Click above to view the WebRidesTV shootout.
It's tough to top Top Gear (as Gear producers are about to find out), but until Clarkson, Hamster and Captain Slow get back on schedule, the crew at WebRidesTV is back to cure our insatiable lust for all things automotive and in motion. Sure, it doesn't have TG's production value, but everything looks cooler with heavy vignetting.
This latest installment pits the Audi RS4 against the Lexus IS F, in what could be their best shootout to date. It's the battle of the middleweights and you can view the film in full after the jump.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
XeroK00L @ Apr 24th 2008 4:11PM
Great video quality and great driving by the former Grand-Am Champion, though I wonder how much faster the IS-F would've been if he did not waggle around to have fun when he was supposed to be running a time attack.
dewfish @ Apr 24th 2008 4:23PM
I personally find the "heavy vignetting" video editing style really annoying. The constant "flash editing" every three seconds makes the video unwatchable. Just show the car already.
Seoultrain @ Apr 24th 2008 4:24PM
I'm sure he took a few laps to get used to the car, then did 6 hot laps to average for the time.
steve @ Apr 24th 2008 5:12PM
i think the vignetting is pretty boring and it has a feel like a high school student just learned how to do it and is making his first video.
they dont focus on showing the cars perform really..too much blabbering going on.
Larry Harvey @ Apr 24th 2008 8:25PM
Sorry about that, but the hot laps in the ISF did not have Craig driving with the DSG etc. off. THe tire smoking shots are form laps where the car was tested with everything off and it was slower by several tenths. The shots of Craig laughing came from those laps. The ISF is a blast to drive!
Scribbins @ Apr 24th 2008 4:17PM
You don't really appreciate how good Top Gear is until you watch a comparison like this... snorefest. I didn't think it was possible to make a drive in the RS4 look boring.
Matt @ Apr 24th 2008 4:38PM
It seems that compared to the Lexus the Audi IS boring to drive. Have YOU been inside both around a track?
Lordrandall @ Apr 24th 2008 4:23PM
What is the point of a 'sports sedan' if there isn't even an option to shift your own gears?
Seoultrain @ Apr 24th 2008 4:25PM
we need more people to demand manuals outside of car blogs and forums.
Chris @ Apr 24th 2008 6:39PM
I couldn't agree more. The purists will always choose a stick car. Something tells me that the proponents of the paddle shift cars are the guys who would get schooled if they jumped in a stick car.
I've driven the 6speed GTI and the DSG GTI back-to-back. I hit the gears much harder in the 6speed and launched it much harder too. However.....your average Joe will probably pull better times in the DSG than the 6speed because he's a crappy 6speed driver. Its because of this I think the bandwagon is so packed.
Wombert @ Apr 24th 2008 6:55PM
Not even the best driver in the world can drive an MT faster than a DCT. And probably no robot, either. They even tried on Fifth Gear once. No dice.
2004m3driver @ Apr 24th 2008 8:16PM
How about all you manual guys buy more manual cars. That'll show em! Otherwise its all business. Be happy now, cause next thing you know there will only be cars with CVT trannies and you get one "variable" gear.
sw @ Apr 24th 2008 10:32PM
@ Chris
If guys like Michael Schumacher and Petter Solberg cannot shift as fast as a DSG I severely doubt you can. I agree that a stick is more fun but if you're looking for performance and nothing else, DSG would be the way to go.
Bubba Gump @ Apr 24th 2008 4:25PM
They got the cinematography right. And I think they got the music right as well as the specs of the cars. The one thing lacking was an indication of excitement on the part of the presenter. Man, he needs to get revved up he's so monotone and dull. Everything else was pretty cool.
G_Money @ Apr 24th 2008 4:38PM
I thought the video was great, only thing missing was the presenters excitement and enthusiasm. Clarkson says stuff like,
"Driving this car is as exciting as rubbing hot oil on Kiera Knightly"
Thats what is missing from this video, but hopefully not from "Gear"
tankd0g @ Apr 24th 2008 6:18PM
By right I assume you mean "Top Gear" because it looks like they kidnapped TG's DP and Editor, along with a stolen box of camera filters.
PaulPaul @ Apr 24th 2008 4:52PM
cool, for part 2 they need to run the same tests in Chicago winter.
Franz @ Apr 24th 2008 4:54PM
A few glaring omissions: they didn't actually give us the numbers for the slalom and the 0-80-0mph runs, only the differences between them. Hard numbers would've been handy. And what's with all the editing? Just show the cars doing what they do. That's why Top Gear rules.
Matt @ Apr 24th 2008 4:58PM
wow dewfish, you must really hate the most popular show on the entire planet, top gear. too bad not everyone had your shi**y opinion. if we did you might get to watch more crappy sitcoms like "Until Death". enjoy your useless life.
Andrew Tanasescu @ Apr 24th 2008 5:14PM
relax there big guy...