Audi R8 5.2 V10 defeats Aston Martin V12 Vantage & Corvette ZR1

The problem with building a world-beating supercar is that, sooner or later, you have to create a faster one. In the ongoing battle to deliver more power, more speed and more excitement, makers know that the only way to keep customers happy is to wheel out increasingly exotic new versions.

Our test trio here shows exactly what is possible when you go in search of the ultimate supercar. All three vehicles are the result of manufacturers pushing the boundaries of performance, packaging and price – and all three prove that, when it comes to such exotic machinery, too much is never enough.

The Audi R8 V10, Aston Martin V12 Vantage and Corvette ZR1 are the most focused models in their respective ranges. With price tags of £99,580, £135,000 and £106,605, they combine serious performance with the kind of exclusivity that buyers who want to stand out from the crowd demand.
The big question is, can these highly strung pedigree machines really justify their inflated prices?

Does more power and performance automatically guarantee you a place at the top of the supercar desirability league table, or would you be better off saving tens of thousands of pounds and sticking to the standard models?

We hit the road and the track in our German, British and American contenders to provide the answer...



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rigidrigid - 8/14/2009 10:33:18 AM
+6 Boost
The tranny fell out of it on the first launch and they had to leave it in the parking lot.


lanchimelanchime - 8/14/2009 4:13:20 PM
+2 Boost
Why do people keep bring up the transmission failure... *sigh*
And the GTR was left out because it's not in the price range.


Joe_LimonJoe_Limon - 8/14/2009 6:55:05 PM
+2 Boost
Doesn't the gtr's transmission failure only effect 5% of all gtr's produced?


EL34EL34 - 8/16/2009 12:25:47 AM
+1 Boost
The GT-R was left out because the tranny flipped out when the driver hit the launch control button.

LMAO


rigidrigid - 8/14/2009 10:39:18 AM
+5 Boost
So when you read the Vette lost because the sterring wheel was on the wrong side and the only reason the R8 beat the AM is that it is a 4X4? Honestly here is what I want to see: some random car lover without a press pass drives each of these cars and they clock him around a track and on the roads. They then give him the base versions of each car and do it all over again. My guess the difference in performance would be next to nothing because these cars have so much power that 99% of people are unable to exploit it then the 1% that could exploit it are race car drivers and would find the cars borring. I love that they make them, don't get me wrong, but nobody who buys these things is taking them to their limits.


Need4SpeedNeed4Speed - 8/14/2009 2:44:55 PM
+2 Boost
To add to your comment...if it was all about being the fastest...then we would all be driving the same cars. Some people who claim to be enthusiasts refuse to appreciate a car for what it is.


993Turbo993Turbo - 8/14/2009 11:33:54 AM
+1 Boost
What happened to the GT3?


Joe_LimonJoe_Limon - 8/14/2009 11:35:17 AM
+2 Boost
lol I just found out that the 5.2L R8 get's better fuel economy then the 4.2L R8. Hahaha.


dhkss2002dhkss2002 - 8/14/2009 12:20:22 PM
+1 Boost
The GT-R already destroyed the R8 5.2.

http://www.autobild.de/artikel/vergleich-nissan-gt-r-porsche-911-turbo-audi-r8-v10_907277.html



dhkss2002dhkss2002 - 8/14/2009 12:25:27 PM
+2 Boost
I don't understand what all the brouhaha is about, a 12 second car running a 7:50 at the Nurburing hardly gets my blood pumping. To be totally objective, it does look quite spiffy. Queer European reviewers, did you expect the ZR1 to win (even though it will annihilate the r8 in a straight line and around any track)?


100octane100octane - 8/17/2009 8:07:09 AM
+1 Boost
"I don't understand what all the brouhaha is about, a 12 second car running a 7:50 at the Nurburing hardly gets my blood pumping"

your pants would be wet after a 7:50 ride as a passenger, trust me


iamdabest1iamdabest1 - 8/14/2009 12:40:53 PM
+1 Boost
this comparison is a complete joke, the zr1 would destroy the aston and audi on a real track with the steering wheel on the correct side of the car. the audi and aston look much better, but if i needed a getaway car ( to escape police) i think the vette would be the most ruthless of the 3.


