The BMW i8 Roadster is finally here

Munich/Los Angeles, 30. November 2017

What lasts long, becomes finally good: BMW has drawn on the same day as the Los Angeles Auto Show in 2017, the blankets from his new i8 Roadster. Felt the development and the associated Concept Car appearances in the length like a Hubba-Bubba-chewing-gum moved, but now the production version is really there. Whom the Design of the new i8 Roadster stunned the last three years probably spent behind the moon. Which is not to say that it is bad: The open-top i8 looks absolutely gorgeous.

Facelift for i8 coupe

And he benefited from some Updates, because, fittingly, BMW has connected the arrival of the Roadster with a Facelift for the i8 coupe. The model of care brings only Good to the fore: The Lithium-ion battery gets a larger cell capacity (from 20 to 34 amp-hours) and energy content (11,6 instead of 7.1 kWh). And the electric Motor is strengthened by twelve to 143 HP. A total of 374 HP are now available. The pure electric range is growing to the i8 coupe to 55 km, the i8 Roadster is expected to create 53 kilometers. With an enabled eDrive button can now also be up to 120 km/h purely electrically driven.

60 pounds more

Good for friends of fresh air: The i8 Roadster, the coupe is very similar. He uses the same CFRP cell, whose excellent rigidity for two very positive effects: The canopy can be relatively large and it is additional stiffening measures are hardly necessary. Accordingly, the Roadster weighs only 60 pounds more than the coupe. 1.595 kilos in All. The scissor doors remain, however, in the framework of a loose Form.

Smart canopy with Parts from the 3D printer

The soft top of the BMW i8 Roadster is made of fabric and moves "virtually silent" (which means it fits quite well to the drive of the car). It opens and closes in 15 seconds and up to speeds of 50 km/h. Also, it is an engaging, refined piece of technology, because it saves in a kind of Z-fold vertically in the rear of the stowed and thus a bunch of space. Space for an additional storage space of 100 litres between the Seats and the soft top box. Also very appealing: The aluminum parts of the top mechanism come from the 3D printer. It is the future of live. Less futuristic, but certainly very pleasant: The rear window is driving with the roof open automatically to 30 mm to the top and acts so SCHOTT, as a kind of wind, can be lowered by the push of a button, but again, if your hairstyle is no matter.

New 20-Inch

Among all the clever Mechanics the same Setup as the i8 coupe's, of course. A new chassis Upgrade with a tighter roll stabilization and lighter (still pretty damn narrow) 20-inch tyres. The 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine sends 231 HP and 320 Newton meters to the rear axle, the electric motor takes care of the front wheels. In the course of the Facelift tweaks, however, it was ensured that the E-Motor operates significantly more likely to be alone, and the burner fails so often. On the various driving modes of the i8, you can intervene manually. Who retrieves everything it has to offer, BMW open Hybrid athlete, shoots in 4.6 seconds from 0-100 km/h. The i8 coupe creates the Standard sprint in 4.4 seconds. The top speed is in both cases at 250 km/h.

Starting In May 2018

The consumption levels are, according to BMW at 2.1 litres, the i8 Roadster and 1.9 litres for the i8 coupe. That's the equivalent of 46 or 42 grams per Kilometer of CO2. Both values are, in reality, of course, more nonsense, but if your foot is easy and the E-Motor often, then you can come maybe in the vicinity of these values. Prices for fresh i8-, double-, BMW calls so far. The market launch takes place in may 2018.(sw)

Related