#40 2014 BMW i8 Test Drive

With a far-out body wrapped around the carbon-fiber body tub, front and rear aluminum subframes, and a wishbone suspension at all four corners, the i8 mimics race-car build technology. But there the similarity ends. At the rear is a three-cylinder version of BMW's latest gas engines. It's turbocharged, with variable valve timing, double overhead camshafts, and four valves per cylinder, and drives the rear wheels via an Aisin six-speed automatic transmission. A 13-hp 74 lb-ft starter/generator adds to an already hefty amount of pep. Moving forward in the car, a large central tunnel backbone houses the fuel tank and the 220-pound 7.1-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack. Then, between the front wheels sits the i8's main electric motor that drives the front wheels via a GKN-made two-speed transmission. 

The main difference between the heavy-duty tech in the i8 and the super-eco exotics we're expecting from McLaren, Ferrari, and Porsche next year is the BMW's lack of a drive motor at the rear wheels. And actually, the i8's performance is modest in comparison, with a top speed of 155 mph and 0-to-62 mph acceleration in 4.5 seconds. 

Built alongside BMW's EV, the i3, in Leipzig, Germany, the i8 is brisk but economical. Carsten Breitfeld, head of the i Project, claims that even if owners never bothered actually plugging in, the real-world fuel consumption in the i8 would still be about twice as good as that from the M3. BMW expects to see 94 mpg (U.S.) in the NEDC (New European Drive Cycle) test. Recharge time on a 13-amp European domestic supply is about 2 hours. 

Bottom Line: Viewed from the last decade, the i8 might look like much ado about nothing. A 3284-pound sports coupe capable of 155 mph, 0-to-62 mph in 4.5 seconds, and who cares about the gas mileage. For the next decade's sensibilities, however, the i8 might be the way all sports cars will start to look. The i8 is the best of both worlds: pricey, exclusive, desirable, and gorgeous to look at, but not as wallet-warpingly nuts as the rivals from McLaren, Ferrari, and Porsche. What's more, BMW, under fire in China for less-than-stellar environmental credentials and a humiliating 5 Series steering recall, needs something to convince the Chinese that they are serious about the environment, not just treating the country's new rich as gullible cash cows. The current quick-charge/deplete hybrid battery is the only hurdle to boosting the front motor by another 30 hp, so we should expect that a quicker i8 is in the works and, because the carbon roof panel is a nonstructural cover, a convertible version won't be that far away, either.