2008 Audi R8 Reviews

Scintillating, mind-bending and eye-watering - quite literally - the Audi R8 is on another plane when it comes to scorching through a favoured back road.First impressions of this car were from behind the wheel of a left-hand-drive car at Phillip Island, followed by a brief road drive in unfamiliar territory.Now it has been sampled on the challenging, familiar, sometimes-rough but always entertaining roads through the Adelaide Hills.Suggesting it has passed the test is a little like saying Einstein was a bright bloke with potential to do OK.This little two-seater is quite simply one of the most awesome vehicles I have driven, a list which includes plenty of high-performance brands.There are more than a few fast Audis within that list but none has impressed in so many ways.First, the looks of this low-slung machine pass the bus-stop test unanimously - young or old, male of female, the R8 turns heads and gets the camera phones firing.It's wider than a Commodore, only a little longer than a Barina sedan and you look up at the little Holden's driver.The brand makes good use of LED running lights and indicators in its super coupe, with xenon headlights also making an impression on those ahead.What isn't on offer is a lot of luggage space, with a small compartment in the nose and a small amount of space behind the two seats.You'll have to take something else from the garage to course if you need to take your golf partner and both bags. Or you could take up a different sort of driving.Firing up the V8 engine, which cranks out the same 309kW and 430Nm as the RS4 from the same stable, the noise is enticing, yet subtle. A razor-sharp throttle and a somewhat lifeless clutch can make take-offs a little haphazard, something that can also be said for the gated six-speed manual.Once accustomed to the shift, there's less chance of mutilating the gear change, but the tactile mechanical nature of the change might not be to all tastes. The close-set pedal box is not ideal for size 12 feet but careful application is rewarded.An automatic transmission is available, for an additional $15,000. While it might make the day-to-day drudgery a little easier to deal with, the loss of the metallic soundtrack to the gear changes might be missed.Dribbling through traffic, the R8 is remarkably docile, with a broad torque band helping to make progress unfussed. At 1560kg, the aluminium spaceframe body with plastic panels feels taut, light and strong.Tipping into a corner at pace for the first time is an enlightening experience. Whereas Audis of older days suffered numb steering and a weighty snout, the mid-engined all-wheel drive is biased both in weight and drive to the rear.It works a treat. As the pace quickens, there are no complaints from the Pirelli P-Zero rubber.Even without the tricky Audi Magnetic Ride magnetic-fluid suspension in Sport mode, the R8 sits flat, turns, grips and fires out of most corners with delicious disdain for the bend.Even tighter turns fail to induce major understeer and any front-wheel scrubbing is easily remedied with the wheel and the right-hand pedal.The ride quality is remarkably good given the intended duties of such a machine, and even when pressing ahead hard into corners the Sport suspension button is not required.Track days on a billiard table surface might warrant the tighter suspension settings, but it is by no means required.Of course, at $260,000 for the manual, it's not on too many shopping lists, but given the price tag of some of the other Euro hyper-cars required to keep up, it's a bargain. Small torqueAudi R8 4.2 FSI QUATTROPrice: $259,900Engine: 4.2-litre 90-degree dry-sump direct-injection 32-valve DOHC V8.Transmission: Six-speed manual, quattro all-wheel drive, electronic differential lock, traction and stability control.Power: 309kW at 7800rpm.Torque: 430Nm between 4500rpm and 6000rpm.Performance: 0-100km/h 4.6 seconds. Top speed 301km/h (governed).Fuel consumption: 14.6 litres/100km, on test 17 litres/100km, tank 75 litres, 98RONEmissions: 349g/km.Suspension: Front and rear double-wishbones.Brakes: four-wheel ventilated and cross-drilled discs, with ABS and EBD.Dimensions: Length 4431mm, width 1904mm, height 1252mm, wheelbase 2650mm, track fr/rr 1632/1593mm, cargo volume 100 litres, weight 1560kg.Wheels:19in alloys.In its class:Porsche 911 Carrera 4S, from $243,000Aston Martin V8 Vantage, from $245,000Ferrari F430, from $416,850Lamborghini Gallardo, from $414,993

Let us say up front that the Audi R8 had been one of the most anticipated drives of the year. First seen as the Le Mans Concept at the 2003 Frankfurt motor show, the production R8 had been talked up to a degree only a true superstar could live up to.Reports from the launch drive were mixed; good but not great, a bit of a show pony held back so as not to embarrass its Lamborghini stablemates, stylish but tries too hard.It all added to the anticipation and, more than usual, first impressions were going to be everything.Talk about getting off on the right foot. The test car was the six-speed manual with a solid body colour of brilliant red. The absence of the optional carbon-fibre ($5050) or silver ($2600) side air-intake panels immediately sent the spirits soaring.The R8 doesn't need gimmickry to draw attention. Even the glass show-off panel