IL Track Tested: 2012 Porsche 911 vs. 2012 Audi R8

cheap shot.. but the r8's design with its 'blade' is already starting to look dated.

Neither can be considered pretty, but the 911 is heading in the right direction

I don't see these two getting cross-shopped anytime soon

Give me the Porsche, with 7-speed in Silver, just as shown!
Nice!
BD

And they BOTH sound like monkey crap
BD

Why the *$^% was the rear foglight on on the 911? Was there a wall of cloud that I didn't see? Drivers that have those on piss me off, it's there for a reason, it's not like the front fog that's unoffensive; the rear foglight is basically as bright as a headlight pointing at your face.

The hazard lights came on due to the active brake lights. The harder you brake, the brighter they light up and when maximum braking power is applied, they flash to warn the cars behind.

@desmolicious: what? what domination do you speak of? they were neck in neck in almost all fronts. put down the crackpipe.

@black dynamite: put down the lfa koolaid sir. i like that car too, but to say these sound like 'monkey crap' only confirms your fanboy status. they both, especially the r8, sound gorgeous in my opinion.

don't tout your opinions as fact; it gives the impression of unadulterated douchebaggery.

As I've stated previously,I do not see the value here, with either car. Both of these cars are priced in the ZR1 territory and neither comes close to ZR1 performance. Heck, they won't even keep up with a base Vette at half the price.... and the ZR1 will blow both their doors off by a mile. If you look at the price / performance ratio the Vette is the clear winner. In my humble opinion, the Corvette is a much better looking than the Porsche or the Audi. No these cars just won't cut it.

Why spend your money to create more German jobs? Let's keep the jobs in America and strengthen our economy. It's really in our best interest.

God Bless America

Be Proud. Buy American.

eldaino
You brought the LFA into this, ratbag

These two have wet dreams about sounding like that someday......
BD

zr1man reminds me a lot of duffman

I love Audi but the R8 just doesn't do it for me. It's the same motor as the RS4. The porsche though looks really good and modern, which is amazing when you think of the fact it's based on the same design principles it's had for decades.

Nice cars.

I'll take the GT-R, please.

What lt1boy said.

Also, If I had to choose it would be the R8 all day over this stretched beetle any day. Looks alone, nothing else. Performance is similar, but the R8 "makes the panties drop".

Last few cars tested: Audi R8 and Porsche, new Porsche 911, Mercedes C AMG black series, BMW 528 long term.

At some point inside line will come back to reality and start evaluating real cars again. Cars that 99% of us can afford, not the cars for the 1%. I mean is it that hard to design a car to go 4.5 seconds and cost close to 100k??? Who are these guys kidding?

I am sure they sell a few thousand, sell out the factory output, and proclaim them a success

What is this a camparo where the cars were driven by the same person on the same day? Wow you guys are coming up in the world. The R8 is far more of a grand tourer than a true super car, I mean a mustang can beat it in every performance number on the v8, and isn't far behind the v10. The porsche, though I am sick their slow evolution design, is a proven do anything sports car.

@carpaul1 think of IL as 50% enthusiast and 50% pedestrian vehicles and your attitude will improve. IL also has Straightline blog for enthusiasts. You can only review so many Fiat 500's and Mazda 2's. They didn't go out and but these 2 cars for the comparo, so just let the rest of us enjoy it. Yes, I know they had a long-term R8 before and now an old 911. From the hints they've dropped there will be a new Camry long termer and you will be happy. I will never be buying either of the cars in this comparison, but I enjoyed reading about it.

@lostboyz: that's the first thing I checked--I couldn't belive it was the same day and same driver--now THAT's a real comparison!

One advantage of owning the R8--less perception of being a dbag. One advantage of the 911--once you own one no one other than a Porsche fanatic will ever be able to tell one year from the next, it will always appear to be a new car.

First this was not a 4s model so not an equal battle. Seeing that they are owned buy the VW group doesn't really make them all that different as far as interior,fit,electronics,drive. Why even bring up the Corvette or Mustang. People who can afford it won't even think of those models. May cross shop hell may even shop the GT-R! But 911 buyers are getting rolling piece of Art at this point. I Love how Porsche has been able to continue change this basic shape and keep it's soul. They'll sell a lot of these. Great point noburgers only true Porsche fans will be able to tell the models apart! Oh and lastly I do believe JD Powers ranks Porsche 911 and Audi R8 higher in quality,ownership than Corvette.

Loves both R8 and Porsche. My coworker has V-10 R8 and it is a beauty. Love the car. The new Porsche looks great too. These cars offer the whole package. Not just performance but quality as well. Exclusivity is a plus.

Obviously just my opinion, but the R8 still looks amazing even after a few years, and the 911 looks....like a 911.

