Chris Harris Drives the new BMW i8

For those of you who have been screaming, “BMW is losing its way!”, sharpening pitchforks and what not, the i8 may be your idea of the perfect thing to burn in effigy. It’s a hybrid, automatic, AWD. It’s not an E30 M3 — gasp!

But in my brief ride up a canyon with Mr. Harris, I felt a chassis that is eager to turn, corners very flat, and felt quite fast, even without thousands of horsepower. Imagine that. A bit “BMW” of them, don’t you think?

The BMW i8 has a carbon fiber tub, a first for a normal production car. Despite its $135,000 price, I think “normal” is an acceptable description because the rest of the carbon gang members tend to have prices that start in the high 200s and reach all the way to the millions. As companies seek higher MPG, weight is a problem, so BMW is bringing carbon fiber to the masses; the i3 is the more attainable example. I think this is a great thing because all the power in the world can’t erase the feeling that a car has gorged itself on several 55-gallon drums of Häagen-Dazs. Drive the new E63 AMG, and you’ll see what I’m on about.

But as Chris explains below, the i8 is better than a simple recipe of efficiency … much better.

Source: CHRIS HARRIS ON CARS

Zack Klapman is a Senior Editor for The Smoking Tire, and  produces “TUNED” and “BIG MUSCLE” on the /DRIVE Network. He can be found on Twitter.