Key Facts

Model tested: BMW i8 concept
Price: £100,000+ (estimate)
On sale: 2014
Engine: 1.5-litre, three-cylinder turbocharged petrol and 96kW electric motor
Transmission: four-wheel drive, six-speed automatic
Body Style: two-door coupe
Rivals: Audi R8 V8, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Electric Drive, Tesla Roadster
CO₂ emissions: 66g/km
Combined economy: 104mpg (40-56mpg real world)
Top speed: 155mph (electronically limited)
0-62mph: 4.6 seconds
Power: 354hp
Torque: 550Nm

The door flicks up into the air with the merest of gestures. It's so light and delicate to the touch that it takes three attempts to get it to close again once I'm inside, my fear of damaging such a an expensive structure stopping my arm slamming it home into the Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) sill as it requires.

We're sat in the passenger seat of the new BMW i8. We say new; what we mean is it's so new that it's not even a pre-production prototype - this car comes from the stage before that. It's still being developed, and our presence at BMW's cold-weather testing facility in Arjeplog, Northern Sweden, lands precisely between engineer shift changes. They're not a bunch to distract either, as, despite the location, the snow is present for only a few months. If the engineers don't finish before the frozen lake melts then development is halted until the flakes land again the next winter.

Cold and frustrating (we're sitting on the wrong side of the car without a steering wheel) though it is, we're quick to remember that this is the closest anyone will get to operating the controls of the BMW i8 for at least another six months. Jos Van As, BMW Group suspension expert, and our driver for this morning, is confident that we'll enjoy our time with the car anyway. Coming from a man who regularly drives a supercharged Ariel Atom in anger, that should mean the i8 is spectacularly impressive.

Ignoring much of what looks like a largely finished interior (we're not allowed to talk about all of the specifics of that yet) the i8 certainly felt pretty promising. Sat low, hunkered in place between the chunky side sill and energy tunnel (fake transmission tunnel to you and I) on top of a comfortable seat every element feels like that of a proper sports car. There's a pair of occasional seats behind as well, the i8 living up to its expectations as a proper GT.

As we move off in Hybrid mode (the default) the i8 is typically - for an electric car - silent, the motor only generating a slight whine as the speed and load increases. By the time we reach the frozen handling circuit Van As has prodded the throttle harder and woken the petrol engine. There's a charismatic offbeat thrum from the 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbocharged unit, and we feel a tinge of sadness when told that the noise we're hearing will be 'worked on'. Whether that is done through a sound generator like the BMW M5 uses is yet to be decided.

With the Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) switched off the i8 proves lively, the rear end gently swinging around as our speed increases and our steering angle sharpens. It all happens incredibly progressively too, and Van As seems completely at ease behind the wheel - suggesting the usability and agility of the car is down to the perfect 50/50 weight distribution. Whatever the reason, it feels impressive, the thought of being able to behave like a hooligan while saving the planet an incredibly exciting prospect.

The four-wheel drive system and skinny tyres, developed especially with Bridgestone, offer plenty of traction and grip on the whole though. And the way the two powerplants cut in and out, talking to each other all the time (but managed by separate control units), is seamless and completely impressive. There's no shunt from the driveline, so the units change state from dormant to active instantly and only the engine note gives away what is pulling or pushing the car along. Given a level road like the heated section of tarmac in the centre of the compound the environmentally-friendly sports car can accelerate from 0-62mph in 4.6 seconds.

The good news is that, like the economy and efficiency figures, BMW says that number is set to be bettered when it unveils the production car later this year.
And when a car is this good already, the prospect of it being even better is good news indeed.