over the mid-mounted engine is unnecessary. In its most basic form the R8 is an attention magnet.It just looks the business. From the gaping front airdams, LED underscored headlights and no-nonsense stance through to the oversized TT-like rear the R8 speaks of getting on with it. Still, nobody had ever criticised it for being ugly.Slip into the cabin and you are in for a very pleasant surprise.You get the distinct feeling that those practical Germans have taken a long hard look at the captains of industry who are likely to be able to afford the R8 and — in the nicest possible way — made concessions for the regular boardroom lunch or three.There is room to spare and comfort to burn. Even the basic sports seats are nicely styled to hug a larger frame rather than just the pencil-thin F1 driver on his day off.If you want to step up to the creme-de-la-creme of sports seats, has Audi got a deal for you. For a mere $10,700 you can get the same carbon-fibre saddles as seen in the TT — and they come with the same compromises, a whopping price premium and the loss of the side airbags.The instrument binnacle is deeply-cowled and concentrated high in front of the driver. The flat-bottomed steering wheel has a nice meaty feel to it, with easy-to-use audio controls on the cross-arms.The open-gated six-speed manual shifter is a nice piece of art in a cabin that leans towards the minimalist and, more to the point, is well placed to come easily to hand.Storage space is not excessive but by supercar standards it is generous. There was also the optional storage package ($800) on the test car. There is a reasonable parcel shelf behind the seats and enough room for a phone and wallet in the centre console.The test car interior was standard and pretty good for all that. If you have a bit of pocket change left after purchase you could always option up to the $13,450 Napa leather treatment with sensuous-to-the-touch hide stretched across the dash, door trims, handbrake lever and further.So much for looks, how about ability? Straight up, the performance parameters of the R8 are not about being a supercar.Make no mistake, 0-100km/h in 4.6 seconds and a top speed of 301km/h are nothing to be sneered at, but neither are they in true supercar territory. A Mercedes SL600, Porsche 911 GT3, BMW M6 and a few others can match it and nobody thinks of them as supercars. Think mid-three seconds if you want to wear that tag.The upside of the R8's performance is that it has been set up as a car you can live with every day and shake the cobwebs out any time you like.It doesn't feel harsh and super-sharp, neither in the throttle, suspension nor steering.They are all at the better end of the sportscar scale but are still enjoyable without being tiring.Fire up the 4.2-litre V8 and wonder where it went. The isolation from the engine, sitting behind you, is such that the initial cabin noise is sedan-like.Wind down the window, find a tunnel and then jab the throttle.That will give some idea of how good this thing sounds to those merely looking on. From the driver's seat you are going to have to be satisfied with a far more subtle experience.The free-revving V8 is the same as the one in Audi's glorious RS4 — and while it shares the same magic it suffers from the same frustrations.At urban pace the benefits of a 309kW powerplant that spins up to 7800rpm remain largely untapped.Even the 430Nm of torque — which peaks at 4500rpm and hangs around until 6000rpm — rarely gets the chance to contribute.It is also keen for a drink. Feather-throttle driving is not something the R8 encourages so be prepared to accept that the official 14.6litre per 100km economy rating is an ambit claim. It is going to be quite a bit higher than that.Drive for the R8 is through Audi's quattro all-wheel-drive system, tuned in the R8 to give serious bias to the rear and not spoil all the fun.Adjustable sports suspension has its benefits but apart from the rare smooth section of sweeping highway and a trip to the track the comfort setting will be more than adequate.News from the New York Motor Show this week  the R8 had plucked two of the four World Car of The Year awards — Performance Car Of The Year and Design Of The Year — will only add to the R8's lustre.The bottom lineSuperstar, not supercar.  Snapshot Audi R8Price: $259,900Engine: 4.2L/V8, 308kW/420NmTransmission: 6-speed manualPerformance: 0-100km/h 4.6secs The rivalsPorsche 911 Carrera SPrice: $233,100Engine: 3.6L/6cyl, 261kW/400NmTransmission: 5-speed tiptronicPerformance: 0-100km/h 4.8secs  BMW M6 coupePrice: $276,400Engine: 5.0L/V10, 373kW/520NmTransmission: 7-speed sequential manualPerformance: 0-100km/h 4.6secs Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMGPrice: $382,974Engine: 6.2L/V8, 385kW/630NmTransmission: 7-speed automatic with manual modePerformance: 0-100km/h 4.6secs

