2020 BMW i8 Roadster - One Take
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2024
- The 2020 BMW i8 Roadster is a plug in hybrid sports/city car with a 30-mile EV range, a three-cylinder turbo gas engine, and a carbon tub that was absolutely revolutionary.... in 2012. Sold for 5 years as a coupe only, it's new for this year as a retractable soft-top roadster.
BMW provided the vehicle, insurance, and a tank of fuel for this review.
Great review! I daily drive an i8 and have some additional info to share. If you press the eDrive button, it will not allow the gas engine to kick in, and maxes out at 72MPH (unless you push the accelerator past the detent, next to the firewall). eDrive is the only mode that uses the 2 speed electric transmission. Comfort, EcoPro and Sport require the front transmission to be in 2nd gear all the time, due to synchronization issues with the rear engine (you don't want to have the engine pushing while the electric transmission is shifting, because it's not that bulletproof). I drive in eDrive to work every day and Sport on the way home, which also recharges the battery, and get 50MPG average just commuting, daily. The exhaust notes you hear are mainly from the engine, the augmentation only adds to that and fills in the gap to make it sound like a 6 cylinder. See my video where I put a GoPro in the boot of my coupe, put a glass cover over the engine and film the engine and noise where there is no augmentation speaker in Sport Mode, and it sounds really good. It seems that the augmented digital sound was piped in to replicate what would be heard in the boot, if you were sitting there. The tires are not good, stock. Upgrading to 245 front and 275 rear reduce under-steer and it seems the car was actually made for these size tires, but smaller ones were used for gas savings. The door is too small to roll the window down all the way, so a bigger door would be required. As a Vette guy since '93, I miss an analog feeling, and raw feeling from a powerful engine. The i8 doesn't fill my passion for true performance and I don't "love" it but it feels special enough to keep and enjoy. I bought it used in Feb 2019 after saving up for 10 years (after the financial crisis laid me off and I sold my Vette) for a new C7, but decided to try a used 2015 i8 instead. Thankfully, the i8 comes to end of life after 2020 and there may be a replacement. Rumors are that a 4cyl turbo engine will appear mid-engine along with a more powerful electric boost. We'll see.
I had this car in coupe form. Best car I ever had and I miss it. I had an M6 and the others but this car made me change my mindset. Btw unused to hate this car until I fell for it and owned it!
"You'll notice there's no houses on this road... cause they all burned down."
- Matt Farah 2019
You watched the video too? No way!
@@JerryKosloski they way he just skipped passed that statement
That was dark lmao
Matt, using the pure eDrive mode shifts the electric motor into first gear and prevents the gas engine from kicking in until ~70mph. This improves the acceleration quite a bit in electric mode and is the only way I drive this car in electric due to this. This also takes away the constant jolting of the gasoline engine cutting in and out. Basically, since I like cars and like to be in control of my own driving, I only drive my i8 in sport and pure eDrive. This takes away all the unrefined nature of the drivetrain and only plays to the car’s strengths, making it a much better drive in my opinion. Also, if you pull the paddle in regular drive (comfort) mode, you can start the gasoline engine at will so you can do that before you take off from a light so you have plenty of acceleration and don’t have to wait 0.5 seconds for it to kick in and also you save yourself that jolt. After you get to cruising speed, it’ll transition to full electric. I’m a car enthusiast and typically like back to basics, manual transmission sports cars. That being said, I really enjoy this car and when you figure out the strengths and weaknesses of the powertrain and how to mitigate those and drive around the limitations, this is a phenomenal car. Count me as one of the owners of these things that absolutely loves it.
This guy lied, 1. You can drive in full electric or full gas, or use a combination. The electric charges super fast when you drive in full gas. So fast you never have to plug it in to get a charge. 2. Its because of this sports car from BMW that all other super sports cars are copying it because it does something beyond a normal hybrid. The fun it brings in style, speed, and giving the power to the driver of how they want to drive in full gas, electric or both at a push of a button. Other cars that have a regular hybrid everyone else is so familiar with no option and your forced with the combination and forced to plug it in to get a charge. And out of all sports cars I've driven and friends this one handles bumps way better than other sports cars. 3. The window thing at the end needs to change but it's really no big deal. 4. The interior feels like your in a cockpit of a jet and is awesome. 5. No one reviews this car at night but the interior lights up at night like a TRON movie. You can change the color of the TRON lights to Orange, Blue, or White. The outside looks awesome and grabs alot of attention everywhere you go, but if they only knew how the interior looks just as awesome at night. Hands down if you want one of these get the Orange Copper E outside & in it's the best looking one.
