The BMW i8 and the Audi R8 are the flagship models for the German automakers from Munich and Ingolstadt, respectively. Both cars play in the supercar segment, but with a different approach. The i8 is a progressive hybrid sportscar, while the R8 has gained a supercar status thanks to its high-powered V10 engine, and its supercar-like design.

Both are supercars built by companies at the top of their games, but they take extremely different approaches to how they make their performance.

bmw-i8-vs-audi-r8-image

The i8 has technology no other car under a million dollars has, it’s made mostly from carbon-fiber, it’s all-wheel drive and it’s mid-engined. Many also believe the i8 has exotic looks just like the R8, yet the R8 will certainly win in a straight line comparison.

Audi’s R8 is furious Quattro AWD machine with a high-revving V10 engine producing 540 or even 610 hp. An electric Audi R8 e-tron is also built with a rear-wheel drive and thanks to a dramatically improved lithium-ion battery, Audi promises for the new Audi R8 e-tron a pure electric range of 450 kilometers (280 miles).

bmw-i8-vs-audi-r8-image-5

Sitting between the V10 R8 and the e-tron is the BMW i8 with its plug-in hybrid drive. The 231-hp three-cylinder gasoline engine is mated with an electric motor at the front axle for a combined 362 hp and a fuel consumption of 2.1 liters per 100 kilometers.

Both cars are over $100,000, both have the supercar looks and both are head-turners, therefore, today, we pose the question: if money was no object, would you pick the BMW i8 or the Audi R8?