R8

Anyone on board have an Audi R8? Test drove one recently and was very impressed with build quality, design and all the small things that make a car special. Very nice handling and great exhaust sound as well. A bit underpowered but nice feel, tight steering etc make it a good road car. The V10 might be the answer but it adds over 200lbs to the car which is a big trade off for us mountain road drivers.
All in all a great car imo.

 

US V10s went into production this week so that should take care of the underpowered issue, but overall a nice car....although its kind of hard to buy when you know the gallardo is cheaper and already has the V10 in it....the R8 is more subtle though.

 

I agree with your assessment. The R8 is a fantastic car with great fit and finish, beautiful interior and great performance. I think it would be a terrific daily driver - great ride and comfort. Then drive the Ferrari when you want more of a race car experience.


http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=244354

 

Just got a great deal on a 3 month old, low miles car with a huge spec - Audi Individual colour, carbon fibre interior and blades, Bang & Olufsen speakers, advanced parking system, +++). I hadn't really been interested in this car until a friend who's a sales manager at a dealership called me to come and have a drive in this car. I was immediately sold on it when I saw the colour and the build quality is top drawer. It's a geat handling car and I'd agree with the extra power of the V10 being welcome but as I've got other toys including a Scuderia it wasn't an issue for me.
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More than enough power. It kept up with my superleggera and lp640's at over 250kmh.

brilliant car. aim on adding one to collection one day.

 

R8 is BEST CAR. Why? ) Look at last 24h nurburgring results ) .
V8 4.2 is enough. You are simple FASTEST on any winding roads (911s are far behind ). If you can't driving than wait V10
I prefer R8, not F430. And of course R8 with V8 because real sportcar must has light and small engine. Some R4 turbo or V6 biturbo will be best choice for R8 but marketing and V8 4.2 not bad at all...

 

You ever drove it? Chassis is good but car could be more powered actually.

 

Nice car but it is underpowered. This is embarrassing...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It9_jxLjl6U

 

I think the reason they made it 'underpowered' was that it couldn't be faster then the Gallardo. But then the LP560-4 was released..

 

Yes, I drove it and I think engine is enough. M5 and M6 faster but only on straight .

 

I've had 2 as press review cars. My overall impression... Nice, but kinda bland, kinda... Audi? Didnt make too much sense on the street. It was VERY usable, quiet, drove easily, was like driving any other Audi. That made it nice... but it also made it like driving any other Audi... not particularly exciting. Thats why it didnt make too much sense, in one respect it made the car GREAT as it was easy to drive and comfortable, in another respect it made for a VERY expensive everyday car... know what I mean?

Once I got the cars out on Laguna Seca? Forgetaboutit. Then they made sense. Great track cars. VERY stable, fast enough to scare the snot out of you, handled great, sounded great at WFO, good brakes... fantastic car all around.

would I buy one? Hmmmm... Thats tough. On one hand its everyday livable, but yet can still thrill you on the track. Perhaps I need something that had some quirks you have to live with and you end up calling it "character". I'd had my fill of of other exotics and just wanted a car I could drive and not worry about? absolutely.

From what I understand the cost of ownership is much less than any other "exotic". That is a big plus going for the Audi. I dont know that I'd want to dump any extra $5-15k every so often into a Ferrari just to keep the service records up to date.
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would it make a good every day car? Yes
would it be particularly exciting? hmmmm... not really
would it be exciting as a track day car? Yes


Dont get me wrong, I'm not putting the car down, its really a GREAT car, it manages to bridge that gap and make a "supercar" usable. Quite an accomplishment. Just a little bit of the excitement gets lost.

 

Here are some pics of the other R8 I got to play with for a couple of days

Darth Vader, your sports car is ready.
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We have one, Daytona Gray/CF. Love it. PM or email to discuss if you're interested.

Tritone

 

I have an Audi R8 and an LP560-4...The R8 is more of a daily driver...it does not make a lot of noise which is sort of a plus and a minus, it does however have a fantastic stereo which Lamborghini definitely does not. Despite being a quiet car it does get a fair amount of attention as R8s are pretty rare. If you want something understated you would probably be better off with a Porsche.

 

I owned a black R8 with silver side blade...I'm trying to find some photos to post (i posted some when I bought it). Terrific car. I liked it better than my Gallardo because it was more subtle and quieter. It was like a party broke out everywhere I went with the Gallardo (it was Rosso Vic -- metallic red, amazing color). I felt uncomfortable with that. R8 felt more sophisticated but was still a blast to drive. Yes, could have used a few more horses and better road feel, but it was more than enough for around town. I had the six-speed manual; the reviews of the first R8's said to avoid the automanual, but I've heard they improved that in subsequent cars. I saw a red R8 with black rims the other day -- sounds gaudy, but it actually looked great. The big plus of the R8 is there are so few around here.

 

6 speed vs. Flappy paddle shift -


personally I liked the flappy paddles. Could just be a novelty thing with me though. I've never had a car with them and thought it was cool. The 6 speed didnt add any extra feel or control as far as I was concerned. Could just be my driving style, could be that I liked no 3rd pedal and could stretch my left leg out fully straight. I you really like the process of shifting a manual, then by all mean opt for that the 6 speed. Otherwise, the paddle sifting car worked out just fine, seemed just as fast to me. Someone with better track driving skills than I might be able to tell the difference or squeeze more performance out of one or the other, but I couldnt tell.

 

Damn! Green actually looks really great on the R8!

How's the interior? Is it as luxurious as a current generation Ferrari or Lambo? From what I can tell from the pics, it looks like what I'd expect to find in an Audi but nothing too over the top.

 

I've had an 06 Gallardo Coupe and an 07 Gallardo spyder before this car and I'd say the interior of the R8 is better. There is a lot more room for starters particularly in the drivers footwell and because the window rake is more conventional the car is far easier to see out of. The general dash ergonomics are better to IMHO with a more logical switch layout, better instrument clarity etc. My car has the fine nappa leather (full leather dash and door coverings with fine stitching seams), carbon fibre interior trim and alcantara headlining options which all raise the impression of quality significantly. The actual build and finish quality is way above my 430 spider or Scuderia and it's by far the most comfortable interior of any mid engined exotic I've owned.

 

Fifth Gear tested the R8 V10 last nite! The dude is a bit of a clown but yum yum in blue

http://www.coresworld.net/5thgear/fg1601.r8.v10.avi 60mb~ ripped it, enjoy.
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I just drove an R8 yesterday - nice car, but didn't do it for me. Loved the exhaust note, but the brakes were touchy, and the car seemed bigger than it actually is.

To be fair, I had just driven an F430 right before the R8 - the F430 was about as close to perfection for me. Having driven F2000 cars previously, the F430 felt similar in terms of seating, visibility, handling, etc.

 

I got to check out the R8 V10 last weekend at the Audi Forum in NYC for a promotional event. It's a gorgeous car, but if I was going to drop that kind of coin, I'd go with the Gallardo. Both are different cars for different personalities. It's good to see Audi giving the chassis some balls to catapult it.

Pics are here:
http://asianguywithacamera.com/images/2009events/061309_AFX24/