Why Audi needs a diesel R8: PH Blog

Go on Audi, have the courage of your Vorsprung Durch whatnot convictions!

I was interested to see a certain TV show's coverage of the second-gen Audi R8 the other night. Especially given I've just spent a few days in the car (not the one Evans puked in thankfully) and am currently sitting on my own review, wondering if a few nights sleeping on it will mellow my opinions. In the meantime I've got an idea I really think Audi should take up, partly inspired by my time in the SQ5 Plus.

Namely, make us a diesel R8. Really.

To think the idea made it this far before!

Just today Audi has issued a press release boasting of 10 years of diesel power helping it dominate a certain French 24-hour race taking place this weekend. The V12 diesel powered R10 TDI took victory at its first attempt in 2006, following that with two further wins to make it three on the trot. And off the back of that we got ... a V12 powered Q7. Cool car. But something of a missed opportunity to cash in on the trailblazing success of the R10.

They teased us with an R8 V12 TDI concept back in 2008. Our colleagues at Autocar even got to drive it. But still no production car.

The naturally-aspirated 5.2-litre V10 carried over into the new R8 remains a weird choice of powerplant to me. It's a glorious motor that, weirdly, seems a bit anachronistic compared with the rest of the package. It fits a lot better in the closely related Lamborghini Huracan. So why not let it work its magic there, giving Lambo a real USP against the turbocharged McLaren and Ferrari rivals?

And sling that amazing V8 TDI from the new SQ7 in the back of the R8, to give us something properly innovative. At its best Audi is superb at this kind of thing - it was doing downsized twin-turbo V6s with huge power decades before the rest of the industry. And they still feel potent to this day. Looking further back it successfully sold us the dream of four-wheel drive, spectacularly proving the technology in competition before masterfully exploiting its marketing and functional potential in its road cars.

There's a tangible motorsport link too

A TDI R8 would be something properly stand-out as rivals struggle to translate long-held tradition into the downsized turbo age. Audi's strength is in not getting hung up on nostalgia and pressing ahead with a technical agenda others would fear to explore. A 435hp diesel V8 with 664lb ft of torque, electrically assisted turbos and a clear technological link to the cars that have dominated Le Mans for much of the last decade would be super cool. If anyone can do it Audi can. And while it might not be as obviously 'emotive' as a screaming V10 I think the power delivery and performance would more than make up for it. And it would sure as hell make the R8 stand out among the 911s, McLarens and other cars it competes with. It doesn't have to be either/or - keep the V10 Plus in the range too but make the TDI the signature product. And give us something genuinely different.

It's funny. A lack of self-confidence isn't something we usually associate with Audi. But, faced with a seemingly golden opportunity to 'own the space' and do something truly radical, it seems uncharacteristically hesitant.

C'mon guys. Give it a go!

Dan