Aston Martin V8 Vantage v Audi R8 v Porsche 911 Turbo

Have you guys read this in Car & Driver? Pretty interesting comparison. 2007 Aston Martin V8 Vantage v 2008 Audi R8 v 2007 Porsche 911 Turbo LINK HERE

I read it and thought the rating was a joke...seems like the "got to have" is double for the R8...WTF is that? Pathetic if you ask me...Way too subjective.

I read many Audi R8 reviews recently while it's hot out of the oven....ridiculous comparisons to say the least for the most part. One mag compared the R8 to a 997 Carrera, and touted how the R8 is faster, more powerful, etc....never mind the $$$$ difference. R8 is kitchy, with the two-tone body and the gimmicky interior.....maybe if the R8 survives 40+ years of model changes, corporate changes, taste changes....then we can start comparing its significance to the 911.

Huh ?? So you're saying a car must be 40+ years old until it can be "good" ? That's ridiculous. The carrera's rear engine joke has survived for over 40+ years. It can't always be better than some great mid-engined cars. I really like everything about my carrera except for the twitchyness at the edge on sharp corners (exactly what the review picked). Why can't Porsche simply make the Carrera mid-engined and move on instead of being so heavily stuck up on "oh it's always been rear engined, we can't do that to the 911". Maybe my father or grandfather would care about that "heritage" but personally I'd simply prefer superior engineering to any heritage hocus-pocus. I'm hoping by the time I'm 28 I'll be a better car than the Carrera. Why not just give the Boxster a more powerful engine than the carrera ?!? Sigh. Anyways, as long as more companies make good sports cars, good for us. More variety.

Who said the above grossly distorted statement? You, not I. Therefore, any ridicule (and it IS ridiculous) should go....you know the rest. With all due respect, you missed the point. Comparing the SIGNIFICANCE of the R8 to the 911, if the R8 as a model survives 40+ years, is what I said. then again, I guess you don't think the 40+ years of history of the Porsche 911 is significant (see later in this post) since you don't really care about the "heritage hocus-pocus...." it's the 40+ year HISTORY behind the Carrera, not the actual age of any given 911, that makes me have much more respect for it than some hot rod R8 Audi has put out in 2007 and who knows for how long. First, the R8 looks completely gimmicky, and I am not wowed by the R8's specs and how it can match the Turbo's performance....who cares. All the mags are saying it's a 911 beater.... wait a few hours, the new-ness around the R8 fades away, they will be on to the next greatest car, the next "911-beater." Do you ever think it'll get to a point where the magazines are looking for the next "R8 beater??" The 911 is not about specs. It's about the 40+ years of continuous development and a special perk of the ownership should be the pride that you are taking part in one of the longest running and illustrious sagas in sports car and racing automotive history. Even more impressive after all these years: Porsche can still kick butt in the advanced technology department. In that important factor of ownership pride, the 911 hands down will always win over the R8, Viper, Saleen, and a slew of other cars that can push you down the 1/4 mile faster. That's why I say: we'll talk about how special the R8 is the same way we talk about the Porsche, in the year 2047, if it's still being made. If you get such a rise out of mid-engined cars, why are you driving a 911 anyway?? I don't even know where to begin here. So much of what you say shows a lack of understanding, like calling the rear-engine design a "joke." Hmm.... someone who is seeking to own a Porsche has to tell you who already owns one but thinks it's a "joke" how special your car is. I feel sorry for your underappreciated C2, since you only think of it as a joke of a design with, I am sure, what you consider to be an underpowered engine. And your statement about makes me wonder if you would not be happier in a Viper: a big-@$$ engine, also in a two-seater! If you don't really care for the Porsche's heritage and the history of its development, and thinks all that rear-engine design stuff is just "hocus pocus" for dads and grandpas, I think you are in the wrong car, frankly.

Ok the R8 won, we should all be happy that now Porsche may take some of their huge profits and take their autos 2-3 steps forward instead of a slow progression. The unfortunate truth probably is that Porsche will kill the R8 as they gain more control of VW thus not requiring any major moves and they can continue their current path. I will agree the got to have it helped the R8 win by a larger margin but even if you eliminate those extra points the R8 wins and also the 911 received an additional 10 points for having a rear seat (5 points in 2 separate categories). I think the article was fair.

I believe the R8 will be a fantastic car. As far as looks, I saw one in person in black without the weird 2 tone paint scheme. It is beautiful in my opinion. As far as how it drives compared to the turbo, I'm sure it is far easier on the track for someone unfamiliar with either. The article makes this point. It is no different that the Cayman S in this respect. Should the R8 be compared to the Turbo? The R8 is not as powerful. If you look at the as tested price, the turbo was $20,000 higher. I think it is impressive that the two were so close in performance numbers. I'm curious how the R8 would compare to the 997 C4S.

JMHO, but I kind of hope they don't. The world doesn't need another car that's fast on paper and race tracks but has the personality of a dishwasher. Plenty of those to choose from. In my dream, Porsche uses the Audi brand to satisfy the market demand for android cars with power and speed bragging rights, and keeps the P brand for cars that are their own thing, that a few get and most don't, and that (to quote C&D in an earlier piece) "you have to be a hero to drive fast". Too few things in the world like that, but all my favourite stuff is.

A couple of issues ago, they did compare it with a C4S, and the R8 smoked it. I love what Audi is doing - they're extremely aggressive, they make beautiful cars, and the R8 looks amazing in person, absolutely a show stopper. The price seems reasonable too. They need to put a manual transmission in the S6, but other than that, they've got BMW beaten to a pulp the last few years. I want an R8, yessir.

