V10 vs 430Scuderia

[stella polare]

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...mparison_tests

[gazza1]

I currently have a F430 sitting in my garage for the next few days and have enjoyed driving it around for the weekend in daily traffic and my favourite secluded bit of mountain road I always take the vehicles I get from the Supercar Club.

After previously driving a Lambo S/L and Nissan Gtr I don,t quite get it.

What I mean by this is that its handling is very nice and sublime and the engine note is magnificent near redline etc..... I am just missing something.I felt the Gtr engine was much more responsive and pulled harder and the Lambo engine was somewhat more terrifying at times which gave the car more character.

You really somewhat have to keep the engine up there to get the real bang.

The Ferrari really does have a nice balance about it but I kept saying why is this car double the price of a R8.

Maybe I just expecting sooooo much more and a engine that would scare me but when I think I could own 2 R8 V8's for the same money or a Audi V10 and have good money spare I think you are paying somewhat for the name.The engineering is impressive but I don,t care for the seats as i had to brace myself on other parts of the interior to be secure at a quick rate of knots.

And whats going on with the interior design..Nice leather etc but that centre dash part belongs in a normal family sedan.

Also for what its worth(if that's your thing) it would be the car that has attracted the least amount of attention whilst driving anywhere although it always draws a crowd when parked.

This is not a spit on a F430 as I was impressed and who am I apart from being a average Joe.But after driving a few different types of cars over the last couple of months for days on end I am beginning to appreciate the strong and weak points of different vehicles.

Lambo..Raw and feels a bit heavy but awesome engine and a real occasion.

Nissan Gtr..Awesome performance in both power and pickup and the handling is so nice and forgiving..but has no soul.

It really has just confirmed to me what a fantastic bit of work Audi did with the R8..it just does so many roles so well.

Apologies to any owners of a F430 on this forum as I respect your choices and the many journalists out there who give it 10/10.And what would I know anyway.

Await the flames.

[harrison]

Imagine how Ferrari Corporate feels?? A real spanking is what the scuderia is getting,verbally and on the track !! But the word Ferrari rolls off your tongue SOOO much nicer than AUDI ! Who gives a poop . I like saving money whilst blowing minds at a fraction of the hassles.

[SFR8]

gazza1 - thanks for your insight of F430 and Gallardo SL.

[SBFV10]

And don't forget....the Audi R8 is a much more exclusive car. I have hardly seen one in 2 years up here in Oregon, where I often see the Ferraris. Of course everybody thinks that an F is "better" than an A, but look what happened in 1990-91 when Honda came out with the NSX. It made everybody rethink the super-car....for the better.

We now have the "next generation NSX"....an everyday drivable super-car!

Long live Audi! (And someday the other guys will catch on to us!!!!)

Steve

[Bluehinder]

No offense taken.

Spend a little more time in both cars.

[dailydriver]

Great review.

I'm glad to see the car achieved a 3.5 second 0 to 60 time - I was pretty sure that V10 was going to be much quicker than the 3.9 time that Audi specs (understanding they are conservative). I was also glad to see the titanium finish wheels on this car instead of the 10 spoke "Y" design since I don't care for the standard V10 wheel. I'm almost sold on changing my order right now - I just need to hear the car in person first!

[kthacher]

I would never try to make the argument, that the Ferrari is not the superior car, but with that said, some parts of this "review" make me question the pre-disposed bias that want into the comparison. Some of the language they use comes across as protesting to much to me.

How about this to start:

The steering, compared with the Ferrari’s, feels less tactile, as if a thick membrane of maple syrup lies somewhere between the tires and the controls. Brake feel is grabby and overly sensitive; it transitions from “where the hell are they” to “whoa, now I’m stopped” with barely any provocation. Brakes aside, Audi seems to have oozed syrup into every aspect of the Audi driving experience. It is that prophylactic refinement that keeps the R8’s mechanical bits from getting too close to the driver

"a thick membrane of maple syrup ??!!" "prophylactic"? Get serious. How are you supposed to take comments like that seriously. Cmon. Seems like they were stretching here to not offend the Ferrari gods.

Or how about this one:

There’s art in every detail of the Ferrari but, with the exception of the Pininfarina-designed body, it’s not the kind of fine art one finds at the MOMA. The Audi’s parts seem more contrived and overtly styled. To our eyes, the Audi’s V-10 seems to have been engineered and then redesigned to look good by people who went to art school. The Ferrari is full of art made by engineers who seem to really believe that “form follows function” is more than just a phrase used by the phonies in marketing.

"phonies in marketing" "contrived and overtly styled" Now this is just flat out nonsense.

So overall, their final conclusion on #1 vs #2 is fine, but this kind of over-the-top silliness really makes me question their objectivity. He doth protest too much.

[willyjp]

I hesitate to comment, since I haven't driven either car, but I DO AGREE that review is loaded with a little too much car mag bullsh*t. How patently obvious could they make what's going on there: mentioning how daring they'd be, (and how damaging they'd be to their precious access!) IF they were EVER to give a Ferrari a bad comparison review, and then laying it on thick with that kind a**-kissing baloney.

If they could be honest about the result, I'd like to see if they'd write all that about the steering feel after a non-stop drive of 400 miles in difficult conditions. No question the Ferrari is a superior sporting car (as is should be), but some of that difference is a question of taste and intended driving mission. The Ferrari, as to be expected in an Italian sports car, exhibits "nervosa" in it's feel. That is NOT necessarily what you'd wish for in a car for long distance, high speed touring.

As far as the looks, Walter daSilva ought to sue 'em! Show me ONE single design feature on the R8 that's not 100% functional...and attractive at the same time. Please! If you're rating cars purely on your subjective gestalt, be honest about it and admit others might have different taste!

Not to take ANYTHING away from the Ferrari, but heaven forbid anyone suggest that it's heights MIGHT be APPROACHED by something that costs $100 grand less. THAT MIGHT INFLUENCE SALES!

[RS4Cab]

Great review.

I'm glad to see the car achieved a 3.5 second 0 to 60 time - I was pretty sure that V10 was going to be much quicker than the 3.9 time that Audi specs (understanding they are conservative).

About the same difference with the V8's since both Car&Driver and Road&Track got 4.0 second 0-60. Would rather numbers on the conservative side