Quattroruote Super sports car handling test
06.01 .2012
If the first curve, which is a Lamborghini Aventador takes under its sports tires, as tight as a parking garage turn, one is inclined to doubt the usefulness of this automobile. If this is followed by a straight line and a wide curved circle, on the other hand, one is inclined to question the meaning of other super sports cars. The demanding handling course of our Italian partner magazine Quattroruote dissects strengths and weaknesses in an exemplary manner. That's why we're chasing lap times with four super athletes, whose names read like a middle sheikh garage: Ferrari 599 GTO, L amborghini Aventador, McLaren MP4-12C and Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0. But before we leave a lot of fine rubber on the track, we start the test with the analysis of the basic measured values.
Lamborghini Aventador with explosive acceleration
Acceleration . Zero to 100 km /h with the Lamborghini Aventador is like a controlled explosion in which 1.8 tons of aluminum and carbon fly through the target in just 2.9 seconds. The power-to-weight ratio of 2.6 kg /PS, which is enormously important in this test, is somewhat above the 2.4 kg /PS of Ferrari 599 GTO and McLaren MP4-12C, but its all-wheel drive with rear-biased power distribution (Haldex clutch) harmonizes excellently with the 57 percent weight at the rear. The McLaren also puts its load mainly on the driven rear wheels and, as second in the discipline, takes 0.6 seconds off the Ferrari: at 3.2 seconds you can shout 'sensationally'.
On the other hand, the GTO with its front mid-engine V12 does not bring enough traction load to the driven rear axle - a Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 (2.8 kg /PS and only hand switch in the test) with a poorer power-to-weight ratio runs thanks to its mechanically excellent performance Grip effortlessly on the Ferrari's 3.8 seconds. In the meantime, active engine mounts also dampen the Swabian stallion's previously uncomfortable kicking in.
Porsche 911 GT3 RSslows down the competition
Delay. Here, the most powerful six-cylinder engine from Zuffenhausen even slows down all of the competition. They are all equipped with pizza-sized carbon brake systems, but the GT3 tricks are called semi-slick and rear-mounted engines. With its enormous weight lever (62 percent load towards the rear), it presses the 325 Michelin Sport Cup rear tires particularly stubbornly onto the asphalt. Even when braking hard, which forces the front to submerge, there is still enough load and grip at the rear to support the front system, which is most busy during this exercise.
The three more front-heavy and heavier competitors, on the other hand, have to be braked a little earlier before turning. The Lamborghini Aventador is a bit disappointing here: Both in the deceleration distance from 200 km /h and in the pedal feel, it does not quite keep what one would expect from a 300,000-euro supercar. In principle, the surface in Vairano provides longer braking distances for all test cars than the normal distances for auto motor und sport .
Lamborghini Aventador accelerates up to 342 km /h
top speed. Easy game for the Lamborghini Aventador. Furiously, he roars and snorts the brake disgrace and accelerates to 342 km /h. He missed his factory specification by eight km /h, but being by far the fastest in the car quartet also counts. In addition to the right gear ratio, two things determine the speed: power and air resistance. Of the former, the twelve pistons of the Lamborghini Aventador with 700 hp crush the most, but the ultra-wide carbon fiber body opposes the wind with more sheer frontal surface than the filigree McLaren. So despite 70 less horsepower than the Ferrari, it takes second place with 333 km /h. The GT3, on the other hand, doesn't care much at maximum speed: it reaches 308 km /h, it should be regulated 310. If you want, you can at least flatten the wing, then you will be faster.
Porsche 911 GT3 RS convinces in handling test
That with 'only' 500 HP you are not the quickest on a track layout like in Vairano and in such a potent environment can is logical. So the Schwabenpfeil with its lightweight polyurethane rear window and carbon fenders annoys the PS stars with its extremely precise handling: brake lightly into the curve so that the front tires get grip when turning, and centrifuge through on the pull with the rear slightly pushing. Brilliant. The 14 kg of downforce generated by the front spoiler with guide vanes at 200 km /h also keep its nose on the ground here.
The ultra-direct response of the sucking four-liter boxer engine allows fine control with the accelerator, especially from 5,000 tours, and the company's hydraulic steering is a miracle of feedback - also thanks to the lack of elastokinematics. In the particularly narrow sections 3 and8 it runs faster than an Aventador, which can do double-digit km /h on very fast pieces.
