Audi R8 vs. Corvette Z06, Dodge Viper, Porsche 911 Turbo: Supercar Comparison Test
The Audi R8, Corvette Z06, Porsche Turbo and Dodge Viper (from front to back) lap the 1.8-mile Streets of Willow road course. The R8 cut a quicker lap time than all but the Viper — and it did so with the least horsepower. The R8’s lap time: 1:15.69
Supercars are speed machines engineered with advanced hardware and blistering performance that leave just about anything else with four wheels (or two) in a thick haze of tire smoke. These cars are so seductively styled and exude so much blacktop bravado, the mere sight of them makes hearts race and palms sweat. Yet many of these high-strung stallions are tame enough for everyday use, and luxuriously trimmed to make even the longest trips pleasurable. The number of models occupying the rarefied air in this $100,000 neighborhood has risen from only a few at the beginning of the decade to more than a dozen today. And many manufacturers have seen record sales while the rest of the industry struggles to achieve single-digit growth. At about 10,000 cars a year, this is one very small but very strong segment. So we picked three longtime favorites and one very promising newcomer. The goal? Determine which ones provide the best all-out speed and handling as well as daily comfort. Our quartet of speed maestros consists of the Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe, Porsche 911 Turbo, Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and the new Audi R8. We ran them all through our usual battery of tests at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, Calif. Then we spent a day hot-lapping each one on the 1.8-mile Streets of Willow road course. To find out which ones rose to the top of our score card, read on.
How We Test
With its combined 30 years of car-testing experience, the PM automotive staff has refined its procedures into a science. To measure acceleration and braking, we use a Stalker ATS radar gun — a device designed specifically for automotive testing. Unipro Racing Systems 4001 timers handle data acquisition for our 525-ft. slalom, 250-ft. lane change and 200-ft. skidpad, as well as our lap times at the Streets of Willow road course. For sound levels, we rely on an Extech Instruments sound-level meter.The Cars
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| Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe | Porsche 911 Turbo | Chevrolet Corvette Z06 | Audi R8 |
Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe
| Price and Power | Stopwatch | ||
| Base price | $83,145 | Acceleration (Sec.) | |
0-30 mph | 2.19 | ||
0-60 mph | 4.53 | ||
40-70 mph | 2.64 | ||
1/4-mile | 12.19 @ 121.2 mph | ||
| As tested | $88,295 | Braking (Ft.) | |
30-0 mph | 29.34 | ||
60-0 mph | 124.00 | ||
| Powertrain | 510 hp/535 lb.-ft. 8.3-liter V10, 6M | Sound levels (dba) | |
Idle | 69.1 | ||
Full throttle | 87.5 | ||
60 mph | 81.5 | ||
| Brakes | 14-in. discs, ABS | Lateral acceleration (G's) | .97* |
| Tires (F/R) | P275/35ZR18 P345/30ZR19 | Double lane change (mph) | 53.8 |
| PM fuel economy (mpg) | 15.2 | Slalom (mph) | 48.7 |
| Weight/HP:weight ratio | 3450 lb./6.8:1 | Best lap time | 1:15.59* |
| * Led all cars tested | |||
Browse expert reviews and compare info on the Viper SRT10 Coupe at the 
There's nothing subtle about driving a Viper. The enormous 8.3-liter V10 sits proudly between the peaked front fenders and sends spent fumes through side pipes the size of sewer drains. This hairy-chested bruiser is louder and rowdier than anything else here. Everything the driver operates, from the clutch to the brakes to the shifter, seems to have been designed to build muscle. It's a workout. Heck, the gearshift knob is practically the size of a baseball. At the strip, the Viper ran just a tick slower than the Vette. (We've run quicker in a Viper before.) The problem? Traction. The 535 lb.-ft. of torque send the tail sideways through the first three gears. The Viper projects an immense sensation of speed. No matter what the situation, commanding a Viper is like downing a four-pack of Red Bull — you're on alert at all times. And it's devastatingly fast when handled by a skilled driver. The Viper was the quickest around the Streets of Willow road course and had more lateral grip than anything here. Its suspension is noticeably firmer than the others', so rapid left/right transitions on the track happen with immediacy. But there is no stability control on this machine. So feed in a little too much torque and the big Viper's tail will snap around, putting you and it off the track, backward. Yes, this snake will bite. On the road, the stiff suspension, loud exhaust and hot interior become draining. As the miles passed, the Viper's true calling became clear: This beast is a better weekend toy than an everyday supercar.