I loved the Audi R8 when I saw it in the Audi showroom on Park Ave. But, the photos that Car and Driver posted looked like the profile of a Toyota Celica. Plus, I hate that contrasting side plate on the profile. If it is available in all paint, it's a requirement. I'll take the 997tt or the Aston any day. Update: I posted a picture of the Audi Celica that I was referring to below.

Different from the Aston and the Porsche, the lines of the R8 do not look like they will age well... not a classic/beautiful/timeless design imho... I do like the interior details, engine location... would love to see one in the flesh and drive it to get a better feel for it... but from the photos and videos I have seen... it does not move my senses the way the Aston Martin, Porsche, Gallardo, etc. do...

I'll put in a minority opinion here: if/when I trade up from my '02 C2, I think I'll go with either a Cayman S or an R8, depending on how much I want to spend at the time. I love my 911 dearly, but I'm starting to think that I prefer mid-engined handling.

You guys can like both for what they are - it's totally OK. The R8 is much fresher and newer and is getting a lot of recognition and definitely taking the limelight away from the 911. It'll turn heads stock for stock much more so than any 911 out there. Does it have the history of the 911? No. Has Audi made a competitive altnerative where people are going to prefer it to the 911? Yes and vice versa. Who cares if the 911's been around for 40+ years blah blah blah - doesn't change the fact that the R8 is a fantastic new option for us car enthusiasts. I'd still pick a 997 Turbo over it, however. To me, the Porsche is timeless because I've loved it since I was a kid.

To me the R8 from Audi reminds me of the Phaeton from VW. It may be a great car, but I do not see anyone buying it, or certainly not in the numbers that are going to return positive NPV on the project for Audi. I know this board is biased, but it is also filled with car nuts. Would any of you really take this awkward looking Audi over your Porsche whatever model? I have a 2004C2 and there is no way in hell I'd swap it for this new fangled fast Audi. I would swap my car for other things like a 997S, or 997TT and maybe a few other things. Not an Audi. It is just not the same deal no matter what it does at the track. The must have thing to me is total BS on it. A 911 has a far superior must have factor imo. ANd I bet if we polled real car buyers I'd be right.

The R8 is a great car but how do I get my 3 kids to school in it?

Good assessement. I think at the very least Audi has to earn cred here. They have a history of reliability problems that make 996s look like Toyotas. And it was less than a decade ago that TTs were flipping over at speed on the autobahn because of a little aerodynamic oversight.

Yes. If I had ~$130k to spend on a daily driver right now, I'd be at the Audi dealership. I'm pleased that Audi has given Porsche some serious competition in an arena that has always been theirs alone: the daily driver exotic/supercar. Ever since Ferrari gave up the lower end of their market, Porsche hasn't had enough competition to worry about (this may help explain why they are the world's most profitable car company). I think that Porsche will now be forced to raise its game, and I can't wait to see how the company will respond with the 998.

I know many think they are a joke, but the rear seats are the main reason i have a 911. The NSX had to go once the first boy reached 1 year old. The 911 is actually very practical, take the kids for short rides, just enought room for a weekly grocery run to safeway, daily driver, fun to track, relaxing to drive top down on a sunny evening comute home and if i get round to it with the willwood rack... it can even take my Mtn Bike.! Is there anything else that can match that ?

yup +1

maybe i'm in the minority here; i keep waiting for the R8 to grow on me, but it just doesn't. i find it hideous. it looks very plasticy and generic. those ridiculous side blades are schitzophrenic. add to that the fact that it only comes in bluish gray, silvery gray, light gray, or dark gray and this is one dismal machine. it looks like someone ruined a G35 and then painted it depressed. sports cars should move the soul. this thing only moves my bowels.

I'd take the 997TT over either of those others, given its performance advantage (480 HP)...and the Aston is of course the best looking. The test results seem predetermined, with the "gee whiz" new-design collness of the Audi getting disproportonate credit by the author(s). I'd rather have a 997 GT3 than any of those, though!

+1. For my $130K, I'll take a Porsche any time, especially over a time-untested, pieced-together-looking, gimmicky-looking car from a company that's looking to move into the Premier League, but has not really been there. My previous ramblings about the "heritage hocus pocus" of Porsche (as Sids911 said -- about his very own Porsche!!) is not to be snobbish: over the past 40+ years Porsche has actually EARNED its place in the premier League of automobiles with all of its achievements both on the road and on track. Anyways, the straw poll out of the thread posts here is likely to be over-representing the number of folks who desire an R8 over a Porsche. Those who don't care about the R8 are much less likely to open this thread in the first place....

I have to agree with Jimhsu's statements. I am sure that the R8 is a great car but it simply doesn't have the styling to last. In my opinion, the R8 doesn't look like a $110k + car. Interesting comparison below:

time will tell...I like the looks of the R8....but I don't know if I prefer them over the look of the P turbo...who really cares about the speed....if I try to floor it...a cop will try to floor me!

Those are interesting picture comparisons: I am sure we'll see faux-R8 after-market add-on side piece treatments for the Infiniti soon! (apprently, for $2000 or so more, you too can have carbon fiber side pieces from Audi for your own R8, never mind how tacky that woud look.)

Not a fair comparison. The R8 is a loss-leader. I conjecture that Audi is losing money on every single one of them. That's why production qty is restricted. They're just selling a few of them to improve the nameplate. Good luck trying to go to your Audi showroom and place an order for one.