Autocar Drives BMW i8 - Video

Steve Sutcliffe of Autocar goes to Scotland to test drive the new BMW i8.

BMW i8 uses a plug-in hybrid system consisting of a turbocharged three-cylinder BMW TwinPower Turbo petrol engine and BMW eDrive technology in the form of an electric drive system.

The 1.5-liter combustion engine develops 170 kW/231 hp and drives the rear wheels of the BMW i8, while the 96 kW/131 hp electric drive sends its power to the front wheels and allows an all-electric range of up to 35 kilometers (22 miles) and a top speed of 120 km/h (75 mph).

*Editor's Note: This post appears on BMWBLOG. Check it out here.

BMW i8 weighs 1490 kg curb weight and sits at 46 centimeters above the asphalt – lower than any other production cars of the BMW Group. Just like other sport cars from Munich, the weight is distributed equally between the front and rear axle.

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The first plug-in hybrid sportscar will debut in the United States in July of this year and is also the second model of the new BMW i sub-brand. As with the i3, the core of the car is the LifeDrive architecture with carbon passenger cell which gives the i8 a particularly low weight.

In Germany, the BMW i8 starts at €126,000, while in the UK it will cost £ 99,125. The U.S. market will also get the BMW i8 in 2014 at a base price of $135,700.

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