Chris Harris Drives: Honda NSX vs Audi R8 V10 vs Porsche 911 Turbo
Chris Harris dances with all-wheel drive super cars in the rain.
In this recent segment of Top Gear’s Chris Harris Drives, Harris definitely has his hands full. This time he tests out three extremely fast AWD cars that are roughly in the $150k – $200k price range. The choices are obvious: the Honda NSX, Audi R8 V10, and the Porsche 911 Turbo.
Why do we say obvious? The typically British inclement weather, of course. The weather decided to be uncooperative and a storm rolled in just in time while shooting the film. To make matters worse, Honda for whatever reason equipped the NSX with Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tires – basically one of the stickiest tires you can fit that are road legal. Not exactly the choice tire for extremely wet conditions. Throughout the video, there were a few attempts to have a 3-way drag race, but with all the standing water, straight line speed turns to sideways action.
NSX: The Mini Porsche 918
Nevertheless, Harris gave the NSX a go – Trofeo R race tires and all. We all know he hass driven Honda’s newest supercar before and had a great many things to say about it. Other than not having the proper tires for the occasion, the same positive feelings were once again experienced while behind the wheel all while beautifully four-wheel drifting in the rain. He mentioned that driving with the Trofeo Rs showed how well sorted the chassis is even in extremely wet conditions. Controlling a drift in the wet seemed almost effortless. Add the intricate electric drivetrain and turbocharged V6 hybrid engine and the NSX becomes what Harris calls, “A mini Porsche 918”. If that’s not a compliment, I don’t know what is.
R8 V10: The last of its breed
Next up, Chris hopped inside the only naturally aspirated car of the trio – the Audi R8 V10. What seems to be one of the last of its kind, the R8 retains it’s delicious sounding atmospheric engine while others have resorted to less cylinders and turbocharging. As Chris mentioned, yes turbocharged engines are more efficient and all, but there’s just something special about revving out an NA engine and hearing it scream. The R8 may not look particularly great in yellow in Harris’s eyes, but seeing an R8 of any shade sliding about is always a sight to see.
911 Turbo: The Every Man 911
Last but not least, we have the Porsche 911 Turbo. With another attempt at a drag race, conditions were still terrible but not as bad as the previous runs. The Turbo leaves the other two for dead thanks to the rear-engine layout giving it the traction advantage. The 911 is also the lightest among the three as well. Did I mention that it’s not even the S model? Lately, the Turbo has gotten a reputation for being the boring 911, but really it’s the “Every Man 911” just as Chris mentions. With rear seats and lots of room for groceries, you can live with the 911 Turbo every single day.
Three very fast AWD cars each with different driving dynamics. Which one would you choose and why? Let us know on the forum!
