Motortrend Comparison: Audi R8 V10 vs Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG vs Porsche 997.2 Turbo

[hilalpro]

First Place R8 V10: Styling worthy of an art gallery, cockpit worthy of Gucci, blistering performance AND blissful civility. The German supercar you'd gamble all your quarters to own.

Second Place 911 turbo: Black hole-inducing acceleration, monster grip and brakes, brilliant paddle shifter, unflappable demeanor. Incredibly, can also feel bland.

Third Place SLS: Huge styling drama, huge power, huge performance. But wears on you as the miles roll on, and the trickiest to handle near the limit.

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Motortrend
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[Sunny]

The turbo's acceleration is mind boggling, but I will pick the R8 V10 too - it is everything I want in a sports car - mid engine balance, a NA engine that revs to high heaven, exotic looks, a manual transmission and a interior to die for.

 

[Mr Robert]

I would have turned those standings upside down...

 

[NarutoRamen]

SLS for me. It will never be mistaken for it's lesser siblings, since it has none. Plus, MT are a bunch of old blokes, I don't trust their "wears on you" crap cuz they said the same thing about other cars I've driven and found nothing of the sort.

 

[Nicks]

I find it veeeery hard to believe that R8 can do 0 to 60 in 3.4, with 3.9 claimed by audi themselves
And 2.8 for turbo - that's just ridiculous, in that case Veyron should've done that in no seconds
Also the cockpit of audi is nothing special at all. Could as well be a cockpit of tt-s, cause they all look basically the same

 

[PC Valkyrie]

From a price point of view, what a "bargain" the 911 Turbo is........

 

[CarGuy]

2.8 sec and 6.9 sec and 10 sec and bam 11 sec at 125.5 holy thats fast!!!!

 

[K-A]

Porsche proves they are still the performance master engineers.

You can't touch the Turbo, so efficient in how it gets its power to the ground, no tomfoolery. 2.8 0-60 defies logic to me, and an 11 flat is just exceptional.

On top of that, you get outstanding Gas Mileage with it, and a super Reliable motor/drivetrain, that can withstand tons of abuse, go high mileage, requires very minimal maintenance, and has Parts and Dealers aplently.

Subjective styling and exclusivity aside, Porsche owns here. Not to mention, giving up that exclusivity factor, gets you car that is a performance bargain compared to the others.

If I had to choose it'd be either the SLS or Porsche. I get bored of Exotics fast, and like the "real/tangible" car look of Porsche. The SLS I can very much imagine wearing off after a while (although I think it's elegant enough to remain timeless, in Exotic standards at least).

Oh, and for the record, I'm not a fan of the R8. Very much the typical "Exotic that has gone cold on me" factor quickly. Although to be fair, I never really loved it, and got over it after the initial "ooh" factor. Also, it's too compact for my liking.

 

[hilalpro]

people still cannot believe the straitline performance of the pdk when combined with sport chrono well it is that fast and not just in the 911 turbo

just look at these tests

boxster s 0-60mph (96kkm/h) in 4.1 road&track
carrera s 0-100km/h) in 3.9 caranddriver
panamera turbo 0-60mph (96kkm/h) in 3.3 caranddriver

also look at this a heavier cabriolet with two people in the car
YouTube - Unbelievable acceleration - New Porsche 997 Turbo doing 0-60 in 3.08s!

no wonder how the 911 turbo did 3.1 seconds to 100km/h(sportauto) and 2.9 to 60mph(edmunds-roadandtrack) 2.8 by motortrend

 

[martinbo]

I still want an R8 V10. With a manual. That's motoring heaven in my books...

Porsche 911 Turbo PDK is surely the master of all conditions though - traffic included. And its launch control acceleration times are just mind-blowing. I'd have it in second place too...

 

[klier]

The R8 looks horrible again
I truly hate that car with a passion.

 

[NarutoRamen]

The R8 looks horrible again
I truly hate that car with a passion.

Hate is such a strong word my friend. It's almost as if the R8 kicked you in the nuts and took your lunch money. HA HA

 

[adeel2010]

The Porsche has too many siblings and is not very special. But it's a bargain with awesome gas mileage and mind-boggling acceleration.

My vote goes to the SLS. It will truly become a timeless classic.

 

[PanterroR]

Porsche for me. Thank you.

 

[martinbo]

^ Yeah another day and another whimsical change of sentiment and I find myself leaning back toward the 997.2 Turbo PDK. I know I'm fickle, but hell, you'd be a fool to ignore how impossibly and clinically capable this new Turbo is. Up here in Jo'burg any good driver in an R8 V10 will be taken to the cleaners by a novice in the PDK-equipped Turbo.

It's a case of how hard do you want to work for your thrills? In the 911 I expect it'll be practically effortless. It simply demolishes anything at the price. And that's in the dry. Throw some precipitation at it and the best all-weather supercar in the world is just that.

Choices, choices. Thankfully (or not) I choice I can't afford to make in any event.

 

[mclarenftw]

R8 V10 spyder for me please

 

[DeDe]

R8 V10 spyder for me please

And where's it?

 

[mclarenftw]

Check out the video review, it's uber-cool !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dC39PNxUkT0&feature=related

And where's it?

not in my garage

 

[Cashmere]

+1 on the r8

 

[donkeykong]

Hate is such a strong word my friend. It's almost as if the R8 kicked you in the nuts and took your lunch money. HA HA

thats was funny