How about a show of hands? If you owned a BMW i8, would you drive it in the snow?
We could be wrong, but we suspect that the number of raised hands would be pretty low. We just don’t think that many i8s would live in single car households and be daily drivers regardless of weather conditions.
That doesn’t mean the i8 can’t be a good snow car. Despite its futuristic looks and unconventional layout, it is still technically an all-wheel drive car with an electric motor driving the front wheels and a gasoline engine driving the rears. Put the right tires on it and it might be competent in the white stuff. Snow, we mean.
In other countries, Finland for example, driving in snow can be a way of life to the extent that Finns must demonstrate proficiency on slippery surfaces before they can receive their drivers’ licenses.
As well as the BMW i8 in this video goes in the snow, note that the driver makes wise choices. Falstaff wasn’t driving an i8 in the snow when he taught us that the better part of valor is discretion, but it can apply to encounters with snowplows.
As interesting as the first video is, we already knew that the i8 would go in the snow. More than a year and half ago, Evo.co.uk posted a video depicting a preproduction i8 taking on snow in and around a winter test facility in Sweden.
So you would-be i8 drivers who didn’t raise your hands, don’t be afraid. If you ever get an i8, now you know you can slap on some Hakkapeliittas and show everyone your lean, mean, BMW snow machine.
Yes, we’re kidding. Mostly. We probably wouldn't take our i8 out in the snow if we had another car. And if we had an i8.—Scott Blazey
Here is the BMW i8 driving through the woods on a snowy evening. (Apologies to Robert Frost.)
[Video and photo courtesy of Jaakko33540.]
Preproduction BMW i8 at winter testing in 2013.
[Video courtesy of evo.co.uk.]
