The improved second generation Audi R8 is an even more serious Porsche 911 Turbo rival. INTERESTED IN THIS VEHICLE...GET IN TOUCH HERE
The second-generation Audi R8 has become fiercer and more focused in this improved form, with V10 petrol engines providing near supercar levels of performance. Buyers choose between a 570PS V10 and a 620PS V10 performance version, both capable of topping 200mph. It's smarter, better finished and better looking than the original design. You can have an open-topped Spyder version. And of course there's quattro 4WD. Beat that.
Background
Models like the Audi R8 don't come about very often. By that we mean sports cars that redefine what you think a vehicle manufacturer is capable of. In living memory, Audi has probably had two: the original all-wheel drive Quattro and the R8. I guess a case could be made for the excellent V8-engined RS4, but it didn't break the mould in any particular regard. It's hard to believe that the R8 was launched in 2006, a year Porsche got a double-whammy from both Audi and Nissan, with its magnificent GT-R.
The R8 had a light refresh back in Spring 2012, when it got a better automatic gearbox, an more powerful V10 Plus version and a very subtle restyle, but that was just a means to see the MK1 design through the last couple of years of its life. In its place in 2015, we got this second-generation R8 model, here usefully improved.
Driving Experience
The big news with this second generation R8 is that there's more power. The standard V10 engine gets a 30PS increase to 570PS, while the previous 'V10 plus' version (now re-branded the 'V10 performance' model) gets a 10PS increase to 620PS. As for oither changes, well modifications to the suspension provide more stability and precision. Plus the assistance has been retuned both with the optional dynamic steering and the electromechanical power steering. In addition, Audi Sport has made the distinction between the profiles available as part of the Audi drive select dynamic handling system - comfort, auto, dynamic and individual - clearer. Thanks to the enhanced Electronic Stabilisation Control (ESC), the Audi R8 V10 performance brakes from 62mph to a standstill up to 1.5 metres earlier; the stopping distance from 124mph is up to five metres shorter - in each case depending on the exterior conditions. The range is now built purely around quattro 4WD and as usual, only an S tronic twin-clutch sequential auto paddleshift 'box is offered.
Otherwise, it's much as before. The R8 V10 performance model is the most powerful Audi road car ever built. That's serious stuff and so is a sprint to 62mph in around 3 seconds and a top speed of well over 200mph. The suspension is the same basic layout of double wishbones front and rear, mated to steel springs and dampers or there's an optional Magnetic Ride system that delivers continuously variable damping control. Where possible, weight has been excised from the suspension parts, Audi claiming that it has used lighter components developed through its LMP and LMS racing programme.
0 Comments