43: BMW i8 – Engineering excellence on the road

There are those who feel that the BMW i8 simply isn't good enough. That it's trying to be a Porsche 911 rival, but failing because it's not as fast, nor is its handling quite so precise. They're missing the point entirely.

The i8 is great not because it’s a 911 rival, but because it achieves near-911 pace from a combination of the three-cylinder engine from a Mini Cooper and a stack of batteries.

If ever anyone tries to tell you that electric cars are all boring, simply whip out a photo of the i8. No car with doors that open like this, nor a quasi-futuristic interior could possibly be boring.

Plus it’s genuinely quick, handles well, has a carbon-fibre chassis, you can (just) fit the kids into the back, and it has a Co2 figure of just 49g/km. If this is not good enough, consider us impressed with second place.