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Audi R8 V10 vs Porsche 911 Turbo S: Newbie needs help:-)

28K views 16 replies 8 participants last post by  Treviso 
#1 ·
HI,
I am new to this forum and I would like to introduce myself. My name is Rob and I have been into sports cars for a number of years, but I come from the Viper/Corvette world and I am new to driving these European Supercars. I will be purchasing my next car new. Here is my delemma:
I have been going back and forth between buying an Audi R8 V10 Spyder vs a Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet and I would love to hear some opinions from owners. I know that many of you have had both and I would love to hear your thoughts.
I have recently driven both cars and they are both very impressive in different ways. The R8 V10 Spyder was an R-tronic, rather than a Manual, but my preference is for a Manual tranny. I keep reading about some of the manual transmissions being problematic and notchy with sketchy Audi service. Is is fact? Also, these R8s require specially trained techs to work on them, correct? Are they difficult to find? Finally, are ceramic brakes a must on the R8? Please help with some thoughts.
 
#2 ·
I have driven both.

Turbo S is automatic only and a real beast, one of the fastest cars in the world. But its still a 911 and hardly anyone will even realize this a is a special Porsche.

The Audi R8 is a very classy car, exudes class. There is no mistake when someone see this car that it is unique. Not nearly as fast to 60 or in the quarter mile as the Turbo S but who cares?

Dont buy the V10 Roadster for the track or for setting 0 to 60 records, buy it to own one heck of a beautiful comfortable, fast, all around great car.

If you are into brute speed buy the Turbo S. That automatic will get boring real quickly. The Audi MT is the most fun exciting part of the R8 experience IMO.
 
#3 ·
My 2009 MT is one of the best shifting cars I have owned, have had no issues. Any dealer that sells R8's has to have a tech certified on the R8. I have found it's usually the head shop guy so nice knowing my car is worked on by the best there. As for ceramic brakes I think they are a waste unless you plan a lot of track time. One of the reasons I bought the R8 is because of the great brakes, why waste $10k? Also before buying I looked at a 911 Turbo, sure it was quick but in the end decided it looked like the countless Porsche's I see every day. Added a supercharger and now have the best of both worlds
 
#4 ·
I have owned a 911 C2S (997) and a 911 turbo (997) (not S), both MT. I had my share of problems with Porsche Service... No brand is better than another one I'd say.

The turbo is now gone (2 weeks) and I now drive a R8 V10 coupe, MT.

Personnally, I prefer the MT for day to day driving, as I don't have traffic or jams where I live. I don't go to the track.

That being said, I miss the Porsche MT really bad right now as I'm not used yet with the Audi's forked one. Everybody say it'll come pretty soon. I believe this.

If you really want a MT, skip the S and think R8 or turbo. I'd never go for the flappy paddles (just my preference).

Why I changed from 911 to R8: read the previous post. The R8 is easy the nicest car around for the price. Talk about Ferrari, Lamborghini or McLaren presence for a real bargain. 911s are getting a bit too mainstream...

We can argue about the interior, but the exterior is a given...
 
#5 ·
My Porsche turbos were clinically brilliant, and the turbo S with PDK maybe the best of them all. It is a much quicker car than a R8 V10 - probably around a full second faster to 60. I assume that since you want a convertible, this car is primarily a street car. I prefer the handling of the R8's over my turbos and the R8 ride comfort is better. Steering feel is very good on the R8, but Porsches are known for their steering. The R8 feels more planted at speed than any of the 17 Porsches I have owned. But quite frankly, you can't go wrong with either. But here's the huge difference - Porsches are everywhere and only the cognoscenti know one 911 from another with respect to engine and build year. They are an anonymous supercar. On the other hand, my sepang blue R8 V10 spyder is a total attention magnet. It is a completely different owner's experience. I had to get used kids sitting on my tail on the highway videoing the car with their cell phones. Everytime I fill up at a gas station, I become an instant celebrity. Both are great cars, but one is superfast and anonymous, the other is very fast and and an exotic car. Picking one over the other is more about your personality type than if one is better than the other. BTW, I haven't heard anything but positives about the MT R8 and mine is certainly fine. You have to be a touch more deliberate in shifting a R8's MT as compared to my Porsches, which I always optioned with the factory sport shifter, but the R8 manual is great. Most complaints with respect to the R8's transmission are associated with the single clutch R-tronic, which is not as fluid as Porsche's dual clutch PDK. Good luck - you'll be thrilled with either, but my R8 is the best street car I have ever owned.
 
