COMPARISON I Acura NSX vs. BMW i8 vs. Lexus LC 500h vs. Polestar 1
The BMW i8’s trunk ties for the largest in this comparison. That’s especially
impressive considering there’s a turbocharged I-3 sitting in it.
driving the front wheels through a
two-speed automatic gearbox. Tying
the system together is an 11.6-kW-hr
lithium-ion battery mounted between
and underneath the front seats to keep
the center of gravity low.
Updated for 2019 with more battery
capacity, EV range, and power, the i8
plug-in hybrid (PHEV)—essentially a
hybrid with a bigger battery that you can
plug in, allowing for significantly more
time spent cruising with the engine off—
now sports a total system output of 369
hp and 420 lb-ft of torque. Electric-only
range is up to 17 miles before the I-3fires up. Its EPA score is a test-best 69
mpg-e (a fuel economy score averaging
electricity and gas usage).
Although the i8 impressed us when it
first hit the streets, our top two finishers
prove that more is possible from a
performance hybrid. A good mid-engine
car is typically well balanced and capable
of pushing hard into a corner, settling,
and rocketing out quickly.
Yet the i8 never really settles down
when driven hard. Steering feel is arti-
ficial, the chassis firm, the suspension
flinty. Combine that with its relatively
narrow-profile front tires, and the i8
fights you instead of working with you
on a winding road, pushing and clawing
for grip in areas where the top two
contenders weren’t.
The i8’s two motors, two
transmissions, and one engine wasn’t
our favorite powertrain, either.
Although they provided good off-the-
line torque and zippy performance when
dicing through traffic, the i8’s engine
and motors don’t deliver the high-end
power we expect from a carbon-
bodied, mid-engine BMW. Instead of
complementing each other, the i8’s I-3
and motors all seem to run out of steam
at the same time, just north of 60 mph.
A close-ratio eight-speed gearbox in
back could likely help make more of
less, but adding power seems like the far
simpler solution.
Ultimately, the BMW i8 paved the
way for all four of these performance
hybrids, but as editor-in-chief Mark
Rechtin puts it, the i8’s performance,
“while sporty, doesn’t live up to the
intergalactic styling of the exterior.”
Thankfully, our top two finishers deliver
on all promises.36 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2020