Audi R8 vs Maserati Granturismo

What's the difference?

The Audi R8 V10 RWD and V10 Performance Quattro have their own personalities. I'm a big fan of the lower-powered rear-wheel drive car, but the Performance is the ultimate here with better brakes and that 330km/h top speed. Either way the R8 is a true supercar, but one that doesn't have to be driven gingerly as though something may break off.

From the most compelling engine sound this side of … well, anything … to a timeless, shapely body the GranTurismo is a surprising car. While its age is catching up to it in a few areas (fuel consumption, in-car entertainment) what matters most is that this Maserati still lights the fire in the belly.

Lamborghini styling can look over the top, McLarens can sometimes appear delicate and fragile, and Ferraris seem to be everywhere, and even for me, begin to blend into one.

The R8, though, looks exactly how an Audi supercar should look – understated, tough and serious. Have you seen that Audi advert with the R8 on a dyno not wearing any pants? That sounds ridiculous but Google it because it sums up what the R8 is – a real car with a raw race car underneath, that's meant to be driven comfortably on the road and hard on a race track and the styling indicates that intent with little in the way of fanfare.

Well, there is that big window at the back which shows off the engine and the 'side blades' that surround the large vents carved into the side of the car to cool the engine.

The latest update has taken the design from the second-gen car which arrived in 2016 and added a new grille, front bumper, door sills and vents in the rear bumper. It's a more angular, sharper, and busier design with more vents and winglets than ever.

The R8 V10 RWD and R8 V10 Performance are close to identical in their styling. You can pick the Performance by its gloss carbon front spoiler, side sills, mirror caps and rear diffuser. The RWD has gloss black elements instead.

Which looks best: the Coupe or Spyder? That's a personal thing, but I reckon race cars need to have a hardtop roof, so it's the coupe for me, please.

Built using the 'Audi Space Frame' which weighs only 200kg, the R8 is 4426mm long and just 1240mm tall, but at 1940mm across it has a wide, planted stance.

As has already been (indelicately) mentioned, this is a design that is not only ageing well, it still looks pretty fresh from most angles. The only let down are the over-sized tail-lights that look more at home on something less exotic. Those aside, it's a deeply pretty car, with lovely surfacing, the highlight being those beautiful rising guards that funnel your vision down the bonnet.

Interior packaging isn't the GT’s strong point. Inside is pretty cosy with a fat transmission tunnel that makes for a narrow footwell.

With the Sport you get carbon-backed seats that are thinner in the backrest allowing for more room in the tight rear bucket. Snug they may be, but head and leg room is surprisingly good. The white leather interior of this one may not have been to everyone’s taste, but it was certainly beautifully put together.

The boot is fairly small but will fit more than, say, the similarly sized (but double the price) Ferrari FF.

The GranTurismo MC Sport comes in two versions. Both have six-speed gearboxes, but one has the rear-mounted robotised manual while our version was the six-speed ZF automatic, which is mated directly to the engine.

The auto weighs in at $295,000, $23,000 cheaper than the Stradale. Both cars come standard with Poltrona Frau leather, carbon fibre trim inside and out, alloy pedals, bi-xenon headlights, foglights, parking sensors front and rear, 20-inch MSC alloys, keyless entry, electric seats, Alcantara headlining, cruise control, dual-zone climate control and electric adjustment for the steering wheel.

Sadly, time has marched on from when the GranTurismo's entertainment system was first presented to the world. It's a weird, unwieldy system that takes a lot of getting used to, with buttons that don't always seem to do what their label says. Pairing the phone was arduous and while most owners do that once, it does speak to the overall usability.

Having said that, the 11-speaker Bose stereo pumped out some pretty good sound and once the satnav's input method is deciphered, it worked surprisingly well given its fairly basic presentation on the seven-inch screen.

There are two grades in the Audi R8 range – the entry-point R8 V10 RWD which has rear-wheel drive (RWD), and the R8 V10 Performance Quattro which has all-wheel drive (AWD).

Both obviously have V10 engines, it's a naturally aspirated 5.2-litre petrol unit (so no turbos here), but the RWD makes less power and torque at 397kW and 540Nm, while the Performance produces 449kW and 560Nm.

The V10 is mounted behind the driver's seat but ahead of the rear axle making it mid-engined car. The engine even has its own window and you can see it in there with its face pressed up against the glass.

There are two body styles as well – the Coupe and Spyder (convertible, roadster, just another word for a retractable soft roof). We'll get to the prices in the next section, but let's talk about the more interesting numbers such as top speeds.

The V10 RWD in coupe form can reach 324km/h and the Spyder can hit 322km/h while the V10 Performance Coupe and Spyder are both a smidge quicker at 330km/h.

Those are all go-straight-to-jail speeds in Australia, so if you're tempted to fact check my numbers then do it on a racetrack. Audi holds excellent track days – I've done them and you'll not only get to drive the R8 as fast as you can, the instructors will help you improve your advanced driving skills, too. Do it, it could save your life.