#7 ·
Treviso I have had both cars.I had a 2011 Turbo S and traded it for a 2012 V10 and never have regretted it for 1 minute.Yes the Turbo is faster but really how fast can you go with everyday traffic? Interior comfort and ride is were the Audi blows away the Porsche!!! Love my V10!!!!!!!!!!
 
#9 ·
I also had both cars and say the R8 is the better of the 2 cars.Really, personal choice.If you are looking for pure 0 to 60 speed then buy the Porsche,Otherwise you will love the Audi that is a wonderful all around supercare that is so comfortable to drive and handles like a true supercar.I really dont think anybody buys a car to get attention but if that is what you are looking for then the R8 gets way,way more attention.To me, the attention it gets is satisfying.Way more then I ever got in the Porsche but that was not even a thought when buying this car.If you go to the 6Speed Porsche forums I am sure they will all say the Porsche is the better car.However, this member feels the Audi is the way to go,especially if you would like to drive long distances and really enjoy the car! As I mentioned before I really do love the interior compared to the Porsche.Much warmer and more comfortable and my wifey will attest to that.
 
#10 ·
I have owned two turbos in the past, and they were great cars. In fact, I had my heart set on a new turbo S cab, until I actually got to the dealer and drove the car. At the dealer, I drove both the turbo S cab and the R8 V10 spyder. Both cars were wonderful, but I ended up buying the R8. While the Porsche was wickedly fast, it's suspension was too rough (even in comfort mode), it felt cramped, its engine didn't make supercar engine noises, and it suffered from dated styling. The R8 was powerful, fast, agile, comfortable and beautiful. In short, the R8 felt like a truly special car, while the turbo S, except for straight line acceleration, felt ordinary.

After six months of ownership, the R8 keeps impressing me. There is, however, one caveat - people constantly photo and video the car. On the road, and at every stop light, there will be camera phones pointed at the car. If this bothers you, get the Porsche.
 
#11 ·
Having now driven them both, I have to say that they are just completely different animals. The R8 is very smooth and the power comes on smooth. Very nice driving machine. The Turbo S is just wickedly fast and unlike anything that I have ever been in before. How it stays on the road is beyond me. Stunning acceleration! I am coming from the Viper/Corvette world where if you got on it to quickly, the arse end would just spin right around and try to kill you. The Turbo S just floored me with power control, but the styling doesn't so much. Very dated styling and they all pretty much look the same. I'm still thinking this one out...
 
#13 ·
When it comes to engine sounds, the R8 has it all over the Turbo S. The Turbo S sound is just odd sounding to me and not very "supercar" sounding. The R8 sounds just beautiful, like a race car should sound. I would say that the R8 has a better interior overall design. The Turbo S is still pretty dated, in my opinion. I was comfortable driving both cars and felt that both seats were very nice. Tough deciding...
 
#14 ·
For me it was simple equation. I asked myself how often would I really use that brutal acceleration. I knew the answer because I had 997 turbos and rarely needed 0-60 is 3.5 secs let alone the 0-60 of the turbo S cab at 3.0 secs. And it's not like the R8 is a Prius. Take away the acceleration and the Porsche has very little going for it relative to the R8. On the other hand, I have a friend with a GTR Alpha 9 and he wouldn't be happy with anything less than 650 hp, so each to their own. If you decide for the Porsche you can get rid of that Hoover vacuum cleaner sound with an aftermarket exhaust for about $3-4K.
 
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