2024 Ford Mustang GT Drags 2015 BMW i8 Hybrid Mid-Engine Sports Car, Surprises Abound

The German automaker developed the BMW i8 plug-in sports car as the pinnacle of its electrified efforts during the mid-2010s and was produced alongside the i3 all-electric hatchback from 2014 to 2020 for the BMW i sub-brand. At the time of its release, it looked like a spaceship or a car produced by a Hollywood stunt team for the latest Sci-Fi blockbuster.

However, it was real and came with all-wheel drive, a transverse mid-engine setup, and a combined output of 357 hp for the pre-facelift models. Created from concepts like the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics from 2009, the BMW i8 was quite revolutionary at the time, even though it didn't pack the mightiest punch, at least on paper. It was a $150k sports car back in the day, but now the TFL Car guys bought it with 36k miles on the odometer and ten years of lifetime for just $50k.

That's about the same as you pay for a Ford Mustang GT Premium, which retails for $49,980 in a Fastback configuration. Naturally, that gave some ideas to the guys – and they quickly acted accordingly by staging a series of comparative tests on their gravely Colorado stretch of tarmac that's not available to the public, hence the fences behind them. First and foremost, after presenting the technical details – 357 electrified horsepower, AWD, and less weight goes up against the latest Mustang with 486 hp and a naturally aspirated Coyote V8 under the hood, they staged a triumvirate of drag races.

Of note, the Colorado setting is a mile above sea level, and that will affect the performance of the NA V8 for sure. Plus, the BMW i8 has an electrified all-wheel drive system to fight against the gravel on the tarmac. However, no one really expected the incredible performance of the i8 – they tested the Mustang GT before and found it to be absolutely fast. Alas, on this occasion, it's like a slouch – it consistently fell behind the BMW as the i8 accelerated like there's no tomorrow.

Sure, the mighty V8 sounds a lot better than the small, three-cylinder engine of the PHEV sports car, and the Ford Mustang GT is a true daily driver – at least as far as the world of two-door coupe models is concerned. Interestingly, even the roll race stage was easily won by the BMW i8, proving that the Bavarian engineers still know how to make a performance vehicle when they're asked to. Last but not least, the brake test was the only category that put the spotlight on the Ford Mustang GT instead of the BMW i8.