In my opinion, that is an apples vs. My advice is to try and drive both, find what is available in your price range, and decide from there. If it were me personally, I'd just forget the 3.4 even existed within the 996 era. Furthermore, I remember reading that the IMS failure issue only affected about 4% of engines out of some-odd 120,000 vehicles. It has just been made out to be a bigger deal than it really is. Do your own research to back that up, though, because I could be remembering these numbers incorrectly. IMS bearing failures are a real problem. The bearing that supports the intermediate shaft was poorly designed and prone to failure. It gives little to no warning before it fails and when it does fail it destroys your motor. Dead, done - you're not rebuilding the old motor because it's fu%ed. You're buying a new motor. This has been discussed to death on line, and then discussed a zillion times more. In the end though, the answer is always the same, only Porsche knows, and they probably don't even know, and at any rate they are not saying anything. Problem is that Porsche replaced a lot of engines in the first five years or so, all under warranty. Not all of them were IMS issues, some were RMS issues that could not be solved, some were for cracked heads, some were for porous castings, some were just service manager's taking the easy route to making a customer happy. Porsche took all of the motors back for analysis. These days we rely on the experience of knowledgeable independent repair people, but they only see cars with problems so they have a biased view. Boxsters sold, so in absolute terms there will also be more failures.
EPA-estimated fuel economy is 12/19/14 with the manual and 13/22/16 with S tronic. The R8 V10 Plus boosts power output to 550 hp and 398 lb-ft of torque. Either transmission is available. In Edmunds testing, an S tronic-equipped V10 Plus hustled to 60 mph in just 3.4 seconds. EPA-estimated fuel economy is 13/22/16 or 12/19/14 with the manual transmission. Standard safety equipment includes antilock disc brakes, stability control, side airbags and knee airbags. Front and rear parking sensors and a rearview camera are standard or optional, depending on the trim. This year, to shed weight and aid in cooling, Audi has changed the design of the non-ceramic brake discs used on all models, except the V10 Plus. Before that change, in Edmunds brake testing, multiple Audi R8s have come to a stop from 60 mph between 104 and 106 feet, which is very good. Meanwhile, a 2014 R8 V10 Plus with the carbon-ceramic brakes came to a halt in 106 feet.
The lightweight R8 seats are comfortable for long-distance travel, and the driving position suits a wide range of people. We like the center stack's elegant swoop away from the driver, but this means that major controls require an inconvenient reach. Additionally, the navigation and audio controls are operated by an unintuitive, dash-mounted MMI knob and constellation of buttons located beneath the display screen. Compared with the electronic interfaces in the Mercedes SLS AMG and Porsche 911, the R8's is noticeably antiquated. One exceptionally clever idea, however, is the integration of the microphone for Bluetooth into the driver's seatbelt. Audi says there's enough room behind the R8 coupe's seats for a pair of golf bags, but you'd have to be pretty hard-pressed for country club transport to try that. The 3.5-cubic-foot front trunk is awkwardly shaped and barely provides enough space for an overnight bag (a Porsche 911 feels like a minivan by comparison). As such, the R8 is not the best choice for a long-distance road trip.
The Spyder models' convertible soft top may be operated at speeds up to 31 mph. It takes roughly 20 seconds in either direction to transform. The Spyder's thermal-resistant leather seats effectively lower surface temperature, which is a nice attribute for open-top motoring. The 2014 Audi R8 rides firmly despite its adaptive suspension, and road noise is pronounced relative to most other Audis. But by exotic-car standards, the R8 is a remarkably comfortable and quiet daily driver. Low seating height notwithstanding, visibility is especially good in all directions. On twisting roads, the R8's preposterous power, quick reflexes and heroic grip conspire to make this 3,600-pound supercar feel as nimble as a lightweight roadster. Speaking of power, the V10 adds an appreciable amount, as well as a uniquely racy soundtrack, but even the base V8 is one of the best-sounding and most tractable engines we've experienced. Unlike the slow-witted and duly criticized single-clutch gearbox offered in past years (and no longer available for 2014), the new dual-clutch automated manual is now the transmission of choice. Sure, the manual shifter is mechanically rewarding and visually stunning, but the quickness and infallibility of the automated manual is unbeatable in terms of true performance as well as comfort. While the V10-powered R8 models have a performance advantage, it's hard to justify the additional outlay of cash in light of how slight the acceleration advantages are and how truly good the V8 versions are. Furthermore, unless you're spending an unusual amount of time at a racetrack, where hundredths of a second actually means something, we'd pass on the 2014 Audi R8 V10 Plus as well. The V10 Plus' weight-reduction regimen reduces some of the R8's everyday appeal.
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