SATISFIES THE EYES AND EARS
What a great sound - low, throaty rumbling you will never get tired of hearing.
The Spyder can accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in 3.6 seconds and I can attest that you are thrown back into your seat when you touch the accelerator.
The V10 DOHC direct injection engine with S tronic transmission offers 540 hp and 398 lb/ft of torque. Top speed is 318 km/h.
I was asked a number of times how fast I got the R8 to on Hwy. 401 but my answer was always the same. I could never go as fast as I hoped because the highway, no matter what time of day you are on it, is always busy.
Man how I would have loved to take the R8 up to Mosport for a few hours. Crawling along in traffic on the long weekend in August with the top down, I had a number of other drivers put their windows down to yell over how nice the car looked.
To the left of the start button is the drive select button. There are four settings, comfort, auto, dynamic and individual. I left the R8 in comfort or auto for most of the week.
Dynamic opens the exhaust and allows a sharper sound when the car is running but I didn’t like how the car reacted as it down shifted.
It was almost as if a novice was driving a stick shift for the first time and was not able to gear down properly. Both comfort and auto provided a smooth, satisfying drive during the week.
The R8 has a long list of standard features including a tire pressure monitoring system, front spoiler, rearview camera and LED headlights.
My tester for the week had a number of optional features including ceramic brakes at $11,300 and diamond quilted leather interior at $4,300.
The interior of the R8 is stunning, especially the dashboard. With the navigation system on, a map showing where you are fills the dashboard with two large digital dials on either side showing your speed and the rpms.
Press a button and those two dials shrink and move further to the left and down until the whole dashboard is filled with the map. Stunning! The buttons for the air conditioning are also standouts and everything you need is easy to use and within reach. The red seats with the black interior are very pleasing to the eye. Parking sensors in the front also help you from hitting a curb.
But all is not perfect as the R8 has only 112 litres of space in the front trunk.
You might be able to get a briefcase or a few grocery bags in it but if you are heading to the golf course, you’ll be putting them in the passenger seat.
2017 Audi R8 Spyder
BODY STYLE:Two-seat supercar DRIVE METHOD: Rear-engine,Audi quattro all-wheel-drive, seven-speed dual clutch automatic transmission ENGINE: 5.2-litreV10 DOHC direct injection (540 hp, 396 lb/ft) FUEL ECONOMY: (Premium) 16.8/10.6L/100km (city/hwy) CARGO CAPACITY: 112 litres in trunk. PRICE: Base price $198,100; as tested, $230,685. WEBSITE: www.audi.ca you are on it, is always busy.
Man how I would have loved to take the R8 up to Mosport for a few hours. Crawling along in traffic on the long weekend in August with the top down, I had a number of other drivers put their windows down to yell over how nice the car looked.
To the left of the start button is the drive select button. There are four settings, comfort, auto, dynamic and individual. I left the R8 in comfort or auto for most of the week.
Dynamic opens the exhaust and allows a sharper sound when the car is running but I didn’t like how the car reacted as it down shifted.
It was almost as if a novice was driving a stick shift for the first time and was not able to gear down properly. Both comfort and auto provided a smooth, satisfying drive during the week.
The R8 has a long list of standard features including a tire pressure monitoring system, front spoiler, rearview camera and LED headlights.
My tester for the week had a number of optional features including ceramic brakes at $11,300 and diamond quilted leather interior at $4,300.
The interior of the R8 is stunning, especially the dashboard. With the navigation system on, a map showing where you are fills the dashboard with two large digital dials on either side showing your speed and the rpms.
Press a button and those two dials shrink and move further to the left and down until the whole dashboard is filled with the map. Stunning! The buttons for the air conditioning are also standouts and everything you need is easy to use and within reach. The red seats with the black interior are very pleasing to the eye. Parking sensors in the front also help you from hitting a curb.
But all is not perfect as the R8 has only 112 litres of space in the front trunk.
You might be able to get a briefcase or a few grocery bags in it but if you are heading to the golf course, you’ll be putting them in the passenger seat.
I’ll never own an R8 unless I win a lottery but I can understand why people buy them.
This is a machine that feels right from the moment you sit in it.