Just stumbling across this channel and I have to say it's awesome!! Glad to be apart of this and looking forward to future videos. Gotta go through all the old videos now. Lol
Love your videos, but you clearly DO NOT know how to drive the car. Use eDrive for full electric. The gas engine only comes on when the battery is depleted. If not in eDrive mode you are either in comfort, eco pro, or sport. It took me a few days to "learn" to drive my i8
I'd have to pull the fuse or snip the wires for that fake engine note. Absolutely intolerable.
There's a fuse for the sound augmentation, but it's only for the outside speaker (a muffer with a speaker in it), which gives the impression that it's a well-muffled 6cyl. Internally, the sound augmentation is incorporated into the sound system and can't be disabled. I put a go-pro in the rear boot and the stock engine actually sounds similar to the augmentation piped into the cabin. I used to hate it but I appreciate hearing the revs, now, when playing with the paddle shifters. Other than that, it's cheesy.
Matt and Zack makes videos about cars worth watching. Thank you guys.
Great review Matt! I absolutely love this cars design, but I think BMW should offer an M version of it with a Porsche like V-8-tt hybrid power with at least 550hp to go with its looks. Now that would definitely change the personality of the I-8 and would be great hearing a nice V-8 tt with the top down.. :)
"Allegedly fun mode" ....ha!
But then he has fun so....
This car looks so good to me on the outside. I had such high hopes for it.
@deadend god yes. I've looked ever since they came out for a proper swap. I'm really suspicious of that 1 in youtube but I haven't seen a good one.much less a LS swapped
It's a really good car.
Did you watch the entire review?
I really enjoyed this one take! Keep it up Matt!
Nice video as always summing up many of the issues I have with BMW overall. I own currently three much older BMWs but think they have lost the message somewhere in the past 5-7 years about "Ultimate Driving Machine" since the current crop of BMWs especially the M cars are "turrible" in relation to past M cars.
You lost me at 167K, all show no go, super small market for a car like this. Nice concept car, not sure it works as a production car.
It sells really well in rich areas.
people will just buy the used ones lol
i saw one that was 2 years old for sale..guy wanted $60k for it lol
@@fredocuomo5386 this car is already trash and imagine two year later
I just saw one in kingsport tn along with a senna lmao idk why anyone wants one but they sell
This car is stunning in copper & black
I’ve been waiting on this to determine if I should buy one. Thanks Matt, finally!!! I8 time is upon us.
Good accurate review. I bought a 2015 coup last summer for a little over 60k and am thrilled with the car. I dont think I would have felt the same way if I paid the full price. Yeah the sound is fake (even outside the car as one of the exhaust pipes if fake and has a speaker in it), but it does sound nice. The handling is great too. As for power, for in town trips the ev is just fine. Anything out if town you really need to keep it in sport mode (engine always on ev only for added power). Finally even though the doors are not practical, it sure looks neat. My biggest complaint is that certain listed features are not in the car (active cruise control, turning headlights, etc.). The equipment is there but not the functionality.
Matt won't let us forget about his Countach
Nice review. The NSX looks like a dream in comparison.
Damn right
Except for cheap interior.
They are totally different, the i8 is a much better daily, the nsx is a super car
The fake sound from the speakers sounds nice. Can you hear it from outside?
Interesting review, certainly coming from someone who obviously did not like the car. Personally i have tried the i8 coupe and Roadster and found them to be really interesting cars, so much so I sold my Ferrari California to buy a Roadster.
I’ve always loved this cars exterior styling.
Good point about driving and enjoying the nature in EV mode
Matt, great review and beautiful car in what to me seems like the best color combo they make. The design of this car is aging nicely, but the quirks are aging like mayonnaise in July in Phoenix. Too many other good choices.
