Arguably the best looking car of the current BMW lineup – the i8 Roadster – lands this week in the snowy and cold Motor City to showcase its futuristic lines that has vowed viewers since the concept model.
With the top down, the new BMW i8 Roadster looks fantastic. The BMW i8 was always a fascinating looking car, one that brought styling from the future to our current roads. And now with the the top removed, the BMW i8 Roadster looks prettier than the Coupe. Sans roof, the i8 Roadster has more personality, character and style.
Replacing the fixed hardtop roof of the BMW i8 Coupe is an electrically-operated soft-top roof on the i8 Roadster. The heavily soundproofed, all-season soft-top roof can open and close in less than 16 seconds. It can also operate on the move, up to 31 mph.
As the roof opens, the rear window raises 1.9 inches, to reduce wind noise, and that window can be electronically controlled to go up or down as the driver wishes.
The engine remains unchanged, so it still makes 228 hp and 236 lb-ft and is mated to an electric motor and six-speed automatic gearbox, powering the rear wheels. While an electric motor powers the front wheels, thus giving it real-time torque-vectoring all-wheel drive. The latter motor makes 141 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque, up only slightly from the non-LCI BMW i8. So 0-60 mph happens in about the same 4.2 seconds.
The i8 Roadster will go on sale in early Summer 2018.
