108 whichcar.com.au/wheels
AUDI R8 V10
SPYDER
Drive Select switch on the
wheel allows for rapid
shifting between drive
modes, while the tabbed
HVAC controls and wall-
to-wall Virtual Cockpit are
slick design touches. The
Audi’s also the only one of
the trio that offers the choice
of gear selection with the
lever as well as the paddles.
Unfortunately it squanders
this advantage by getting
the shift orientation the
wrong way round. After the
theatrics of opening the roof,
popping the engine cover is
inadvertently hilarious, a
metallic ping opening a
tiny flap propped up by
midget gas struts (see pic
above specs, p111).FERRARI 488
SPIDER
The 488 boasts great seats
and the most space. Roof up,
the soundtrack is big on turbo
whistle, but drop the window
behind your head and the
annoying higher frequencies
are drowned out by beefy
exhaust timbres. We’re still
not sold on the overly busy
steering wheel nor the trio of
displays in the main binnacle,
but materials quality has
taken a step on from the 458
and none of the interior parts
rattled or creaked, unlike both
the German cars tested here.
The optional front lift system
gives the 488 real utility in
town, although it’s hardly the
acme of discretion, chuffing
loudly at 50km/h when the
nose automatically drops.MERCEDES-AMG
GT ROADSTER
The feeling that you’re sitting
on the rear axle of a long GT
car isn’t borne out by the
figures, the AMG GT Roadster
featuring the widest track
and shortest wheelbase
of the three cars featured.
Its benign front-engined
weight bias, well-judged roll
response and appropriate tyre
selection means that it always
telegraphs its intentions
clearly. The selection of
buttons and dials on the wide
centre stack gives instant
access to customising the way
the GT Roadster drives. Those
two switch blanks at the base?
They’re normally used for
damper settings and exhaust.