NSX

Make
Acura
Segment
Coupe

The BMW i8 and Honda NSX use similar technology to revolutionize the hybrid supercar market. Both utilize mid-mounted internal combustion engines, hybrid drivetrains and lightweight materials. Both have distinctive concept car-esque shapes that will immediately turn heads. They're similarly priced, too, with the NSX costing slightly more than the i8. Both, then, are perfect candidates for a supercar comparison.

The guys over at Carfection recently put the supercar hybrids through their paces in a revealing showdown.

Out on the track, the i8 tended to understeer, but despite only having a 1.5-liter three-cylinder turbo motor, it manages to churn out a respectable 357 hp and a 0 – 62 mph time of 4.4 seconds – around the same as a Porsche 911 Carrera, but with significantly better MPG. The LaFerrari, Porsche 918 Spyder and McLaren P1 may have utilized this hybrid technology first, but the BMW i8 applies it to a comparatively affordable supercar. It's clear, however, that the BMW i8 is no match for the NSX on the track. Its beefier twin-turbo V6 engine easily outclasses the i8, delivering a whopping 573 hp, with better handling to match.

The new NSX has been a long time coming and is therefore in high demand after suffering numerous delays since the last model went out of production in 2005, but it certainly looks like it was worth the wait. The only thing it doesn't have compared to the i8 are gullwing doors. Carfection seemed more enamored with the livelier NSX overall, but concluded that both are engineering marvels. Moreover, it assures us that the supercar is far from dead – this is just the start of a new generation.