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BMW i8
Auto Express
|August 15, 2018
FIRST DRIVE Hi-tech plug-in hybrid loses its roof. But has it gained extra appeal over the Coupé?
BMW has revised its i8 for 2018, introducing an all-new open-top version. The i8 Roadster sits alongside a revised Coupé, losing the latter’s solid roof and back seats, while gaining 60kg and an additional £12,000 on the price. But does that add up to a worthy trade?
The extra mass is a result of structural work to the carbon-fibre passenger cell. There are a few extra layers of carbon fibre around the windscreen and extra panels provide a stronger location for the Roadster’s rear suspension.
Elsewhere, the Roadster’s DSC system and adaptive dampers get unique tuning. Overall the i8 soft-top tips the scales at 1,595kg; hardly portly for a hybrid sports car with show-stopping gull wing doors. The new roof is almost as spectacular as it delicately glides out of sight in a matter of seconds. It’s stored vertically where the back seats would be in the Coupé, and frees up an extra 92 litres of storage.
This story is from the August 15, 2018 edition of Auto Express.
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