Great review. Honest, clear, informative. BMW is facing a gigantic uphill battle with the rise of BEV’s and they’re digging in their heels instead of rolling up their sleeves.
Loved my i8 coupe. Completely different driving experience compared to what I was used to. I agree they should make a pure EV version. Or an M3/4 engine with electric boost! The best way to purchase these cars is through a lease. I believe you can currently get into a roadster for around $1000/mo 👍
Good review Matt, thank you. Remember, whenever an owner of anything tells you how great they think their something is, whether it's a car or anything else, take it with the giant grain of salt, because even if the thing sucks, people tend not to want to admit it to themselves nor to others, always placating themselves by telling others how great whatever it is they own is. Boy, that was a extremely long-winded explanation...
Read Zechariah 12:10 , sometimes that’s necessary to make a point.
@@Pete-z6e I was referring to my extremely long-winded explanation to explain that people tend to ignore the minuses of a product or service that they have already invested in. Then, they go to others and say how great something is when in fact it's really not that great.
I agree, and I'm a daily driver of an i8, but prefer to be a realist when it comes to this car. I don't "love" it and when people act more excited about the car than I am at car events, it feels weird to, but I have to let them down gently. There are many shortcomings and compromises with this car. Is it faster than my old C5 Corvette? Yes. Did I love the C5 more? Yes.
Super fair and thorough review Matt; the i8 is a weird thing, but I still like it. The carbon tub-ness of it really comes across to me, and that stiff, lightweight feel and the certain sound you get with a CF tub car really does make for a special experience for us plebes. The power isn't amazing, but for those of us who don't regularly practice in high power cars, it's plenty for the real road, especially on those tires. I like how they drive, I like how they sound, and I like how they look (outside...inside is a mess). But I would never deny that the doors suck, it's hard to get in and out of, the performance for the dollar isn't amazing, the hybrid capabilities don't necessarily bring a lot of practicality to the table for US users, etc. For my friend, it's his attainable dream car in a few years. I don't want one but I will happily bum rides in his when he gets one!
An actually really superb review of a car in which I am curious about but don’t really care for. I think the honesty really permeates through the video, and shares a lot of constructive criticism that are all very valid. Nicely done
One of your best reviews. Well done and thank you. Sadly, there will probably not be a 2nd generation.
The i8 would honestly be an amazing car with the B58 motor in the back paired to the electric motors. Then replacing the 6 speed auto with a more modern 8 speed. That thing would almost certainly be a rocket.
idk, it would get a lotttt heavier...
Still love this car,bro.
Is the noise from the drive-by coming from inside the car?
That’s Matt farting.
There's an outside speaker where one of the exhaust tip would be.
Theres also a speaker (that looks like an exhaust tip) under the rear bumper that pumps out digital engine sounds.
Damm this review was a lot nicer than I expect it...for the prviews comments that Matt was saying I tought he was going to be very harsh with BMW for this car
This car is for rappers to flex with that's all.
* to get shot in
Very true I saw a rapper show up to his concert in one
The sad thing is I've seen more rappers in Tesla than i8s.
@@deadonarrival1170 fucking dickhead
@@pierre-4 A list or sound cloud lol
I love this car's styling, it drives really nice as well with very flat cornering at high speeds. Where it fails is of course is with its mini cooper engine, BMW's 3.0L in this thing would have been mega! Also Matt, I'm very happy you pointed out the windows not going down all the way I noticed this too and it's literally insane. Cheers
God, I wish I was you, doing this job! Great evaluation. When I can afford something like this, I will check your channel first!
BMW should stick to sedans and regular coupes, which they do great. Only reason Audi decided to get into the excotic car segment is that they bought Lamborghini so their R8 is basically a rebadged Gallardo/Huracan depending on year. This looks like a concept car.
You are exactly the type of chap this car is not aimed at - it's for grown ups who are bored with big noisy shouty i.c.e cars - on a canyon road if you put it in sport and turn off the ESC and change gear yourself it's low cog and torque will keep up with an R8 or 911 and you can dial out any understeer on the throttle - the other 90% of time it's quiet/frugal/refined/reliable/groundbreaking and will be a great investment like my E26 M1 from 80s was which also was utterly unloved in early 80s and people laughed at buyers of said car with ‘why not buy a 308 Ferrari it’s the same price and BMW is not a super car maker etc’- the M1 E26 are £500k or $645k now !
