Porsche 911 C4 vs Audi R8 V10

Good luck, planning, happy coincidence, or just plain fate. Whatever the reason, finding a brand new Audi R8 V10 and Porsche 911 Carrera 4 S on the driveway at the same time can mean only one thing: bunking off work for a couple of days and heading to the playground that is the Scottish Highlands.

Traipsing up the A9 is not the most exciting start to any road trip, but does allow time to think about the dull stuff often overlooked with sports cars. Comfort in the Porsche is noticeably better thanks to simpler, more supportive seats that do without the Audi's wings and bolsters. The Porsche also offers a more compliant ride over the A9's variable surface, though the Audi is still decently easygoing for a 550hp mid-engined machine.

Other stuff that becomes apparent in the confines of daily grind driving is the Porsche is much easier to see out of in all directions and the Audi gets far more attention, even if the Porsche is the all-new four-wheel drive model. This 911 has the optional £9,388 Powerkit fitted that raises power to 430hp and drops 0-62mph to 4.2 seconds. That figure would be lower with a PDK gearbox, but our car has the seven-speed manual 'box.

Six versus 10
In the Audi corner, the R8 5.2 V10 sports 550hp, 0-62mph in 3.5 seconds and has the new dual-clutch, seven-speed S Tronic transmission that is light years better than the previous offering. While this is no definitive twin test to decide which you should spend your money on, it's worth noting the Audi is the quickest but also costs £125,900 basic and our one has a frosted Sepang Blue paint finish that contributes a further £3,125 to the price.

Paint colour pales into insignificance once the bulk of the A9 has been despatched. From here on in, the roads are sparsely populated with traffic, wide open and blessed with some rare Scottish sun.

From Inverness, there are a few options and we choose to duck off the A9 beforehand and take the back road through Carrbridge and past Lochindorb to Forres. It's a great entrée to driving in the Highlands with its sweeping bends, open space, dips and crests. It's also the ideal place to have a four-wheel drive performance car for that added bite of traction and confidence when the corner tightens more than expected. Both cars also have carbon ceramic brakes to make sure the local sheep population remain unsuccessful in their suicide bids.

Off the leash
This is also a fine piece of road to show up the differences between the Audi and Porsche. The R8 has felt like it's been straining at the leash all the way up the A9 and now it wants to unload its full power. With or without the Sport button, the 5.2-litre V10 barks its way through the gears, either in lazy boy auto mode or in manual. The auto mode is not a bad choice for most driving, but on these roads the manual override is so much the better choice and the shifts respond instantly to a touch on the paddles.

Audi has not so much improved the shift as transformed the car. It's what the R8 has been crying out for and rounds off its impressive talents, as Chris Harris will tell you in his latest video. The changes are super quick, seamlessly smooth and yet still give you the sensation of the driver being the one making the decisions rather than the clever, clever electronics.

Flipping the argument
Over in the Porsche, the debate about the gearbox is more complicated. Normally, the purist's default would be a manual gearbox in a 911 every time, but Porsche has muddied the water with its new seven-speed stick shift. The precision feel of the change is not there as it was with the last generation's six-speed gearbox and you need to consciously think about which gear you're looking for next. With a lot of familiarity, it becomes much better, but there is still that slight doubt about whether you're selecting fourth or sixth. Would you choose a PDK gearbox instead, as 90 per cent of 911 buyers now do? It's a close run thing, but manual just wins out.

As for the seventh gear in the Porsche, it's there for economy and emissions reasons, which is great for 29.7mpg average consumption and motorway driving, especially compared to the Audi's 21.9mpg. However, even at 70mph, you'll need to drop down to sixth at least in the 911 to enjoy any sort of meaningful acceleration for overtaking.

This is all forgiven and forgotten when you point the Porsche along these Highland roads and use third and fourth gears. Its steering has more feel than the R8's, the front end offers greater feedback about grip and its more compact size lets you place the car with better accuracy. In the Audi, you rely on the fact it has masses of grip and the front end is faithful at any kind of sane road speed.

Into the sunset
Give the Audi its head, though, and in a straight line the Porsche will be left behind. The Audi's V10 bellow also drowns out the Porsche when they're sat side by side, but it's the 911 that offers the more memorable engine note after we've parked up for the night.

Our second day of avoiding the real world is pretty much a repeat of the first but in reverse order. The morning and early afternoon are spent on some of the best roads the world has to offer in two of the finest cars so far made.

Swapping between the Audi and Porsche, it's clear the R8 is the public's favourite from the reaction it gets. Even in bright yellow, the Porsche barely warrants a second look, which is maybe down to the 911 being the most abundant car in this sector and also being so damn easy to live with.

For the drive back down the A9, this makes the Porsche the perfect choice, but it's also the one snapper Barry and I end up fighting over for driving on Highland back roads. The Audi is undoubtedly and hugely fast, capable and engaging, but the 911 works its way into your mind. When fate inevitably removes the two cars from my driveway, it's the Porsche I miss.

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AUDI R8 COUPE 5.2 FSI V10 QUATTRO S TRONIC
Engine: 5,204cc V10
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch, four-wheel drive
Power (hp): 550@8,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 540@6,500rpm
0-62mph: 3.5 sec
Top speed: 197mph
Weight: 1,595kg
MPG: 21.9mpg (NEDC combined)
CO2: 299g/km
Price: £125,900 (£130,645 as tested, including Sepang Blue paint £3,125) mobile phone kit £175, Alcantara headlining £1,150, parking camera £1,070, cruise control £225)

PORSCHE 911 CARRERA 4 S (POWERKIT)
Engine: 3,800cc flat-6
Transmission: 7-speed manual, four-wheel drive
Power (hp): 430@7,400rpm
Torque (lb ft): 325@5,600rpm
0-62mph: 4.2 sec
Top speed: 189mph
Weight: 1,395kg
MPG: 29.7mpg (NEDC combined)
CO2: 224g/km
Price: £87,959 (£104,320 as tested, including Powerkit £9,388, Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes £5,787, sports seats £312, parking sensors £639, rear wiper £235)

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Photos: Barry Hayden