DETROIT—Although we’ve been covering the auto industry for almost four years, probably my favorite car remains one of the first that we reviewed here at Ars: the BMW i8. What’s not to like about a plug-in hybrid sports car with a carbon fiber chassis that, even when driven hard, will return more than 25mpg?

At this year’s North American International Auto Show, BMW revealed the mid-life refresh for this clever machine. The engineers at BMW i have shown restraint, though. According to Alexander Kotouc, head of BMW i product management, that’s in large part due to feedback from customers.