The article was originally produced on January 4, 2019, some facts and prices may have changed since then.

When the i8 was shown as a concept, it was roofless, but when the production-ready car arrived, it had a roof. Now four years after the launch, an update is coming which also offers a roadster version.

The electrified division of BMW has the suffix i, BMWi. The first two models, and so far the only ones on the market, are the i3 and the i8. The former is a practical and compact city car that can be purchased as either a plug-in hybrid or fully electric.

The i8, on the other hand, which is a sports car, can only be had as a plug-in hybrid. In 2009, the concept for the i8 was shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show, but the year before they had shown a study for a new BMW M1 with the name "Hommage Concept", which then had to contribute many of its lines to the new i8 concept.

The aerodynamic shapes of the car make you almost lose yourself when you look at it

The production-ready car only rolled out of the factory in 2014 and then with minimal changes from the concept apart from having a roof. The look of the i8 is really different from anything else, there are so many aerodynamic shapes on the car that you almost lose yourself when you look at it. No one stands unmoved when you roll by with an i8, let alone when you park and open the frameless scissor doors, and that too on a roadster is a real joy for the eyes.

If you take a look under the surface, you will definitely not be disappointed, the i8 is based on an F1-like construction with a carbon fibre, and plastic monocoque. The driveline in the i8 roadster is an electric motor with 143 horsepower and a three-cylinder gasoline engine with 1.5 litres and 275 horsepower. Together, electricity and the petrol engine generate 374 horses.

What was updated with the facelift, as well as in the roadster version, was that the lithium-ion battery received a higher capacity, 70 per cent to be exact, which gives 12 horses more than before. The range for electric operation is now 53 kilometres, which is 16 more than before when you got 37 kilometres on pure electric operation. The sprint from standstill to 100 km/h is accomplished in 4.6 seconds thanks to both engines working simultaneously.

The beauty of the i8 Roadster's performance must still be the consumption. Despite relatively active driving without directly thinking too much about adapting to keep down gas consumption, it still results in just over two litres per mile, and that's crazy good for such a fun sports car.

The BMW i8 Roadster can be driven in different programmes, you can either drive completely on electricity in "EV mode", but then only 53 kilometres as previously mentioned and to a maximum speed of 120 kilometres per hour. Then the car has a comfort and EcoPro mode. There is also a Sport mode which is accessed by sliding the gear selector to the left. Then the character of the car changes significantly and the gauges change colour from white to red. The engine sound also comes to life with a lovely growl.

From inside the cabin, the sound sounds really good, but it's actually a digitally amplified engine sound coming from the car's speakers. From the outside, the car doesn't make much noise at all, although you can hear the petrol engine. The great thing about cars like the i8 Roadster is that at any time, if you enter town, for example, you can switch to electric drive and slide along in complete silence or switch when the road becomes more fun and get a potent sports car that hugs the curves in the best way.

When it comes to active driving with the i8 Roadster, it's really fun, the progressive steering adapts to the speed, at lower speeds it's easy to steer, while at higher speeds it's heavier so small steering wheel movements are barely noticeable. Despite the fact that the car is almost two metres wide, it turns incredibly nicely in tight curves, at high speeds it lies flat and completely undramatic.

What BMW has achieved with the i8 Roadster is truly unique and the fact that they have chosen to release a car like this now is exactly what is needed to accelerate development. Because the technology exists, you want to see more cars like this and if only the price had been a little easier to handle, probably more people would have chosen to drive an i8 Roadster!

BMW i8 Roadster

Basic price	SEK 1,631,500
Engine	Three-cylinder 1.5-litre petrol engine with turbo, 231 hp, torque 320 Nm + a front electric motor of 143 hp. Total power 374 hp
Transmission	Rear engine, 6-speed automatic, rear wheel drive. The front electric motor drives the front wheels
Acceleration	0-100 in 4.6 sec
Top speed	250 km/h
Fuel consumption mixed driving according to the manufacturer	0.21 l/mile
Weight	1,670 kilos
Guarantees	New car 2 years, carriage damage 3 years, battery 8 years
Web	www.bmw.se