One new BMW i8 or two Corvette Stingrays: Which would you choose?

I felt like a million bucks driving the BMW i8 in Los Angeles. In a city where people scarcely do a double take seeing a Bentley, I was like Tom Cruise in "Mission: Impossible" driving this Bavarian eco-supercar. Slack-jawed people constantly pulled alongside asking what it was, and even who I was. Is it a concept car? Movie-set vehicle? Its charisma went beyond the Star Trek sheet metal, too; I relished every opportunity to throw it around the bends of Mulholland Drive and hear the surprisingly aggressive grunt of the 1.5-liter turbo in the rear. The seamless dance between the electric and gasoline motor showed how BMW masterfully executed the car. And yet, after the euphoria subsided, I realized the i8 had a significant drawback.

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“Sustainable performance” is the mantra of the i8. Powered by a 129-hp electric motor up front and a 228-hp, 1.5-liter turbo in the back, it can run on the electric motor for 22 miles, with an estimated combined fuel economy of 95 mpg. Combined, they make 357 hp, which propel the plug-in hybrid to 60 mph in about 4.5 seconds. Putting it in perspective, a $30,000 Nissan 370Z goes to 60 in 4.7 seconds. The width of the standard tires are similar to a $25,000 Scion FR-S, with 215s in the rear. Clearly, the i8 gets outclassed in performance once you start spending more than fifty grand.

The question then that haunted me was, is it worth $135,700? It’s difficult to quantify the value of such a tech-laden, cutting-edge car of the future, considering its carbon-fiber tub, and sophisticated electronics that allow two completely different and disconnected engines on opposite ends to work in harmony. Given all the new production processes required and relatively small economies of scale, from a manufacturing perspective that price tag is likely fully justified — although BMW declined to say what the profit margins are, only that it doesn’t lose money with each car.

Yet it’s a tough sell when talking bang for buck. If sustainability and fuel efficiency are a factor, you could buy an eco-friendlier BMW i3 with the range extender for $46,125, then also buy a Chevy Corvette Stingray or an E92 M3 (one of the best BMWs ever made) as a weekend car for roughly $60,000 and still have $30,000 left to spare — all the while having more fun, and saving more on gas for commutes. Buy two new Corvettes, and you'd still have money left over.

Its target buyer isn't a bargain hunter, someone who worries about balancing the checkbook, paying the mortgage every month or frets about school loans (although such buyers would still benefit from the i8’s success as the tech trickles down to other models). As a toy for the nouveau rich, an emotional, impulse buy for the exorbitantly affluent, it brilliantly delivers: the i8 is one of the most visually stunning Bimmers ever made, thanks to its low, exotic-car stance, wild aero touches and striking gullwing doors. While not a consummate driver’s machine like the M3—the steering lacks feedback and the rear is nearly impossible to let loose—it’s also carefree fun, and even addictive as a casual canyon carver. The i8 is a technological marvel that you’d expect to feel like a work in progress, yet lets you know that the future has already arrived.

So yes, it’s a worthwhile buy — for someone that would not only feel, but literally have that cool million in the bank.

Full disclosure: The manufacturer provided meals, and lodging in California for this review