2008 Audi R8 vs 2006 Porsche 911 Carrera 4

Porsche's 911 has had the 24/7 supercar thing pretty much to itself for decades. Ferraris? Until recently, they've been way too fragile. Lamborghinis? Too highly strung. And both cost a fortune to maintain. No, if you wanted a high performance sports car you could use for the daily commute during the week, and a Sunday morning blast on your favorite back-road, it had to be the 911.

Audi's R8 changes all that. With its combination of performance, practicality, stunning looks, and Audi build quality, the R8 is the first serious rival for 911 in decades. So, should Porsche be worried by Audi's new supercar? We had to find out.

We rounded up a manual Carrera 4, figuring the entry-level all-wheel drive 911 would provide a pretty good baseline to work with. Our $82,865 tester (options included metallic paint, bi-xenon headlights, heated front seats and the Bose High End sound package and added $5765 to the base price) might have given away 95hp to the R8 but we wanted a car without PASM or other high-priced options so we could focus on the fundamentals.

Although a European spec car, our photographic R8 (also used for performance testing) was configured with what local Audi execs figure will be the default configuration for US buyers: R tronic transmission, dual mode magnetic ride shocks, and 19 inch wheels. To get the complete R8 picture, we also drove a regular six speed R8 with conventional shocks.

Before either car turns a wheel, the R8 lands a couple solid blows on the 911. Maybe its familiarity breeding contempt, but the aggressive, richly detailed R8 exterior, drawn by Frank Lamberty under the direction of Walter de'Silva, makes the 911 look dumpy and dowdy. Inside, the Porsche's austere, functional cockpit is simply overwhelmed by Audi interior designer Jens Sieber's sumptuous and sophisticated cabin.

The Porsche does boast a couple of occasional rear seats, while the Audi is a strict two-seater, but the benefit for R8 drivers is a lighter and more airy interior (and don't forget the room for two golf bags on the shelf behind the seats). The R8's interior is also the more ergonomic of the two, with better placement of pedals and switchgear (Audi's excellent MMI computer interface is standard) and minor controls that are easier to find and use.

The R8 also punches Porsche hard on the test track, nailing 60mph in just 4.1sec and the quarter mile in 12.6sec. With fewer horses, the Carrera 4 was not unexpectedly slower, taking half a second longer to get to 60, and six tenths longer to cover the quarter mile. Checking back through our records, the R8 is also faster than a 385hp Carrera 4S, but the 480hp 911 Turbo destroys it, nailing 60mph in 3.2sec, and the quarter in 11.4sec.

More impressive than the raw numbers, though, is the R8's demeanor in achieving them. Getting a fast time in a 911 involves side-stepping the clutch and gritting your teeth as the driveline thumps and bangs alarmingly; in the R tronic R8 you just switch off the traction control, squeeze the gas, and jump off the brake - the rear wheels spin briefly, then the car digs deep and lunges for the horizon, exhaust booming like a NASCAR stocker. Hardest part is making sure you fan the right hand paddle just as the tach needle hits 8000, right before the 8250rpm rev limiter snuffs the fire.