R8 vs. Ferrari CS

[Vincent]

I have a Ferrari Challenge Stradale and thinking about picking up an R8 real soon. What should I be expecting from this car in terms excitements.

[Black Eagle]

You are not going to get the beautiful Ferrari exhaust sound

[Vincent]

Hopefully the scent of a new car can make up for that...LOL

[geffers]

and a car that you can drive 20000 miles in all conditions before you take it back to the workshop.

[09R8]

The CS is faster and a very hardcore machine. Be sure to have this expectation. The R8 can be a daily driver with all the amenities you would find in a luxury saloon.

[desperado]

The R8 impresses with it's poise and calm performance. "No Muss, No Fuss" as the old advert used to say.

Quite a bit different from the Ferrari, I'd imagine.

[xanderale]

You are not going to get the beautiful Ferrari exhaust sound

The R8 has an awesome exhaust note. Once you get up to about 6,500 RPM's it sounds like Satan getting kicked in the balls.

The R8 will be about as fast as your 360 Stradale in a straight line and will have far better handling in the turns. The R8 is a blast on the track.

Also, once cars get above 300 HP or so, you have more power than traction from 0 - 30 or so. Not so with AWD. The R8's 0-30 acceleration is bone crushing.

One thing I didn't expect with the R8 is the celebrity status. Audi sells 300 per year in America. 3,000 Ferrari's are sold every year in America. The R8 is extremely rare. Yet it got a half dozen car of the year awards, is featured in movies, had a super bowl ad.

I personally think the Ferrari F430 is the most beautiful car ever built, but I swear my R8 gets more attention than my friend's F430.

But by far the biggest difference you will notice is that you will *not* have to take it to the shop every other month.


A word of caution though: Ferrari sells Ferraris so they can sell Ferraris. Audi sells R8's so they can sell A4's and A6's. To them it's just a marketing expense, and every single employee at your Audi dealership is going to want to joyride your Audi before they hand it over to you. Don't let them. Insist on watching your R8 come off the truck.

Also, don't fall for the "calibration tests" they claim Audi North America needs to do to make sure your R8 works OK. My dealer gave me an official looking piece of paper stating all these delivery tests they're supposed to do. I said, "OK, but my wife rides shotgun to make sure you don't abuse the car while I fill out the paperwork." They told my wife she would get car sick, and insisted they needed to do 0 to redline to full stop runs at full throttle and full braking. They insisted they needed to do that for several runs - on public roads no less.

The Audi R8 owner's manual specifically states that the car should not be driven full throttle or over 6,000 RPM's for the first 1,500 miles, and even claims that failing to do so will "reduce the long term quality of the engine and transmission."

[swansailor]

".... Audi sells 300 per year in America. 3,000 Ferrari's are sold every year in America. The R8 is extremely rare... "

According to Audi's Nov 3 press release, year-to-date US R8 sales: 635

This still makes it pretty rare. Other than when I did the Audi driving experience, I have only seen one R8 on the road (other than my own)

[Vincent]

Can't really dispute with you about the R8 since I don't own one yet. Once I do I will add my unbiased opinion.
(As far as production number there are only 375 CS ever produce.)

The R8 has an awesome exhaust note. Once you get up to about 6,500 RPM's it sounds like Satan getting kicked in the balls.

The R8 will be about as fast as your 360 Stradale in a straight line and will have far better handling in the turns. The R8 is a blast on the track.

Also, once cars get above 300 HP or so, you have more power than traction from 0 - 30 or so. Not so with AWD. The R8's 0-30 acceleration is bone crushing.

One thing I didn't expect with the R8 is the celebrity status. Audi sells 300 per year in America. 3,000 Ferrari's are sold every year in America. The R8 is extremely rare. Yet it got a half dozen car of the year awards, is featured in movies, had a super bowl ad.

I personally think the Ferrari F430 is the most beautiful car ever built, but I swear my R8 gets more attention than my friend's F430.

But by far the biggest difference you will notice is that you will *not* have to take it to the shop every other month.


A word of caution though: Ferrari sells Ferraris so they can sell Ferraris. Audi sells R8's so they can sell A4's and A6's. To them it's just a marketing expense, and every single employee at your Audi dealership is going to want to joyride your Audi before they hand it over to you. Don't let them. Insist on watching your R8 come off the truck.

Also, don't fall for the "calibration tests" they claim Audi North America needs to do to make sure your R8 works OK. My dealer gave me an official looking piece of paper stating all these delivery tests they're supposed to do. I said, "OK, but my wife rides shotgun to make sure you don't abuse the car while I fill out the paperwork." They told my wife she would get car sick, and insisted they needed to do 0 to redline to full stop runs at full throttle and full braking. They insisted they needed to do that for several runs - on public roads no less.

The Audi R8 owner's manual specifically states that the car should not be driven full throttle or over 6,000 RPM's for the first 1,500 miles, and even claims that failing to do so will "reduce the long term quality of the engine and transmission."

[09R8]

Can't really dispute with you about the R8 since I don't own one yet. Once I do I will add my unbiased opinion.
(As far as production number there are only 375 CS ever produce.)

The CS is definitely an enthusiasts car. The exhaust note emitting from the rear while in the canyons is a dream. What I love about the CS is that you don't get anything in the car. Just cf everywhere. Nothing to play with, just you and the machine. Between the CS and R8, you will get just as many looks. So the wow factor is there. As long as you are not selling the CS for the R8, I think you're ok because the power / acceleration with the CS is at a different level compared to the R8. I love the R8 because it is a great all around car that can be driven anywhere anytime.