RE: Audi R8 RWS: Driven
Discussion
Ex Boy Racer said:
It's like the journos have all decided that 'we'll all say R8's are boring' so that they can maintain their ability to differentiate cars on the page.
I think Harris called the 2013 R8 V10 Plus close to, if not the best car of 2013 if such things are important, which sadly for some owners they seem to be incredibly. To add.
1: Should have had the Plus (with added plus) engine. I think a 650bhp number would work.
2: Should have focused on weight reduction, say 150kgs off if possible
3: Should have dropped active stuff and gone for a sharper/tighter set of dampers with track adjustments
4: Should have offered a stripped out interior a bit to make it look.....you know, track like down the pub car park
5: Should have changed the door handles for bits of fabric to attract the other pub dwellers
6: Audi should have told everyone they were all sold, then started selling them for 200K overs
7: Only provided them to people who had bought 15 Auto Unions
These are all facts, researched hard facts and can NOT be disputed.
1: Should have had the Plus (with added plus) engine. I think a 650bhp number would work.
2: Should have focused on weight reduction, say 150kgs off if possible
3: Should have dropped active stuff and gone for a sharper/tighter set of dampers with track adjustments
4: Should have offered a stripped out interior a bit to make it look.....you know, track like down the pub car park
5: Should have changed the door handles for bits of fabric to attract the other pub dwellers
6: Audi should have told everyone they were all sold, then started selling them for 200K overs
7: Only provided them to people who had bought 15 Auto Unions
These are all facts, researched hard facts and can NOT be disputed.
Housey said:
Gameface said:
The issue is that AFAIK Audi don't have a high performance naturally aspirated V8 engine in their range anymore.
And when they did is sounded ace but didn't really do the BHP thing.I had one of them too.
It's a monumental engine. Those who denigrate it or suggest something else, simply cannot have experienced one and certainly not lived with one.
A Performante Spyder should be next, but by all accounts that's even more epic and won't need a trip to a Larini dealer.
Housey said:
I had a 996 GT3 with various track geo's so know what 'feel' is all about and I also know that my Mk1 V10 Plus is never boring and for an Audi is incredibly well sorted, lively and feelsome, if not GT3 levels of feel it REALLY isn't 'just another Audi'. If anyone says that I switch off as they obviously have little, most likely no relevant experience or an inability to feel anything. Yea most Audi's are blunt, lacking feel, over servo'd braking, horrible damping and numbness is their special skill, but the R8 is not one of those.
.
Perhaps the v10 plus had changed things bit the standard v8/v10 for me did have a very over servo'd brake pedal. That was my only real criticism of the car though apart from being a tad heavy, the damping was terrific (every bit the equal of the Mclaren on a fast country road) and the engine (v10) was absolutely superb, totally blew the doors off my prior 430..
isaldiri said:
Housey said:
I had a 996 GT3 with various track geo's so know what 'feel' is all about and I also know that my Mk1 V10 Plus is never boring and for an Audi is incredibly well sorted, lively and feelsome, if not GT3 levels of feel it REALLY isn't 'just another Audi'. If anyone says that I switch off as they obviously have little, most likely no relevant experience or an inability to feel anything. Yea most Audi's are blunt, lacking feel, over servo'd braking, horrible damping and numbness is their special skill, but the R8 is not one of those.
.
Perhaps the v10 plus had changed things bit the standard v8/v10 for me did have a very over servo'd brake pedal. That was my only real criticism of the car though apart from being a tad heavy, the damping was terrific (every bit the equal of the Mclaren on a fast country road) and the engine (v10) was absolutely superb, totally blew the doors off my prior 430..
Glad to see some comments from guys who actually own/have owned a V10 plus R8 as opposed to the knowitalls that dismiss all Audis out of hand ...SidewaysSi one of those beauts...anyway have the mk1 plus myself and it's a superb package with one of the all time great engines so I share the sentiment of The posters above, would certainly like to give one of these new ones a try to compare
gianlu said:
I find bizarre that some jurnos believes the steering is much improved (topgear, car throttle) whereas Evo and here think otherwise.
