Motor Trend - USA (2020-04)

WORDS CHRISTIAN SEABAUGH

PHOTOGRAPHY JADE NELSON

I

blame the Prius. I know—the word

“hybrid” is enough to make your

eyes glaze over. You’re probably even

second-guessing your decision to read

this article. You’re thinking these will be

compromise cars, like getting tofu sausage

and a kale shake with your pancakes.

But hybrids don’t have to suck. When

engineers flip the switch from green to

mean, from fuel economy to performance,

pairing an electric motor—or three—with

a gas engine is a recipe for more power,

more torque, and more efficiency. What’s

not to love? Hybrid race cars have even

won the grueling 24 Hours of Le Mans.

As the industry makes the inevitable

transition to electric cars, hybrids—espe-

cially performance hybrids—are the

automotive equivalent of breakfast for

dinner. They may be more complicated

and heavier than gas-only sports cars, but

they’re also charming in their own right.

So we gathered up the four sport

hybrids with the most performance

potential to see which is best. Each, as

you’ll soon see, has a unique approach to

the electrification equation.

The 2020 Acura NSX, 2019 BMW

i8 Coupe, 2020 Lexus LC 500h, and

2020 Polestar 1 currently represent the

30 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2020

COMPARISON I 2020 Acura NSX vs. 2019 BMW i8 vs. 2020 Lexus LC 500h vs. 2020 Polestar 1