2008 Audi R8 Review

Specifications

So, what do you get when you cross an Italian with a German? Well, it would depend on which Italian and German you cross, of course. If it’s Heidi Klum and Danny DeVito, well, it might not work out all that well,but MotoGP star Valentino Rossi and, say, Audi DTM driver Vanina Ickx? Now that’s fast company indeed, with attractive bloodlines at least on one side of the family.
In the automotive world things have heated up to produce something just as interesting, with the latest crosspollination of supercar manufacturer Lamborghini and sport sedan specialist Audi resulting in one of the hottest road cars of the decade, the awe inspiring Audi R8.

It only makes sense that Audi would finally capitalize on its ownership of Lamborghini, especially being that much of the German brand’s know how has gone into making the Italian company’s new Gallardo and Murciélago two of the most coveted cars on the planet. The new R8, which hardly by accident is named after Audi’s recently retired sports car prototype that dominated Le Mans, Sebring and almost every other race track around the world, is set to take on the lower end of the exotic spectrum. That means it’ll be fighting it out with Porsche’s 911, Aston Martin’s V8 Vantage, Maserati’s upcoming GranTurismo, and no doubt an entirely new crop of competitors that will copycat Audi onto the supercar stage.

Butif BMW, Cadillac, Jaguar, Lexus or any other premium brand finally gets their act together to enter something into this segment, or for that matter Acura, with its long overdue NSX replacement, or Mercedes-Benz, with something a little sportier than the auto-only SL and less garish than the overcompensating SLR, choose to come back, they’ll have to come up with something miraculous to beat the R8 in the styling department, because it looks absolutely divine. Somehow Audi’s managed to make a coupe that’s shorter than a 911 look ultimately sleek, mostly thanks to a roof height that only rises up a bit past my waist. Its massive, menacing grille looks as if it’ll scoop up pesky poodles by the mouthful, while its scowling slit-like LED headlamps are intimidating to say the least.

From profile, an odd although intriguing design feature is the set of bizarre panels Audi calls side blades that can be ordered in body color, contrasting colors, an aluminum-look finish, or carbon fiber. Reminding me a bit of a smart car’s exoskeleton, the “blades” are especially attractive in the latter of the four combinations, most notably when contrasted by a lighter color; white being a personal favorite. Adding carbon fiber interior accents and engine bay trim only enhance the look.

Fromthe rear view, a set of taillights contrast the overall design by looking almost conventional, but the straked Testarossa-like engine exhaust vents aren’t traditional Audi fare at all, or for that matter the F430-like glass hatch that sheds light on the R8’s gorgeous engine. Comparisons to Ferrari? Oh yes, and in more ways than just a few design details.

Like the F430, the R8 uses a V8 to make power. Displacement is fairly close too, at 4.2 liters compared to 4.3, although overall output is a bit more subdued. This should be expected, mind you, as the Audi is about half the price of the prancing horse brand’s “entry-level” model, but nevertheless the end result of Audi’s little mid-engine masterpiece is impressive. Under glass is a direct-injection V8 making 420 horsepower and 317 lb-ft of torque, overshadowing its main competitor, Porsche’s 911 by almost a hundred horsepower and close to 45 lb-ft of torque. To be fair to the 911, the R8 is about 440 pounds heavier at 3,439 pounds, which definitely givesit a different feel on the road. Another bone we can throw Porsche’s way is the availability of the C4S model, which makes much more power, at 355, and like the R8 drives all four wheels.

But if it just came down to specs, Porsche wouldn’t sell anywhere near as many 911s as it does and Audi couldn’t justify what will no doubt be a lofty price tag next to Ford’s Shelby GT500 or Chevy’s Corvette Z06. No, the engine’s only a small part of what makes this new sports car stand out in a field of formidable performance machinery. As impressive, is a Ferrari-like aluminum gate for the six-speed manual, which worked flawlessly once I got used to it, and for those who might drive their R8 within the urban-suburban sprawl more often than not, one of the quickest shifting sequential manual transmissions in the business, Audi’s R tronic, which is called S tronic in lesser cars and was previously known (and still is in VW circles) under the acronym DSG. The 911 doesn’t even have one of these to offer, at least not yet. No doubt the bizarre love triangle that sees Porsche owning a large percentage of Volkswagen group, and Volkswagen wholly owning Audi, will see some of VW/Audi’s better components finding their way onto future Porsches, but that’s a subject for another time. What matters more is the here and now, and to that end Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive system, legendary for being regulated out of almost every racing series it ever entered due to ruthlessly cleaning up on the competition until there wasn’t any left, is part of the R8 package. Unlike traditional quattro, however, Audi found a viscous coupling setup worked best with the new sports car thanks to its ability to transfer torque from front to back as needed, or at least that’s the story and they’re sticking to it. When I pushed one of their product people on the subject of packaging considerations, he agreed that there were benefits in this regard too.

