As Joe mentioned, I was in the fortunate position of running one of these for several months and 10,000 miles.
First thing's first: I wouldn't buy one new. The depreciation, as you've noted, is absolutely horrific. When mine went back, there were numerous nearly new examples up for grabs for upwards of £30k off list.
During its time, as I was using it for primarily a motorway commute, it averaged around 35-40mpg. It was charged most days, too, so it's not like it was being run entirely off the plug.
It had its highlights but it also had its flaws; the front end could be a bit wayward when deploying its torque, visibility wasn't great, the doors could be an absolute pain in car parks, it wasn't particularly rewarding on the handling front and so on. It was always great fun for a while, partly due to its striking looks, but once you'd spent some time with it various facets would often start to grate.
Would I buy one over a 911? No, unless I was in some kind of nightmarish company car-tax related situation. The Porsche is a far more comfortable, engaging and compelling car to drive.
Would I buy an M4 as an alternative? No. GTS aside, I find M4s pretty dire. I've not driven a CS yet but I remain to be convinced. Even the Mercedes-AMG C63 leaves me a little cold; the interior quality isn't great in areas and it didn't really grab me, considering what you're paying.
A C43 coupe or estate, however, is far more appealing due to the lower price – and, in part, due to the great powertrain. They can be heavy on fuel but I'd certainly recommend looking at one of those, Porsche aside. The 540C is a beautiful thing, too, if you're willing to go down that kind of route. I used to average around 30mpg commuting back and forth in those, if economy's a concern. Similarly, the 911s would often do 30-35mpg on a run.
My old i8 updates from the magazine have been put online (from month one to month seven) here, if you're interested:
https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-r...bmw/bmw-i8-2016-hybrid-long-term-test-review/
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