2018 BMW i8 Roadster - Drive, Interior and Exterior.

BMW i8 Roadster: BMW eDrive technology with hybrid synchronous electric motor, max. output: 105 kW/143 hp, max. torque: 250 Nm (184 lb-ft). Three-cylinder petrol engine with BMW TwinPower Turbo technology, capacity: 1,499 cc, output: 170 kW/231 hp, max. torque: 320 Nm (236 lb ft). Hybrid-specific all-wheel drive, combustion engine driving the rear wheels, electric motor driving the front wheels. Acceleration [0 – 100 km/h]: 4.6 seconds, top speed: 250 km/h.

The BMW i8 Roadster carries over the BMW i design language into another vehicle concept, and is awash with individual highlights that radiate elegance and fire the emotions. The soft-top roof has a visual lightness to go with its low physical weight and serves as a defining element of the silhouette in reinforcing the road-hugging impression made by the car’s low centre of gravity. The body’s dynamic wedge shape can also be best appreciated when viewing the two-seater in profile.

When opened, the BMW i8 Roadster’s broad roof retracts fully into the rear end. A unique mechanism allows the soft-top to be folded into a compact package and stowed away in a perpendicular position, creating around 100 litres of additional storage space behind the seats. The all-electric roof opens and closes very quietly in 15 seconds, a process which can be initiated while travelling at up to 50 km/h. Dropping down the roof raises the rear window by around 30 millimetres into a comfort position, where it can serve as a draught stop.

The familiar lightweight design measures used for previous BMW i models have been meticulously adapted to the specific requirements of the i8 Roadster. The open-top two-seater comes with newly designed frameless gullwing doors made from CFRP with an aluminium outer shell, while the windscreen frame is made entirely from CFRP. This ultra-strong high-tech material is ideally equipped to provide exceptional rigidity, maximising the car’s occupant protection even if it rolls over. CFRP is also used to manufacture the side skirts with their extra-large crosssection. Additional struts and panels in the front and rear axles also help to maximise the body’s rigidity. The unladen weight of the new BMW i8 Roadster stands at 1,595 kilograms, meaning the design’s inherent weight penalty vis-à-vis the Coupe is limited to around 60 kilograms, a remarkably low figure for an open-top car.

Rigorously further developed BMW eDrive technology and the optimised operating strategy of the intelligent energy management lead to a significant increase in the number of driving situations where the electric motor can be solely responsible for powering the car. This underscores the groundbreaking character of the new BMW i8 Coupe and ensures that drivers of the new BMW i8 Roadster can enjoy silent and locally emission-free open-top motoring to the full.

The internal combustion engine has also undergone further optimisation to ready it for the new BMW i8 Coupe and new BMW i8 Roadster. The threecylinder unit extracts maximum output of 170 kW/231 hp from its displacement of just 1.5 litres, along with peak torque of 320 Nm (236 lb-ft). In the process, it generates an even sportier soundtrack. A particulate filter is now fitted to further reduce emissions by absorbing the particulate matter contained in the exhaust gases. The system output produced by the electric motor and engine acting in unison is now 275 kW/374 hp. The new BMW i8 Coupe accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds, while the new BMW i8 Roadster takes a tick longer with a time of 4.6 seconds. Both models have an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h.

The model-specific tuning of the suspension and damping systems, the specially configured steering characteristics, a firmer roll stabilisation set-up and targeted modification of the DSC parameters together guarantee that the new BMW i8 Roadster retains all of the plug-in hybrid sports car’s trademark handling and performance qualities. Dynamic Damper Control is included as standard on both models. The standard 20-inch light-alloy wheels fitted to the new BMW i8 Roadster feature a lightweight construction and each weigh around one kilogram less than the lightest wheels previously offered for the BMW i8.

Track: Y&V - Lune [NCS Release]
https://youtu.be/n79aphwhpW0
Soundcloud: https://goo.gl/3v1ri1