Mix up thesedrivetrain components with a lightweight aluminum space frame and skin, all combined equaling four hundred and sixty plus pounds of aluminum extrusions, castings and panels held together by 325 feet of seam welds, 382 self-tapping screws and 782 punch rivets, and you’ve got a car that’s about as technically advanced as anything on the planet, and Audi wasn’t about to shrink away from this fact by endowing the R8 with a wallflower interior.

No, this is Audi at its best, at least if you’re a fan of purpose-oriented minimalism. A8 loyalists might be disappointed that there’s nary a trace of glossy wood paneling to be found anywhere, but rather muted shades of dark gray and, in my test car, an inviting brown on the seat leather. Don’t worry my Teutonic conventionalist friends, as black can be had too, plus a veryMiami Vice Testarossa-like white on white shade scheme. Actually, through Audi’s customization arm, Audi Exclusive, in Ingolstadt, you can opt for just about any color combination your personal taste (or lack thereof) desires.

A few styling cues from the new A6 sedan and Q7 SUV spice things up nicely too, the ovoid gauges first coming to mind, and loads of aluminum trim pieces bring back fond memories of the original TT. The shifter gate is made from a solid billet of the bright shiny alloy, and, I reiterate, harkens back to Ferraris of yore, and the nice, simple arrayof heating, ventilation and air conditioning controls feature textured aluminum for added grip.

Just above, the audio system is made by sound stylist Bang and Olufsen, a Danish brand known as much for the modern design of its components as for quality. And yes, it sounds fabulous.

For those needing the nitty-gritty of standard and optional features, off the rack the R8 gets a magnetic ride adaptive damper system, automatic bi-xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights, LED taillights plus LED engine compartment lighting. Large 19-inch alloy wheels are at all four corners. Inside, automatic climate control, power and heated leather and Alcantara sport seats, cruise control, Sirius satellite radio, and a nine-speaker base audio system round out the details. For a little extra a Convenience Package includes Audi’s parking system with a rearview camera, hill hold assist, a six-disc CD changer, HomeLink, Bluetooth phone prep, auto dimming exterior mirrors and a storage package.

You may want to add a few standalone options such as the 12-speaker, 465-watt Bang and Olufsen stereo I mentioned a minute ago, suede-like Alcantara headliner, navigation, an upgraded Leather Package or the Enhanced Leather Package, which includes a leather covered dash and interior trim pieces, metallic/pearl effect paint, carbon fiber or body color side blades, and the six-speed R tronic sequential gearbox.

All said my favorite aspect of the R8 interior is the “monoposto” design of the cockpit, especially when constructed of gleaming carbon fiber. Yes, it’s real,and just like with the twin side blades and engine detailing, the woven composite ideally suits this car. Just the same, not everyone enjoys my sentiment and therefore Audi is offering piano black lacquer, although possibly not in North America, as well as soft-touch black plastic. No doubt if you throw in a little more lucre you could probably get this piece whipped up in body color or embossed with your family coat of arms via Audi’s bespoke division, if the material will take to modification that is (Audi couldn’t confirm).

The seats aren’t as typically German as I would have originally conceived. Normally, luxury car makers overcompensate by making sports car seats somewhat unforgiving, but both driver’s and passenger’s chairs are surprisingly well padded in all the right places, while the soft leather combined with thick side bolsters for a grippy environ. And thanks to three-way seat heaters pumping out therapeutic levels of thermal conductivity to the derriere and lower back, they’re ideal for the long haul.

