M4 vs i8

[ksa]

I am debating between the two as my next vehicle. As for background, I've owned a E92 M3, X5M and also the F80 M3 in the past. Had a 440 for a bit and now the 540 in Frozen. The itch is hitting up again and I am contemplating either getting a brand new M4 or a 2015 I8. The latter option is actually a little cheaper than the M4. But I am intrigued by the uniqueness and the exotic looks of the I8 over the M4. Plus the M4 will feel like similar to what I've owned before and nothing 'special' in the sense that the I8 is. I know they are two very different cars and have their ups and downs. The M4 is the competition package so it'll definitely be more fun to drive per se, but the i8 from all the reviews is no slouch and is AWD which is ALWAYS a good thing where I am from in winter.

Anyone make the switch one way or the other? What are your thoughts?

[Humdizzle]

anything is better than a 3 cylinder i8. Its like the ultimate poser supercar. If you want 'special' go look at an AMG GT or Audi R8.

[Seniorleb]

As an M4 CP owner and previously owned the regular M4, I just admit that the i8 is super special car and feels like supercar!

I was going to post a video i made yesterday inn regards of trading M4 to the i8.

Both cars are great, i8 new is like 50K plus more expensive to the M4 with all M parts and M performance Exhaust so you are talking over 70K actually.

This is also my review of the i8

[ntg44]

Originally Posted by Humdizzle

anything is better than a 3 cylinder i8. Its like the ultimate poser supercar. If you want 'special' go look at an AMG GT or Audi R8.

Poser is right.

I was going to the hospital yesterday, and after I parked, as I was walking towards the entrance next to the ER, someone pulls up in their i8 to the ER ENTRANCE, where no standing/parking is allowed, only pickup/dropoff, gets out, locks the car, and just walks into the non-ER entrance like he owns the place. At first I thought he was going to give his keys to the valet, but he walks right past and just leaves his car in front of the ER dropoff.

I was surprised until I saw it was a young guy, jeans way too tight, puffy jacket with a fur collar, and flat brimmed cap off to an angle. By the book stereotype d-bag.

You can't even make this sh** up anymore.

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by Humdizzle

anything is better than a 3 cylinder i8. Its like the ultimate poser supercar. If you want 'special' go look at an AMG GT or Audi R8.

$70k for a lightly used i8 is a lot more palatable to me, as compared to the $138k new price

[Funf6cyl]

I agree the i8 is not a proper supercar (or anything even close with severely stretching) and is not all that fast or great handling either. Interior is atrocious looking too and looks/feels like a car 1/3 of its price.

[yamer]

I'll chime in as I almost traded in my 15 M4 for a 16 i8. However, changed my mind before pulling the trigger.

The i8 is a fantastic car, jaw dropping looks, doors that go up, high Tech/Hybrid system, decently quick for everyday use.

That being said, here were my reasons for not wanting one at the moment.

1. Nobody really knows how reliable or expensive the i8 will be out of warranty. They are just starting to come out of the warranty periods now, the batteries/hybrid system can be a downfall if you have to replace certain components.
2. The i8 will break necks in front of your local bar/high end restaurant, but after test driving one, I didn't really feel like I would drive it just for the case of driving it (like my M4).
3. Competitors at that price point. For the same price you could be looking at an 09-10 R8 V10, which looks great as well, sounds bonkors and probably less worrisome on the maintenance side.

If I had the money for an i8 and my M4 that would be great, but I don't. So I decided to stick with the overall joy and driving experience that my M4 brings.

[Thescout13]

Originally Posted by yamer

I'll chime in as I almost traded in my 15 M4 for a 16 i8. However, changed my mind before pulling the trigger.

The i8 is a fantastic car, jaw dropping looks, doors that go up, high Tech/Hybrid system, decently quick for everyday use.

That being said, here were my reasons for not wanting one at the moment.

1. Nobody really knows how reliable or expensive the i8 will be out of warranty. They are just starting to come out of the warranty periods now, the batteries/hybrid system can be a downfall if you have to replace certain components.
2. The i8 will break necks in front of your local bar/high end restaurant, but after test driving one, I didn't really feel like I would drive it just for the case of driving it (like my M4).
3. Competitors at that price point. For the same price you could be looking at an 09-10 R8 V10, which looks great as well, sounds bonkors and probably less worrisome on the maintenance side.

If I had the money for an i8 and my M4 that would be great, but I don't. So I decided to stick with the overall joy and driving experience that my M4 brings.

I have to strongly disagree on the 09-10 R8. They are terribly underwhelming to drive and that interior did not age well at all. I rather have a CPO i8 than the R8. The rest of what you said I generally agree with however.

[THEROK]

Bicycle tires = non-starter 4me

Talk about throwing away money. No one wants an old i8. Neither does bmw.

[Darth One]

No one wants a new i8 either

[Clark_Kent]

Originally Posted by Seniorleb

As an M4 CP owner and previously owned the regular M4, I just admit that the i8 is super special car and feels like supercar!

I was going to post a video i made yesterday inn regards of trading M4 to the i8.

Both cars are great, i8 new is like 50K plus more expensive to the M4 with all M parts and M performance Exhaust so you are talking over 70K actually.

This is also my review of the i8

Appreciate you creating content and sharing with the community. While I haven't seen all of your videos in their entirety, it seems you're often too complimentary about vehicles no matter what it is. The i8 is a bullshit "supercar", full stop. It shocks me that BMW is charging $150k+ for this car. At that price point, Porsche all day every day.