Yonder7Yonder7 - 8/14/2009 12:47:12 PM
+2 Boost
I prefer German cars, but I do not care of sbjective things, Numbers said very clear that the winner is the corvette no matter what car you take, If I'm in a corvette you won't catch me...and yes, Corvette was did not reach the best time in the quarter Mille, but it destroy all others in terminal speed with more than 15 milles per hour extra. Give me numbers not biased comments. M..and for the price...is the best option.


dhkss2002dhkss2002 - 8/14/2009 1:01:35 PM
+3 Boost
Apparently in the latest autocar test, the R8 5.2 FSI clocked the following time:

Autocar Results
GTR - 1:27.7
997 S2 GT3 - 1:29.2
Audi R8 V10 - 1:29.7
Aston V12 Vantage - 1:29.7

See the 12th August edition of Autocar magazine,The R8 V10-fast as hell.


Yonder7Yonder7 - 8/14/2009 1:26:54 PM
+2 Boost
/4 Mile sec: Porshce=12.4, Aston Martin=12.7, Corvette=12.5, R8=12.1
Terminal Speed: Porsche=118, Aston Martin=118, Corvette=132, R8=122.
Corvette is the best.



Joe_LimonJoe_Limon - 8/14/2009 2:12:02 PM
+3 Boost
Corvette=11.3s


rxh8me9000rxh8me9000 - 8/14/2009 3:02:48 PM
+3 Boost
Seriously,those 1/4 mile times seem like a second off lol.


golfer38golfer38 - 8/17/2009 9:34:15 AM
+1 Boost
...not to mention 4.5 sec 0-60(100kph), please, I never seen it higher than 3.8 sec...


dhkss2002dhkss2002 - 8/14/2009 4:38:01 PM
0 Boost
Definitely 1.2 seconds off for the ZR1. 12.1 seconds is about the average for the R8 5.2. Seems like the Audi was the only one not underperformingin this test. Pretty convenient. I guess they had to make it win. I'm not disputing it's a good car, but seriously, aside from a beauty contest, the 997 GT3 and the ZR1 would hand the Audi its ass all day. Can somebody please explain to me how a car that traps 132mph in the 1/4 mile runs a 12.5?????? Oh I know, it was tested on Europe where they never miss an opportunity to belittle anything American (irrespective of its merits). That alone should explain the slowest 1/4 mile in history ofr the ZR1 lol.


Shameful-run the ZR1 against the Audi to 190 mph, and I'd wager that the ZR1 is at least 15 seconds faster. On a 90 second lap, it will also be approximately 3 seconds/lap faster. I think these pumpkins only ran the vehicles to 70 mph, lol, go figure... I guess you have to keep the Audi in contention somehow.




Yonder7Yonder7 - 8/14/2009 6:31:17 PM
+1 Boost
Well, that have a name: Xenophobia. I am not american but some times what I see in Europe is that most of them do not like americans, may be for the same reason that americans doesn't like europeans...I not going to discuss about creation , I belive that all humans are the same, and due the ADN is a programing language so complex that is already protected against writing or erasure, all humans come from a superintelligence...it is very stupid to separate us for things so insignificant like this one.


achilesachiles - 8/16/2009 1:50:04 PM
+2 Boost
We buy their damn exotic cars how do you explain that we dont like them.
We are only the biggest the european exotic buyers in the world?
We "americans" buy our cars for the function, for going fast we pick things like our beloved 'vette, are for looking like a million bucks we pick ferraris,lambos etc.

Putting that aside the number on the 0-60 on the vette were so off it throws me off, why autospies copy the links of this incompetent websites. 4.5 lol.

We would pick a car like a vette to destroy other guys egos, and ferraris to pick up the our hot chicks.


Htay7500Htay7500 - 8/17/2009 1:22:39 PM
+1 Boost
What a beast.


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