RE: Audi R8 Performance: Driven
Discussion
Reeves_and_Mortimer said:
Bit of an identity crisis car, not quite a 'supercar' but too fast to be just labelled a 'Sports car'. Plus a TT RS is nearly as fast for less than half the money....
Thing is, what is and isn't a supercar is not a science, it's an opinion. Type Supercar into Google and then have a look at the images it brings up. A whole mish mash of cars. Reeves_and_Mortimer said:
Bit of an identity crisis car, not quite a 'supercar' but too fast to be just labelled a 'Sports car'. Plus a TT RS is nearly as fast for less than half the money....
How many times must it be said???It's not just about speed!
The V10 is one of the greatest engines in production.
And on top of that, who the f
k wants to drive a TT?I could never quite get to grips with the profile of these. It looks like they made a supercar shape from jelly, propelled it along at 200mph, then applied the brakes really hard so the whole thing leaned forward and then said, "that's the shape we want". It just looks really nose heavy and blunt to me. If it had a sharp and pointy nose and a much less "upright" windscreen, like a Huracan, it would be a million times more exotic looking. Also, at £141k it's far too close to Huracan money for what it is.
MitchT said:
I could never quite get to grips with the profile of these. It looks like they made a supercar shape from jelly, propelled it along at 200mph, then applied the brakes really hard so the whole thing leaned forward and then said, "that's the shape we want". It just looks really nose heavy and blunt to me. If it had a sharp and pointy nose and a much less "upright" windscreen, like a Huracan, it would be a million times more exotic looking. Also, at £141k it's far too close to Huracan money for what it is.
By what it is you mean 90% Huracan for less money, without the badge and flair it is true, but let's go with subjectives not facts. I would love a Performante, fantastic looking thing that seems to drive right, for the first time. Stand out car for me of current crop, but I can't afford one 
I get you don't like the look, I share that view. But so many people seem to dismiss it for combinations of its badge or how they think the owners think, how they believe it's good to sneer at the mindset of R8 drives, who drive little more than a TT. They seek to belittle because of their own insecurities, such as a couple of neds in this thread. Trolling is easy, as their mums tell me each night....see.
I think the new one looks over stylised and doesn't steer as well as it should and yea it is toppy but only because it will not hold that price but then few cars of this ilk do, so it's relative. It is like many modern cars too clever and for me I would take a 570/GT3 over it in a heartbeat, but not at list in the 570's case or 100K over in the GT3's.
Horses for budgets
MitchT said:
I could never quite get to grips with the profile of these. It looks like they made a supercar shape from jelly, propelled it along at 200mph, then applied the brakes really hard so the whole thing leaned forward and then said, "that's the shape we want". It just looks really nose heavy and blunt to me. If it had a sharp and pointy nose and a much less "upright" windscreen, like a Huracan, it would be a million times more exotic looking. Also, at £141k it's far too close to Huracan money for what it is.
Hmmm... I’ve not thought about it that deeply but...I can appreciate what the R8 and what it offers. The original R8 never quite did it for me though. Something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I was fortunate enough to get a loan of a V10 Plus for the day... at the time I had a MK2 TTS, and of course the R8 was nothing like a TT except inside. TT seats, Nav, aircon controls... TT tech of they day... I would’ve wanted bespoke of it was my then £130k.
The MK2 R8 appears, I get an invite to the launch at Ipswich Audi. Along side it a Ferrari 488 and a Huracan, both supplied by a driving experience company and the older V10 Plus.
In that moment I actually preferred the MK1. It just looks more elegant.
The MK2 and the latest just don’t do it for me... yes the engine, as others have said, is fantastic but the styling doesn’t work for me... it’s not about slagging it off... we all like different things not I should like it because this or that.
Mainly though, I preferred something smaller, more compact for the back roads I love I wouldn’t need the extra performance on offer.
Phew! I'm not the only one to compare the interior with the lowly ordinary A3. I well remember owning a lowly ( & boring) A3 Cabriolet when the R8 was launched & sitting in a new one. What a let down it was just like my A3 & the lack of storage space & a tiny shelf behind the seats as per a BMW Z4 inexcusable. In convertible form it was all backside & engine cover. At car shows they rarely get more than a passing glance however the bigness of the engine inside.
WJNB said:
Phew! I'm not the only one to compare the interior with the lowly ordinary A3. I well remember owning a lowly ( & boring) A3 Cabriolet when the R8 was launched & sitting in a new one. What a let down it was just like my A3 & the lack of storage space & a tiny shelf behind the seats as per a BMW Z4 inexcusable. In convertible form it was all backside & engine cover. At car shows they rarely get more than a passing glance however the bigness of the engine inside.
Maybe stick with a boggo A3 then if you think these look the same.It's a credit to Audi that the interior on the A3 is so good
A car like an R8 isn't for going down the tip or or Ikea in. There is plenty of space for a weekend away for 2.
My gen 1 R8 had the full carbon Interior and extended leather and was a lovely place to be. The only criticism of it was the brakes were slightly over assisted but terrific. The steering feel was perfect. Gen1 in v8 or a v10 in manual is nothing like any other Audi either interior or exterior and has retained a lot of value compared to new. I got around 45 % of its original new price at 9yrs old.