Acceleration from 0-100km/h is rapid – 3.7 seconds and 3.8 seconds for the V10 RWD Coupe and Spyder respectively, while the V10 Performance Coupe and Spyder can nail it in 3.2 seconds and 3.3 seconds.

The V10 engine has a cylinder-on-demand feature which can shut down five of the cylinders while cruising on a motorway, say at 110km/h. It's a fuel-saving system, but keep in mind this V10 loves petrol and lots of it – I've hidden that all the way down the bottom of this review.

Shifting gears in all R8s is a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Maserati's 4.7L V8, inherited from the then-parent Ferrari, is a cracker. Based on the V8 found in the F430, it has a gloriously silly redline of 8000rpm. Peak power is 338kW at 7000rpm and 520Nm at 4750rpm.

The 0-100km/h is dispatched in 4.8 seconds and top speed is 298km/h.

The transmission is a six-speed ZF automatic and fuel economy is a sobering 14.3L/100km on the combined cycle.

A race circuit is the best place to test the performance of an Audi R8. I've been lucky enough to have done this in the past, but for this update of the R8 the Australian launch was held on public roads and included a convoy of RS models such as the RS 6 Avant, RS 7, RS Q3 and TT RS.

Even then I think I was 'stitched up' because I began the day in the R8 V10 Performance Coupe but spent almost the entirety of my allocated time in roadworks at 40km/h before swapping to an RS Q3.

So, while I can't honesty comment about the dynamics on this updated R8 V10 Performance Coupe I can tell you that having driven every iteration of the R8 since 2012 that it's a weapon, with helicopter-like visibility out of that large front window.

If, like me, you think turbos are 'cheating' (superchargers are fine), then you'll love the linear power delivery of the R8's naturally aspirated V10, and while I love front-engined sportscars, nothing beats a mid-engined car for the feeling of balance and lightness in the nose while having the sound of thousands of explosions going off just behind your back.

Having AWD is not just great for acceleration and perfect traction from Audi's quattro system, I think it's a good safety feature in a supercar, and while only your judgements can stop things going pear shaped, the system will be there to help on slippery roads.

The following day was different. I was in the R8 V10 RWD, the country roads were superb and while it wasn't a racetrack it was enough to get a hint of the capabilities of the RWD R8.

While the R8 V10 RWD feels the same to sit in with the same great view, it feels different to drive than its faster sibling, in a good way. First there's the noticeable power difference – more than 50kW and 20Nm less – but also the lack of AWD makes the front end feel more pointable, and the car feel more like a traditional sportscar that pushes from behind rather than pulling from the front. Less power, but more fun.

The RS cars in our test convoy were all awesome machines, but stepping out of even the RS6 Avant and slipping down into the R8 cockpit was like getting into a UFO – it's so far ahead dynamically of any other Audi that all I could do was laugh like an idiot. Corners which were making an RS 7 really struggle, were handled effortlessly by the R8. And in a straight line it's a bullet in a barrel.

The Performance has the better brakes: 380mm ceramic discs with six piston calipers up front and 356mm discs with four piston calipers at the rear. The RWD has steel discs – 365mm with eight piston calipers up front and 356mm discs with four piston calipers in the rear.

Keep in mind if you are planning on track days, you'll find the ceramic discs costly to replace, and beside the stopping power of the steel ones is excellent.

And yet, on pot holed course bitumen the ride is a lot more comfortable than you might think and having driven the Performance in traffic it's a much nicer place to sit than the claustrophobic cabin of a McLaren 570S. You could honestly use the R8 daily.

There are few more impressive sounds in the automotive world than a Maserati-tuned V8. Even on start-up, the smooth V8 gives you a little bellow to wake the neighbours and when in non-Sport mode it quickly settles into a quiet idle. The exhaust has the now-familiar valving that opens up when you switch it into Sport and if you don’t default to that when driving the GT, you're probably dead inside.

The V8 makes a tremendously addictive racket, getting better with every rev as the tacho needle swipes right to the redline.

When compared with the lightweight sportster from which the engine is lifted, you won't be moving quite as quickly, but the noise and the sharp-shifting transmission will keep you happy. Tunnels are worth the price of entry as you crank the windows down and flip the paddles to find second or even first.

It's hard to pick that the transmission is a traditional automatic. The shifts are fast and positive but never violent – that would be out of character – responding properly to the paddles. In automatic, it's smooth and gentle.

The steering is mighty impressive too. There's enough feel to keep you interested and entertained but not so much you’ll be overwhelmed in the daily drive. The nose changes direction with a flick of the wrists and the moderately-firm Skyhook suspension does a good job of making the rest of the car follow without undue body roll.

Despite rolling on 20-inch alloys shod with sticky 245s up front and 285 at the rear, cruising in the GT is surprisingly quiet and comfortable. WithSport mode off, it's a very agreeable place to be. The seats are hugely comfortable, even in the rear, which seems impossible.

The MC comes standard with six airbags, ABS, stability and traction controls, pre-tensioned and load-limited seatbelts front and rear.

There is no ANCAP safety rating for the GranTurismo.