M3/M4 vs i8

[myzmak]

Originally Posted by ixse

I thought there was ridiculusly long wait list for i8? Also dealer markups?

I believe both of those are true

[jhbodle]

I was choosing between the i8 and the M4 when I was buying my car - they were the two options on my list.

Jumping into the i8 at my dealer, I loved the way the doors rise up and generally adored the car's look. Even the little 3 cylinder engine sounded great!

However, getting straight out of the i8 into the M4 in the showroom, the first thing I noticed was that the interior of the M4 was better. Better steering wheel, better dashboard, just a general feeling of better quality. This surprised me considering the cost difference.

Plus whichever car I bought I planned to keep for a long time, and I thought that the batteries would need replacing at some point at a massive cost. Plus I would be worried about parking it anywhere.

I ended up buying the M4 in the showroom based on that comparison above. I still want an i8 though, maybe in a few years if a used one comes along at the right price I'll add one alongside the M4 :-)

[Ghetto2315]

Anyone jump from the M3/M4 to an i8 yet? I have unique opportunity to do so and wanted to know if they regretted their decision...

Besides the obvious, I know that I am going to miss the performance of my modified M4 but I only drive 20 miles a day and I always wanted an i8.

[Ian1973]

I have only sat in an I8, but if I could swing the payment, I would trade in a heartbeat. The I8 is special, the M4, not so much. I don't care if it's faster.

[Xtabi]

If someone made me pick between the two I'd take the i8 and sell it immediately. Then I'd reorder the exact same M3 build at $64k and pocket the extra cash.

For whatever reason I can't shake the image of Disney World future land when I look at the i8. It is as if BMW tried too hard to make it 'futuristic' looking. Ugly with a capital u in my eyes.

[myzmak]

Haven't made a switch or been tempted.

Mostly that is just a needs thing - I need 4 doors and a trunk that can carry 2 kids' hockey bags (or 2 adult sets of clubs and 2 junior sets) - i8 doesn't let me do that.

BUT if I were looking for a 2 seater? I'd debate hard on an i8 vs something like a Cayman.

I think it looks good and, frankly, it represents the direction the car world is going.

But, like Clarkson said in one of his last TGs, it is a bit like choosing the greatest typewriter ever (the current M3) or the first PC (the i8)......

....recognizing that the first PC was weak compared to what came later.

Still......

yeah, hard decision.

[dmk08]

Originally Posted by (((myzmak)))

Haven't made a switch or been tempted.

Mostly that is just a needs thing - I need 4 doors and a trunk that can carry 2 kids' hockey bags (or 2 adult sets of clubs and 2 junior sets) - i8 doesn't let me do that.

BUT if I were looking for a 2 seater? I'd debate hard on an i8 vs something like a Cayman.

I think it looks good and, frankly, it represents the direction the car world is going.

But, like Clarkson said in one of his last TGs, it is a bit like choosing the greatest typewriter ever (the current M3) or the first PC (the i8)......

....recognizing that the first PC was weak compared to what came later.

Still......

yeah, hard decision.

For the price point many other 2 seaters I would want over an i8 personally.

[myzmak]

Originally Posted by dmk08

For the price point many other 2 seaters I would want over an i8 personally.

Yeah, I can't make a big argument in favour of i8 as a 'value' proposition. You can almost certainly get more performance for the $$$....

....however, there are 'intangible' things that an i8 might have that might make up for any slips in performance.

I dunno.

All hypothetical as in no way shape or form is this a car I need in my life right now....

[Ian1973]

Originally Posted by dmk08

For the price point many other 2 seaters I would want over an i8 personally.

BUT the I8 feels special. It feels like an event climbing over the wide sills. lol The doors obviously, the styling. It's still decently fast and undertired from the factory so I'm sure a hooligan car.

Obviously a Cayman, Cockster, Vette and the like would be way more performance, but a dime a dozen.

[dmk08]

Originally Posted by Ian1973

BUT the I8 feels special. It feels like an event climbing over the wide sills. lol The doors obviously, the styling. It's still decently fast and undertired from the factory so I'm sure a hooligan car.

Obviously a Cayman, Cockster, Vette and the like would be way more performance, but a dime a dozen.

I dont find the i8 appealing at all really.

[CreoUCLA]

Originally Posted by dmk08

For the price point many other 2 seaters I would want over an i8 personally.

Originally Posted by dmk08

I dont find the i8 appealing at all really.

^same for me.

My co-worker has one, and it doesn't titillate or spur any heightened emotion in me. But the somber mood could also be attributed to the hideously huge Forgiato wheels that he put on it...

Now, when I saw a Brewster or Irish Green Cayman GT4 in front of the auto body shop down the street, that's where I went .

[k-lo]

the i8 is a 4 seater, 2 door coupe which makes it very appealing to me.

[Jim B]

NO WAY!!!

[Xtabi]

Originally Posted by CreoUCLA

^same for me.