If someone is looking for the best bang for the buck then obviously the GT-R is the no-brainer, but I just can't stand to look at it.

At the end of the day, everytime I see an R8 I stare at it as long as possible and admire it, while a Porsche of any sort doesn't even force me to turn my head.

Loves both R8 and Porsche. My coworker has V-10 R8 and it is a beauty. Love the car. The new Porsche looks great too. These cars offer the whole package. Not just performance but quality as well. Exclusivity is a plus.

Yes; they're sibling rivals but I would take an R8 over a 911 ANY day. The sex appeal of that car can only be matched by an Aston Martin in my opinion.

Both are great cars. I have been casually trolling and learning about a 993 Turbo for a future purchase The wife likes them and I can justify it if my girls can sit in the back in a pinch. I figure I have to wait until daughter 2 is around 4 so she is bog enough to be out of a car seat for a quick jaunt but not too big that she doesn't fit.
Besides being a 2 seater, the Audi is way more exclusive and therefore expensive. Family and money issues aside, I would absolutely rather drive the Audi- as a daily driver, on a track, or pulling up to a fancy restaurant.
I think its great that more affordable cars lime the Mustang and Vette can produce amazing performance for low money, bit let's not get irrational. These ads are not being cross shopped. Just like no one is cross shopping a Camry V6 against the IL BMW 528 even though they are both 6 cylinder 4 door sedans. Some people will never understand that there is more than simply numbers involved in buying a car. And for them there is the automatic transmission Hertz Corvette to rent for the day.

That looks like a pretty close matchup. I'd take the R8 for the same reason I prefer Camaros to Mustangs: the 911 is ubiquitous for its class, like the Mustang. The R8 seems more exotic. I saw one in a parking lot the other day and it was just stunning. I see 911s all the time and it never feels very special.

BD: Not cross-shopped? I'm sure they are. They are aimed at pretty much the same demographic and once you hit the 6-figure price point a $20k difference isn't a big discouragement.

Personally I'd have the 911 over the R8 even without the $20k price savings. But then, the 911 has been at or near the top of my favorite car list for at least 30 years.

@zr1man. Do you not understand that certain people willing and able to spend 100k on a car would rather not spend that 100k on a vehicle that starts at half the cost and are seen multiple times on a daily basis in most parts of this country by most people. $ for $ the zr1 or z06 may give a better bang for the buck performance wise, but as much as I love corvettes, I'd take the R8 over it any day of the week. And that's coming from someone who appreciates bang for the buck performance. Outside of performance numbers both the R8 and the Porsche are in a different class than any corvette

It is hilarious how many people on here just don't understand the purpose of these cars. As others have said, there are faster, cheaper, trendier and more domestic cars available. Yet none of them are the whole package. Domestic cars are fast and cheap, in every sense of the word. I don't want to look over at a light and see some fat redneck driving the same car as me - even if it's a lower trim model.

Cars like the GTR are no doubt technical marvels, but lack finesse and quality design - plus, last time I rode in one I think I felt every bump in the road. The STI and Evo are simply boy racers based off crappy economy cars.

I work hard and will gladly spend $100k+ on either of these cars - why would I spend even half that on a car whose siblings are targeted to middle America and college kids?

Audi for me thanks.

911 are good cars but as exciting as 30 year old potato that got microwaved 20 times to keep it "fresh".

Even though they are part of the same coporation, I am very happy that Porsche continues to develope and maintain it's independent vehicle status away from VW's crappy unreliable product line.

Good job Porsche and beating this pretender.

For people saying these cars aren't fast enough for the $$, and that a Mustang is nearly as fast, you aren't getting it.

This weekend I drove close to a 2011 GT500 for a good 5 minutes on the highway. The driver was doing about 80-85 mph. The hood of the Mustang GT500 was vibrating and moving up and down, the exhausts were flapping around, the panels near the rear exhaust were also all vibrating. The GT500 also sat extremely high off the ground for a real sports car, and you could tell it had almost no aerodynamics to it. I bet the Stang's acceleration beyond 200 km/h is a joke. The build quality was horrendous for the $$$.

A lot of people here don't realize that these cars are excellent at any speed, not just at 70 mph. People drive 180-190 mph in South Africa, in Germany, etc. You can't drive a Mustang at 150 mph and sip on a latte while having a quiet conversation with a person. The Mustang is loud, unrefined, and has interior quality not better than a Ford Focus.

Both the 911 S and the R8 are excellent. The R8 is far more exotic/exclusive (based on Gallardo chassis), has more sex appeal, and given such similar performance, it's the one I'd take as a 2nd car hands down. But if I only had to choose just 1 car to drive 20,000 miles+ / all-year round, I'd pick the 911 S. Also, I have a feeling the 911 S with Sports Chrono and PDK would be much faster in acceleration than the manual car.

