It’s now more than seven years since the Audi R8 went on sale, but the car’s development by quattro GmbH is continuing right to the end of production.
You may not have noticed but there’s a mini-battle going on at the moment and it’s over laser headlights. BMW says its optional Hella-supplied units for the i8 will give it world-first bragging rights but so too, Audi will soon make this step above LED units a feature of the limited-build R8 LMX. The chief advantage is said to be the ability of these units to throw beams of virtual daylight way further down the road than any existing headlight – I haven’t experienced laser lamps in either model yet but hope to do so later in the year.
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It’s of interest that Audi has chosen to specified the new lighting tech for the R8 rather than the A8. It’s a clever move from a PR point of view as it has put this still striking looking car back in the news, at a time when BMW (and soon, Mercedes-AMG, with its forthcoming GT) would otherwise have been the headline grabber in the sports car segment.
The contrast between the under-the-skin engineering of the R8 versus the i8 couldn’t be more stark: lightweight aluminium frame versus carbon fibre tub. Which one is heavier? The Audi, as you would expect, but the difference isn’t too great: 1,635kg compared to 1,560kg. That’s a good result considering how long ago the R8 was developed and the size of its engine: a 4.2-litre V8 and quattro drive versus a 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo and electric motors acting directly on the front axle to give the i8 AWD capability.
Next year there will be a new R8 and it’s noteworthy that Audi has rejected the idea of making the car a direct rival to the new BMW. You can see why – the current formula has worked brilliantly. The platform was for many years shared with the Lamborghini Gallardo, while the second generation Audi will share much with that model’s successor, the just-launched Huracán.
Underpinning the Huracán is the Volkswagen Group’s MSS architecture. Lamborghini calls the chassis an ‘integrated structure of carbon and aluminium’, and the car has a dry weight of 1,422kg. Like the current R8, the Gallardo had an aluminum space frame consisting of cast nodes and extruded profile with permanently integrated aluminium panels. Its successor features a hybrid chassis, combining aluminium components with large elements made from carbon-fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP).
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By GlobalDataWhile we don’t yet have any official details about the next R8, we do know where it will be built: at Audi’s just-finished specialist works near its Neckarsulm manufacturing complex. This site, about six kilometres from where the current R8 is made, is in the Böllinger Höfe industrial park within the city limits of Heilbronn. Audi subsidiary quattro GmbH produces not only the R8 and R8 Spyder, R8 GT and GT Spyder (and soon, the LMX with its laser lights) but also the RS 5 Cabriolet, RS 6 Avant and RS 7.
There are all manner of rumours about the next R8, including the supposed appearance of a biturbo 4.0-litre V8 and an evolution of the 5.2-litre V10 and possibly even a diesel variant and/or an e-tron. The big question for me is can it possibly look as beautiful as the current model? Like the first generation TT, the design bar was set high. Even after having a 4.2 FSI parked outside my home for a week, I could find nothing to make me think of this as a dated car. A few months back I also got to sit in and spend some time admiring the i8 – sadly, I wasn’t allowed to drive it – and while its interior is obviously a big step up over the launched-in-2007 Audi’s, I’m not convinced that the BMW is necessarily more beautiful.
One big drawcard of the R8 is the intense noise emitted by its 430PS 4,163cc engine. In as-borrowed form, it was linked to an S tronic transmission, which is what Audi calls a dual clutch self-shifting system. It has seven speeds and you can either tap the metal lever over to the left for ‘A’ (automatic) or flip it to + or – for clutchless-manual changes. The paddles behind the steering wheel offer another way of changing gears manually. Just as in a 911, the engine will be blipped for you if you press the S button, which does make for the most delicious down-changing aural porn. I already knew the 4.2 V8 from the RS 5 cabrio but the sound it makes in the R8 is even better.
Can a car like this work day to day? In this case, yes. The front splitter isn’t so low that it catches on speed humps or driveways, while getting in and out is pretty straightforward – one leg over the door sill, bum in the seat, and in you slide. It’s also dead simple to park if you opt for the optional (GBP 670) parking system plus which consists of sensors but no cameras. The car’s list price is GBP 93,900 and to that you need to add GBP 590 for delivery charges, GBP 55 for the first registration fee and a steep GBP 1,065 for the road fund licence, the last of these explained by the CO2 average of 289g/km. Tax band is M.
Driving a car such as this can be a bit of a mixed bag. Sure it’s enormous fun and a great privilege too, but you do tend to look around for speed traps and police cars, and of course you need to be careful where you park it. On a trip down to the south coast there were lots of smiles as I passed people or sat beside them on the M4 and M25, which was a pleasant surprise. Perhaps the car’s best party trick other than the blip on down changes is the way the indicators light up in sequence, so changing lanes gives the effect of a sort of arrow.
There was a facelift and interior revamp in late 2012, and such is the pace of change in infotainment system technology, the R8’s system now feels a touch old-school, especially if you look at what’s available in the new TT. Having said that, the navi system is very good, and worked perfectly every time I needed it to, so I’ve no reason to complain. It’s easy to reach for both driver and passenger, as are all other controls. The seats are obviously low but thanks to that big windscreen there’s no feeling of being hemmed in by SUVs or trucks on motorways.
Firing up the V8 is just a joy – twist the key and this sensational sound happens right behind your ears. The mid-mounted location means there’s no boot at the rear, though you do get a space behind the seats where you might be able to squeeze something like a golf bag, and larger, differently shaped items can go in the deep-ish boot in the car’s nose.
After the engine fires and you adjust the seat and mirrors, you notice the speedo which has markers to 220mph and then the tacho, redlined at 8,500rpm. The S tronic’s first to second gear shifting can be a bit jerky, mostly when cold, but after that, it does an amazing job of slurring up and down through the available ratios. You can’t see the bonnet’s edge, but raise the rear spoiler (it lifts automatically at 60mph) and that gives you an indication of where the cut off point for the car’s rear is. The ride on city streets was far better than I might have thought given how incredibly flat the R8 stays in any bend.
That this car is still so stunning to look at, and to drive, demonstrates why Audi is going to have such a hard time replacing it.
