RE: Spotted: Audi R8 V10 manual
Discussion
Bit of a mute point for me as i can't afford one (yet!), but i've always thought that if i'm going to pay 100k for a car, then i should be able to chose what gear i want and when i want it. I hate the way that automatics are taking over these. In luxury exec saloons that are designed for doing hundreds of mile journeys up and down the motorway then fair enough but in a supercar designed for the ultimate driving pleasure? Manual all day long.
El Shafto said:
Bit of a mute point for me as i can't afford one (yet!), but i've always thought that if i'm going to pay 100k for a car, then i should be able to chose what gear i want and when i want it.
Not wanting to state the obvious, but the only thing the egear will stop you doing is changing down too early and over revving the engine. It'll happily sit on the limiter if you don't want to change up, and drop down to just about stall point before pulling in the clutch, so you still get to chose what gear you want, and when you want it.As mentioned earlier, the single clutch boxes in these aren't too bad. They're not perfect like the dual clutch boxes in VAGs / Porsches so there's still an element of driver involvement.
Manual still wins all day though.
El Shafto said:
Bit of a mute point for me as i can't afford one (yet!), but i've always thought that if i'm going to pay 100k for a car, then i should be able to chose what gear i want and when i want it. I hate the way that automatics are taking over these. In luxury exec saloons that are designed for doing hundreds of mile journeys up and down the motorway then fair enough but in a supercar designed for the ultimate driving pleasure? Manual all day long.
Technically the R-Tronic gearbox is a manual, albeit an automated one.I'd take DSG/R-Tronic etc style gearbox over a manual any day. Paddles are way more fun imo.
Itsallicanafford said:
...V8, V10, Manual, R-tronic...i would have any of them, i love R8's...why anybody would drop the same cash on an new 911 when they could have an R8 is beyond me...in my opinion of course (and to qualify that opinion, i have not driven any of them, so its a subjective one)...
I think brand recognition/heritage plays a big part there. Iirc the cars are pretty comparable in terms of performance, but Porsche is a big name to beat.It's like the A8, it's a great car but it's very hard to compete with the Mercedes S-class, if only for the name.
Oh and don't forget, that because the engine is in the wrong place in the porker, there's room for your legless children behind you.
If the SLK needs to go because there's a little ZP on the way, a 911 could well be the next second car.
Itsallicanafford said:
....why anybody would drop the same cash on an new 911 when they could have an R8 is beyond me...in my opinion of course (and to qualify that opinion, i have not driven any of them, so its a subjective one)...
It is no longer an easy call. The R8 is a thinking man's sensible supercar IMO.
Most of us are not really great drivers. Try driving with one of the greats and you suddenly realise how far behind the curve you are. Massively above the norm in a lot of cases but ultimately not great.
So part of the fun of driving becomes your evolving ability with the car, getting it better and better until just for a moment you are as good as the best, having got everything as technically perfect as it could be (and then you lash up the next roundabout...)
So we have cars that are supposed to involve you and in my personal view that car should be a physical thing and that needs a manual box IF IT IS OFFERED (body parts are available from me as I try for the price of a 458).
Don't get me wrong - if you have the cash and only want to drive R8s then get two - one manual and one auto, or a range rover and a manual as my neighbour has, great combo. And for the Kings Road if that is all you want to do with the thing of course the auto. But for when you are driving and want to get it right and have all the saitsfaction that comes with that special (and in my case rare) moment of seeming perfection - get a manual.
So part of the fun of driving becomes your evolving ability with the car, getting it better and better until just for a moment you are as good as the best, having got everything as technically perfect as it could be (and then you lash up the next roundabout...)
So we have cars that are supposed to involve you and in my personal view that car should be a physical thing and that needs a manual box IF IT IS OFFERED (body parts are available from me as I try for the price of a 458).
Don't get me wrong - if you have the cash and only want to drive R8s then get two - one manual and one auto, or a range rover and a manual as my neighbour has, great combo. And for the Kings Road if that is all you want to do with the thing of course the auto. But for when you are driving and want to get it right and have all the saitsfaction that comes with that special (and in my case rare) moment of seeming perfection - get a manual.
Numeric said:
Don't get me wrong - if you have the cash and only want to drive R8s then get two - one manual and one auto, or a range rover and a manual as my neighbour has, great combo. And for the Kings Road if that is all you want to do with the thing of course the auto. But for when you are driving and want to get it right and have all the saitsfaction that comes with that special (and in my case rare) moment of seeming perfection - get a manual.
If this had a proper wristy snickety S2000-like gearbox, I'd be all over it. I like manual gearbozes, just not this manual gearbox. Ruins the car IMHO. Your mileage may vary.Itsallicanafford said:
...V8, V10, Manual, R-tronic...i would have any of them, i love R8's...why anybody would drop the same cash on an new 911 when they could have an R8 is beyond me...in my opinion of course (and to qualify that opinion, i have not driven any of them, so its a subjective one)...
I own a manual R8 V8 and love it to bits. Completely usable every day. But I've driven a 997 GT3 RS and can completely understand why anyone would want one of them. Just not over speed bumps 
Turbo Harry said:
Numeric said:
Don't get me wrong - if you have the cash and only want to drive R8s then get two - one manual and one auto, or a range rover and a manual as my neighbour has, great combo. And for the Kings Road if that is all you want to do with the thing of course the auto. But for when you are driving and want to get it right and have all the saitsfaction that comes with that special (and in my case rare) moment of seeming perfection - get a manual.
If this had a proper wristy snickety S2000-like gearbox, I'd be all over it. I like manual gearbozes, just not this manual gearbox. Ruins the car IMHO. Your mileage may vary.I've wanted one of these since the Top Gear test way back in 2007. The need came when I saw them being built in Germany in 2010, and got to sit in one. They didn't let any of us drive but they did put one (V10) on a rolling road and take it to about 190. That was when I realised, regardless of engine, that one day I will have one of these in my life.
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