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Porsche 911 Turbo
| Price and Power | Stopwatch | ||
| Base price | $122,900 | Acceleration (Sec.) | |
0-30 mph | 1.46* | ||
0-60 mph | 3.68* | ||
40-70 mph | 2.55 | ||
1/4-mile | 11.63 @ 119 mph* | ||
| As tested | $140,850 | Braking (Ft.) | |
30-0 mph | 27.80* | ||
60-0 mph | 119.60* | ||
| Powertrain | 480 hp/460 lb.-ft. 3.6-liter twin-turbo flat six, 5A | Sound levels (dba) | |
Idle | 66.3 | ||
Full throttle | 86.2 | ||
60 mph | 78.7 | ||
| Brakes | 13.8-in. PCCB discs, ABS, ECS | Lateral acceleration (G's) | .95 |
| Tires (F/R) | P235/35ZR19 P305/30ZR19 | Double lane change (mph) | 54.3 |
| PM fuel economy (mpg) | 23.8* | Slalom (mph) | 50.1 |
| Weight/HP:weight ratio | 3600 lb./7.5:1 | Best lap time | 1:17.17 |
| * Led all cars tested | |||
Browse expert reviews and compare info on the 911 Turbo at the
The Porsche Turbo is the poster child for efficiency. The rear-mounted, twin-turbo six-cylinder displaces a mere 3.6 liters. Yet it delivers 133 hp for each of those liters. (The Viper generates only 30 additional total hp with an engine more than double in size.) And the Turbo achieved almost 24 mpg — the best here. It is also one of the quickest cars PM has ever tested. For a split second all four wheels fight for grip and then — whammo — they hook up and hurl you down the quarter-mile in 11.6 seconds. This car makes anyone look like John Force when the light turns green. Porsches are built to corner: The Turbo had an almost telepathic rapport with the driver. The front tires communicate every ripple in the road up through the steering column and into the wheel. It feels alive. But on the short road course, it took longer for the Tiptronic to downshift and the turbos to spool up. On a longer track, the outcome would have been different. As daily transport, the Turbo rivals the Audi. Porsche’s upright driving position is the best of the bunch for traffic work. And it is the only car here with four seats. The Turbo may well be the quickest, most practical supercar in the world. At $122,900 and up, it’s also one of the most expensive.
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Chevrolet Corvette Z06
| Price and Power | Stopwatch | ||
| Base price | $70,000 | Acceleration (Sec.) | |
0-30 mph | 1.99 | ||
0-60 mph | 4.37 | ||
40-70 mph | 2.54* | ||
1/4-mile | 12.00 @ 120.90 mph | ||
| As tested | $77,230 | Braking (Ft.) | |
30-0 mph | 29.90 | ||
60-0 mph | 120.90 | ||
| Powertrain | 505 hp/470 lb.-ft. 7.0-liter V8, 6M | Sound levels (dba) | |
Idle | 64.8 | ||
Full throttle | 86.8 | ||
60 mph | 75.1 | ||
| Brakes | 14-in./13.4-in. discs, ABS, ESC | Lateral acceleration (G's) | .96 |
| Tires (F/R) | P275/35ZR18 P325/30ZR19 | Double lane change (mph) | 53.3 |
| PM fuel economy (mpg) | 21.6 | Slalom (mph) | 47.9 |
| Weight/HP:weight ratio | 3200 lb./6.3:1* | Best lap time | 1:15.74 |
| * Led all cars tested | |||
Browse expert reviews and compare info on the Corvette Z06 at the
The Corvette is the bargain of the test. Yet it blistered the quarter-mile in 12 seconds flat — second only to the expensive Turbo. Now that’s American Muscle. At the heart of this Vette is a Chevy small-block V8 enlarged to a big-block-like 7.0 liters, massaged to deliver a pavement-rippling 505 hp. But the Vette’s underhood prowess is deceiving because it’s wrapped in a package so roomy, comfortable and docile that it turns any road trip into easy living. In fact, on a 3000-mile jaunt last year we fit a week’s worth of luggage behind those front seats. Speaking of journeys, the Z06’s torquey V8 and tall gearing helped it return 21.6 mpg. Not bad. When the roads turned twisty, the Vette had us fighting for the keys. It’s like a favorite pair of blue jeans that just gets better with age. The more time you spend in the driver’s seat, the quicker and more confident you become. Selecting the Competitive Driving Mode of the stability program helps you approach the car’s high limits without ending up off the track. The Vette does take some muscle to hustle. It doesn’t have a delicately nuanced personality like either the Porsche or the Audi. And, for a car costing almost eighty large, it could use a nicer interior. There’s nothing inside that says, “I’m driving the special Corvette.” But when you consider the price, performance and practicality of the Z06, it truly is America’s everyday supercar.
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Audi R8
| Price and Power | Stopwatch | ||
| Base price | $109,000 est. | Acceleration (Sec.) | |
0-30 mph | 1.90 | ||
0-60 mph | 4.74 | ||
40-70 mph | 3.31 | ||
1/4-mile | 12.93 @ 109.4 mph | ||
| As tested | $119,000 est. | Braking (Ft.) | |
30-0 mph | 30.65 | ||
60-0 mph | 129.50 | ||
| Powertrain | 420 hp/317 lb.-ft. 4.2-liter V8, 6M | Sound levels (dba) | |
Idle | 61.4* | ||
Full throttle | 80.8* | ||
60 mph | 73.6* | ||
| Brakes | 15-in./14-in. discs, ABS, ESC | Lateral acceleration (G's) | .95 |
| Tires (F/R) | P235/35ZR19 P295/30ZR19 | Double lane change (mph) | 56.3* |
| PM fuel economy (mpg) | 17.0 | Slalom (mph) | 50.2* |
| Weight/HP:weight ratio | 3650 lb./8.7:1 | Best lap time | 1:15.69 |
| * Led all cars tested | |||
Browse expert reviews and compare info on the R8 at the
The sleek Audi is so futuristic it looks like an earthbound stealth fighter. At dusk the LEDs that surround the headlights create a Cheshire cat-like smile. It’s as if the R8 knows exactly how strikingly handsome it is. The midengine chassis has the moves to match those good looks. The R8 has a directness to the steering and a balance to the suspension that make it a natural corner carver. It was the quickest in our handling tests and came within a hair of beating the Viper on the Streets of Willow — with far less horsepower. The paddle-shifted R tronic gearbox flawlessly executed rev-matching downshifts and upshifts quicker than any human could manage in Sport mode. The R8 is so easy to drive, you could confidently toss your grandmother the keys and know she’d be okay. In fact, she’d probably have a lot of fun. Around town the Audi rode more smoothly and quietly than any of the others. The interior is posh and luxurious. In some cases we wondered if we were driving a sports car or a sedan — it’s that serene and well mannered. Well, flooring the throttle certainly clears up any confusion. The 4.2-liter V8 lets out a bewitching howl that peaks at an 8250-rpm crescendo. It’s aural magic. But the Audi was the slowest car at the strip. And the R tronic gearbox proved tough to live with when left in fully automatic mode. The lurches and pauses between shifts made us yearn for a traditional manual. Luggage space isn’t as commodious as that of the Porsche or Vette, so packing for longer trips takes some imagination. Still, even factoring in the Audi’s six-figure price tag, this was the one car we all wanted in our own garages. The Audi R8 may be the new supercar benchmark.
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