My co-worker has one, and it doesn't titillate or spur any heightened emotion in me. But the somber mood could also be attributed to the hideously huge Forgiato wheels that he put on it...

Now, when I saw a Brewster or Irish Green Cayman GT4 in front of the auto body shop down the street, that's where I went .

Finally! I thought I was the only one that found nothing at all about it to my liking. Any car I consider buying must first pass the look test. The i8 fails by every single measure. There is no styling que that does anything for me at all.

Glad I'm not the on only one on here with bad taste!

[iamdabest1]

I've had 3m3's 1 m4 and got an i8 . I don't care what anyone says .the i8 , although slower , and worse brakes , is FAR more enjoyable than any M car . The compliments, attention you get will make you feel like a celebrity. M cars , while nice looking , are nothing special , they look like ordinary cars . The i8 looks like a spaceship.
That being said , after 3 months , I'm getting rid of the i8 to go back into an m4 .
Why ??? Because I'm tired of all the attention !
Its embarrassing coming out with "lambo doors " , the style is over the top , way too flashy for a daily driver .
I know I'll miss it , i8 = constant pictures , and videos , you feel special in it . The M cars, you're just another guy on the road .

[Ian1973]

I would love an i8, such a special car. I haven't researched, but is there a tune available for it?

[CreoUCLA]

Originally Posted by iamdabest1

Why ??? Because I'm tired of all the attention !
Its embarrassing coming out with "lambo doors " , the style is over the top , way too flashy for a daily driver .

My co-worker is the epitome of the negative used car salesman stereotype, so I definitely see a match with him and the attention the I8 brings...

[Sandow]

Originally Posted by iamdabest1

I've had 3m3's 1 m4 and got an i8 . I don't care what anyone says .the i8 , although slower , and worse brakes , is FAR more enjoyable than any M car . The compliments, attention you get will make you feel like a celebrity. M cars , while nice looking , are nothing special , they look like ordinary cars . The i8 looks like a spaceship.
That being said , after 3 months , I'm getting rid of the i8 to go back into an m4 .
Why ??? Because I'm tired of all the attention !
Its embarrassing coming out with "lambo doors " , the style is over the top , way too flashy for a daily driver .
I know I'll miss it , i8 = constant pictures , and videos , you feel special in it . The M cars, you're just another guy on the road .

I would hardly say the M cars are nothing special and look like ordinary cars. I get compliments and questions daily on my M4.

[Mspired]

I've seen the i8 on multiple occasions and always thought it looked nice. Special I could say. The interior didn't strike me as anything special at all. But I finally heard one drive by the other day and couldn't believe how it sounded. It was horrible. Granted I know its not a sport car but I wasn't expected it to sound like that.

[Ghetto2315]

Originally Posted by Lawsoc

Did you have a M4 which do you prefer between the two

I did have an M4. It was my daily driver.

I currently still have my 01' E46 M3 (now that Hagerty said it's a future collectable, I don't think I'm getting rid of it). Had a 12' E92 M3 for 3 years and then I gave that up for the M4. Drove the M4 for only a year and a half before I made the switch to the i8, which is also now my daily driver. The two M3's and the M4 were all 6-speed manuals. I'm an M guy through and through but I figured I would give the i8 a try since the timing was right (I'm 33 years old so I'll explain below).

My M4 was tuned with full bolt-ons so it was an immensely fun car. The M4 stock struggled with putting all that power down to the rear tires so you can imagine how more frustrating AND enjoyable it was once it was modified. I won't go in to the small facets like exterior/interior/storage/usability.

RIDE/HANDLING: For my daily driving, I purposely ordered my M4 with the Dynamic Damper Control to utilize the comfort setting. Even in comfort, the suspension was harsh. It was something that I was very used to and didn't mind but if I had a passenger, it did cross my mind about how they were feeling when going over unpleasant bumps but no passengers ever complained so I guess it wasn't that bad. The i8 is compliant in comparison. As it should be considering it's more of a grand touring car than a sports car. I guess it's the "kid" in me but I love oversteer. The very first thing I did when I fired up my M4 was turn off the traction/stability control. I have plenty of track time under my belt that I am confident enough in my driving so any chance I get to get my rear to kick out for a controlled oversteer, I did it. It's what makes RWD and torque such a joyous combination. In the i8, if you push it around a turn, you actually get understeer but that's normal with AWD. I still can't get over the fact that there are 225 section tires upfront. The i8 is severely under-tired and I would sacrifice some MPG for better grip. Although at it's limits, I am surprised how buttoned-down the i8 feels.


PERFORMANCE: Stock vs Stock, I know the i8 has more torque than the M4 but it sure did not feel like it. The torque/power comes on like a nuclear bomb in the M4 while in the i8 it feels like a steady climbing missile. Part of why it felt like a nuke in the M4 is because of the RWD and it's propensity to oversteer. I don't have to explain how the i8 launches from a dig with it's AWD. It's no fuss or drama and leaves clean, which is obviously more efficient since the car is doing it for you. In the M4, you have to modulate the throttle. Almost like playing a game and that kept me entertained. From a roll, the M4 is much faster. My modified M4 was a monster from a roll and would put a bus length or two on the i8 doing a 50-120 MPH roll runs.


