When we looked for a trio of cars that epitomise 'Power', we thought a little further than just brute force.
While we discussed which cars we were planning on using, some of the guys considered these three to be a bit of a mismatch. They were proven wrong, very wrong.
See, we have seldom ever tested three such diverse machines that deliver so close an envelope of performance. Who�d ever have thought that the monster BMW M6, Audi�s magic mid-engined R8 and the glorious Aston Martin Vantage with its new 4.7-litre V8 would basically be inseparable on the score sheet? Truth be told, it even shocked me.
The bottom line of this test is that we had the Aston and we needed to find it two friends to play with and as noted, my suggestion of the R8 and the M6 was initially met with quite some mirth around the office.
Why? They tried to tell me nonsense about fit and that the V10 had so much more power and a couple of extra seats over the others. OK, I�ll give you the seats, so what else? Oh, the V10 is so much more powerful.
Significantly heavier
It�s significantly heavier, I explained, and quickly calculated the power to weight ratios. They were close, very close. As were their torque to weights. And someone buying in this neck of the woods would have the extra loot to pay for a bit of exclusivity. What else?
Oh, the Audi is rear-mid engined and the others are front. I then chased them out of my office. So bloody what? Variety is the spice of life!
Still confused, they headed off to organise the cars and soon enough we had a brilliant little trio assembled in the driveway. They were smiling now � this was a cool trio of cars. All agreed with my point that these three proved exactly why Formula One is so boring � all the F1 cars are the same yet there is still such a gap back to front.
Here we had a stunning front-engined 4.7-litre V8 Aston Martin, the spectacular mid-engined 4.2-litre V8 Audi and the monster 5-litre V10 BMW � surely this was the mismatch of the year, one of them hinted before being chased again.
M6 looks horrible beside the Aston
Look, if this was a beauty contest you wouldn't even bother. The M6 is horrible versus the Aston � big, bulbous and imposing, its only other redeeming features are its M-kit addenda, exhausts and wheels.
The Aston is stunning � flowing, complementary and just drop-dead gorgeous. And if those two occupy the poles, the Audi lives in the middle ground in our styling shootout. Certainly impressive and emotional, the R8 is more function than fashion � it does not need to be pretty.
Same goes for the cabins. OK, the BMW scores in its significant extra roominess, two more seats, bigger boot and space and its ease of entry and egress, but you also have to live with it. The dash looks like it was cobbled together by remnants of a fire sale from the F1 shop and that old-level iDrive is something we�re all just sick and tired of. Once again, it�s the M bits that rescue it a bit.
The R8 does a far better job of keeping you happy once you are sitting there than the Beemer, although it was a bit more of a job to get in. It�s surprisingly civilised for what it is and proof at last that you need not be compromised driving it just because it�s a sports car.
The Aston Martin once again wins the cabin contest � it�s so cool in there, jewel like dials complemented by class leatherwork and all rendered in such pleasing style.
All three fire up impressively
All three fire up impressively enough. The Beemer whirrs to life and although it sounds like an asthmatic at idle, just blip it to get yourself all excited. The Audi also comes to life in dramatic fashion, but the Aston does that with added drama � firstly it takes a bit of time to figure out how to actually fire it up, and when it does it wakes up as though it�s a soap opera with by-lines and credits coming up on the dash display to welcome you to its world.
Get the M6 bareback with the full 500 ponies dancing and this is the most fun a man can have out of bed.
At least it�s simple from there � press the D button on the dash, prod the pedal and you�re away. The BMW is easy to fire up as the car knows you have its key. Just press the button and go. But that is where the Beemer falls down again � you need to programme it all first through that bloody iDrive and by that time you might as well have caught the bus. If you own one, though, you can programme it once and just press the little M on the steering, but it still requires a good five minutes to do that � once you know what to do that is. Is all that really necessary, BMW?
The R8 is in a class alone as its lap time suggests � it delivers brilliantly on its significant promise.
The Audi answers that for me � just fire it up and get on with it � no introductory scene, no programming session, just get in and drive � please keep it that way, Audi. With all the nonsense out of the way, we can finally drive.
We get down to the real business on page 2...
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