BMW i8 Rental in Los Angeles
The white BMW i8 with a black interior is a Prometheus Exotics rental based in Los Angeles, our only i8 and the cleanest specification the car was offered in. Butterfly doors and a plug in hybrid drivetrain make it the car for being seen, not driven hard, booked for a content shoot, a wedding, or a birthday that wants attention without a loud exotic's baggage.
How It Drives
In Comfort the front electric motor pulls the i8 away in silence, which is the point of a slow exit from a hotel forecourt on Rodeo Drive. Push the gear lever left for Sport and the 1.5 liter turbo three cylinder behind your shoulders joins in, and the cabin fills with an engine note that BMW enhances through the speakers rather than leaving to the small engine alone. Combined output is 369 horsepower and 420 lb-ft between the two motors, enough for a 4.2 second 0-60 that feels quicker than the number suggests because the electric motor fills in before the turbo spools. Mulholland Drive shows off the low centre of gravity and the light, accurate steering, though it understeers gently if you push it. This is a car for a smooth road, not a punishing one.
How It Photographs
White is the i8's own best colour, because the layered bodywork and the black channel behind the doors need a pale surface to show their shape properly. Against white the carbon sill and the black interior read as deliberate contrast rather than an accident. Shoot the doors mid open on a quiet stretch of Sunset Boulevard at dusk, when the low light catches the carved fenders, or park it under a structure's downlights to pick out the carbon roof. This is the car every phone comes out for, and it photographs as well from a distance as it does close up, which is rare in this fleet.
Why This One
This is the only i8 we run, so the choice is really whether the i8 is the right car for the day rather than which i8 to book. Choose it over an M car in Los Angeles if the point of the rental is being seen rather than driving hard, since the i8 draws more attention at a stoplight on Sunset Boulevard than anything else in our fleet. It is also the cheapest exotic in our fleet to actually run, since it is a plug-in hybrid that can be charged overnight on a normal outlet. It is not the car for a canyon day or a trip with luggage, and it is honest about both.
What's On This One
This is the BMW i8, white outside with a black interior, our only one and the cleanest specification of the car. It is a plug-in hybrid, not electric, pairing a 228 horsepower turbo three cylinder engine driving the rear wheels with a 141 horsepower electric motor driving the front, for a combined 369 horsepower, 420 lb-ft and a 155 mph top speed, with about 18 miles of electric-only range before the petrol engine joins in. The carbon fibre passenger cell and aluminium drive module underneath is BMW's LifeDrive architecture, the same idea used on real racing cars. Two seats up front, two small rear seats, and butterfly doors that hinge out and up.
Frequently Asked Questions
