Simply Abu Dhabi Magazine XVI

2 2 5 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I Of course we all love great engineering, don’t we? But, for me, it doesn’t amount to much if I’m not going to enjoy the experience of feeling it at work around me. So let’s take a look at the interior of the i8 and make sure it’s a place where we’d like to spend some time. Open the door and you’ll find a cabin that’s slightly futuristic in its overall look but, if you’re familiar with the BMW range, reassuringly familiar and supremely comfortable. Naturally, high-grade materials abound on every surface, but here they’re given a suitably high-tech twist. An attractive shade of blue reflects the i8’s eco and electric credentials and lets you feel that you’re sitting in a car designed for the future. The driving position, too, is exactly what you’d expect from a sporting BMW. Sit back in a long and low style and all the essential controls fall easily to hand, particularly that beautiful steering wheel that reaches out to meet you, complete with its beautifully tactile control paddles. The front passenger is very well catered for but, although the i8 may be described as a four-seater, there’s really only room for kids in the back. Unless, of course, a particularly flexible adult chooses to sit behind a driver who likes to stretch his legs a little.