U r the man, great review as always!
God.. sounds like 1980 russian made pos from the outside... also small fender bender could result in astronomical repair bill due to carbon tub.
These things depreciated harder than 7series.. I’ve seen few coupes selling under $50k. Now i understand why..
Same here. In my area $50k can get me an i8 with just 5k miles on the clock. No wonder I see them so often on the road...
with the whole engine coming on and turning off issue,, if you leave it in sport the engine is always on right ?
Yes, in Sport Mode the internal combustion engine is always on. If you select eDrive, it forces the car to only use electric and runs up to 72MPH on that alone. Comfort or EcoPro modes are like traditional hybrid modes where the engine comes on and off depending on throttle demand. You can drive in those modes up to 63MPH on electric only if you keep the throttle under 30%. After that, the engine kicks in.
"....cause they all burned down" cold dude, meanwhile mea culpa man!
Awesome review. Maybe its just me.. but the electronic "engine sound" is a TOTAL deal breaker. FOR ME.
Saw a blue one pull into a gas station recently, looked amazing.
I actually like the 3 cylinder sound when passed by I8’s on the road…
It's an exotic. You gotta kinda accept and embrace the quirks and differences. I don't mind almost everything that Matt critiqued because it IS such a unique vehicle. If it didn't have these characteristics, it would be like a lot of other vehicles. I do agree though that it is too expensive.
Still love the sound of my E90 and my C7!
Awesome! Ty Matt!
Kudos to Farrah on the honesty of the door/sill experience. Exact reason why we walked away from this car several years ago. Most poorly designed door system in an attempt to be relevant with Lambos and Mclarens.
Guys you have to listen to this part 8.38. Love you Matt
Thank you VERY MUCH for this insight. I was drooling over this being my next BMW,,,,,,,,UNTIL your review. I was unaware that they made such a beautiful vehicle and it was not 100% electric, or even had enough power in what they DID give it. I suppose the 160,000.00 price tag goes for the "look", and that's about it. COME ON BMW this is 2020, put a full EV up !! Scratched from my list. Back to the Tesla Roadster.
Man will always love the sound of a beautiful internal combustion engine!!
This one is fake augmented on the inside for occupants. That kind of ruins it for me.
I thought the original i8 with Mini ICE + EV was sort of a disappointment and they lost value quite quickly. Sort of assumed they would maybe discontinue it...
2020 is the last production model year for the i8. A different platform is rumored to succeed it in a few years and will likely be a 4cyl turbo, but probably with a metal chassis since battery and electric motor technology has improved so much to carry the extra weight.
Glad to see matt has been doing these one takes they lost me when zach started them
Rider_Ringz I have literally been doing videos consistently with new press cars this *entire time* go back 2+ years since I said no more fan cars and I would do press cars only, and that is the exact thing I’ve ben doing.
TheSmokingTire still happier to see you 👍 even if the press now pays you but thats how businesses goes money over everything else 😎
if BMW didn't go hippie circa 2011 this would be called the M1 and have the V10
Saw one the other day and it looks great. The one thing I hope BMW does is take the r&d from this and the i3 and make carbon monocoque chassis for the M sports cars.
I've always liked I8s. The NSX pulls a similar trick, done better, but at a price. I'd like to see something in the middle between the NSX and the I8. An NSX with a bigger battery and smaller NA engine, maybe a 2.5 litre. That would sound great and have a real kick!
I dont get why BMW doesnt make an actual Audi R8 competitor!? 600+ hp supercar. This just falls in between.
Dude this is trash compare to R8
Shift Gears uhm yeah, thats my point..
Good honest review
Why some car have blue color on front grill and side skirt and rear bumber but in video are silver what is different about blue and silver ? Who can tell me please.
Love your content keep up the good work
I don't hate the interior. Do you think this will get revamped at some point with a pure ev powertrain comparable to what the others are putting out in terms of output and performance?
