Audi R8 Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: Audi R8 range
Prices: £79,825-£99,580 – on the road
Insurance Group: 20
Emissions: 325-349g/km
Performance: [V8] 0-62mph 4.6s / Max Speed 187mph
Fuel Consumption: [V8] (urban) 12.7mpg/ (extra urban) 27.6mpg/ (combined) 19.3mpg
Safety: ESP, twin front and side airbags, anti lock brakes, traction control, ISOFIX child seat fixing
Dimensions: length/width/height 4431/1904/1249mm

BELIEVE THE HYPE

Our Rating: 8.0 / 10

The R8 is Audi’s first take on the bona fide supercar genre. Somewhat incredibly, it hits bullseye. Andy Enright reports

When invited to drive Audi’s R8, I was curious, excited and intrigued. A colleague I trusted had raved about the car but I put this down to the fact that he’d driven to the launch in a Citroen C3 Pluriel and anything would seem fantastic thereafter. Named after the Le Mans-winning R8 racing car, the roadgoing R8 certainly had the right ingredients – mid-mounted V8 or V10 engines, aluminium spaceframe chassis and styling to cause otherwise rational men to resemble slack-jawed yokels. I was convinced, however, that Audi would build in a frustrating carapace of safety margin, ironing out all the excitement. On occasion, it’s utterly fantastic to be proven wrong.

Regular readers will probably know that one subject guaranteed to have me climbing aboard the soapbox is Audi’s rather half-hearted attempts at building a convincing sports car. This from a company that can build a racing car so brilliant it could probably win Le Mans driven by Rio Ferdinand and Brian Harvey. In short, Audi could build a fantastic sports car for the road but for one reason or other, haven’t. Instead, it chose to patronise the enthusiast with some so-so offerings packing a lot of engine but all the subtlety of an elbow to the ocular orbit. Things have changed. And how.

The main engine you probably know about. It’s the same 420bhp 4,163cc V8 that powers the RS4, a car that moved Audi in the right direction but which still regards its driver as a bit of a berk. Punting 1,560kg of R8 up the road isn’t much of an impediment for this powerplant and 62mph will flash by in 4.6 seconds on the way to 187mph. Audi are also fitting the 518bhp V10 petrol engine borrowed from the Lamborghini Gallardo. So far, so predictable. What is a genuine eye-opener is the way the R8 involves the driver, crediting its pilot with some judgement and skill.

Arrive mid-corner at speed and the R8’s handling balance gives you options. It’s softer edged than its distant cousin, the Lamborghini Gallardo, but more benign, offering plenty of feedback as to what’s going on at the tyre contact points. Both a six-speed manual and a sequential R tronic gearbox (the amazing twin clutch DSG apparently doesn’t fit) are offered. I usually detest sequential manuals but really rather warmed to the Lambo-derived R tronic with its aggressive Sport mode and surprisingly adept ‘automatic’ system. Ride, handling, brakes, visibility, and engine note all get the thumbs up. In fact, it’s hard to pinpoint one aspect of this car’s dynamics I don’t like. Perhaps the steering could use a little more weight. That’s about it.

One of the most fascinating things about the R8 is its complex, unorthodox shape. Viewed in profile, it’s not conventionally beautiful, looking a little stretched and with some strange design features such as the awkward ridge at the rooftop and the rather weak looking haunches. Move around the car and the shape improves with front and rear three-quarter views looking especially muscular. There are many details to soak in. The side blades which channel air to the engine can be specified in many different colours and finishes. Look closely at the headlights and you’ll see an R8 logo etched into the main beam reflector. The twelve LED running lamps that rim the light pod look particularly menacing when looming out of the darkness.

The engine bay is beautifully displayed and the interior is an object lesson in how to package a two seat car with plenty of space, decent visibility and fantastic Audi build quality, the monoposto fascia sweeping from door handle to door handle in a broad arc and encompassing the main dials and information system. There’s room in the front boot for a couple of squashy bags and there’s also a slot behind the seats but the R8 is otherwise not long on luggage space.

At the moment there are just V8 or V