As more and more people get seat time behind the wheel of the BMW i8, we are starting to see the true performance of BMW's innovative flagship car. On paper, the i8 is pretty impressive—as are most electric vehicles—but those skinny tires made people wonder; they're designed to reduce drag and rolling resistance, of course, but tend to equate handling and performance with wider tires and wheels. Here are some quick comparisons of performance:
| M235i | M4 | M6 | i8 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horsepower | 320 | 425 | 560 | 357 |
| Torque (lb-ft) | 330 | 406 | 500 | 420 |
| Weight (lb, auto) | 3535 | 3585 | 4255 | 3455 |
| 0 - 60 mph (sec, auto) | 4.6 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 4.2 |
| Top Speed (electronically limited) | 130 | 156 | 155 | 155 |
Autocar set out to find if the BMW i8 can keep up with the new M4 on track since both vehicles had similar power to weight ratios and acceleration times.
As you can see the i8 did fairly well on track. We'd be interested to see how the i8 would do if it had similar Michelin Pilot Super Sports fitted to it!—Nate Risch
