BMW’s futuristic, plug-in hybrid supercar cost $137,450 new…but is now far more accessible.
Oh, how things change in a decade. Back in the mid-2010s, BMW set out to shake up the automotive scene and create a game-changing sports car with anything but a conventional powertrain. Instead of a massive V12 or even a twin-turbocharged V8 (which the German automaker still widely uses to this day), this sci-fi-styled coupe packs a tiny, 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine alongside an electric motor. It’s a car that aims to blend performance and efficiency with Blade Runner aesthetics to be the definitive future of sports cars — you know, short of actually being able to drive itself or fly.
With 357 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque on tap, the i8’s performance is far more substantial than that microscopic engine would lead you to believe. It also can drive on electricity alone for about 15 miles (or at least that was the EPA rating when it was new), making it a more livable choice for your daily commute. The figures aren’t quite as berserk as the contemporaneous Porsche 918 Spyder and the i8 did launch with a far more attractive price tag…but your plug-in hybrid sports car still set you back up to $150,000.
Even at that rate, though, BMW sold more than 20,000 i8s over its six-year production run. And that’s good news if you want to sample BMW’s revolutionary sports car today, as used examples are tumbling past the $50,000 or even $40,000 mark. In fact, two just sold on Cars and Bids for $37,726 and $33,175 respectively.
That sort of price puts this formally six-figure, 3.6-second 0-to-60 sports car cheaper than a fully loaded Toyota Camry. The question is…should you buy one?
That’s a question Tommy sets out to answer in the video below!