[Flacht3]

Originally Posted by Seniorleb

As an M4 CP owner and previously owned the regular M4, I just admit that the i8 is super special car and feels like supercar!

"Super special car and feels like a supercar" Yea...maybe if you've never driven a supercar.

Drove an i8 at Thermal and almost fell asleep. I'd take an M3/M4 over one any day of the week. Yea, maybe a % of the population who don't know cars will "think" they are a supercar but no thanks.

Honestly, and I'm not trying to troll, when I drove one it reminded me more of a Prius than it did a BMW.

[Budget M3]

I drove a low mileage 2015 i8 when I started my search for a new daily driver. As a longtime BMW owner, I was very excited to be in a financial position to actually considering owning one. I really wanted to like the car, however, I just could not get past the downside at this now 50% depreciated price point.

My assessment compared to similarly priced used “super cars” :

Looks A+
Interior Design B
Interior quality of materials B
Drivetrain performance B-
Handling B- (considering the narrowness and construction of the rubber it really handles quite well—just needs much wider tires and it would easily be an A)
Fuel Economy A
Practicality D
Ingress/Egress C- (not too bad considering the wide side sills, but would get tiring as a daily—and I drove a Z1 as a daily for a year, so I can put up with a lot!)
Engine sound F (the noise that exsts is artificially piped in and is extremely annoying—unlike the F80, if you disconnect or code out the artificial sound, you’d be left with nothing but the sound of a puny 3-cylinder with virtually no exhaust sound—even less when running on battery alone)
Overall grade: B-

I really wanted to like it more than I did. I still love the looks of the car, and the driving experience was decent,but not great as I expected. There were just not enough other positives for me to part with $70-large. Maybe when it depreciates another 50% though

[NCThreePedals]

Originally Posted by Thescout13

I have to strongly disagree on the 09-10 R8. They are terribly underwhelming to drive and that interior did not age well at all. I rather have a CPO i8 than the R8. The rest of what you said I generally agree with however.

R8 V8 yes agree 100%, V10+ is the fun one, the 14-15 I believe with the new tranny are also much better than the original auto in there

[Flacht3]

Originally Posted by NCThreePedals

R8 V8 yes agree 100%, V10+ is the fun one, the 14-15 I believe with the new tranny are also much better than the original auto in there

The V8 and V10 are truly different cars. I barely even consider the V8 to be a real "R8" considering how underwhelming it is.

[Alvinized52]

3 years ago... i walked into a BMW dealership with the intent to buy an i8. After test driving it, something was missing for me. Definitely not a supercar. So I walked away with an M4 instead. No regrets here.

Plus for that pricepoint... I would rather spend towards a used Porsche 991 GT3 or Turbo S.

[ksa]

Thanks for all the comments guys, I went a different way from both the options. I ended up opting for a M2. As I said, I've had the F80 M3 and E92 M3 before and while I wanted a M4 sort-of, after driving the M2, I just couldn't ignore it. Even was considering a M6 Gran Coupe but quite honestly, after driving the M2...that was really it for me. I had been talking other dealers for a Jaguar F Type and a Maserati Ghibli as well and had test drives scheduled for the coming back. But literally after driving the M2 and getting out of it, I told my guy to let's make a deal. Now anyway, let's see how long it keeps me entertained for. I got the MPE exhaust and I have got to say, it's absolutely amazing. WAY better than my F80 M3. Like a thousand times.

[Seniorleb]

Originally Posted by Chris_DM

"Super special car and feels like a supercar" Yea...maybe if you've never driven a supercar.

Drove an i8 at Thermal and almost fell asleep. I'd take an M3/M4 over one any day of the week. Yea, maybe a % of the population who don't know cars will "think" they are a supercar but no thanks.

Honestly, and I'm not trying to troll, when I drove one it reminded me more of a Prius than it did a BMW.

I drove tons of cars and yes in my opinion it is a supercar, I am not talking about performance about the whole package!

[Flacht3]

Originally Posted by Seniorleb

I drove tons of cars and yes in my opinion it is a supercar, I am not talking about performance about the whole package!

You have a very interesting definition of supercar then.

Just curious, which of the other cars on your channel would you also consider to be a "supercar"?

Supercar or not (it's not, but hey), all that matters is that you're happy with the switch and are enjoying it.

[Darth One]

More like super boring car amirite !!

[jmg]

Originally Posted by ksa

Thanks for all the comments guys, I went a different way from both the options. I ended up opting for a M2. As I said, I've had the F80 M3 and E92 M3 before and while I wanted a M4 sort-of, after driving the M2, I just couldn't ignore it. Even was considering a M6 Gran Coupe but quite honestly, after driving the M2...that was really it for me. I had been talking other dealers for a Jaguar F Type and a Maserati Ghibli as well and had test drives scheduled for the coming back. But literally after driving the M2 and getting out of it, I told my guy to let's make a deal. Now anyway, let's see how long it keeps me entertained for. I got the MPE exhaust and I have got to say, it's absolutely amazing. WAY better than my F80 M3. Like a thousand times.

The M2 or M2C? Either way, congrats!

[///M4ster Yoda]

i8?

It's a lawnmower in a super car body

Glad you didn't choose the Ghibli OP. That thing is another POS. My business partner thinks driving Maserati's is cool. He had a Ghibli and just got a GT. I don't have the heart to tell him Maserati's suck.

Good luck with the M2. Much better choice