TRANSMISSION: So this was a tough one for me. I knew that I would be giving up my manual transmission in the i8. I battled with this for a long time before I made the jump. Knowing that my E46 M3 and my E39 540i were also manual trans, it made the jump easier. The M4's manual trans is one of the best feeling manual trans I have ever driven. Not as short and direct as the Honda S2000, which was the best in my book. But it wasn't rubbery and the throws weren't long by any means. The i8's transmission is a tricky one with the hybrid set-up. In manual-shift mode, I really HATE the fact that it will downshift for you on deceleration and it will not let you upshift until the car feels it's right to. There are times that I have gotten my i8's transmission confused when in Comfort Mode where I would mash the throttle for max acceleration but it would not shift, causing the ICE engine to kick on but no power and my RPM's surge. It's odd. Needless to say, if the i8 ever had the capacity for 3-pedals, I would opt for it.


SOUND: I'll keep this one short. The i8's sound leaves a lot to be desired. Too calm for my personal taste but it fits the car's personality so I won't complain. For the M4, the sound it makes is fantastic. And I had a custom exhaust on my E92 M3 so I know what sounds good. The only complaint that I had was at cold-start. The M4 then sounded like a weed wacker and a John Deer tractor having sex. Thank goodness that when I got my M4 tuned, I was able to delete the cold-start so that took care of that. On downshift on my M4, the exhaust burble and braps were awesome.


The M4 was everything I wanted in my daily driver. Fast, great-styling, manual transmission, loud exhaust and the visibility was much better. I'm not sure with you guys but in my i8, there is a small blind spot on both driver and passenger-side A-pillars. Even more so at night. But the i8's styling, technology and comfort is what attracted me. I wanted to see what BMW's latest and greatest had to offer. I suffered knee injuries from years and years of playing competitive basketball so bending is tough for me at times. I wanted to be able to experience the i8 while I physically still could and I am glad I did. The i8 is brilliant for my daily driving needs but I want more excitement my next go around.

Different strokes for different folks but put a gun to my head, I am picking the M4 because that is what suits me while I'm still in my 30's. Perhaps my views will change as I get older.

[M5Rlz]

Originally Posted by Ghetto2315

SOUND: I'll keep this one short. The i8's sound leaves a lot to be desired. Too calm for my personal taste but it fits the car's personality so I won't complain. For the M4, the sound it makes is fantastic. And I had a custom exhaust on my E92 M3 so I know what sounds good. The only complaint that I had was at cold-start. The M4 then sounded like a weed wacker and a John Deer tractor having sex. Thank goodness that when I got my M4 tuned, I was able to delete the cold-start so that took care of that. On downshift on my M4, the exhaust burble and braps were awesome.

Thats why I didn't get an i8 lol... sound. Went with a v10 R8 instead. Sounded like a dirt bike when that 3cyl, kicked on.

Also it feels like a trophy wife car she takes to brunch to show her friend, she picked a hubby who would spoil her more than the other girls.

The hype is gone from the first 6-12 months and they are not in-demand, and are depreciating rapidly into the 70s-90s just as I thought they would originally and after eating losses on the M5, didn't wanna go through again.

Its cool if you want attention but tons of cars in that 80-150k range that are better cars.

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by iamdabest1

I've had 3m3's 1 m4 and got an i8 . I don't care what anyone says .the i8 , although slower , and worse brakes , is FAR more enjoyable than any M car . The compliments, attention you get will make you feel like a celebrity. M cars , while nice looking , are nothing special , they look like ordinary cars . The i8 looks like a spaceship.
That being said , after 3 months , I'm getting rid of the i8 to go back into an m4 .
Why ??? Because I'm tired of all the attention !

I daily drive the M3, and had multiple chances to drive i8. Including for a weekend.
The two cars have very little in common, other than the roundel.

M3/4 is a stupid fast, yet practical sedan/coupe.
Great for driving around town, hitting the track on the weekend, or heading out on a road trip half way across the country with plenty of luggage space in the trunk.

i8 is a statement.
Most likely it, some don't, but it does attract attention. You will never fly under the radar in an i8.
It is also stupidly impractical. Rear seat is a joke. So are the trunks. More like grocery bag containers in front and back.

Visually, I love i8 look, but would not trade it for an M3, even if they were priced similarly (which off-lease i8s are!).

Originally Posted by iamdabest1

Its embarrassing coming out with "lambo doors " , the style is over the top , way too flashy for a daily driver .
I know I'll miss it , i8 = constant pictures , and videos , you feel special in it . The M cars, you're just another guy on the road.

Maybe in Iowa.
Around here, M3's are a dime a dozen.


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