- Doors and Seats
2 doors, 2 seats
- Engine
4.2i, 8 cyl.
- Engine Power
309kW, 430Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (98) 13.6L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4WD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
3 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
Audi R8
When Audi took over Lamborghini in 1998, rescuing the Italian supercar maker from financial ruin, pundits predicted it would only be a matter of time before Audi built a supercar. It took a little longer than industry-watchers were anticipating but it's finally here.
It's the Audi R8 and, though it shares some of its genes with the Lamborghini Gallardo, most of its parts have nothing in common with the Italian. For starters, there's the small matter of a rather large price difference.
The Lamborghini costs more than $400,000. The Audi R8 starts from $259,900 for the six-speed manual and a semi-automatic version - or automated manual - starts at $274,900. We've been lucky enough to test both versions, as well as the Lamborghini, on which the R8 is partly based.
The R8 went on sale in Australia in September 2007 and initially the waiting list stretched two years. Just 22 cars have been delivered locally so far but Audi Australia has been able to negotiate a bigger allocation, so it expects to fulfil the remaining orders for 120 cars within the next year.
So, for now, the R8 is the car money can't buy, which is not a bad statement to make when you're new in town. It also adds to the car's desirability among those who can afford one.
The R8 looks like a supercar but is intended to be a rival for the Porsche 911. The classic Porsche starts at a snip more than $200,000 although there are numerous 911 models that match - and exceed - the Audi's price.
Audi wanted to build a vehicle that looked like a supercar but was more luxurious than most cars of its type.
A long list of expensive options can easily take the R8's price beyond $300,000. For example, the large panels that cover the air intakes on both sides of the car are usually painted the same colour as the bodywork. But you can order a pair of panels made out of carbon fibre for $5050 or in a silver finish for $2600.
To cocoon the engine compartment in carbon fibre costs a further $7850 (at least the engine-compartment light is standard).
Carbon fibre door inlays are another $5400. If you'd prefer a "piano black" finish, it will set you back only $4500. Suede headlining: $3500.
The list goes on. A Bang & Olufsen sound system is possibly the most worthwhile upgrade ($3800) as the standard stereo is not as good as it should be in such an expensive car.
Sportier seats - without electrical adjustment or the side airbags of the standard seats - are a gobsmacking $10,700, but they're not the most expensive option.
That honour goes to a package that puts nappa leather trim on the doors, seats, dashboard, handbrake grip and instrument cowl: a cool $13,450. You can buy a Holden Barina for that.
At least a rear-view camera is standard, which is handy. As in most supercars, it's difficult to see behind the R8.
Inside, the R8 feels like the cockpit of a fighter plane. That is, there are lots of gauges and it's not always easy to pilot.
The regular six-speed manual shifts smoothly and precisely through the Ferrari-style metal gate but the clutch pedal is a pain in stop-start traffic, foot room is tight and your left leg can cramp as it hovers awkwardly above the clutch pedal.
There is more foot room in the automated manual version because the clutch pedal is removed (the clutch itself is activated automatically behind the scenes as soon as you change gears via levers on the steering wheel or the stubby shift lever on the console).
Motoring writers around the world are divided on which is the better gearbox. Both systems have been widely criticised and praised. At times, the automated manual can feel indecisive. This is true but it can be finessed. (Out of interest, Audi says 70 per cent of R8 orders are for the automated manual.)
Having driven both types of R8 gearboxes at length, I'd rather not have cramped feet. The automated system can select gears faster than any human can with a regular manual gearbox, so it accelerates a little quicker, although Audi does not set out the difference in 0-to-100kmh times in the brochure.
Despite an official claim of 4.6 seconds for the 0-100kmh dash, the R8, surprisingly, doesn't feel that fast in everyday driving. Perhaps that's because the R8's power is delivered high in the rev range.
That said, the R8's performance is still not to be sneezed at. Powered by Audi's highly regarded, high-revving 4.2-litre V8, the R8 delivers its grunt to the ground without fuss - or any loss of traction - via its all-wheel-drive system. The V8 sounds incredible. From the outside.
From the inside, the ruckus is relatively muted. Audi has done a good job of keeping noise from the mid-mounted engine in the engine bay. Perhaps too good a job.
Below, say, 5000rpm (where you're likely to be revving in day-to-day driving) the R8 could do with more urge. The engine was designed to rev high and it only really comes alive once the revs almost reach their peak. The R8's acceleration is modest considering the car's overt appearance. I reckon if you're going to make a brash statement and walk around in a muscle shirt, you want to make sure you have the substance to match the style.
However, Audi says there is a market for a vehicle such as the R8.
It feels more like a luxury car than a performance car because Audi deliberately tuned the suspension, steering and throttle response to give it a refined feel (although the sensitive brakes nearly put you through the windscreen).
You can switch the suspension from comfort to sport mode at the press of a button but, on Sydney's roads at least, the comfort setting is recommended.
Thanks to the wide rubber - 8.5-inch front and 11-inch rear - there is ample grip. But the R8 isn't exactly what you'd call nimble. By supercar standards, it's not light on its feet.
So, for me, the Audi R8 is a bit of a contradiction. To say it's like getting into a jet fighter only to find you've got the power of a Cessna would be unfair, but it nevertheless overpromises and underdelivers. Slightly.
Audi reckons not all well-heeled customers want to be shoved around inside the cabin. And for what it's worth, the company is confident it has the formula right. It has a full order book worldwide to back it up.
The R8 is a stunning looking car. It genuinely turns more heads than a Ferrari. But I can't wait to drive the more powerful R8 that Audi engineers wanted to build in the first place, instead of deliberately muzzling performance by fitting a smallish V8 so it wouldn't overtake its more expensive sibling, the Gallardo.
Now the Lamborghini has a bigger V10 on the way, surely it's only a matter of time before the Audi R8 gets a heart transplant, too.
Oh, and Audi is also working on a high-powered turbo diesel V12 (yes, diesel) that's said to be quicker than the V10.