If supercars are defined by jaw-dropping design, the i8 passes with flying colors. You literally have to fold yourself into the cabin through those iconic scissor doors – which is the most dramatic way to enter a vehicle since the Batmobile.
Even standing still, it looks like it’s doing 80 miles per hour. Park it next to a Lamborghini Aventador, and the i8 doesn’t cower; it just blinks its laser headlights and asks, “Who wore it better?”
But let’s talk about the engine… the big elephant (or small hamster) in the room
Here’s where the debate gets spicy. Under the hood is a tiny 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine, boosted by an electric motor. Total output? Around 357 horsepower. That’s less than a fully loaded Honda minivan these days.
A true supercar, like a Ferrari or a McLaren, will blast from 0-60 in under three seconds with a roar that shakes the earth. The i8 does it in 4.2 seconds – which is fast, but it’s more of a smooth whoosh than a guttural scream.
So, by pure brute force, the i8 is technically a sports car on a very good day. But you know what? Who cares? The i8 wasn’t trying to beat a Bugatti at a drag strip. It was trying to show us that the future of performance doesn’t need to be loud and thirsty.
