Audi R8 - Carscene’s Review

After years of making high-performance variants of its existing sedans, wagons and convertibles, Audi enters the super car market with its innovative R8. The sports car is named after Audi’s five-time Le Mans-winning racecar.

Like the Ferrari F430 and Lamborghini Gallardo with which it competes, the R8 has a mid-mounted engine. Featuring a weight-saving aluminum body and Quattro all-wheel drive, Audi says the R8 can accelerate from zero to 62 mph in just 4.6 seconds and has a maximum speed of 185 mph.

The R8 has spectacular styling. The nose is low and wide. The body is stretched tightly over the chassis and the 19-inch wheels. The side blade behind the doors punctuates the R8’s design and is intended to be a visual break that makes the car look smaller. The blade on some R8s is a brightly contrasting color, but the black test car’s dark-gray blade was subtle.

In spite of its low wedge shape, the R8 has a unexpectedly roomy cabin. It is 75 inches wide, 49.3 inches tall and 174.5 inches long. The wheelbase is 104.3 inches.

The R8’s cabin is not only spacious but also marvelously designed. The gauges sit in individual pods, bordered by a single arch that is intended to imitate a single-seat racer. The seats offer excellent support.

Luggage space under the front hood is small, but it will hold a couple of duffel bags. There is also room behind the front seats for a briefcase or backpack.

The R8 feels comfortable and at home in city traffic. The suspension is firm, yet it is compliant enough to be comfortable on everyday roads. Audi uses adaptive shock absorbers with magnetic fluid, and they can change ride characteristics in milliseconds. The driver can choose standard or sport mode.

“It’s so comfortable you can run over anything up to a medium-sized fox and not even notice”

Jeremy Clarkson

If you think the R8 looks special, wait until you fire the engine. The normally-aspirated 4.2-litre V8 (proudly displayed under a glass engine cover, resembling a Ferrari) roars into life, and once on the move delivers impressive performance from 2,000rpm. At the far end of the rev counter, a red line of 8,250rpm is the key to its astonishing acceleration, accompanied by an addictive roar. It’s a proper performance engine. But be very careful with gearbox choice; the R Tronic paddleshift system is OK, but it distances you from the drive. The same can’t be said for the terrific six-speed manual, while the brakes are progressive, powerful and reassuring. The same applies to the handling, too. It’s an enormously capable and user-friendly machine, with scarcely believable amounts of grip. None of its rivals could keep pace on twisting roads during our tests. However, it doesn’t have quite the same involvement of the scalpel-sharp Porsche 911, and its responses are slightly insensitive in comparison.

However, this is a small price to pay for a car with such awesome body control and delightful steering, while the ride quality, if you select the £1,350 Magnetic Ride dampers, is little short of astonishing. Indeed, they are a must-have option for any R8 owner. Downsides of the R8? Only the limited view out and the wide 11.8-metre turning circle.
On Balance the car has an eye-catching design, and is extremely powerful. It is both Beauty and the Beast.

Written by mrfazee, exclusively for carscene.org