2017 Audi R8 review

The day of supercars being difficult to drive temperamental thoroughbreds has long since passed. But the truth is in the last five years exotic oops have gotten even easier to live with while still expanding their performance capabilities. The Audi R8 of course has been the poster child for the daily drivable supercar. Now in its second generation with a massive 610 horsepower engine none of that has changed. In fact it may be the friendliest super sports car in the world.

Audi’s in general and all rights in particular tend to appear in cool neutral colors like blue, silver or black. That’s probably why i like this one in dynamite read. The short nose and muscular shape works really well in this color especially with the framing of those black carbon fiber accents. Oh and the 20 inch wheels look phenomenal at each corner.

How’s the storage?

listen anytime you put a v10 engine where the trunk is supposed to go I’m not complain about storage too much. Up front there’s enough room for a small bag or you can overnight for a couple of people which is pretty much exactly how it should be for the super car segment. This is an environment designed for driving not snowing soda and snacks. Yes there’s a place to put your laptop bag behind the seeds and a half hearted set of cup holders if you really must drink. But the R8 would prefer you keep your hands on the elegant steering wheel.

I can get my stupid big body behind the wheel well enough to drive the hell out of this thing but it’s far from roommate. Suffice it to say that most average size drivers will be thrilled to sit here and talk folks like me won’t think twice about the paucity of headroom.

How does the interior filled?

So, I tend to think of the R8 cabin is kind of the pinnacle of Audi interior design. Its technical, it’s purposeful and it’s just luxurious enough to justify the price tag but. The most impressive part has got to be the multifunction steering wheel which allows me to do everything I need to do to pilot the car without taking my hands off. Shift, change the drive mode, activate the race mode, change the active exhaust and even start and stop the engine.

 Is it well equipped?

Even the barest bones are a gets a lot of equipment and this plus car gets even more. Ceramic brakes come baked into this package which is no small addition for a car with the top speed in excess of 200 miles per hour. Cosmetically there are LED lights all around and carbon fiber slathered on the exterior from tip to tail. Including the dramatic rear wing and the signature side blades.

How’s the infotainment system?

How’s virtual cockpit interface is spectacular. Even on the plane all day for here in the R8 it really makes sense though it allows the driver to keep his eyes up and his head in the game. Smooth fast responding graphics work well if you need to follow an avid directions at triple digits, not that I do that.

Is it a good daily driver?

So, we’re kind of running joke around the office has been that the R8 has turned into the Audi TT v10 and while we say that in a light-hearted fashion what we really mean by is that when you’re driving the car on a normal level in the comfort mode, not shifting with the paddle shifters. It feels so easy to drive so maneuverable light around town, easy in a parking lot and just really you know like a normal car. That it hardly feels like you’ve got a super car around you and I think that again with that sort of daily drivable nature of the R8. You really do have a supercar that that you can live with day in and day out if that’s what you want. Of course don’t forget that all the power helps to make the car great daily driver to you know what we talked about it a lot but when you’re doing something like burden on the highway having a response and transmission and 610 horsepower is not a bad thing. You’re able to get to the spot that you want to get to very very quickly. Dicing through traffic is easy the steering weights up really really nicely and speed but it feels very direct so it’s not either too busy or overly sort of jerky and frenetic when you’re on the highway. So yeah, I would say that like a large part of the magic of the R8 is that it’s such a good daily driver while still having incredibly high limits like a true supercar.

Is it fun to drive?

So, the R8 has become more mild manner when you don’t want to push it, that’s for sure. The thing is when you do want to push it this car is insanely capable. I would argue as capable as it ever has been maybe as impressively fast and good handling as any Audi or Volkswagen Group product underneath the Lamborghini brand. In fact I you know I’ve driven by rows in the past I’ve driven the current, her khan and those cars are razor sharp and do feel different than this R8 does, but you know you’ve got to put it right up to the league with other like very fast men engine supercars that competes with now. The R8 sounds really really good the v10 is just phenomenal when you open up the exhaust valves, you can tell that you’ve got something truly special behind you. The steering is quick but again it’s well weighted so you don’t feel like it’s sort of pulling you to quickly from one side to the other, but on a good road you can do change of direction is very quickly and staple with suspension that is really really firm and a body structure that’s just completely unflappable. What I really like about the car in the fun to drive nature though is that it does offer a lot of feedback. Now it’s not Ferrari level of feedback and it’s maybe not even nine eleven level of feedback, but I can feel a lot of sort of the grip story that’s happening from the tires through the wheel. And there’s also a lot of information the road that I’m getting to the floorboards of my feet and the seat of my pants. Which is always a really good thing when you’re talking about a car that to this quick. That I guess the downside if you want to call it that is that this already is definitely less edgy all the time then the old car was. So where is this one you can relax you can really make it a good GT car like I said you can do anything in it. It doesn’t feel quite as dangerous and sexy and exotic I guess, at every given moment like the old part 1. Still the levels of grip and thrust in this car are absolutely phenomenal and it’s those characteristics that make the R8 a field truly special when you decide to turn up the wick.

How’s the fuel economy?

I’m told that you can get up to 22 miles per gallon on the highway, but unless you’re driving the car in a fashion counter to the spirit in which it was designed you shouldn’t really care. Let me put it another way. The gas tank holds over 19 gallons. So you’ll have plenty of time to play between fill-ups.

How much is it ?

More than my first house, though i do live in southeast Michigan. Well the R8 coupe now bottoms out at about a 163 000 dollars, r plus model has a base price of 189 900 dollars. On top of that is a rather light options package by super car standards. 5 000 dollars for the diamond, stitch leather 19 000 for the be no sound system, 15 for the 20 inch wheels etc. The total comes to over 202 000 dollars. Well in line with the pricing for Portia’s Turbo S model.

One of the negatives?

The old rule of thumb says that your car can cost about a quarter to a fifth of your yearly income. if that’s the case you need to at least be a bee actor in Hollywood or a very good plastic surgeon before you can afford this thing but. The real negatives come in the form of the Porsche 911 turbo or the McLaren five 70s. It’s not that the R8 can’t run with that competition, but it does often offer up a milder less intense experience.

 Who should buy?

It the other side of that less intense coin is that the R8 offers a driving experience that’s great for a really broad number of people. The fact that it can go from leading edge performance – really laid-back grand touring means that you’re a lot more likely to want to pull it out of the garage. And it’s a design icon so anybody who’s looking for the ultimate rolling styling statement should look no further.

Specifications

VEHICLE TYPE: mid-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door coupe

ESTIMATED BASE PRICE: $163,000-$202,000

ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 40-valve V-10, aluminum block and heads, port and direct fuel injection

DISPLACEMENT: 318 cu in, 5204 cc
Power: 540/610 hp @ 8250 rpm
Torque: 398/413 lb-ft @ 6500 rpm

TRANSMISSION: 7-speed dual-clutch automatic with manual shifting mode

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 104.3 in
Length: 174.3 in
Width: 76.4 in

Height:48.8 in
Curb weight (C/D est):3500-3550 lb

PERFORMANCE (C/DEST):
Zero to 60 mph: 3.1-3.4 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 7.0-7.4 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 11.3-11.7 sec
Top speed: 199-205 mph

Audi R8 Exterior and interior

Published: Patrik Jonsson
Source: https://cartofuture.com/2017-audi-r8-review/