BMW i8 - Prj. i12 (Spy)

[Touareg 2.5]

Leak anche per la i8 :

VIN long: WBY2Z2C51EVX64000

Type code: 2Z2C

Type: I8

Dev. series: I12

Line: I

Body type: COUPE

Steering: LL

Door count: 2

Engine: B38T

Cubical capacity: 1.50

Power: 170

Transmision: ALLR

Gearbox: AUT

Colour PALLADIUMGRAU BRILLIANTEFF. M. AKZE

[Touareg 2.5]

Non c'è anno che una BMW non rimanga impantanata nella neve o che non si rompa durante i test lassù .

[Ario_]

Ma la i non l'avevano chiusa e sepolta definitivamente?

[Pandino]

Ma la i non l'avevano chiusa e sepolta definitivamente?

[X82]

Ma la i non l'avevano chiusa e sepolta definitivamente?

[Pandino]

WCF

BMW i8 spied once again

Gli si è sbriciolata la camuffatura?

[Pandino]

WCF

2014 BMW i8 spied cold weather testing

[Pandino]

Quelli di Autocar l'han già provata

The BMW i8 is an alternative sportscar

As intriguing as the i3 is, though, it is the i8 that will headline BMW’s i car line-up when it goes on sale in 2014. Conceived as an alternative to the current crop of conventional combustion-engined sportscars, the sleek new coupé aims to provide the best of both words by offering the sort of straight line performance to see off the Porsche 911 Carrera and combined cycle fuel economy to make even the Volkswagen Up appear thirsty by way of comparison.

This is the image leader for BMW’s push into the alternative drive ranks, and its futuristic styling, complete with its signature fluted rear bodywork, fully reflects it. Like its hatchback sibling, the distinctively styled 2+2 coupé has undergone subtle changes in appearance since it was originally revealed in concept car guise in 2010. Among them are new headlamps and a more formal version of BMW’s traditional kidney grille, and as I prepare to climb down in to the BMW i8 it also dawns on me that the long doors have lost their butterfly style hinges for more conventional front hinges.

From inside, the i8 possesses all the hallmarks of a proper sportscar. You sit low, below the level of the carbonfibre sill, with your legs well out in front. The seats are tight, hugging, hard shell affairs. The deep but low dashboard is very prominent. However, it is the instrument binnacle – whose mesmerising graphics alter depending on the driving mode chosen, going from a calm hue of blue in eco-pro and comfort to a racier orange hue in sport mode – that initially steals my attention as we set off down a slip road and out on to BMW’s test track.

As with the i3, the i8 is based around a carbonfibre structure and hits the scales at 1480kg in production guise. Unlike the new city car, which will only be available with electric drive, however, the more sporting of BMW i cars relies on a plug-in petrol-electric hybrid system for its performance. In less severe weather, it would nominally start in electric mode. However, the electronic system has detected the sub-zero temperatures of northern Sweden and fires on the combustion engine.

At the heart of the new car is a compact, turbocharged 1.5-litre three-cylinder direct injection petrol engine. It's the same unit we tested last year fitted to a BMW 1-series prototype and set for BMW’s first front-wheel drive model, as previewed by the Concept Active Tourer at last year’s Paris motor show, as well as the next-generation of Mini models, the first of which will appear at this year’s Los Angles motor show.

Mounted transversely behind the roomy cabin, the aluminium block unit develops an impressive 220bhp and 221lb ft of torque, all channeled to the rear wheels via a six-speed automatic gearbox boasting a conventional torque converter. It’s a boisterous unit, emitting a distinctive three-cylinder hum that gets deeper and more prominent as engine speeds increase. A glance over at the highly detailed digital tachometer as Jos van As, head of chassis development for all BMW models, fires the i8 down a long straight reveals the redline is pegged at 6500rpm.

But, as the i8’s plug-in hybrid billing suggests, the petrol engine is not the only form of propulsion. An electric motor, shared with the i3, sits up front in the nose, sending an additional 128bhp and 184lb ft to the front wheels. There’s also a second, much smaller electric motor mounted at the rear next to the combustion engine, producing 5bhp and 6lb ft. But while it is capable of providing drive to the rear wheels, its primary purpose is as an alternator and/or generator depending on which driving mode is chosen; Eco-pro, Comfort or Sport.

Altogether, there is 349bhp, giving the i8 a power-to-weight ratio some 16bhp/tonne beyond that of the BMW Z4 sDrive35i, at 236bhp/tonne. And yet, it is the torque, which swells to a peak of 406lb ft which leaves the biggest impression. There’s great urge when BMW’s chassis ace knocks the gear lever to the left to engage Sport mode, in which all three power sources are engaged, and then throws the throttle open. BMW’s claims of 0-62mph in 4.6sec and 37-75mph in 4.0sec are in no way optimistic. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if the definitive performance figures (to be revealed closer to its launch next year) are even sharper.

As we rush along snow-covered roads, I notice a button on the centre tunnel marked 'E mode'. Van As obliges, depressing it to alter the drive process from petrol-electric to solely electric, in which energy is provided by a lithium-ion battery pack mounted within the centre tunnel. It is a neat trick – one that will allow drivers of the BMW i8 to undertake journeys of up to 20 miles on battery power alone, allowing them to dodge London’s congestion charge and other similar zero-emission zone charges. It also provides the swoopy coupé with near-to-silent cruising qualities.

Three versatile power sources in the BMW i8

The most impressive aspect of the new car when we leave the BMW test track and head out on public roads is the smooth interplay between the three power sources, the result, Van As reveals, of countless hours spent refining the algorithms of the i8’s so-called power electronics.

“It’s a crucial part of hybrid drivetrain development, and something we’ve put a great deal of effort in to perfecting to keep us in good stead for the future,” he says. “It’s part of the reason why we decided from the outset not to engage an outside partner, but to keep all electronic development in-house, and retain the intellectual property rights for ourselves.”

The way the BMW i8’s advanced drivetrain switches from hybrid mode (in which all three power sources are in use) to pure electric mode (in which just one power source is relied upon) at the press of a button on the centre console, is extremely impressive. In hybrid mode, all four wheels provide drive. In electric mode, only the front wheels channel drive. It all sounds remarkably complex, but you’d never know it, such is seamless interplay.

Further impressions? While it may be billed as a sportscar, the i8 boasts an excellent ride. The overall set-up is claimed to be close in terms of comfort to that set to appear on the upcoming BMW 4-series coupé. “We are aware certain customers will use the i8 every day. It needs to offer sufficient low speed compliance for commuting in combination with the control required at higher speeds," says Van As.

So, is the BMW i8 be capable of taking the fight to more conventional sportscars like the Porsche 911 Carrera? After all, it is expected to cost about £100,000, a similar price to a Carrera 4S. It’ll be another year at least before we get to steer the BMW i brand’s flagship model for ourselves but we now know that it is not only spectacularly futuristic in terms of appearance but also engagingly fast, imminently usable and comfortable enough to be used everyday.

Modificato 25 Febbraio 2013 da Pandino

[ISO-8707]

[Cosimo]

Occacchio

Pesaggio nordico. Cielo basso e nuvoloso. Sguardo di ghiaccio

Io fossi nei panni del giornalista, non credo mi farei un giro con quel collaudatore

Una partita a scacchi no di sicuro