The BMW i8 is a strange car. It’s priced with competitors from Porsche, Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz, but it’s so completely different than anything else in its price range. The car most commonly compared to the i8 is the Porsche 911, as it also offers a great blend of sports car performance along with everyday usability at around the same price. But they do it in two very different ways. Another car priced similarly, but that has a completely different attitude altogether, is the Jaguar F-Type R, whose maniacal supercharged V8 is like an atom bomb connected to wheels. So these cars are all very different, which is exactly why Top Gear tested all three against each other.

The big news in this test is the new Porsche 911. Refreshed for the 2016 model year, the 911 gained a new engine that’s smaller, 3.0 liters versus 3.8, but fitted with two turbochargers to make more power, more torque and get even better fuel economy. Many 911 fans have deemed this switch to forced-induction almost as sacrilegious as when Porsche moved on from air-cooled engines. However, despite the supposed heresy, the new Porsche 911 is incredibly fast, handles extremely well and can even sip fuel when it needs to. It’s an excellent all-rounder.

The Jaguar F-Type R is more of a shouty, monstrous punch in the face. It rips its rear tires apart with just the touch of the throttle. It’s not the best handling car on the market, simply because it goes sideways far too easily, and it isn’t the fastest, because it can’t put all of its power down, but it’s definitely fun. It’s fun in a sort of “let’s try and tame this bull and see what happens” kind of way. It’s violent and exciting in a way the other two cars cannot manage. However, when it comes down to actually being a good sports car, the Jag falls a bit short, as it’s more muscle car than proper sports car.

The BMW i8 is the most unique car in this test, packing a tiny, little three-cylinder engine mated to an electric motor with a second motor driving the front-wheels. This makes the plug-in hybrid i8 the only all-wheel drive vehicle in the test and the only hybrid. But if you think that the i8’s lack on conventional sports car powertrain will hinder its performance capabilities, you’d be wrong. The BMW i8 may not be the best sports car out there, or even the best sports car in this test, but it’s damn good to drive and it combines its excellent driving dynamics with excellent efficiency and fantastic daily driving capabilities.

In the end, Top Gear’s verdict is that the Jaguar F-Type R comes in dead last, because of its lack of everyday usability and near impossible-to-handle behavior. While the F-Type can be incredibly fun and is always hilarious, it isn’t the easiest car to live with. In second place came the Porsche 911. According to the folks at Top Gear, the 911 excels in nearly every aspect of driving. It’s comfortable, very fast, incredibly fun to drive and extremely capable during everyday driving. It’s near perfect. However, it lacks some of the excitement and forward-thinking of the BMW i8. The Porsche 911 seems like the best of where we came from and the BMW i8 seems like what will be the future. According to Top Gear, this is enough to give the BMW i8 the win.

 

I have to say it's a very fair review, but the rankings are all up to what any particular individual is looking for. Last could easily be first given personal preference.

I can best relate to my recent decision to preference a high-performance MT above all else, and I couldn't make myself pay too much for a 911. The other two in this comparison didn't offer that option.

 

Love my Type R, but I'd be lying if I said I haven't been recently checking out the fire sales on the i8s--guess I'm too much of a BMW fanboy! There are days I miss my M4...the Jag needs a serious diet

 

Guess it really depends on what you want. I wanted a GT with muscle that will go around a turn fast enough to scare me. FT fits the bill at a price that I was able to live with.

 

Just for fun:


BMW i8 vs Jaguar F-Type R Coupe - FastestLaps.com


Porsche 911 Carrera 4S vs BMW i8 vs Jaguar F-Type R Coupe - FastestLaps.com

 

Thanks for posting this and the results aren't really surprising.

Personally, I don't pay any attention to Top Gear and their summaries as I've always felt that they basically have decided what they like or don't like prior to their 'subjective' testing. Most people can easily get the power down on the F type R and not kill themselves, especially now that its offered in all wheel drive... overall, it would be an even better car if it was 400 lbs. lighter.

The show is however, entertaining and fun to watch.

Its been mentioned on this forum before that buying and enjoying a car is a very personal decision and unless you track or seriously drag race, the number of available performance, or non-performance cars are extremely numerous which is great for those of us that like to drive and experience a variety of cars overtime.
Lawrence

 

It's easy to take any car and pick it apart to skew the results any way you want them and comparing two or more cars it's even easier to focus on the + for one and compare it to the - for another.

If I like the looks and the performance I don't care if someone says it's not track worthy or if they say another car is better at X, Y or Z.

I drive cars to have fun for me, not my friends and certainly not a car blog writer.

 

Whats missing from the fastest lap test are the model year of the car, thus lacking the information needed for us to determine whether the FT was FWD or AWD.

