Certified Benz & Beemer Compares 2011 Audi R8 VS 2011 Chevrolet Corvette Near Phoenix, AZ

The R8 has a standard Audi Backguard System, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Audi Backguard System moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Corvette doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The R8 has all wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Corvette doesn’t offer all wheel drive.

The R8 offers optional parking sensors to help warn drivers about vehicles, pedestrians or other obstacles behind or in front of their vehicle. The R8 also offers an optional backup monitor to help drivers see any and all obstacles behind their vehicle. The Corvette doesn’t offer any parking assist system.

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

The R8 comes with a full 4 year/50,000 mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24 hour roadside assistance. The Corvette’s 3 year/36,000 mile basic warranty expires 1 year and 14,000 miles sooner.

The R8’s corrosion warranty is 6 years and unlimited miles longer than the Corvette’s (12/unlimited vs. 6/100,000).

Audi pays for scheduled maintenance on the R8 for 1 year and 5000 miles. Audi will pay for oil changes, tire rotation, lubrication and any other scheduled maintenance. Chevrolet doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Corvette.

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the engines in the R8 have an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of the engines in the Corvette.

As tested in Motor Trend the R8 4.2 FSI is faster than the Corvette 2 mode exhaust (manual transmissions tested):

The R8 has 5.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the Corvette (23.8 vs. 18 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

For better stopping power the R8’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on the Corvette:

In an emergency stopping situation, many drivers don’t press the brakes with enough force to stop the vehicle in the shortest distance. The R8 has a standard brake assist system to detect emergency braking situations (by how hard and how quickly the brake pedal is pressed) and then automatically apply maximum braking immediately in order to help prevent a collision. The Corvette doesn’t offer a brake assist feature.

The R8 stops much shorter than the Corvette:

For better traction and acceleration, the R8 has larger standard rear tires than the Corvette (295/30R19 vs. 285/35R19).

The R8’s 235/35R19 front and 295/30R19 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 35 series front and 30 series rear profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Corvette’s standard 40 series front and 35 series rear tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the R8 has standard 19 inch wheels. Smaller 18 inch front wheels are standard on the Corvette.

The front and rear suspension of the R8 uses coil springs for better ride, handling and control than the Corvette, which uses transverse leafs springs. Coil springs compress more progressively and offer more suspension travel for a smoother ride with less bottoming out.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the R8 is 1.7 inches wider in the front and 1.2 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Corvette.

The R8 4.2 FSI handles at 1.02 G’s, while the Corvette Coupe pulls only .95 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The R8 5.2 FSI goes through Road & Track’s slalom 6.2 MPH faster than the Corvette Coupe (73.2 vs. 67 MPH).

As tested by Road & Track, the interior of the R8 4.2 FSI is quieter than the Corvette Z06:

The R8 has .4 inches more front headroom and 1.9 inches more front legroom than the Corvette.

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the R8 easier. The R8’s trunk lift-over height is 31.1 inches, while the Corvette’s liftover is 37.7 inches.

The R8’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Corvette’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The R8’s standard separate stalk mounted cruise control is close at hand. The Corvette’s standard cruise control is on an over-crowded turn signal stalk.

The R8’s available GPS navigation system has a real-time traffic update feature that offers alternative routes to automatically bypass traffic problems. (Service available in a limited number of metro areas.) The Corvette’s available navigation system doesn’t offer real-time traffic updates.