Mmmmm tough choice, but...

I think at the end of this day, I would choose the R8.

Tomorrow? I don`t know LOL

They both appeal to me.

While I was seriously dreaming of owning a 2012 Charger SRT-8... I noticed how similar the fat American pig's straight line numbers are to these cars! Incredible how much performance has trickled down to more realistic-to-obtain levels.

As much as I lust after both cars (I'd have one of each if I wanted to have two cars that I basically could only drive at about 10% of their capability here in Michigan), my current ride is a 2012 Audi S5 with the 4.2 V8 and I could not be happier.

Compare numbers all you want, but I have a true GT that is comfortable, very capable (I have a local "road course" about ten miles long that I used to attack with my S2000; the S5 does the same curves faster and without the danger of me ending up in a corn field), and exceptionally fast.

Until we return to "a safe and reasonable speed" on our roads, these cars will continue to be nothing more than "glory models" for their manufacturers. My local Audi / Porsche / VW dealership doesn't sell many 911s and I don't think they've sold a single R8, so I guess people value the "slow car fast" versus the "fast car slow" like it makes sense to do.

2013 Nissan GTR recently put down:

0-60 mph (96.6 km/h) = 2.72 sec
0-62 mph (100 km/h) = 2.84 sec

http://www.worldcarfans.com/111112238436/2013-nissan-gt-r-rockets-to-100-kmh-in-284-seconds-video

For people who want the fastest accelerating car for sub-$100k, this is a stunning achievement that puts both of these cars to shame. However, all 3 of these vehicles are special for different reasons.

Still, the amount of performance the GTR gives you is astounding. Faster acceleration than 599 GTO, Enzo, McLaren F1 and pretty much everything else outside of a Veyron unless we are talking about a 1 mile race.

The GTR had no problem smoking a Ferrari F458 either.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDP7Pty8Qnw

Wow, zr1man, lt1boy, gtrguy and beigedynamite all in one thread? The trolls are out in force today!

Why are the Camaro and Mustang being brought up in this conversation?

I know that owning cars like these isn't just about numbers, but you can't help but be disappointed by the acceleration times.

A lot of well off professionals buy STIs and stangs even though they can afford porsches because they are smart, appreciate value, and want to keep a low(er) profile.

The price difference is not going to be $20000 as many of you assume. Once you get the Porsche optioned to a relevant level, even matching the equipment of the base R8, the price gap minimizes quickly.

As for me, I'd take the Porsche, the purpose of the R8 was to force Porsche to build a better 911. This has been achieved.

God, how boring this Zr1 man is getting.

Any car review, zr1 man responds:

"It's not a ZR1 - they are the best. Buy American. They are the best."

Snore! Your responses are so predictable, no-one cares

I would take the R8 without a second thought. As pointed out, there are faster cars out there, but out of these two... Well seeing an R8 is special, exciting, sexy. Seeing another Porsche, well, that's where you could do a good comparo with Mustangs as I see about the same number of both. Porsche's don't look exciting, and based on what I hear driving near them on the road, they sound horrible. And I've never heard one at WOT, because well, they're always driven by some wank sipping latte and yakking on his cell phone to his half-priced, half-aged girlfriend. I'm sure the Porsche is a great car, I've just never been excited by one.

50 years from now people will see an Audi R8 and still be stunned by its beauty. Do not for a second think the C6 Corvette, Mustang or Camaro has that power. For me, the R8 has forever changed the way I look at Automotive Art. Apart from the Ford GT, I can not think of any Domestic vehicle from the past 10 years that turns my head. Put an R8 on one side of the street and a Z06 on the other, who getting more attention? It's not the kind of attention that Lamborghini owners strive for when purchasing an exotic either. It's about a truly gorgeous design. That's what makes the R8 so special and do you think the customers who can afford the R8 care your Mustang is as fast in a straight line...

For the record, no one cross shops a 911 and R8 with a mustang.

@subiekid: "no one cross shops a 911 and R8 with a mustang"

I do.

csubowtie, "half-priced, half-aged girlfriend" LMAO.

This past weekend, I had a chance to visit a Porsche dealership in a large metropolitan city and this is what I saw:

1) A 29 year old girl (Asian, looked like she was from Hong Kong with Louis Vuitton purse and all), was asking the guy how to open a fuel-filler door for 2 minutes on a Porsche Panamera 4S.....it was obvious she had no idea about Porsches.

2) A 55+ year old male said he was deciding between a 911 and that 4 door car (pointing to the Panamera). When he was asked by the Porsche sales person if he was aware that a brand new 911 is coming out on the market, he said: "No, I had no idea". The sales person then proceeded to walk him into his office to provide more information on the 991 and its launch in March 2012.