It stopped making its NSX a couple of years ago and, as yet, hasn't produced another. Honda's sole supercar contender was a watershed though, as it finally forced Ferrari, Lamborghini and the rest to lift their game. On reliability. On ergonomics. On build quality. The NSX was usable every day because it didn't chuck tantrums like the highly-strung Italians.Now there's another contender raising the bar on supercars, and not from Italy.Audi's first attempt at the genre won't go down as the fastest, best-sounding, most beautiful or most desirable supercar you can buy. And despite limiting production to just 20 R8s a day, Audi could still learn a lot about exclusivity from Ferrari or Aston Martin.But the R8 is a landmark nonetheless, both for the supercar genre and for the brand.I stepped from an R8 into a Q7, Audi's gargantuan SUV. It was a lesson in contrasts, and not just for the obvious reasons. The Q7 has enormous cushiony tyres and because it's so tall, there's plenty of room for the suspension to do its stuff. But the more comfortable, better riding car was the R8.That was quite a surprise, and now I'm afraid all other supercars will feel like go-karts.Happily, the R8's ride quality doesn't come at the expense of handling, and you can put that down to its fancy magnetic dampers. The chassis feels very alert, hugs the tarmac like a clam and lacks obvious flaws such as the understeer that can blight some all-wheel drives. Instead, it's very disciplined but with an emphasis on the carrot rather than the stick.This supremely competent car’s very easy to drive. There's no lack of character here either, and to me it felt like a Lotus might feel if it had been built by Germans.Another departure from the supercar norm is the R8's design. Audi has been treading a fine line with some of the exterior detailing lately and is in danger of overdoing it. Any more LED lights and the cars will twinkle like a department store at Christmas.There's no doubting the drama of the R8 shape though, emphasised by some daring features such as the contrasting “blades” behind the doors. A clear engine-cover displays the V8 to advantage behind the cabin, in typical show-off supercar fashion.To my eyes it was taller than expected at first sight and the front overhang seemed a bit long. To other roads users, it was a cause for cheer.Inside, it's the driver's turn to applaud. Audi takes its usual detailing to a new exquisite level. The knurled metal gear shifter and its slotted metal plate were a special favourite, but the seats and pedals are also very pleasing. Even the flat-bottomed steering wheel, which looks cheap and plasticky in some Audis, is splendid here. It's just the right size, and perfectly trimmed in leather.In fact the whole cabin has Audi's typically clean and well-organised air. If there's a criticism, it's the contrived sweep of styling that's designed to impart a sense of being in a “cockpit” by partly enclosing the driver.A lesser sin, considering the limitations of mid-engined supercar design, is the lack of vision. It's restricted rearwards (and the rear glass needs a wiper) and forwards, with a very wide base to the A-pillars.But the controls mark a big step forward in Audi's bid for driver appeal. They all have a directness and subtlety that's closer to Porsche in quality than regular Audi stuff. The gearshift is terrifically satisfying to use as you double-clunk into the next slot against the weight of the spring. The clutch and throttle are nicely weighted, and between them they connect the driver directly to the responsive, torquey V8.This unit revs brilliantly and while it doesn't soar like a Ferrari, there's plenty to love in the soundtrack.The car is quick and there's a generous, torquey mid-range, which means you can leave the R8 in sixth and trundle around with the engine barely turning over. The brake pedal can be a bit numb at first, although it's miles ahead of the usual, over-sensitive Audi set-ups. A bit of kickback through the steering wheel over bumps isn't desirable, but demonstrates a lot more connection to the road than Audis can usually muster.All told, this is an Audi any driver will relish.However, before soccer mums descend on Audi dealerships hoping to trade in their Q7s for something a little more comfortable, it should be pointed out that Audi hasn't dodged the usual supercar space and cargo compromises. There's a front bin under the bonnet, akin to the Porsche 911. But not a lot else.There's little doubt Audi has leveraged its ownership of Lamborghini to build this car and along the way there's been a wholesale borrowing of parts. But Audi insists that was just the starting point, and that rings true.The R8 doesn't feel like a Lamborghini and is all the better for not feeling much like an Audi, either. Let's hope the R8 isn't a one-off like the Honda NSX threatens to be. Need to knowAudi R8Engine: 4.2-litre V8Outputs: 309kW at 7800rpm; 430Nm at 4500rpmTransmission: Six-speed manual, all-wheel drivePrice: $259,900On sale: Now 

