alright here is my impression on the R8
first off, the guy who's car it was bought this one while he waits for the V10 pricing to be released so that he can put one of those on order.
Exterior:
extremely futuristic, unlike anything on the road today. The LED's really make the front look badass, some may not like it, but i really think its what makes the front look so damn good.
This car was Grey with the Carbon Fiber Sideblade. Now Im not too sure if I like the Sideblade, but I guess its something you grow into liking, basically what I did with the current generation BMW 5 Series. The rear of the car is just wild, reminds me a lot of its cousin the Gallardo (although the current R8 is not compared to it until it gets its V10 motor).
Interior:
I have always loved Audi interiors. I think probably one of my favorite car interiors in this modern age. Full of luxury and all the little toys one could want in a Supercar.
This car came with the Black Leather, which was very very comfortable, but yet the seats hugged you in the corners, much like other supercars twice the cost of the R8.
This particular car was the standard 6 speed manual. Again, having owned and driven many past Audi's, this transmission is no different. Very easy (like the NSX) to drive, clutch is light but still grabs enough to perfect launches.
Engine/Performance:
Well since the R8 uses the same 4.2 V8 out of the RS4, naturally its going to sound pretty wild. Its got a big throaty growl when you step on the gas to give a few revs. The idle is subtle, but still gives hint of what lies in the engine bay. The best noise point for the engine/exhaust in my mind is between 3800-5000 rpm. The R8 is also seriously fast, a lot more so than I thought having a motor that does not produce Supercar numbers on paper.
But this thing is a monster, and I have to say, that I cannot wait for the V10 to come out. If you perfect the timing with the clutch, this thing launches like a bat out of hell, literally. And as well, at high speeds, I still felt very comfortable and not afraid to keep pushing further (similar to the NSX feel).
I just felt extremely safe in it, because well its an Audi.
So comfortable that when you think your doing the speed limit and then you look down at the speedo, you notice that your doing close to double, I really couldn't get used to the fact that I wasn't feeling the speed I was actually going.
Handling is great as well, even for it being so heavy (3400 lbs), and since it is mid-engined, it took corners really well. Because of the weight distribution (front 44, rear 56) it drives similar to a RWD car although it is in fact AWD.
The rear of the car is easy to kick out with traction control off and a hard flick to either side.
Overall, I was really impressed with this car. As many people may think, its main competitor is the Gallardo, but no, the V8 version goes head to head with the Porsche 911 C4... The future V10 will compete then with its cousin.
with a price at just about $140,000 CDN, I think its a bargain, and would definitely choose this over the Porsche, and coming from me that says a lot since I am a hardcore Porsche guy.
let me know guys what you thought of my review, or if you have any other questions about the R8 that you need to know.
Zak