It's because nobody has a clue what they're talking about.I once took a 996 C4 out for a test drive, trying to make the point to my girlfriend at the time that it was a safe car we could both use throughout the winter. I floored it out of a damp roundabout and sure enough, it went like a bullet, beautifully controlled and straight. She half saw my point. Got back to the dealer to find out it was a C2, and I'd imagined the whole extra traction b
ks. We believe what we see, not what we feel. Journalists read "rear wheel drive" and write "the steering is so much purer". Most owners will report the same thing. It's all in the mind. Ever wonder if the latest GT3 ACTUALLY revs to 9k? It could just as easily be 7k with a skewed rev counter and a fancy exhaust. We'd never know. RSbandit said:
Glad to see some comments from guys who actually own/have owned a V10 plus R8 as opposed to the knowitalls that dismiss all Audis out of hand ...SidewaysSi one of those beauts...anyway have the mk1 plus myself and it's a superb package with one of the all time great engines so I share the sentiment of The posters above, would certainly like to give one of these new ones a try to compare
First time i have been called a "beaut". I am flattered kind Sir. Back to the R8 - a great everyday car IMO.
Gameface said:
It's a monumental engine. Those who denigrate it or suggest something else, simply cannot have experienced one and certainly not lived with one.
Agreed. This was my point precisely - the V10 is most definitely a monumental engine and I much prefer it to the V8, in every way!sidesauce said:
Gameface said:
It's a monumental engine. Those who denigrate it or suggest something else, simply cannot have experienced one and certainly not lived with one.
Agreed. This was my point precisely - the V10 is most definitely a monumental engine and I much prefer it to the V8, in every way!Audi in my view missed a trick here by not releasing a base model R8 with a V8 from say the RS6 de-tuned to say 475 PS or turbo'd 2.9 V6 as a replacement to the original R8 V8 4.2. Priced at ~£90K it would have done well. Instead they went up against McLaren and Porsche and priced it out of the market.
It's just not as well regarded as the original R8 V8.
It's just not as well regarded as the original R8 V8.
V8s as an engine format are dying - turbo V6s are the way the market is going - I think VW only have two V8s in their entire engine line-up at present? That'd be the 4.0TT serving in various Porsche, Audi and Bentley models as well as the 6.75 V8 in the Bentley Mulsanne.
I also don't think Audi have missed a trick as it's already been widely rumoured they'll release a cheaper version of the mkII R8 almost certainly with the 2.9L TFSI V6 engine from the current RS5/6 (which currently outputs 444bhp/442 lb-ft, plenty enough for this application) and I'm also willing to bet this if they do so, it will sell well at a lower price point. Why the V6 and not the V8? Punitive taxation in many emerging markets...
I also don't think Audi have missed a trick as it's already been widely rumoured they'll release a cheaper version of the mkII R8 almost certainly with the 2.9L TFSI V6 engine from the current RS5/6 (which currently outputs 444bhp/442 lb-ft, plenty enough for this application) and I'm also willing to bet this if they do so, it will sell well at a lower price point. Why the V6 and not the V8? Punitive taxation in many emerging markets...
brightbluesmurf said:
Usually you do it the other way round. I mean if the car is £90K new you'd be tempted to pick up the V10 used for a potentially cheaper price and better spec.
Like I said, some markets that the R8 is sold in charge tax by engine capacity - in that instance a secondhand V10 would not be a consideration. You sound like you might live in the UK but remember this car is aimed at every market, not just the European one!Sully3606 said:
So bored of all the cliche comments surrounding R8's and Audi's in general, safe, boring, underwhelming, its all utter B.S. This rwd version might not be a Gt3 rival but was it ever going to be really? I've just watched a video of this been thrown around a track in Dubai, most of the time sideways with the driver loving every second and heaping praise on it for its manageable wildness, I think the test team might be a bit safe and boring not the cars they're testing.
Agreed, my RWS will be a lovely partner to my B8 RS4 Nagaro. 😏
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