The six-speed manual transmission is a sensual pleasure for sports drivers. The little stick nestles wonderfully in the palm of your hand, the next gear is followed by a strong jerk of the joints. If you accelerate through, you don't need to take your foot off the accelerator pedal, because the Motronic regulates this automatically. Only the briefly translated second gear - which is advantageous when accelerating - does not quite match the curve combinations. End time: 1:16.4 minutes.
Ferrari 599 is extroverted in the handling test
With the Ferrari, the orgiastic roaring V12 grabs you first -Suction concert, conducted by the 65- instead of the usual 60-degree crankshaft offset. That makes the sound dirtier and sets the center of gravity a tad lower. Nobody blows around the track in such a wonderfully extroverted manner, and listeners utter spontaneous euphoria. The pilot feels the same with the snappy throttle response and the almost irrepressible revving power of the six-liter engine. The Scuderia has the 599 GTO - his At least the fastest serial Cavallino carrier of all time - strictly trimmed to avoid understeer and agility.
What produces endorphins in steady, not too fast corners and triggers drift reflexes, floods the pilot with an unpleasant amount of adrenaline in fast alternating corners with the tail suddenly jamming. The high boom from Maranello still wobbles a bit, even as a streamlined GTO variant, and the directly translated, but synthetic steering also makes it difficult to achieve a precise line without a cue. In comparison, it looks like valerian, how gently and quickly the automated six-speed manual gearbox shifts gears in just 60 ms. With the sharpened 599 (stronger stabilizers, shorter springs and less weight), Ferrari relies heavily on the reins of the electronic stability control. Without it, he demands the famous virtuoso at the valance in the border area. The behavior of little brother 458 seems much calmer and more mature. Time: 1.16.1 minutes.
McLaren MP4-12C falls back on the straights
Keyword 458: This has again the McLaren noticeably copied something . The sports driver's heart massages the ease, neutrality and calmness with which the V8 turbo athlete from Woking surfs through narrow and wide (especially 6) corners. Only on the straights it lacks a bit of top speed to the Lamborghini Aventador, and braking in a closing curve leaves the rear-mid-engine car with its comparatively gentle, albeit not too soft, damping and buttery softnessSeven-speed double clutch ugly tigern.
He dives deep into the following curve, of course without provoking unsporting understeer on his Pirelli Corsa. Only for the show he does little. Those who follow him on the route can hardly tell from the monotonous grumpy sound whether the MP4-12C is now turning a hot or an exit lap. Sure, the supercharged 3.8-liter attacks even from low tours with 600 Nm of torque, but the slightly delayed response and the sound softened by the acoustic damping of the charger cannot be ignored. Time: 1.14.8 minutes.
Lamborghini Aventador with the best time in the handling test
It's good that the Lamborghini Aventador V12 roars your ear canals on the straights again. Then he gives way to his annoyance over tight curves, which the more than two meters wide flounder with Pushrod articulation of the lying struts still tends to understeer. Anyone who adjusts to this and heeds the old sports driver rule 'Better to get in slowly and get out quickly' will be rewarded by the Lamborghini Aventador with brutal traction and high-speed stability - a big leap to the turbulent Murciélago. The sometimes hyperactive ESP shows that he cannot fully grasp it himself.
It's unbelievable how he turns back into the 8,000 m after the apex, picks up the pace and holds it in long curves on his Pirelli Corsa until the passenger's stomach surrenders. The fact that Lamborghini has taught him macho with the stiff steering and the automated manual transmission, which rudely slams the gears in Corsa mode, does not prevent the best time in the test: 1.13.9 minutes. Let's see what happens when McLaren closes the performance gap.
Conclusion handling test - nobody is better
Is Performance everything? On a fast track like the one in Vairano, the new Lamborghini Aventador with its 700 hp leaves the competition no chance. But the Lamborghini is by no means perfect and only shines when it can use its power. In the narrower corners, however, the particularly balanced McLaren and the super agile Porsche show him what is still possible. If both had similar performance, it would be difficult for the strong Taurus. The Ferrari lags behind in spite of 670 hp, and it is noticeable that even with the 599 GTO, they were still in the process of finding the tuning philosophy. Classic mechanics were somewhat neglected because of the sheer enthusiasm for electronic vehicle dynamics control.
