autoevolution
 

BMW i8 Takes on M4 in So-Called 'Track Battle'

The fact that BMW sold only around 800 i8s globally so far speaks about how rare this thing is. Therefore, whenever someone gets a chance to drive it, they should really try their best to get the most out of the experience, every time.
BMW i8 vs BMW M4 1 photo
Photo: Screenshot from Youtube
Steve Suitcliffe from Autocar is seemingly unaware of such things and when BMW offered him a BMW i8 and an M4 to compare them against each other on a track he simply didn’t pay any attention to what the viewers wanted to see and depleted the plug-in hybrid’s battery before starting to shoot.

That’s a confession he makes in the video you’re about to see that was supposed to be a proper showdown between the two Bimmers that everyone talks about these days.

However, because he was probably too excited about driving a car so rare as the i8, Steve burned through the batteries before getting the chance to film anything. Therefore, the runs we’re looking at here are done with the futuristic Bimmer running almost exclusively on the 1.5-liter 3-cylinder petrol engine that power the rear wheels. In such conditions, it's no wonder the difference is so big between them.

The configuration of the i8 prevents the car from having the batteries completely drained but the electric engine needs proper power to deliver all the performance expected. That didn’t happen here.

Yes, the M4 looks a lot faster and that’s only normal as long as it is capable to run on all the available power from the drivetrain. That means 431 HP and 550 Nm (406 lb-ft) in case you didn’t know.

On the other hand, the i8 should’ve had 362 HP and 570 Nm (420 lb-ft) of torque coming from the aforementioned internal combustion plant making 231 HP and 320 Nm (236 lb-ft) and the electric motor with 131 HP and 250 Nm (184 lb-ft).

What we especially dreaded was the fact that they had the chance to get the two together on a proper track and didn’t have the courtesy of doing their job right, as in providing us with a proper track battle as the name suggests. At least some times would’ve been welcome, with or without electric power on the i8 to better get a glimpse of the differences between them...

If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories