2008 Best Car Series: (Round 3) Nissan GT-R vs Audi R8

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TheCracker
Practicality is directly influenced by the suitability of it's purpose for the individual who owns or potentially owns it. If you need rear seats you need rear seats. Livability is a matter of personal opinion.
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Which doesn't change its influence on practicality. If you live in Detroit, you won't want a car known to have a rough ride, regardless of if you can use it.
When practicality is concerned, objective viewpoints are more important most of the time; but subjective ones can have just as much of an effect.
 
///M-Spec
...the GT-R has a pretty brutal ride. Whereas the R8 has been praised for it's supple ride quality.

After some thought, I ended up voting for the slower and more expensive car. And here's the reason: the undeniable performance advantage of the GT-R over the R8 can only accessed in rare opportunities, definately not in everyday driving. Thus, having a GT-R is like having nuclear deterrent: you know you can obliterate your enemies, but you have to ask yourself "is it worth the price?"

Whereas the comfort, build quality and sheer beauty of the Audi can be accessed on a day to day basis. And it's not exactly slow either.
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All of this, plus the Audi's V8 sounds infinitely better than the GT-R's V6 could ever sound (though both cars are too muffled and quiet), and the R8 has been praised for its intuitive handling, while the GT-R seems too clinical. I know Clarkson said that it felt "analog," but this was interspersed between scenes of the GT-R screaming around corners, raping its tires to pull its massive weight around (more than any AWD performance car I've seen).

The GT-R is definitely an example of AWD triumphing over physics, rather than AWD working with physics. The former is always entertaining, but I bet the latter feels better from behind the wheel.

R8 it is.
 
I've actually driven the R8, and not the GT-R, so I'd be biased if I answered: Of course, 25 miles an hour for 0.3 miles is not the way to define "driven".

Either car will get you mobbed by acres of kids with camera-phones at the local high school.
 
I love the R8, always have. Not much more to say, but I will share this excerpt from the GT-R manual. It appears as if the manual is made out of Origami:

img1221318574983.jpg
 
Toronado
Practicality is is directly influenced by livability.
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True. I don't need back seats, and even if I did the back seat passengers would never want to ride back there due to the lack of room and ride comfort. :lol:
 
Quotes from motortrend on the GTR and R8.

On the GTR

A lot of fun." Which begs the obvious question: Given his enthusiasm, and the GT-R's impressive track numbers, why didn't Pobst rank the GT-R higher than fifth? "While it predominately understeers slightly, it can easily be provoked into snap oversteer. That was fun, but the GT-R is violent when it breaks loose; the R8, in contrast, drifts sweetly. The "R" mode really isn't a race mode-there's still a lot of stability control working, which is fine for the average guy but frustrating for me as a race driver. And before you turn stability control completely off, boy, you'd better have a lot of car-control clinics under your belt. The R8 is much more refined, a muscular dancer. The GT-R is a wrestler."

On the R8

"Well, we're not in the little cars any more!" Pobst exclaims with a smile after his R8 hot laps (ooooh, you shoulda been there to hear this Bavarian UFO circle Laguna at warp speed). "Real race-car feel. So obvious it's a mid-engine car, especially after the front-drive cars. I felt like I was moving a lot less mass around when I entered corners, even though the R8 is still a relatively heavy car. There's no substitute for having the engine just ahead of the rear axle. That's the perfect place for it." Indeed, Pobst is all thumbs-up. "Steering feel is just terrific, and handling balance is superb. The mid-engine layout makes the R8 feel light on corner-entry. It wants to turn, but that's underlined with a real predictability. The amount of grip and the way the car cornered and rotated slightly was so much like a race car. Doesn't feel like it's four-wheel drive. Also, it's completely comfortable and luxurious."


On the GTR:

Pobst wasn't blown away by Godzilla, ranking it only fifth due to a tendency to snap into oversteer at the limit (a behavior easily mitigated by not switching off the various stability systems). The rest of us, though, came away from our handling test thoroughly bowled over by the Nissan GT-R (2nd place). A review of the numbers shows high finishes everywhere: third in ride quality, fastest lane change, fifth in step-steer reaction time, quickest off-center steering response, a near-textbook figure-eight trace. Nissan's computerized, all-wheel-drive superstar works wonders, delivering lofty performance numbers and the deft handling feel that enthusiasts crave. So why didn't it win? As noted, its limit behavior when its stability computers are sleeping can be tricky. And while the GT-R is undeniably majestic at full bore, at more routine chores its supercar breeding vanishes. "Almost boring when all the computers aren't firing away," said tech editor Reynolds. "On the cruise home it felt like a Sentra."


On the R8

"In another world compared with the other cars here," said Pobst of the Audi R8 (1st place). "So sweet," said road-tester Scott Mortara. "Lots of steering feel, great grip, but a compliant ride, too," noted editor MacKenzie. Each driver was describing the same qualities: On track or road, the R8 is Baryshnikov-fluid yet controlled, graceful yet dynamic. The figure-eight tracing is smooth and tight, with high limits but gentle transitions. Step-steer reaction time is fourth, lane-change third, ride quality fourth. The numbers only hint at the overall handling excellence, though. At any speed, you feel the delicate transparency of the steering, the supple yet confident chassis control, the crisp turn-in. Offered a weekend off to exploit the twirls and twists of Southern California's beckoning hills, the Audi R8-a car we've experienced from the Corkscrew to the salt flats of Utah's Black Rock Desert-is the car we'd most want to pilot, the machine with magic in its mid-engine, quattro-fed chassis. Why, in just a turn or two, the R8 even makes second-thoughts disappear.
 
Okay, Two cars, very different ethos.

One, of course, is the epitome of style. and when I say style, I mean, it's this fall's hottest item, and the next big thing will overshadow it. It may be TOO modern, too gaudy, too trendy for my tastes. It may well have a fantastic chassis, and it damn well should: it's been beta-tested by Lamborghini owners for the past few years. Over all, it's too much about art to me, and not enough about car. I am, of course, talking about the R8.

The other is the ultimate engineer's project. I figure it's got at least eight years of work behind it, and most of that was tweaking. I mean, the first concept came out in '01, right? At that time it's roof profile was somewhat 350Z-ish, and reasonably conventional-looking. It turned into a car that had nothing but fastback in it's roof profile. That had to be the work of an aero engineer, and completely giving the finger to the styling department. I love that. This is the GT-R.

So, do I want the latest trendy, shimmering jewel? or do I want something that trades style (and, according to some, any beauty whatsoever) for outright speed?

Performance-wise, the GT-R, in most categories, edges out the Audi, which has a softer, more luxurious ride, but weighs around 200 lbs lighter...actually, not a really huge advantage at 3605 lbs. The GT-R gets you more space for the extra 200lbs, so practicality may be around even, considering the harsh ride of the GT-R

But what about the Bottom Line? A GT-R will cost you a mere $76,640 out the door, or $79,090 for the Premium Edition, which adds a couple airbags, better seats, Bridgestone tires, and a better stereo - all things which cost many thousands of dollars on the R8's list, save for the grippier tires...which cant' be had at all. Base price on that car runs $112,500. And you don't even get every single available convenience/luxury item...for that, and the R-tronic gearbox, you're looking at $143,750. Perhaps some of it's not as nice, but you don't get satnav stock in the R8, and other such conveniences that people cross-shopping might look at.

So, what's similar? They both have especially advanced 4WD systems. You cannot discount Audi's years of experience with Quattro. The R8 also has a magnetic ride suspension, like those used in the Corvette. We all know about the GT-R's ATTESSA-ETS and adjustable suspension. Here, I'll concede that the R8 is a little less edgy: when thrown sideways, it comes back into line much better and more linearly than the GT-R, with it's massive grip. When the GT-R goes, it GOES. (This with stability control of with both cars: it is fully defeatable on both.)

Final words? The R8 is the spoiled rich kid: he's had everything handed to him on a silver platter, and while he may have fine manners and performs well, he comes off as high-class and snooty. Not to mention, high-price. The Nissan is the scrappy young executive who worked his way up from the shop floor, who may be a little rougher around the edges, but has performed brilliantly, outshining even Mr. Ivy League.

My champion? GT-R.
 
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Well, look at it this way: if you get the base model of either, you save...