I think the i8 actually is a good recipe, but sub par in execution, let me exaggerate. Us auto enthusiasts want something fast, raw, beautiful etc. but there’s many people out there who are savvy, have $140k (?) to drop on a car, and really like the idea of it being efficient. It’s like a boutique Prius. I really wish that a company like BMW (e46M owner here) could manage to refine the package further after its conception 6 years ago.
that was a great argument until you could buy any number of full-on EV's. As a hybrid, it's less efficient by a lot than my volt.
Don't walk away from the video, he winds up liking the way it drives.
Is the suspension harsh?
Not as harsh as this review.
1- BMW and Hybrid. Perfectly scary words for Halloween Week. Can't imagine the repair costs when these complex hybrid systems break.
2- I hate when interior designers just slap on entertainment screens like this. Looks so tacky.
Send its Bigger brother! 😄
Looks like 1994 nissan 300 zx
Little Viking coach , to a blind man!
Or they should give it a screamin motorcycle engine and used the weight saved for more battery.
Needed this
Looks good with no roof. Not as beautiful as a bicycle, but it looks good...
8:00 Comparing a BMW i8 to a Chevy bolt is wild man...
I can’t wait for Tyler Hoover to buy the cheapest one of these in America in 8 years
I’m interested to know if there was one dude at BMW that was like... “3 cylinders? Fuck!? How about a turbo v8?”
Everyone is angry at Bmw bcz
After the carbon tub and the 918 tec
They put in a 3 cilinder mini engine, tiny electric ones and extra skinny tires
If they started with the 3.0 turbo inline 6 and 180 kw electric and wider tires and they would have made a Porsche beater and the cost wouldn’t have been much more
I'm sure the BMW rep that lent you the car for the week is currently "unemployed" Lol. Two note worthy points left unmentioned for those that are actually considering the car...
1. It's one of the few Hybrid roadster under a million bucks.
2. It has one of the highest residual values of any car on the road after 2 years, which means they have great lease plans for the price. $999/month + tax for 2 years. That's almost half the lease price of most brands in this price range.. both my Aston Vantage and CLS63s are almost 2k/month on 3 year lease plans.
The should probably take the Volt format to the next level and just use the 3 banger as a generator, and upgrade the electric motor(s) to produce the "bang" buyers want from their buck.
What road are you on Matt? Tried going to the snake months ago before my car broke down and it was still blocked off.
Leaves with top down, top still up.
why does this car have a "oh shit" handle above the gauge cluster?
Crap review. You're missing the whole point of this car.
Why does this exist? What is the point? Go full EV or not at all.
subx0ne
My workplace is 10 miles from my home so I could drive this car fully electric on my daily drive to work.
Solution; Drop a 2JZ 1000 hp engine in it for the real fun mode.👌
‘Allegedly fun mode” lol
I hit those “bumps” at 11:05 in my f350 and it sheared my damn torque converter bolts. Don’t do that canyon anymore. Plenty of other great canyons nearby!
damn, what happened to Ford built tough?
REDFORZARACER well, in all fairness, the truck had 390k miles!
7:41 I thought Matt was gonna bump some X
Ahhh, that 3 series interior. gotta love it...
BMW i8 should JV with Honda NSX to produce a super hyper hybrid sport car.
Nice looking but cost too much
one of the few cars available with laser lights.
That last point on not hanging your arm out the window is pure fail. You had ONE job BMW 🙄
16:05, my god, what happened to your legs?
😂
Fake engine noise should be illegal
it reminds me of movie " the Duel "
I propose an 3.0L NA inline 6 engine swap.
BMW completely missed the mark with the i8. Not an original opinion, but if this had a B48 it would be decent, and a B58 it could be great. They should take this carbon tub and build a proper M1 successor. S63Tu or S55 with the lowest curb weight of any M car would be great, but BMW really doesn't build many enthusiast cars anymore.
this car might just take the e60 M5s title for most unreliable BMW
The only thing better than a unreliable transmission is two unreliable transmissions
my best friend owned a 1 series, a Z3 shoe and a Z4 convertible. He had so many problems with all of them. I'd call them all unreliable and I won't ever buy one. Even though I love the E38 and E39 but the older the worse. Prices for these aren't super low for no reason. haha
Unreliable? Read the reviews. It's highly reliable!