This test exists for one specific guest: the couple who’s never driven anything like this before and is genuinely nervous about it. The verdict isn’t about which car is best. It’s about which one doesn’t punish a first attempt.
A road picked for confidence, not drama
The Basse Corniche — the lowest, slowest, most forgiving of Monaco’s three coastal roads — is the deliberate choice here, the same road that’s worked for every relaxed-pace test in this series. A first supercar experience doesn’t need a hairpin-heavy mountain pass proving a point. It needs a road that lets a nervous driver settle in.
Three drivers, three cars representing different first-timer experiences. Whoever’s narrating takes the Porsche 992 Carrera 4 GTS, arguing that “forgiving” and “genuinely exciting” aren’t opposites. Ron claims the Audi R8 V10, making the case that a naturally aspirated engine is actually easier to read than a turbocharged one. Juliana takes the Mercedes-AMG GT, and argues precision is its own kind of confidence-builder.
The numbers, for anyone who wants them before the story
| Audi R8 V10 | Porsche 992 Carrera 4 GTS | Mercedes-AMG GT | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seats | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Horsepower | 562 hp | 480 hp | 585 hp |
| 0–100 km/h | 3.4 sec | 3.3 sec | 3.6 sec |
| Top speed | 324 km/h | 312 km/h | 318 km/h |
| Rental (per day) | ~€800 | ~€1,800 | ~€1,800 |
| Drivetrain | AWD | AWD | RWD |
All three figures come straight from this fleet’s own listing — no hedging required.
First stint: where AWD did the quiet, important work
The 992 Carrera 4 GTS went first, and the case built itself in the least dramatic way possible: AWD grip that simply never let a nervous first input feel like a mistake, four real seats that made the whole thing feel less like a stunt and more like a car. “Nobody needs to feel like they’re one wrong move from a problem on their first day,” the narrator said. “This car doesn’t let that feeling happen.”
Ron’s R8 followed, and made the case for a naturally aspirated engine’s honesty: no turbo lag to catch a nervous driver off guard, throttle response that matches exactly what a foot does. “This is actually easier to predict than people think,” Ron said. “It just requires trusting that what you feel is what you get.”
Second stint: the RWD case, and why it still lost
Juliana’s AMG GT came last, and the RWD case she made was genuine — more direct feedback, more reward for a driver who’s paying close attention. But it also asked more of a first-timer than either AWD car did, and by the bottom, even Juliana conceded the point that decided the test. “This is the more rewarding car once you know what you’re doing,” she said. “It’s just not the right first car. That’s not a criticism — it’s just not what this test was actually asking.”
A bit of context on each car
The Porsche 992 Carrera 4 GTS already appeared in the Timmelsjoch road test — its balanced, less-brute-force character shows up again here as the actual selling point.
The Audi R8 V10 already won its own value argument in the Passo di Gavia weather test.
The Mercedes-AMG GT is a front-mid-engine V8 built around a long bonnet and short rear deck — genuinely rewarding, just not this test’s answer.
Practical considerations
All three are confirmed available out of Monaco, the French Riviera, Munich, and Paris — no fleet issues in this comparison, and all three suit a guided first-timer’s day on the Basse Corniche specifically.
Our call: the Porsche 992 Carrera 4 GTS. Not the most powerful, not the most exciting on paper — but the one that lets a first-time supercar driver relax into the experience instead of white-knuckling through it. Choose the Audi R8 V10 if a naturally aspirated engine’s honesty appeals to you, or the Mercedes-AMG GT once you’re ready for more direct, RWD feedback.
All three are standalone rentals out of Monaco. Get in touch — tell us this is a first supercar and we’ll build the day around that.