$112,500 - $76,640 = $35,680 - That's an entry-level luxury car, there.

Fully loaded?
$143,750 - $79,090 = $64,660 - That's almost...ALMOST...another GT-R!!! DEFINITELY a Corvette, and some spare change. In fact, I'm curious....

$143,750 - $76,640 = $67,110!!!

I mean, come on, you lose cutting edge style, gain performance, and a bunch of money, perhaps even for a second car. What's not to love?

((All prices derived using manufacturer's Configurators.))

Also, to counter GoK, You've got Forza2.0.
 
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Dealer mark-ups are temporary, and I'll bet there's a handsome DMU premium for the R8 as well. I mean, Audi makes you sign an agreement that Makes you sell the car back to them if you decide to get rid of it after a few months: designed to keep speculators from selling the car on EBay. If there's that much demand, don't you think dealers are gonna offer it through the roof?
 
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GTR.

It has rear seats. More seats = more lady chauffeuring capability.

That's practical.
 
Both cars are meh to me, I think the R8 looks better and is the one I would probably take if I had to choose between the two.
 
homeforsummer
Voting for the R35 is fair enough (after all, I did too) but the rest of this post makes me want to bang my head repeatedly against my keyboard.

"The Audi R8 just an Audi" - Audi make a very good range of cars at the moment, and have done for some years. The R8 is probably the best of that range of very good cars, which genuinely says something. The Nissan is just the best of a mostly lacklustre range of other Nissans.

And depending on your preferences it might not even be the best Japanese car so far. Much as I like it, I prefer the NSX, Japanese Civic R, Integra (pretty much any version)... in fact, most Hondas, most Mazdas, any Toyota MR2 and most Celicas, a number of Mitsubishis, even a few Daihatsus... quite a few cars really. Sure, they may not all be better all-round than the GT-R but it depends what you look for in a car.

Certainly, I'd say that early Corollas and Civics are more historically significant given the impact they've had on the motoring world, and that even the earlier R33 and R34 Skylines have been more instrumental in showing the world what Japan can do with technology - all the R35 has done is taken the same theories a little further to compete with the next level of performance cars.

"...it get's beaten by a giant video game" - I'll ignore the horrific use of the apostrophe here and get straight to the content of the quote. I don't know about anyone else, but "video game" qualities don't really endear me to a car, and it makes me cringe every time I hear the GT-R described as one.

"with better overall looks, performance, comfort and technology" - That the GT-R has better performance and probably technology is without question, but looks and comfort are pretty subjective. Personally, I can tolerate the looks of the GT-R given its other virtues but it's certainly not an attractive car (and I doubt I'm in the minority feeling this way) and I've never heard the Audi described as any less comfortable than the GT-R so I'd be inclined to disagree on this point too.
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I think it's so funny when you guys especially homeforsummer gets mad at me for my opinions :lol:
 
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If you spot the bit where I said I was mad, I'll send you a cookie. Frustrated, perhaps, but mad, no.

The only issue is the manner in which you present your opinions, which verges on misinformed "fact". What you in fact quoted was not me "getting mad", but rather my opinions on your post...
 
homeforsummer
If you spot the bit where I said I was mad, I'll send you a cookie. Frustrated, perhaps, but mad, no.

The only issue is the manner in which you present your opinions, which verges on misinformed "fact". What you in fact quoted was not me "getting mad", but rather my opinions on your post...
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You don't have to regret your vote for the GT-R because I said it was a giant video game. I think it is one because Polyphony Digital put the cherry on top (helped devloped the GT-R with the multifunction meter). But who knows, maybe it might not be one. I also like the fact that you can turn the GT-R into your own tuning car here are a couple of them

Amuse GT-R Phantom
nissan-gt-r-amuse.jpg


Mine's GT-R
2005760699855652340_rs.jpg


Blitz GT-R
untitled-1.jpg


Oh, and the GT-R is more economical despite the weight
 
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-> I would vote for the GT-R.

-> Because I like the balance it delivers. It can be practical at same time, wherea's it can also be a monster that will bite your butt off. It can be treated as a luxury car, a GT car, a practical urban cruiser, a track car, and most importanly you can also treat it as a family car (in a way).