Moral of the story, not all, but a lot of Porsche buyers are NOT true car enthusiasts. Many of them won't even know the amount of HP in a Porsche, not be able to tell apart 997 from 991. They simply buy a Porsche for a status symbol.

The Audi R8 is by far the more exclusive status symbol. The irony: The same oblivious Porsche buyers who buy Porsche only because they can afford it probably don't even know Audi makes the R8.

bestjinjo,
Your statement can be applied to any and all high end sports car buyers. Sadly, being an car enthusiast doesn't earn money to buy the cars we lust after.

Why did you test the slower Porsche with the obsolete manual transmission? The PDK is quicker than the manual car and the Audi.

"Why did you test the slower Porsche with the obsolete manual transmission?"

Edmunds liked to compare apples to oranges. See their recent CTS-V vs C63 AMG coupes comparo.

@zr1man

I agree with what you said about the performance of these cars vs. the ZR1. However, the quality is something that the corvette does not have, and that is why they cost more. Looking at a purely performance side of this YES the ZR1 is a better buy but there are other things to consider.

Another thing I'd like to reply to is this statement here: "Why spend your money to create more German jobs? Let's keep the jobs in America and strengthen our economy. It's really in our best interest."

The buy American thing is completely reasonable on a smaller scale, but when it comes to a purchase of 100k, there is no way

skidriver: I agree with your comment about buy American and big ticket items. And lets not forget, Subaru, Honda, Toyota, BMW, and VW all build cars in America using American workers who are paid a very competitive wage. The cars are sold by Americans, serviced by Americans. The trucks that bring them from the docks to the dealers are driven by Americans.

Foreign car sales produce incomes for thousands of Americans, which trickles down to thousands more.

How about rather than exhorting potential Porsche buyers to 'buy American' you tell GM to build a car that the typical Porsche owner would actually want to own, which is one with top quality material and amenities in additioin to top performance. A $50k 'Vette is a performance bargain, a $100k 'Vette with the same interior is a joke no matter how fast it is.

lions208487 - how is the R8 a pretender???? If you look at the racing history of car manufacturers from the beginning of their history up until now - Audi (Auto Union) has probably the best pedigree after Porsche and Ferrari. Even Mr. Porsche himself used to be involved in the old Auto Union racing program! In modern times - this car carries the pedigree of the car that dominated prototype racing like no car of any since the Porsche 917... And the GT3 version of the R8 has won over 115 races and 13 championships in only three years. What is a "pretender" about that???

I love both of these cars... The Porsche Carerra GT and 959 are my 2 favorite all time vehicles. That said the R8 is building a wonderful pedigree for itself.
I'm absolutely flabbergasted that anyone would compare these cars to Camaro's - Mustangs - and even Corvettes. That is like comparing a Evo or WRX to an M5 - or RS6 - or Panamera. It's NOT just about the #'s people. You can get a DVD player in a Honda Odessey... Does that make it as luxurious as an S-Class Mercedes?????

@truecarfan

Perfectly stated. Numbers are just numbers. While they are relevant to an extent as these are more performance oriented, there's more to it than that. If there wasn't, they wouldn't bother going through the trouble of putting nice materials and ergonomics into the interior designs. Why bother, hell, a more stripped down and rigid interior would create a lighter and thus faster car.

Honestly, comparing a corvette to every one of these cars isn't the greatest application. There are similarities no doubt. However, people truly interested in just numbers with enough dough for these cars, would be idiots not to choose a zr1 or godzilla.

For those who appreciate more than an impressive stat sheet, these two are leaps and bounds ahead of any zr1, mustang, comaro, etc.

I don't care if the 911 wins in a drag race. I'll take the R8's styling and V8 melody.

Frankly if I had the money to buy either one it would be the R8 for the simple fact that you won't see three of them on your way to the store. I like the Porsche but if you want a real one you would drop another 20K and buy a GT3, NA w/ over 400hp, and I've checked the #'s it's faster than the R8, but I really like the Audi. It cracks me up every time IL reviews a sports car, any sports car. (ZR1man,GTRguy) all come out and bash. Opinions are like a------s, every one has one, sometimes I wish they would keep theirs to them selves. We all know their opinion anyway, they copy and paste every comment they make. With all that said, both are great cars for the money, as well as the GT-R and the ZR1. BUT, this article isn't about them....

I would take the porsche because its a porsche, what that means is every part is thoroughly designed in house with high levels of quality control, audi's just aren't, porsche is now what MB used to be until about 15 years ago. These days you can get a zillion cars that go 0-60 in 4 seconds, hell my 4300 pound M56 does it in 4.6, but the porsche is the best because of its quality, similar to Apple computers. Until VW starts parts sharing and diluting the product its porsche all the way. Can't wait to own one someday.