New BMW i8 Roadster Goes On Sale In The UK, Priced From £124,735

BMW announced the pricing details of the new i8 Roadster, which goes on sale now in the UK market as the brand’s second-most expensive model in the range.

The new BMW i8 Roadster is priced from £124,735, making it cheaper only to the M760Li which starts from £138,335.

The topless version of BMW’s plug-in hybrid sports car arrived together with the facelifted version of the fixed-rood model, benefiting from a slightly more powerful powertrain as well.

This means that the i8 Roadster is powered by a combination of a mid-mounted turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder unit with 228hp (231PS) and 236lb-ft (320Nm) of peak torque and a front-mounted electric motor with 141hp (143PS). The latter is powering exclusively the front axle and can move the i8 Roadster on its own for as much as 33 miles (53km) and up to speeds of 75mph (120km/h) with zero emissions, thanks to the also larger battery pack. The combined output is rated at 368hp (374PS).

A six-speed automatic transmission is paired to the petrol engine. BMW claims that the new i8 Roadster is capable of a 0-62mph (100km/h) in 4.6 seconds. Top speed is limited to 155mph.

The Bavarian automaker says that on “a typical commute through city traffic and along country roads”, the new i8 Roadster is capable of returning a combined fuel consumption of over 56mpg UK (5l/100km).

Compared to the Coupe, the i8 Roadster gets different frameless dihedral doors while the windscreen frame is made entirely out of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP). BMW says that the weight penalty over the fixed-roof version is just 60kg (132lbs), with an unladen weight of 1,595kg (3,516lbs).