Parking the Audi R8 is a pain. It has terrible visibility, sits worryingly close to the kerb, has heavy steering, does not have enough steering lock for tight turns, and costs far too much to chance on a bump-park.When you are driving the manu-matic model, with its computer-controlled clutch, you also park in fear of a slip and smack.So we have that out of the way.And that's about it for the CarsGuide complaints.The manu-matic can operate a bit suddenly in stop-start traffic, and the same lack of visibility that punishes when parking means you have to be careful with lane changes, but otherwise we think the new German speed machine is a ripper.It is fast, really fast, but still easy to drive and comfortable enough for everyday commuting and Sunday-morning fun runs. And it looks brilliant.I first drove the R8 almost a year ago in Las Vegas and marvelled at how Audi had taken a motor show concept car and made the dream a reality with so few compromises.It helps that Audi is also responsible for Lamborghini, which makes the R8-sized Gallardo supercar, but the Germany luxury brand did all the work itself and trumped BMW and Mercedes-Benz in the process.It has produced one of the best-looking cars on the road, from its signature bank of LED globes above the headlamps to the fat back tyres and cut-off tail. It looks Ferrari fast yet still sits easily in the Audi line-up alongside the A4, A8 and the rest.The R8 story just moved on a chapter with the unveiling in Detroit this week of a model powered by a V12 diesel engine. It will go into production, no question, and promises performance a little quicker than the regular V8 R8.The current car is fitted with the same engine as the RS4 sports sedan, which means 309kW and 430Nm of torque with quattro all-wheel drive, a six-speed gearbox — manual or robotised manual — and weight from 1565kg.The important numbers are 0-100km/h in 4.6 seconds and a top speed of 301km/h.Those figures, and prices that are a relative bargain (against a Porsche 911 or Ferrari F430) from $259,900, have created a two-year waiting list in Australia that will probably stay at the same level for a long time. And probably even after the V12 diesel, and the roadster and probably the much-rumoured V10 road rocket, join the R8 family.“The Audi R8 will be instrumental in further boosting our brand image and awareness in this market,” Audi Australia managing director Joerg Hofmann says. ON THE ROADThere is much to like about the R8, from the way it looks to the alloy body, the way it snaps away from lights and the way it eats up all sorts of roads.But, more importantly, you can happily take it on the daily grind or down to the beach for a weekend in the sun.As we said after our first drive in the R8 in the US last year, it's not a supercar, and we stand by that. It is very, very quick, but it's no Gallardo or F430.And that's not a bad thing because it's more than fast enough to scare most owners and lines up more than impressively against a Porsche 911, the real rival for the R8.It's as docile and comfortable as a Porsche, though there is that thing about the parking . . .We spent our R8 test time with a robotised manual gearbox, which lifted the car's price to $274,900, but most drivers will appreciate the strengths of the six-speed sequential R-tronic gearbox.To get the boring stuff out of the way, the R8 is comfortable and well equipped for two people. It also has reasonable luggage space for a car of its type. The driver's bucket is set a little high, but that's neither here nor there. All switches and knobs are beautifully finished and operate well, and the view over the dropaway nose is great.The R8 starts and runs smoothly, with a soft V8 burble that turns to a howl when you get close to the redline. We have used the engine before in the RS4, where it seemed wild and wicked, but in the R8 it feels as if it could handle much more, given the ultra-rigid chassis, quattro drive and brakes that defeat speed.We had only a few chances to really uncork the R8 during our run, but even a quick squirt in traffic is enough to make you smile. And draw admiring looks.Still, it feels so safe and planted that even a brisk attack on roundabouts is rewarding and enough to show the huge potential in the car.We have driven the R8 on a racetrack and know it's really, really fast in the right location at the right time. Few drivers could get the maximum from it, or even consistently run it up to the redline with a paddle-shift thump up through the gearbox.We rate it highly against the Porsche and it scores over the 911 on looks by a wide margin, which is why so many people are moving to an R8. And it's so much more civilised than a Ferrari or Lamborghini, with resale values that are likely to stay high.There is so, so much to like about the R8, but we would always recommend finding a spot with valet parking. THE BOTTOM LINE86/100A wickedly fast car that is a dream to drive every day. ALL ANGLESFAST FACTOne of the options for the R8 is a lighting system for the engine bay INSIDE VIEWAUDI R8$274,900 (R-Tronic auto)ENGINE: 4.2-litre V8POWER: 309kW at 7800 revsTORQUE: 430Nm at 4500-6000 revsTRANSMISSION: Six-speed sequential auto, all-wheel driveBODY: Two-door coupeSEATS: TwoDIMENSIONS: Length 4431mm, width 1904mm, height 1252mm, wheelbase 2650mm, tracks 1632/1593mm front/rearSTEERING: Power-assisted rack-and-pinionFUEL TANK: 75 litresFUEL TYPE: Premium unleadedFUEL CONSUMPTION: Average on test 14.0 litres/100kmWEIGHT: 1565kgSPARE TYRE: SpacesaverBRAKES: Anti-skid four-wheel discsWHEELS: 19-inch alloysTYRES: 235x35 front/295x30 rearSAFETY GEAR: Front, side and head airbags, electronic stability control, anti-skid brakes, traction controlWARRANTY: Three years/100,000kmFEATURES:AirconditioningCruise controlAlloy wheelsClimate controlLeather seatsHeated seatsParking sensorsAutomatic wipers For ANCAP vehicle safety ratings, go to howsafeisyourcar.com.au HOW IT COMPARESAston Martin Vantage 81/100 (from $245,000)Ferrari F430 87/100 (from $389,000)Lamborghini Gallardo 86/100 (from $414,000)Porsche 911 86/100 (from $201,000)