 

Not shure if I understand the question correct, but the F-type R in the fastest lap test was a RWD 2015 model.

 

Does it say 2015 somewhere?

 

Wow that nails my opionion of the R, wholly and totally, without negativity.

Sports car *** Supercar *** Muscle Car that is really just too much in every way, so that it is wildly fun, but has limitations because of it being wild. Last year when I drove the R prior to my base manual arriving, I think I compared the two by saying the R was an unhinged, wild monster, and the 6cyl is more of a tame-able stallion.

The review was fair. I am not sure calling the R a "muscle car" is the biggest insult in the article, but I could see it being taken that way. Putting it in with the Pony's that are crashing every Cars and Coffee vs more distinguished brethren might be a bit rude. =)

 

Arne is right, it was a 2015 R. It doesn't say 2015, but that lap time was posted about 2 years ago and before the AWD 2016MY.

 

That, and the posted weight is that of a RWD - therefore it's a 2015.

 

It does when you chose the car for comparisons. Just try it and you will see.

And if you click on the "Jaguar F-type" on the test result page, you will also get more info on the car, where it among other things says "front engine, rear wheel drive".

 

All I can say is I was entered in a Eurocar show two weeks ago. I was near a Ferrari Spyder (red) and a BMW i8 (within a cars distance of each). The 911s and other Porsches. were nearby. My car and the Ferrari had the most crowds. BMW distant 3rd (no disrespect intended). The 911s are 911s. F types are drop dead gorgeous, with enough of everything else (power, handling, etc). Unless you are shopping for a track car, it's hard to beat. I'd love to have a Porsche because I believe they are beautifully engineered and great handling cars. Could have bought one, but not before the f. Your opinion may be different as was this authors.

 

I'd debate the every day usability of the BMW i8. The trunk is just about non-existent and gull wing doors are going to be a problem in a parking garage. That's part of the reason I ruled it out besides being a bit down on power and far quieter.

 

The i8 is on the opposite end of the luxury sports car spectrum from the F-Type. I can't see many buyers in the market seriously comparing buying between these two.

 

Wow, you guys are far better than me with your deductive reasoning. What a sharp forum. Honored!

 

I was at a cocktail party at a famous sports agents house about a year ago and one of the hosts had an i8 parked in front of the mansion the party was given at. I can't directly compare the gawk value of the F in comparison because I hadn't bought mine yet but what I can tell you is that (as of a year ago) the i8 had every much as much of a wow factor as an F, if not more. By the way I've never gotten more attention from a car that i've ever owned than I do with my F; I should state. Every single patron who passed the i8 stopped for at least one solid minute, looking the car over and processing it's beauty. One strong reason is that for every ten F's you see on the road, you only see one i8. I'm in bimmer country and silicon valley and I've only seen three i8's on the road, period. The rarity alone forces one to gawk. Further, being an F owner, I would say the i8 honestly surpasses the F in good looks. Personally, If I rated the F as a 9 in sexiness, I would give the i8 a 10, along with the F488 and the AM-V as the most beautiful cars on the road as we speak. Call it too futuristic or whatever but honestly the i8 is truly breathtaking, theres no two ways about it.

Here's a great article from a regular guy who speaks on real life ownership of a i8. Honestly if the i8 wasn't $30K more than my F R, I would have bought it instead, although I have zero regret of my decision to opt for the F.

Listen to his remarks at 12:20.

 

I am not bashing on this car. At all. I am in the same area as you, but mostly Marin... I see one or two every once inawhile, and for some reason I don't pay close attention. The lines are very angular, brutal. More like a Lamborghini, more 80's? I think the attention it garners is *far* less about beauty, and far more about it being weird/futuristic? Is that fair to say?

I guess I sorta call it too futuristic, and I'm the guy who's obsessed with early to mid 60's eames-ish nuclear era design, and fascination with futurology, computers, etc. When the 1st concept came out, I loved it. I loved it at the car show I saw it at... but then something happened.

The weird swoop and split to the rear bugged me.

The front hood is dreamy tho, but that's if I wanted electric and future looking car. It crossed my mind when I was whittling down which cars to consider. Never would consider a Tesla or i3. A Volt is the best electric available IMHO.

I always wanted gull wings (not scissor, not butterfly), regardless of impracticality... but as an adult? I think there's another thread where we weren't overly kind to a guy who modded scissors onto an F-Type. I guess the i8 is butterfly... but I am not even sure why I am rambling on about this car other than OP asked for comments. LOL

Edit: watched vid, and searched a bit:

That wind curtain is wild. Very cool


that looks like something from Robocop and that is awesome.