Audi R8 Test Drive Impressions

[Erik]

Story taken from here:

http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=106333 :deal:

I’ve test driven the new Audi R8 and wanted to share my impressions in case you’re considering to buy this car. Scores are 100% subjective.

Conditions: Air temperature: 10°C, Cloudy, dry. Settings: Sport mode ON
Price quotations are approximate and incl. 19% VAT.

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Exterior<O:p</O:p
R8 has the rock star effect. Everyone, I mean everyone, turns their head to look at this car. Some take pictures or film using their mobile phones. Most people think the GT3 is another 911 and the CSL is another 3 series but not with the R8. They know it’s one of a kind, they know it’s something special whether they’re a Grandma or a truck driver. May be in a few years when there are many on the streets, this effect will diminish but now; it is the car to be seen in. If you don’t like attention, wear a balaclava and dark sunglasses when driving this car. I also think that it’s a gorgeous design. Pictures and videos don’t do it a favor. You have to see it flesh to appreciate it really. My wife and my daughter also thought the same so it’s got a broad appeal as well. Dark colors probably black with carbon fiber (another 2,800 Euro option) or body color sideblade would be my choice.<O:p</O:p
Score: 10/10.

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Interior<O:p</O:p
Like the exterior, interior is also refreshing which is really good. It can accommodate large drivers easily since there is plenty of headroom and space behind the seat to push it further back. I’m not sold for the so-called monoposto design though. I think it’s an unsuccessful attempt to artificially link it with the Le Mans winning R8 and form does not appear to follow the function here. Electric seats are comfortable with reasonable side support but probably not so much on a track. The test car had carbon fiber trim which is nice. In the doors, cover only the lower part and the handle. The rest is plastic or leather depending on your options and you seem to have many to customize it. Alcantara headlining is also a 2,000 Euro option but is worth it since it makes the car look both classy and sporty.<O:p</O:p
The displays are easy to read and the SatNav easy to use. Although I liked the female voice which sounds younger than the BMW ladies, I couldn’t quite follow what she means when she says things like “prepare for the roundabout”. What am I supposed do to prepare? I guess she wants you to turn off the ESP for and get ready for a power slide. ;-)<O:p</O:p
The test car had the fancy Bang & Olufsen audio system which is a waste of money in my opinion as it does not deliver the rich 465 watts experience you might expect from its specs and 2,150 Euro price.<O:p</O:p
Score: 8/10.

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Engine<O:p</O:p
The V8 FSI engine is a respectable piece of engineering kit. Its technology possibly is really linked to the Le Mans winning R8 engine. It’s definitely pleasure to look at from outside as well. It revs quite freely to the 8250 rpm red line when you floor it with enough grunt for a GT car but feels slower than the current generation track oriented cars. Will the upcoming V10 will make it a better car or overpower the chassis, remains to be seen. I don’t have any experience with mid-engined cars but it makes a flywheel noise like whining noise that I don’t normally hear in front engine cars. Some little price to pay for hauling your engine in the back few cm away from your ears I suppose. The exhaust sound is not quiet but not racy either. More GT car like burbling and growling. The new M3 sounds better in my opinion but there will be those who would like the R8 sound as well. Of course, and aftermarket exhaust will make it scream.<O:p</O:p
Score: 9/10.

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Transmission<O:p</O:p
The test car had the R tronic sequential manual gearbox which is a whopping 9,000 Euro option making the SMG look like a bargain. After owning SMG cars for five years, I’ve felt quite at home with the R tronic. It’s only has single A and M settings. I haven’t noticed any different programs like the SMG or Ferrari has. It nevertheless shifts very fast with less jerkiness (double-clutch) which I personally liked in the M cars (you can always make the SMG less jerky with a small lift-off during up-shifting). It holds the revs high before up-shifting in the A mode since there is only one program. I don’t know how it would work in snow? Downshift throttle blip is not as dramatic as in the CSL where you could wake the left lane parkers up and get them out of the way just by downshifting at close range behind them. J Apart from being expensive there is really nothing wrong with the R tronic I suppose.<O:p</O:p
Score: 9/10.

