R8 TO THE POWER OF 10 (some text hidden) SECTIONED_new_audir8_2019

By Jonathan Crouch

The improved version of the second generation Audi R8 Coupe is an even more serious Porsche 911 Turbo rival. Jonathan Crouch drives it

Ten Second Reviewword count: 73

The second generation Audi R8 has become fiercer and more focused in recent times, with its V10 petrol engine providing near supercar levels of performance. Buyers choose between rear wheel drive and quattro 4WD versions of the single 570PS 'Performance' level of powerplant tune, with both capable of topping 200mph. As ever with an R8, you can have either a Coupe or an open-topped Spyder version. Either way, this car remains deeply desirable.

Backgroundword count: 167

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's 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, then usefully improved in 2019. A rear-driven model was introduced in 2021, which brings us up to date.

Driving Experienceword count: 320

There are two versions of the gloriously melodic V10 engine available in this R8, which as usual comes mated to 7-speed S tronic auto transmission. The base rear-driven model gets this powerplant with 570PS: with the quattro version most will want, it offers 620PS. Here's a car that in Coupe quattro form is capable of 62mph from rest in just 3.1s en route to 205mph. Stopping power is equally ferocious, thanks to the ceramic brakes that come with quattro spec. The rear-driven version we mentioned earlier is there for an affordable entry-level price and for track fiends to drift in, but most will want the 4WD system that most rivals can't offer, a quattro set-up able to flash 100% of power to either axle instantly on demand: as a result, traction levels are astonishingly high. The car feels agile too, aided by a torque vectoring system, though a slight vagueness in the steering to some extent masks small recent improvements made to the suspension and the steering. As usual with Audi, there's a 'drive select' driving dynamics system so that you can tweak throttle response, steering, stability control thresholds and gearshift timings to suit the kind of progress you want to make. On quattro models, it includes a special 'performance' mode, with graphics delivered via the customisable screen of the brilliant 'Audi Virtual Cockpit' display that replaces conventional instrument dials. The 'drive select' set-up can also control the suspension too if you opt for the quattro version. The rear-driven model has no adaptive dampers, the steering has a fixed ratio and the limited slip differential is of the conventional mechanical type. With any R8, on commuting journeys, there's a level of urban manoeuvrability that belies the relatively low seating position and this second generation design's considerable width. All from a super sports model that must still, when called upon, be able to deliver brutal performance, tremendous traction and astonishing agility.

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