Launched in 2014, the BMW i8 Coupé (I12) never set out to rival a Porsche 911. Its purpose was different: to demonstrate that a spectacular coupé could marry a carbon cell, a compact rear combustion engine and a front electric motor into all-wheel drive without any conventional propshaft. Even today, this architecture stands apart from everything else on the road.
The first phase produces `362 hp` by combining the `B38K15T0 1.5` turbocharged three-cylinder at the rear with the front electric module. The high-voltage battery offers `7.1 kWh` gross, which is enough primarily for hybrid operation and short urban runs - not to transform the car into a genuine daily electric. On this generation, the car must therefore be assessed as a complex technical system where software calibration, charging quality, cooling and the smoothness of mode transitions matter just as much as the mileage.