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Chassis and Handling<O:p</O:p
This is where the R8 is really separated from the truly greats. In acceleration, cornering, braking, i.e. everywhere it feels heavier than its reasonable 1550Kg weight would suggest. I don’t know whether this is due to Quattro system but the 1650Kg M3 feels lighter. Steering is heavy during parking as well. Steering feeling and precision is not as precise as a track oriented road car but quite decent nevertheless. That said I felt some slack in the steering which I couldn’t believe in a sports car like this. Probably it is better than the rest of Audi lineup, but not on a par with Ms and Porsches. You do not feel attached to the road as much which in my opinion is the biggest shortcoming of this car. I’m not sure whether the test car had the Magnetic ride option or not. I forgot to ask. Quattro works wonderfully though and fast and tight cornering never causes a drama with ESP on or off. It is an easy car to drive fast on twisty country roads and almost impossible to get it out of shape.<O:p</O:p
Score: 7/10.

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Brakes<O:p</O:p
I’d rate the brakes average. They’re not confidence inspiring and you have to break early before the corners. It probably has to do with the heavy feeling of the chassis more than anything else.<O:p</O:p
Score: 7/10.

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Price<O:p</O:p
Although the 129,000 Euro (manual, +9K for R tronic) base price is reasonable for a car like the R8, nearly everything seems to be an option and expensive ones they are.<O:p</O:p
Score: 9/10 for base price and 5/10 for options.

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Verdict<O:p</O:p
I’d say if you’re looking for a great GT car with matching build quality and refreshing design look no further and order one today. It’s as good as anything probably costing twice as much. Audi says they aim the Carrera 4S and the Porsche Turbo as competition. It easily beats Aston Martin V8 Vantage and Maserati GranTourismo. Within the M lineup it’s probably comparable to the M6. I guess the M6 would be quicker and has the better engine (despite the FSI being quite good), but Audi’s mid-engine package is better than the 2+2 coupe of M6 with useless rear seats. So, both have their strengths and weaknesses and it’s a matter of taste between the two really. <O:p</O:p
On the other hand if you’re looking for a track oriented road car like the 997 GT3 or the M3 CSL, the R8’s handling is not in that league. Therefore, it falls short since handling is everything in that category. I’m a bit surprised and disappointed with that since all the magazines and TV shows have recently been telling us otherwise which got me to test drive the R8 in the first place. I was hoping to the perfect balance in the R8. It just weighs too much towards a GT. May be it’s just me who doesn’t get it!<O:p</O:p
Overall Score: 10/10 as a GT car and 7/10 as a track oriented road car.

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[Toto89]

R8 as a GT car? It's sounds very strange. But not a bad review from a BMW driver.

[KarlMarx]

Has anybody else got thoughts on the B&O system? I'm thinking about having it in our new RS6...though to be honest, I'm not reeeeally sure it's worth the money, given you're so close to the speakers and not in a great position in relation to them.

[Speedou]

I think problem with B&O is lag o bass...

[Leadfoot]

A great report with the one exception, steering feel.:confused:

I am at a lose as to how he felt the steering feel of the R8 is less good than M cars, maybe the Porsche offers more feel but not an M car within the last 10 years exception being the CSL.

Otherwise the rest is what I would have expected.

[Sanjuro]

At low speed I found the steering a little deadish, but it's fine when it's going. I've a mental blank with sequential manuals as the lack of movement when you get off the brake makes the whole car feel dead though - maybe it's the same sensation. Goes away when moving.

[Leadfoot]

The test car had the fancy Bang & Olufsen audio system which is a waste of money in my opinion as it does not deliver the rich 465 watts experience you might expect from its specs and 2,150 Euro price

I hate it when inexperienced people give an opinion on something they clearly have no understanding in. It that age old problem that some people believe watts equal bass, what they are believing to be bass is in fact distortion.

After experiencing home systems costing in excess of £250,000 you would be surprised as to how little bass to feel, such is the vice like grip that the amp has on the bass speakers.