I wouldn't buy a new version as I think it looks worse than the gen 1 but I understand the performance is stunning
I wouldn't buy a new version as I think it looks worse than the gen 1 but I understand the performance is stunning
WJNB said:
Phew! I'm not the only one to compare the interior with the lowly ordinary A3. I well remember owning a lowly ( & boring) A3 Cabriolet when the R8 was launched & sitting in a new one. What a let down it was just like my A3 & the lack of storage space & a tiny shelf behind the seats as per a BMW Z4 inexcusable. In convertible form it was all backside & engine cover. At car shows they rarely get more than a passing glance however the bigness of the engine inside.
At car shows...Yea, ok sweetheart.
Durzel said:
Ex Boy Racer said:
Not sure whether to enter this again, but as an ex-owner of a V10 Spyder I guess i must.
I used mine pretty much as a daily for 3 years. Put around 30k miles on it. I was used to nice cars (993 911, several Evo's, RS4, TTRS, Elise's, Caterhams etc) but the R8 was my dream car. It suited my needs as it wasn't too flash, was comfortable and reliable, but definitely had presence and performance above and beyond anything I had before.
I loved it and anyone who says it isn't exciting really hasn't spent any time with one.
Replaced it with a 458 Ferrari - great car but only kept that for 18 months and never got the same pleasure from it. Just that bit too flash, too noisy.
If you live with it, it certainly doesn't feel like a TTRS (I never had people taking selfies of themselves next to my TT), drive like one (seriously, it is sooo fast) or handle like one (yes, the back will move and it is a joy on a windy road with the roof down and the engine singing).
Out of curiosity why did you change to a 458 in the first place? I imagine there is not much in it between the cars acceleration wise....I used mine pretty much as a daily for 3 years. Put around 30k miles on it. I was used to nice cars (993 911, several Evo's, RS4, TTRS, Elise's, Caterhams etc) but the R8 was my dream car. It suited my needs as it wasn't too flash, was comfortable and reliable, but definitely had presence and performance above and beyond anything I had before.
I loved it and anyone who says it isn't exciting really hasn't spent any time with one.
Replaced it with a 458 Ferrari - great car but only kept that for 18 months and never got the same pleasure from it. Just that bit too flash, too noisy.
If you live with it, it certainly doesn't feel like a TTRS (I never had people taking selfies of themselves next to my TT), drive like one (seriously, it is sooo fast) or handle like one (yes, the back will move and it is a joy on a windy road with the roof down and the engine singing).
I wanted a Ferrari! To be honest, at this level acceleration is not a factor that's even worth thinking about. They're all mental.
Interestingly, on typical UK roads the R8 managed much higher average speeds because the suspension copes far better with bumps.
Gameface said:
How many times must it be said???
It's not just about speed!
The V10 is one of the greatest engines in production.
And on top of that, who the fk wants to drive a TT?
The TT is much more practical and the 5 cylinder actually gives a similar roar 5anks to the common denominator It's not just about speed!
The V10 is one of the greatest engines in production.
And on top of that, who the f
k wants to drive a TT?Oh dear.
And the tdi much better on fuel and tax too right, other things that people buying a £130k toy deeply care about
5 pot turbo sounds like a Lambo derived V10! Brilliant. I’m going to go with ‘you have never driven or heard either car in real life’
And the tdi much better on fuel and tax too right, other things that people buying a £130k toy deeply care about
5 pot turbo sounds like a Lambo derived V10! Brilliant. I’m going to go with ‘you have never driven or heard either car in real life’
Edited by jakesmith on Wednesday 21st November 07:59
saxy said:
The TT is much more practical and the 5 cylinder actually gives a similar roar 5anks to the common denominator
Practicality 
Why aren't we all driving Volvo estates then? Didn't they used to come with 5 pots too? You've never been thrown down the road at nearly 9000rpm by a V10 have you...
A 5 cylinder may sound better than a 4 cylinder but don't even try to compare it to a V10.
Edited by Gameface on Wednesday 21st November 08:57
Gameface said:
Practically Why aren't we all driving Volvo estates then? Didn't they used to come with 5 pots too?
You've never been thrown down the road at nearly 9000rpm by a V10 have you...
A 5 cylinder may sound better than a 4 cylinder but don't even try to compare it to a V10.
The drama the V10 creates when giving it full beans is like nothing I have ever experienced despite having had lots of fast cars previously. My manual R8 with 33k miles on it cost the same as a new TT-RS, did I ever consider the TT? Absolutely not. Why aren't we all driving Volvo estates then? Didn't they used to come with 5 pots too? You've never been thrown down the road at nearly 9000rpm by a V10 have you...
A 5 cylinder may sound better than a 4 cylinder but don't even try to compare it to a V10.
My missus tries to curl up in a ball and shrieks if the revs go over 5,500rpm
Besides, you really are a f
king idiot if you can't tell the difference between a TT and an R8:-
It's like saying a Cayman is the same as GT3 RS or a 570S looks like a P1
Edited by Tuvra on Wednesday 21st November 08:54
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