonny, that first shot is the coolest I've ever seen you. I will knee before Zod. 😊👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Much better than your previous videos Jonny, keep it up
It's the best 'uhöööööööh'-car you can buy and now everybody can look at you sitting in a 'uhöööööööh'-car. I just can not understand why BMW isn't able to build this fully electric for this enormous price. And yes, this is no 'Supercar' it's a 'Posercar'. And the 'investment' for the technology in this car is dead money. There is no space for a big battery pack. So BMW, congratulations for this!
Nice one! Ive been fascinated by this car for awhile, thanks!
I love the look! I still don't understand why they can't just go 'Full EV?' It's not as if the technology isn't there!
I don't think they are ready. The i3 is basically full EV and it's range is not practical. i8 full EV at supercar speed would suffer even worst with range. Perhaps the next gen would work.
Mostly convenience and lack of charging infrastructure in the target market. Nobody buying this wants to park it overnight at a public EV parking spot. This car is for busy people who don't have the patience to charge a large battery and wanna go fast for an extended period (german Autobahn), something pure EVs struggle at. That 3-cylinder is quite efficient when cruising. If driven softly, this goes electric in town but you still can do longer trips and have some fun on open roads. I wish the engine was a diesel for more efficiency and range while producing less C02. It's not like it sounds good on the outside anyway, the synthesised sound does a good job.
Nice car, great review, but I think it's time for Fully charged to only review full EVs. Hybrids are so yesterday :D
This is the kind of review that I look for while cruising TH-cam. Talking heads are fine but a hands on with a bit of tehnitalk is what I'm after. This is one your finest. Thanks.
Amazing review!
That scenery was stunning
Really great quality production guys
Fantastic video! Where was this filmed?
Love the i8 and i3; Great review Jonny, still remember when you drove the 630d to Poland on skinflint juice. Best Motor Journalist by a mile.
thank you for putting numbers in kmh also, nice touch :D i love this car
Great video as always when they going to make a full EV like this! :)
Two years further on and I still find the i8 jaw dropping. I will never be able to afford to buy one so I get my fun from its little sister the i3s and yes across the City it’s fun to drive.
Thanks for this reminder to do the Lottery tonight... Another excellent FC review video.
If BMW really spent 2B on developing the car and it STILL isn't 100% electric that is a disgrace. All they are doing is perpetuating the fossil fuel disaster we are witnessing. We cannot continue to applaud these people. It is either full EV or forget it.
Great video Jonny... fantastic filming, commentary and editing... but these manufacturers are failing us all. They have wasted 2B. What would Tesla have done with that 2B? Built another Gigafactory, delivered an electric bus, accelerated the pickup delivery... so many good things could have been done but instead we have an extension of the fossil fuel addiction, and on top of it, we are applauding them.
Sorry, not good. Mark (CEO Electric GT)
Jonny, you just said COOP!
I really like the design, Especially the small airway that goes into the back lights
Can you do some reviews of some of the electric motorcycles now coming onto the market?
i plan on buying this car next year, can someone explain to me the difference between the standard, tera, and roadster version?
Love the i3 and love the i8, amazing cars.
Beautiful car!
Now if only the i8 was a full BEV, I would buy a new hat and tip it. I am tempted to suggest that if that ever happens I would eat that particular hat. But I won't, because I hope BMW actually does. Come on BMW. Give yourself some real identity in the future of motoring. Make that BEV i8.
I totally agree, and I would add that they target the 3 series X3 market segment, not just these low volume experimental half baked propositions.
@@antoinepageau8336 I surprised myself that, a few seconds after posting my message earlier, I lost interest in the video and switched to find some BEV news. That's how far I've come and I suspect many others. I have lost any interest in any vehicle which has any form of internal combustion engine. The sooner they are removed from the roads, the better.
Antoine Pageau if you knew anything about cars you’d know that they are launching the ix3 and i4 😂🙃
The future of motoring is hydrogen. Electric cars are just a fad.
@@harryc266 😂
Beautiful car , only dislike the up opening doors but in a roadster can live with it
Truly modern car
The refresh looks even better than the original. Nice.
THE SOUND IS A BLOODY SPEAKER IN THE BACK !!