Also grippy is the flat-bottomed leather and aluminum covered steering wheel that connects to a hydraulic rack and pinion steering system. Other than looking positively chic, the unorthodox wheel, a version of which first hailed from the Euro version of Audi’s RS4 super-sedan, lends a little more room for those with thick, meaty legs. It also feels great in the palms and is just the right thickness for shorter, stubbier fingers, and when parked in front of the newRitz Carlton somewhere outside of Vegas central, really made me want to get out onto the road … and so I did.

Charging through Nevada’s Valley of Fire and surrounding roadways, the car clung to the tarmac with almost as firm a hold as my cameraman clasped to the dash and door pull, and being that he was filming me (or at least attempting to), the constant starts and stops, multiple drive-by shots and problems conjuring my mind’s recall mechanism for my second intro line, I was behind the regular pack of journalists and had to make up time if I was to enjoy time on the racetrack later that afternoon … not to mention lunch. The parts I couldn’t see — components like double-wishbone suspension bits at both ends and magnetic ride control dampers (gas-filled shocks are also available) — did their job to perfection, and the optional 19-inch wheel and tire package didn’t hurt matters either. Actually, few cars feel as capable at high speeds on a curvy road.

I reallynoticed its bias towards understeer when I got to the track, however, a tendency that might be disappointing to truly talented drivers who like to hang the tail out around aggressive corners. For the rest of us, mind you, understeer is a kind and gentle friend that’ll get you out of tight spots that an oversteering competitor would otherwise exacerbate, making the R8 the supercar for the average well-to-do Joe that doesn’t have time to hone his skills at the track each weekend, but will no doubt push such a car beyond his capabilities once in a while when late to a critical meeting. Just the same, in the passenger seat beside a truly talented driver it immediately became apparent that the R8 can kick all four wheels out when called upon, not to mention when the traction and stability control button is turned to the off position. It feels almost perfectly balanced in actual fact, with a slight bias to the rear, although I could still tell all four wheels were pulling when powering out of corners.

Fortunately, its standard discs were the size of those large, fancy under-dinner-plate plates that nicer restaurants take away when its time to eat, pulling the R8 down from autobahn speeds quickly, with ABS obviously part of the equation. If you manage to get it bent out of shape (well maybe bent isn’t the word I’m looking for, how about askew? Sideways? That’ll do …), you can count on the aforementioned electronic stability system to tuck the rear wheels in behind where they belong and keep the R8 between the yellow lines. And by the way, as an upgradeAudi will offer its European customers (North America hasn’t been confirmed yet) ceramic brakes that virtually eliminate fade and make emergency stopping maneuvers so predictably quick that, upon controlled testing they would’ve been almost yawn inducing if the Gs weren’t separating my facial skin from its backing.

Speaking of Gs, having been spoiled rotten when it comes to driving sports cars I’m not totally overwhelmed with this car’s acceleration. Don’t get me wrong as it goes plenty quick, hitting 60 mph in a blistering 4.4 seconds and staying on target for a top speed of 187 mph, but something tells me there’s not only a chop-topped R8 Spyder on the horizon, but also an even sportier RS8, boasting a tuned version of the S6 and S8’s Lamborghini-sourced V10.

And here I am talking about Italians and Germans again. But before I spin off into another nonsensical tangent about fictitious pairings better left to the tabloids, let’s be clear about just where the technology behind this new car comes from. The R8 has a lot more to do with Audi’s Ingolstadt headquarters than it does Modena, Lamborghini’s home office. I mean, Audi’s been building aluminum space frame cars with quattro all-wheel drive for decades. The only difference now is that the engine’s behind the driver, and that the car looks about as sexy as anything to ever come out of either country.

All that sex appeal comes at a price, however, with six-speed manual cars starting at $109,000 and R tronic versions going for $118,000. Of course, load up a 911 with all-wheel drive, throw the letter “S” on the back and a similar list of options and it’ll come pretty close the R8’s price point, so the R8 should at least be competitive. But will it sell?

Absolutely! Since it debuted in Paris last year Audi’s sold every last one of the first year’s production, for a total of 3,500 cars. That’s 20 hand-built R8s coming off the line every day. While that might be a drop in the bucket compared to Porsche 911 sales, its more than twice the number of 2006 calendar Lamborghini Gallardo sales, in a few short months.

And that’s pretty impressive for an entirely new car in an entirely new market … one that’s sure to enhance Audi’s overall brand image the world over.