Car review: Audi R8 V10
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Date Posted:
October-20-2009 16:33
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With its Lamborghini heart and evil grin, Audi’s R8 has us drooling and shivering at the same time.
There will be cries of “Blasphemy!” from worshipers at The Church Of Porscheology but in sticking a 5.2-litre Lamborghini V10 into its R8 Audi has created one of the most exhilarating cars available.
The R8 5.2 FSI Quattro, which crashed the Australian supercar party hell-bent on picking a fight in August, only clears its throat at 100km/h and roars in ecstasy at 140km/h-plus. If you floor it and handle the six-speed manual gearshift nimbly enough, the rise from fly-splattering to face-melting speeds will take just a few satisfying seconds – stationary to 100km/h in just 3.9 seconds, to be exact. That’s 0.7 seconds faster than the V8-powered version.
There’s more to that performance than the powerhouse under the bonnet. Audi’s oil-sniffing pinheads have been scribbling notes throughout their string of Le Mans victories. The result is Grand Prix technologies for Average Joes like us.
Its low centre of gravity (the engine is mounted at the optimum point for a track-friendly front-to-rear weight ratio) only makes its sheer might more terrifying. Despite nifty features like the all-wheel drive system and ceramic brakes, you always feel that the tiniest twitch of your right toe could send you hurtling into surrounding buildings like Wile E. Coyote astride an Acme torpedo.
Visually the R8 has always been a far cry from Audi’s Bauhaus-brash design tenets. The new version has more pronounced side sills and 19-inch alloys, while its flared air intakes and oval exhausts only beef up the overall aesthetic. It couldn’t be more manly if you fitted a ball-scratcher.
Inside, it’s true to Audi form – practical, with only a few carbon fibre touches hinting at its sporting pedigree, and about as comfortable as possible given the economy class ergonomics that inevitably come with a sports car.
You won't believe these incredible specs or the price...