I thought I was the only one who knows that. Seems like Jhonny doesn't.
@@Liftium Johnny said it was a speaker in the video at 8.20
Beautiful car. I have only seen a couple on the road. I imagine many are bought and put away as guaranteed collectables.
Perfection with playback at 1.5 speed
I live in far south Texas and I see more of these than any other luxury sports car.
They should've replaced the engine with more batteries
Saw one of these in town the other day, beautiful looking car. Didn’t realize it had a 140k price tag though.
This car is far too expensive for what the customer gets. I don't think BMW is trying to scam anyone, rather this car is a technological orphan, a testament to just how fast the state of the art in EVs is advancing.
Fantastic video. I think the i8 could be a cult/collector's car, because it's unique and special.
Yes, because it's specially made for brain-dead people.
@@useyourbrain2174 you're one of those "I don't understand/appreciate/like this thing, so nobody else should either" people.
Very few people collect cults...
Intergalactic - i love it
I really like the look of this car. Especially the face. It almost looks like it's smirking at you as you drive past one. 😎
This review and the one from the Henry Catchpole (Carfection) are the best i8 reviews on the internet...
Love it,Petrol will be around a long time yet Hybrid will be part of the mix.
I was shopping for an intergalactic car when I came over the i8 Roadster, must be the best offer in the intergalactic car category by far...
Lol love that it shows the local speed limit at 100 and Johnnie's doing 116
Well...
Whatever the technology side...
You have to agree , it’s a very beautiful car...💪
Greetings from Germany 🇩🇪
I don't understand that touchscreen on the key fob. Can't they just give a regular key and a smartphone app?
Its slower than an original Tesla Roadster sport. That manages 0-60mph in 3.7 sec and 244 mile range.
Did Elon musk himself not say the original roadster wasnt a good car?
@sbmphr He disliked the original roadster that much he shot it into deep space 😂
So if your charging it, from how far away can you tell how charged it is with the key?
krusher74
Because the same information, if not more, is available with the BMW connected App.
Even the key is obsolete technology.
Lovely car!
Jonny you are the best part of Fully Charged because you love all cars.
I really like the music you have on this show. Can you share the artist's name ?
Its a cracking looking car and perfect as a hybrid. Most i8s will be used as second cars on roads and in regions like the video France, Italy and Spain the last thing you want is to run out of juice in rural Andalusia in the blazing heat on the way back to your villa.
Still makes all other sportscars look more than a little 20th century-esque - epic!
Interesting, the running gear of the i8 is used in the Countryman SE, the 1500 is standard and presently 20miles plug in range. The next version will increase to 30 miles as will the BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer and indeed the new 1 series when it is released. Glad to see, this time Johnny charged it first before the test, than just drive it about complaining about the range and mini stylings.
I would like to hear from i8 owners about after sales support for them.
Excellent report, on a very interesting car. I'd have liked though to hear how it compares, as a car, to a Tesla... Why might you buy it instead of a full ev?
Twin turbo on a 3 cylinder? Or did you mean TwinPower (tm) turbo? I'm genuinely having a hard time imagining how you'd match two turbos to a 3-cyl engine.
one cylinder is larger lmao
Doesn't the Polestar 1 compete in this space, too?
Why am I watching a video about a hybrid?
Because you want to watch it. Nobody is forcing you :)
Is there a fully electric i8? I'd love a fully electric i8
The soundproofing 9:42 is needed to avoid it bleeding through and mix with the synthetic engine sound. Silly
It’s an amazing looking auto and now the battery range is creeping up it will soon be a viable contender for sportscar fanatics who want to go green
Jonny .... you are so cool!
Drove 2 of those 2 weeks ago. One of them the same color, it's a limited edition. I like it, but was dissapointed to see the interior is exactly the same as the 2015 model year.
What’s that noise coming from under the bonnet???
Intelligent touch screen? Jonny is a sucker for marketing words =)
I'm sure BMW had a sheet of talking points they wanted him to hit when they loaned the car for the drive.
what is the music/tune/song? Shazam doesn't find it :(
Great review, Jonny! You've wisely focused on the i8's impressive engineering, fabulous looks and its unique position in the marketplace, and done so with a friendly, articulate presentation style. You and the i8 are legends in their time!