When BMW first started promoting the BMW i8, its amazing plug-in hybrid sports car, the company must have forgotten to include pictures or videos showing how the car handles in the snow. Probably an oversight, because why would BMW not take advantage of the i8’s all-wheel drive configuration to advertise the car?
Sure, the i8’s all-wheel drive system is not the same xDrive that other all-wheel drive BMWs share. The i8 derives its system through two separate engines driving two separate transmissions with everything controlled nicely by the ship’s computer.
In a YouTube video uploaded by DoctaM3, it’s obvious that at least one BMW i8 driver isn’t afraid to turn his sports car loose in the snow, although he very wisely chose a mostly empty snow-filled parking lot to document the i8’s winter capabilities. That’s probably the perfect place for anyone unfamiliar with winter driving to learn car control in the snow.
The parking lot is also the best place for a snow play date with your BMW i8 because even though the i8 may be very controllable on winter roads, the same cannot be said of all the other cars with which the BMW sports car would be sharing the road. We’re guessing that might be the main reason that most i8’s hibernate in snow climates. That, and the fact that the dazzling styling of the i8 is somewhat diminished when it’s covered in dirt, and mud, and caked-on dried-out salt.
Check out the video below to see how the i8 loves the snow. Even though technically the i8 has all-wheel drive, it is heavily biased toward rear-wheel drive when it is in Sport mode, which we’re guessing was the case when most of this video was recorded.
In any event, BMW may want to include a few more winter shots of the i8 in its promotional campaigns. The i8 won’t mind.—Scott Blazey
[Photo and video courtesy of DoctaM3 and Supercars Personified.]
