the starter motor generator also provides a more

2015 BMW i8 signals a sports car revolution

Without using the exact same language, let me tell you, that R rated comment was spot on. The BMW i8 is bristling with technology; the car's plug in hybrid powertrain and all wheel drive system make it one of the most cutting edge vehicles anywhere, at any price.

It's also absolutely, stunningly gorgeous. Whether the doors are raised or lowered, or if the i8 is parked, or whooshing down the road, BMW deserves enormous credit for making this sports coupe look like a dream machine. Nothing on it is superfluous, all the vents and wings have a function. That's why the i8 has a wind cheating 0.26 coefficient of drag, which helps improve economy and efficiency.

The 2015 BMW i8 has supercar looks with hybrid efficiency. Driving it replica louis vuitton bags on the roads of Southern California felt like stepping into the automotive future. (Nick Kurczewski)

Large wheels and tires are great for grip, but much less so for aerodynamics. replica louis vuitton bags from china That's why BMW added a pair of air intakes, located beneath the headlights, to create an "air curtain" around the front wheels. Look closely or drop to the ground and you'll spot the ram air intakes for the mid mounted, turbocharged 3 cylinder, located in the side sills, directly in front of each rear wheel.

If there's a bad angle to the i8, I never found it during a sun drenched day of driving and photographing the car along the California coastline. From the posh confines of Rodeo Drive, to the controlled anarchy of Venice Beach, the i8 is a four wheeled celebrity everywhere it goes.

It's pretty cool to drive too, though the experience is totally different from the sounds and sensations you get in other sports cars 1:1 replica handbags and supercars. The main reason, of course, is the i8's ultra efficient combination of a small, gas powered engine coupled to an electric motor.

The 231 horsepower turbocharged 1.5 liter 3 cylinder is mounted behind the cockpit and, according to BMW, it's basically half of the company's current turbocharged 3.0 liter 6 cylinder engine. The engine is coupled to a 6 speed automatic, which also serves duty in the latest Mini Cooper, and an 11 horsepower belt driven starter motor generator. This helps charge the lithium ion batteries, which are located in the center of the car, where you'd normally find a transmission tunnel. The starter motor generator also provides a more seamless stop/start function, and works to minimize turbo lag. This transmission operates in first gear at low speeds in electric only eMode. At all other times, it switches to the higher of the two available gears.

In electric only eMode, the i8 has a range of 22 miles and can reach speeds up to 75 mph, at which point the turbo 3 cylinder kicks in. That also signals the point when the car transitions from front, to rear, or all wheel drive. The i8 judges your speed and traction, and determines how best to transfer power to theappropriate wheels.

Working together, the gas electric powertrain provides 360 horsepower and 420 lb. ft. of torque. That hustles the i8 from 0 to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds, and onward to an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph.

The predominant driving trait is understeer, the i8 pushed wide when stepping beyond aaa replica designer handbags its grip level on serpentine mountain roads. You might be able to coax some tail happy oversteer out of the i8, but that limit is best explored on a track, not on the edge of replica louis vuitton a canyon.

I found that different conditions worked best for each of the i8's driving modes. I used electric only eMode to cruise, silently, along LA's city streets. Comfort mode, the car's default setting, was best for long highway stretches, and was used liberally on the Pacific Coast Highway, while rolling through Malibu and along Santa Monica's coastline.

replica louis vuitton bags from china For more excitement, flip the gearlever to the left for Sport mode. This cranks up the power and tightens the steering, and it was the perfect choice for the high altitude hairpins that made up a long stretch of the test drive. It also affected the exhaust note, or so I thought. BMW pipes pre recorded engine noise into the cabin, to give the impression of a louder motor. I didn't notice until filming the car zipping past, in near silence, at a corner where the i8 had previously sounded (from behind the wheel) like a much wilder ride.

The ride and handling is extremely polished and very predictable, it rides a fine line between luxury coupe and sports car. This is thanks, in large part, to a rigorous weight saving regime. Fake Louis Vuitton Replica Bags Weighing only 3285 lbs., the core of the i8 is a carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) passenger cell much like the structures used in the world of Formula One racing. BMW then bolts on the engine, suspension components, electric motor and battery pack.

The fenders and bumpers are thermoplastics, the hood and door skins are aluminum, and the roof is crafted out of recycled CFRP that's leftover from high quality replica handbags china the chassis construction process. All this lightweight engineering gives the i8 an excellent 49/51 front/rear weight balance, along with the lowest center of gravity of any BMW in production.

You'll eventually need to charge the battery pack, with either a 220 or fake designer bags 110 volt outlet. Charge times take anywhere from 1.5 to 3 hours, and no quick charge capability has been included. That seemed a strange oversight on BMW's part. However, during a full day's drive the i8 maintained a large chunk of its battery power, thanks to regenerative braking and the gas engine serving as a generator in Sport mode.

The 2015 BMW i8 drew a colorful crowd in Venice Beach my favorite spot in SoCal! (Nick Kurczewski)

After all this high tech wizardry, the cabin seems downright dull. replica designer handbags It's not, but there is a lot of BMW DNA found in the dials and switches and that's not a bad thing. The front leather seats are comfortable and, believe it or not, those butterfly doors are as functional as they are pretty. The rear seats are a joke, however, and luggage space, what there is of it, is officially defined by a tiny cubby located aft high quality designer replica handbags of the engine compartment. Toss the bags on the backseat or, if you're feeling decadent, check the option box for the set of i8 specific Louis Vuitton luggage. That'll set you back an extra $20 grand, more fake designer bags or less. A soft duffel bag is probably a saner travel proposition.