The B&O system is much better than almost all current OEM offerings out there, the only one which springs to mind, the ones in Lexus cars, but in no way would any BMW system match that of Audi's B&O system.

[Speedou]

Really have no experience in B&O, but Logic 7 is quite nice.

[nene]

Awesome report Erik. I agree with you that in person the car is something else. I saw it in the New York showroom on Park Avenue, and up close and personal it is way better than pictures show. Thanks for the great and balanced write up.

[KarlMarx]

Indeed, nice report Erik ;-)

[EKaru]

Really have no experience in B&O, but Logic 7 is quite nice.

S5 stereo review:
http://www.edmunds.com/apps/vdpcontainers/do/vdp/articleId=121924/pageNumber=3

335i Stereo review:
http://www.edmunds.com/apps/vdpcontainers/do/vdp/articleId=117669/pageNumber=2

[MPT]

I spoke with a danish guy from Bang&Olufsen, and had a demonstration on the A8/S8 and the A4/A5 (almost the same as the R8) sound-systems.

He told me, that the A8/S8 aimed at people that would appreciate extremely clear sound, and good sound quality over bass etc. He told me, that it was two different target gruops they aimed at. He also told me, that because of this most people would actually like the sound in the "small" Bang&Olufsen systems over the big ones in the A8 & Q7.

But really, i was impressed. Of course ive heard both before, but this demonstration, really showed me what knowledge they have put into these sound-systems. And i would happily pay the 2150Euro's.

[RussianM3_dude]

Me, I would rather listen to the engine then a stereo. It's a car, not Albert Hall.

[Leadfoot]

S5 stereo review from Edmunds
How does it sound: A-
Oddly enough, the S5's B&O audio system sounds better than a very similar system found in the Audi S8. With the S5's smaller cabin, we expected just the opposite.

The reason for this is easily explained, being a 2+2 the stereo setup is not required to offer a sound stage which has to cater for two separate areas, front and rear so B&O only had to design the system to produce a front seat sound stage primarily.


The bass is rich and deep with some of the warmth and precision we'd expect from a premium stereo, although it could use more kick. Even so, the well-rounded bass anchors the sound nicely and adds depth to everything from Jars of Clay to Gorillaz.

You usually feel bass kick not hear it and in a 'normal' system once on the move this bass kick stops being felt so why waste valuable watts trying to produce something you only feel at a stop sign. My guess is the system's range starts around 50Hz and not really producing decent dbs until 90hz which is very acceptable in a non-competition system. The comment well-rounded bass anchors the sound means that the amps are doing there job, they are stopping the bass speaker at the end of the note, just like a quality amp should.


Midrange sounds good and rounds out the space nicely. Separation is impressive thanks to 12 speakers pumping sound into a fairly intimate cabin.

Separation is harder the wider the car is and the A5 is a wide car as you well know, this is helped by the centre speaker, most think the tweeters are the most important but the reality is our ears are designed to hear human speech most of all and the speakers which handle this most is you guess it, the midrange. So once again an impressive result.


The highs add detail to the music, but the overall sound tends toward too bright. At higher volumes, this brightness can be overwhelming, although the highs are not quite as taxing or tedious as in the S8, since the S5 doesn't have the sedan's gimmicky pop-up tweeters. Speakers that pop out of the dash might be great for impressing your buddies, but maybe they don't necessarily produce great sound.

A bright sound is usually a by-product of a high quality system, if the bass isn't distorting then it isn't very full sounding which without it makes the highs even more pronounced. Your ears need to become accustomed to this difference because most people aren't use to this. Please don't do your usual thing and turn the bass up, you will be introducing distortion into the sound and wasted the hard earned money you paid for the bloody thing.

I hope this helped some people understand what Audi and B&O are trying to do with their sound systems and appreciate them a little bit more because of it.:thumb:

[KarlMarx]

Leadfoot - thanks very much for the informed, helpful and well presented post. M3 "dood" take note.

[Leadfoot]

Leadfoot - thanks very much for the informed, helpful and well presented post. M3 "dood" take note.

Here to educate and spread to word of Audi where ever possible.:jlol:

And your comments are appreciated. Thanks. :thumb: