First official photos of BMW i8 leaked and the interior is, well, busy

By Nick Jaynes September 3, 2013

first official photos of bmw i8 leaked and the interior is well busy side — The BMW i8 looks like a 6 Series that was put on a diet. Image used with permission by copyright holder

Last time BMW had an 8 Series – plug-in hybrid or otherwise – was 1999. Though BMW offered a slew cylinder options for its high-end coupe, our favorite was the V12. The original 8 Series was designed to attract a new kind of Bimmer buyer, one who wanted a bit more performance and refinement than the brand had ever embodied until that point.

Now we get to see BMW’s 21^st century answer to the 8 Series: the i8 plug-in hybrid sports car. And just look at it: it’s absolutely stunning. BMW designers have successfully taken the visual vibrancy of the 6 Series grand tourer and re-shaped it into a very elegant sports car.

Although a three-cylinder gasoline engine and an electric motor – instead of a V8 or V12 – power the new i8, it is nonetheless the intellectual successor to the first 8 Series. It produces a combined 362 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque, which will push it to 60 from a dead standstill in 4.5 seconds and onto an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph.

The i8 isn’t all about looks and power. In electric only mode, it can go up to 22 miles on a single charge and hit 95 mph. Probably not at the same time, though.

BMW i8 interior — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Open the gullwing doors and drivers will find the i8 interior continues the modern BMW sensibility with lots of gray and very few buttons. Despite its spare infotainment layout, the cabin of the i8 looks surprisingly busy. Shapes, levels, and color shifts dart around the dashboard, center console and door panels in a very un-BMW manner. We’re not sure we like the business of it. We’ve thought some current BMW interiors boring but this just goes too far in the other direction.

Just before these pictures were leaked, BMW released one last teaser video of the i8, which you can see below. If you’re hoping for the roar of an engine, keep looking. The i8 will probably be mostly silent, as the sound of a three-cylinder $100,000+ German sports car won’t likely set alight the souls of passersby.

The curtain officially drops at the Frankfurt Auto Show next week. Be sure to check back for more on the i8 and much, much more.

[Main image: Ecomento]

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Nick Jaynes is the Automotive Editor for Digital Trends. He developed a passion for writing about cars working his way…

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The 2019 BMW i8 and the 2019 Acura NSX may seem like very different machines in your mind’s eye, given that the beemer is most likely to be seen at the new downtown cocktail bar, while the fancy Honda’s natural habitat is the parking lot of a post-IPO dog rental service. But pop on those mental reading glasses and look again. Both cars are two-seaters, both are focused on showcasing cutting-edge technology, and both have outrageous styling. Most importantly, and most surprisingly, both start at the same price. You can drive home in either an i8 or an NSX if you’ve got $155,000 in Dogecoin (or the internet monopoly-money of your choice). So while you might not initially think of cross-shopping these two vehicles, they are actually playing in the same league. Therefore, let’s put them head-to-head and see who comes out the winner. The answer may surprise you. Or not. I’m not in your head.
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While you might not initially think of cross-shopping these two vehicles, they are actually playing in the same league.

Both cars look the part of $155k+ supercars, but they go about their visuals in very different ways. The i8, and especially the roadster we tested in this beautiful E-Copper hue, looks like a car from the near future – say 2030. The i8 is all swoops and curves, and it is often difficult to tell where distinct panels start and end. It looks like nothing else on the road, in the best possible way. The Acura, on the other hand, looks like an amalgam of various Ferraris, Hondas, and even a hint of Corvette. It’s like you asked an AI to generate a supercar. It is certainly handsome and eye-catching, but never distinctive enough to really grab your imagination. A win on exterior styling must go to the i8.
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Things are reversed on the interior. The BMW feels fancier than a 3-series but doesn’t quite deliver your $155,000 worth of luxury or materials. It’s such a letdown to see so beautiful a car, to operate its amazing swan doors, and then plop into a ho-hum interior that is all-too contemporary. The designers took such stylistic chances on the body, why couldn’t they do the same with the materials and surfaces here? Especially when the interior of the down market i3 is so much more futuristic with its floating screens and matte wood trim. The one high-point on the i8 would be the uncured carbon fiber cloth accents that are used throughout the cabin.

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