VIDEO: So, Does The BMW i8 REALLY Live Up To The Claims Of M3 Performance?

I recall during the development of the BMW i8, which was then known as Project i — the i3 and i8 were under that umbrella — the word on the street swirled about a sports car the Bavarians were creating. It was to be unlike anything we had seen previously.

That's because it would feature a hybrid powertrain and have performance like the BMW M3.

As far as I know no one really visited this topic and has double backed on the claims. Hell, I don't believe anyone's even really tracked an i8 — if you've seen that, let us know because we'd love to see that.

Turns out our friends from abroad must have gotten the itch to see how the M4 stacks up against the i8 when it comes to a drag race. Not exactly the best measure of performance, but it makes for an interesting debate nonetheless.

It would have been nice to know if the M4 featured is a six-speed manual or a dual-clutch-equipped vehicle, but lo and behold our German friends dropped the ball. [[EDIT: It appears the M4 is manual.]]

Anyhow, check out the clip below for yourself and weigh in!

valhallakey - 1/3/2015 3:19:59 AM

+2 Boost

A much larger difference than I would have expected. That instant full torque can perform magic!

Agent00R - 1/3/2015 10:48:40 AM

-1 Boost

This guy was using a manual.

There's a quick shot of him holding clutch down. Probably could have been a cleaner launch.

MDarringer - 1/3/2015 10:56:49 AM

-5 Boost

Even if it did equal an M4 across the board on every parameter, it would still cost more than double to do the same thing an M4 can do. epic fail