Certified Benz & Beemer Compares 2008 Chevrolet CORVETTE VS 2008 Audi R8 Near Phoenix, AZ

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Chevrolet Corvette are height adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Audi R8 doesn’t offer height adjustable seat belts.

The Corvette offers available tall side airbags which act as a forgiving barrier between the driver and front passenger's upper bodies and the window and pillars. Combined with high-strength steel door beams this system increases head protection in broadside collisions. The R8 doesn't offer side airbag protection for the head.

The Corvette has standard OnStar®, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to get driving directions, remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The R8 doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies.

Both the Corvette and the R8 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding and available front and rear side-impact airbags.

Chevrolet’s powertrain warranty covers the Corvette 1 year and 50,000 miles longer than Audi covers the R8. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the R8 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 16 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are Audi dealers, which makes it much easier to get service under the Corvette’s warranty.

The R8’s redline is at 8000 RPM, which causes more engine wear, and a greater chance of a catastrophic engine failure. The Corvette has a 6500 to 7000 RPM redline.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2005 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet 15th in initial quality. With 7 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is ranked 26th.

J.D. Power and Associates’ surveys of the owners of three-year-old cars provide the long-term dependability statistics which show that Chevrolet vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet 19th in reliability, above the industry average. With 8 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is ranked 23rd.

The Corvette’s standard 6.2 LS2 V8 produces 10 more horsepower (430 vs. 420) and 107 lbs.-ft. more torque (424 vs. 317) than the R8’s 4.2 DOHC V8. The Corvette 2 mode exhaust’s optional 6.2 LS2 V8 produces 16 more horsepower (436 vs. 420) and 111 lbs.-ft. more torque (428 vs. 317) than the R8’s 4.2 DOHC V8. The Corvette Z06 Coupe’s standard 7.0 LS7 V8 produces 85 more horsepower (505 vs. 420) and 153 lbs.-ft. more torque (470 vs. 317) than the R8’s 4.2 DOHC V8.

As tested in Car and Driver the Chevrolet Corvette is faster than the Audi R8 (manual transmissions tested):

For more instantaneous acceleration and better engine flexibility in any gear, the Corvette’s engines produce their peak torque and horsepower at lower RPM’s than the R8:

On the EPA test cycle the Corvette gets better fuel mileage than the R8:

The Corvette stops much shorter than the R8:

For better traction, the Corvette has larger front standard tires than the R8 (245/40R18 vs. 235/35R19). The Corvette Z06 Coupe’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the R8 (F:275/35R18 & R:325/30R19 vs. F:235/35R19 & R:295/30R19).

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires standard on the Corvette can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The R8 doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Corvette’s wheelbase is 1.4 inches longer than on the R8 (105.7 inches vs. 104.3 inches).

The Corvette’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (49.9% to 50.1%) than the R8’s (44% to 56%). This gives the Corvette more stable handling and braking.

The Corvette Z06 Coupe handles at 1.05 G’s, while the R8 pulls only .94 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Corvette Z06 Coupe goes through Road & Track’s slalom 1 MPH faster than the R8 (71.2 vs. 70.2 MPH).

The Chevrolet Corvette may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 400 to 450 pounds less than the Audi R8.

The Corvette has .2 inches more front headroom and .5 inches more front shoulder room than the R8.

The Corvette Coupe has a much larger trunk than the R8 (22.4 vs. 6.7 cubic feet).

The Corvette’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge – which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The R8 does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The Corvette’s standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. The R8 doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.