Great with the curves Better on the bends
Sporty, stylish and speedy, stunning new Audi R8 is lord of the rings. And the road
In the world of supercars, Audi’s R8 is a budget buy – despite its £120,645 price tag.
While it won’t dent your bank balance anywhere near as much as some of the Italian exotica that live in the same rich man’s world, it’s anything but a second-class citizen, either in excitement, build quality or performance.
Unlike the original V8 model I drove almost 10 years ago when Audi launched the radical mid- engined two-seater in France, the latest one is powered by a V10 and the power has jumped from 420bhp to 520bhp.
The second-generation R8 is a stunning piece of design work which has built on the good looks of its predecessor.
It’s a car which is timeless in appearance and is still drooled over by young boys and longed for by enthusiastic motorists of both sexes.
It’s low, curvy and its appearance tells you in no uncertain terms exactly what to expect, especially as the mid-mounted engine is clearly on view through a transparent panel behind the rear screen.
You don’t so much get into an R8 but become part of it when you take your place behind the steering wheel as the cabin wraps itself around you.
There’s generous space for driver and passenger as well as room behind the seats for coats or bags.
The new model has Audi’s virtual cockpit, which lets you play around with the appearance and size of the dials as well as the sat nav screen.
Push the red Formula One-style starter button on the steering wheel and the big V10 almost shakes houses as it bursts into life. I saw pedestrians jump in shock from the noise on start-up.
Leave it a few minutes, however, and it sinks into a low burble that wouldn’t disturb a sleeping baby.
Before moving off, you have a choice of driving modes to select from, including comfort, auto and dynamic as well as individual settings.
This car came with the optional sport exhaust system (£1800), which you can switch on or off via a button on the f lat-bottomed leather steering wheel. Although, if you want to keep on good terms with your neighbours, it’s probably better to wait until you have left home before activating it as the decibel level rises dramatically.
The R8 comes with Audi ’s seven-speed automatic gearbox as standard and is superbly smooth.
If you want to get the best out of the car, you can set it in dynamic mode, which automatically changes the gearshift setting from drive to sport, and switch on the sport exhaust. If that combination isn’t guaranteed to put a smile on the face of any enthusiastic driver, nothing is.
The all-wheel- drive quattro system ensures all power from the natural ly aspirated engine goes to the road, making sure you remain stuck to it no matter how tight the bend.
But the nice thing about this car – unlike some high-performance cars – is it’s a very easy car to drive and is just as happy pottering about on a shopping run or cruising along the motorway at 70mph with just 2000 revs on the rev counter.
And if you are going to live with a car day in and day out, that’s exactly what you need – and where the R8 scores over its rivals.