-> The R8 on the other can can only deliver a fraction of that iwth more money to be delivered on hand. Sure, the Audi has that graceful style and aura, but it doesn't deliver as much perks as the GT-R would bring. For the same price as the R8, I'd take a 997 Turbo any day.

-> Some might say that the GT-R is a rough ride. But comparing it to my S2K, I believe that the GT-R would be a smooth ride in comparison. :)
 
Did you guys know that the R35 GT-R's body design was suppose to reflect the culture of Japan?
 
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Actually, the funny thing is... I think Forza's post actually helps the GT-R.

There's never been any doubt that the R8 is a sweet-handling car. All reviews say so... saying it's a rival to the Porsche 911 for tactility. But it is expensive, and hamstrung by the fact that either due to marketing or engineering difficulties, the R8 still doesn't have the horsepower to compete with the more powerful motors in the class (ironically, much like the Honda NSX... though the NSX goes the R8 one better by still being superior to its competition on the racetrack despite the deficit due to lightness).

But while I believe the R8 is the bee's knees... you have to give credit where credit is due... and the GT-R gets it. Sorry... my vote may be predictable, but it goes there.

Oh yeah... where Forza's post helps the GT-R?

forza2.0
Quotes from motortrend on the GTR and R8.

On the GTR

A lot of fun." Which begs the obvious question: Given his enthusiasm, and the GT-R's impressive track numbers, why didn't Pobst rank the GT-R higher than fifth? "While it predominately understeers slightly, it can easily be provoked into snap oversteer. That was fun, but the GT-R is violent when it breaks loose; the R8, in contrast, drifts sweetly. The "R" mode really isn't a race mode-there's still a lot of stability control working, which is fine for the average guy but frustrating for me as a race driver. And before you turn stability control completely off, boy, you'd better have a lot of car-control clinics under your belt. The R8 is much more refined, a muscular dancer. The GT-R is a wrestler."
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Which ties in neatly with what I've been saying for the past few months. GT-Rs have always had the tendency to be a handful. They're not the most predictable of machines, nor the easiest to drive at the limit. The R34 was difficult to drive hard... power-on understeer, lift-off oversteer, snap oversteer... in the words of one reviewer... these things often all happened at the same time.

The R35 just brings it to a different level. It's a hairy car, and can separate the men from the boys when driven at full-attack. It's a powerful race-car, and it'll bite just as hard as a racecar if you don't give it respect.

It's no videogame... turn off the aids and it's a difficult car to drive. Which should make it all the more desirable to anyone with petrol in their veins.
 
-> ...
gator of kana
Did you guys know that the R35 GT-R's body design was suppose to reflect the culture of Japan?
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^ I've heard from sources that the GT-R was inspired by these:

gundam00avalancheexia6wy4.jpg


02.jpg


^ True JDM heritage. :)👍
 
HACKr
GTR.

It has rear seats. More seats = more lady chauffeuring capability.

That's practical.
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If that had any play on results the Commodore would have beaten the GT-R, very comfortably.:p

gator of kana
Amuse GT-R Phantom
nissan-gt-r-amuse.jpg


Mine's GT-R
2005760699855652340_rs.jpg


Blitz GT-R
untitled-1.jpg


Oh, and the GT-R is more economical despite the weight
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All I see is rice, this is how tuning should be done:

Walkinshaw Performance

Headline act: 470kw supercharged E-Series HSV.

Rotary Junkie
Z06/ZR1 are more economical despite the displacement. ;)
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For real? What mileage/fuel economy does the GTR get?

YSSMAN
Ha ha ha! I never thought of it that way before!

...I wonder who my polar opposite is...
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How many polar opposites do I get?
 
gator of kana
Did you guys know that the R35 GT-R's body design was suppose to reflect the culture of Japan?
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Hello Kitty reflects the culture of Japan too but I'd rather not have any of that either.

I do like the GT-R but I mentioned in my post that I'd rather own an R8 or a 911, and that still stands. What put me off with the videogame comment and what made me think I'd made the wrong decision, is that for me the GT-R is still a bit clinical and soulless, it says to me people with computers and micrometers and adjusting settings all the time rather than people bunging a big, gorgeous-sounding V8 engine in the back of a Lamborghini-alike chassis and then honing it to be better than a 911.

The GT-R interior looks like it's just a place to house a load of switches and computers, and reluctantly a driver, which Nissan probably think they could go even quicker without, and they could shave another couple of tenths off the 'Ring record if it was driven entirely by computer.

By voting for the GT-R I was being much, much more objective than I have been previously in these votes. In previous votes I've voted with my heart more than head, but that changed in this vote and I went for what I genuinely think is the better car. Given the money however, it isn't a car I'd actually ever buy.

niky
It's no videogame... turn off the aids and it's a difficult car to drive. Which should make it all the more desirable to anyone with petrol in their veins.
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In theory, but there's a different between something not being easy to drive quickly and something being just plain tricky. I'd rather have the smooth characteristics of the R8, which is still fun, and you can still provoke it, but it's less likely to spit me off the road. People with petrol in their veins appreciate fun, but fun can be decreased by being scared to drive quickly...
 
Pretty sure i'll never have the chance to drive either one in the real world,in my PS3 play world I prefer the Audi.The GTR just has no life,no personality.
 
nd 4 holden spd
All I see is rice, this is how tuning should be done:

Walkinshaw Performance

Headline act: 470kw supercharged E-Series HSV.
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So..tell me, what's has been changed under the hoods of them GTR's? Seriously, the point of dragging Holden/HSV/TWR into this was what exactly?

Oh yeah, for the record, your epitome of tuning HSV is still quite a lot slower than a stock GTR.

Blitz, Mine's and co. aren't just in the bodykits game, have a look at some of the other cars they've done. Blindly calling something rice doesn't necessarily make it true.
 
nd 4 holden spd
All I see is rice, this is how tuning should be done:

Walkinshaw Performance

Headline act: 470kw supercharged E-Series HSV.
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And those Holden's look ridiculous as well and very well could be called rice by the uneducated or immensely biased car person. But they aren't of course because they are tuned properly, just like the GT-R's that were posted. Blitz, Amuse, and Mine's are all well known and respected Japanese car tuners. It's not as if an APC GT-R was posted, which would be nothing more then crappy body kits.

Oh and here are just some articles to prove my point.
It's official: MINE'S develops first parts for Nissan GT-R
MINE'S GT-R exhaust makes 501 hp at the flywheel
GT-R tuning update: Amuse breaks 600 hp, tranny woes at MCR
 
slidesquad#1
So..tell me, what's has been changed under the hoods of them GTR's? Seriously, the point of dragging Holden/HSV/TWR into this was what exactly?

Oh yeah, for the record, your epitome of tuning HSV is still quite a lot slower than a stock GTR.

Blitz, Mine's and co. aren't just in the bodykits game, have a look at some of the other cars they've done. Blindly calling something rice doesn't necessarily make it true.
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When GOK said he liked how you can make the GTR into your own tuning car, well you can do that with pretty much anything. Slow shmower, a 470kw HSV will eat the GTR after its loss of traction in a drag race.
I know they make some cars with outlandish mods and all, but as far as I know they're not doing much with the R35 yet other than exhausts and computer remaps. Then I laughed at the big wings and lairy stickers on them, stickers sound like ricing to me.

Joey D
And those Holden's look ridiculous as well and very well could be called rice by the uneducated or immensely biased car person. But they aren't of course because they are tuned properly, just like the GT-R's that were posted. Blitz, Amuse, and Mine's are all well known and respected Japanese car tuners. It's not as if an APC GT-R was posted, which would be nothing more then crappy body kits.

Oh and here are just some articles to prove my point.
It's official: MINE'S develops first parts for Nissan GT-R
MINE'S GT-R exhaust makes 501 hp at the flywheel
GT-R tuning update: Amuse breaks 600 hp, tranny woes at MCR
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They look tough is what they look, and the only body mods is the bonnet bulge, which is a tribute to Tom Walkinshaw's highly iconic VL (the part en-educated guys would miss right?). I also see no stickers anywhere, and it's all performance mods from there.

When the Japanese tuners stop using outlandish body kits (not on the R35 yet, but on everything else), big wings, and mad tyte stickers my respect for them will grow ten fold, because they make brilliant performance packages.
 

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