RE: Audi R8 V12 TDI

[AngryS3Owner]

Maybe it's got nothing to do with the fuel econmy and Audi are just thinking "what if", I don't see any harm in there being a choice of engines for the R8 and it makes sense that Audi would distance themselves from Lambo by having a diesel that also happens to be rather rapid. In my little world any new car with that amount of power / torque however it's produced is a good thing.

I however hate the fact that it'll sound like a dyson and also am not happy about the fact it's made LeMans dull because it's so quiet, however that's because of all the filters they need to use to stop it killing us all.

[hahithestevieboy]

I see nothing wrong with it. It is at the same time different and interesting. The performance will probably be epic and yet different to and potentially more useable than other supercars.

Assuming that this vehicle is strong and reliable, the lack of need for constant expensive repair and the (relatively) low consumption (assuming that in the future, fuel becomes an even larger percentage of overall running cost) means that these may be used by their owners on a regular basis which is good.

Let's face it, even at £100K its not really that much more expensive than say a porsche 911 turbo or an aston V8 with a few optional extras but with the promise of cheaper every day usage.

I would dissagree about rich people not caring about fuel costs, as alot of rich people on here with large engined cars that have still been moaning about increases and how depressing it is when you have to stick £200 worth of fuel in the thing every week. It wont be everyones cup of tea but hey...

[kambites]

otolith said:

It's intended to sell boggo diesel saloons.

And the petrol engined R8 is intended to sell boggo petrol saloons. What's your point?

[red_zed]

the idea of a supercar is to shock, no?

well the idea of a diesel powered supercar seems to have shocked plenty of people already!

I think its a fantastic idea and I cant wait for it to be properly road tested

[lockup]

I think I've found my next tow car.

[tigger1]

Scuffers said:

for the love of god, why bother?

35Mpg is hardly earth shatteringly good, and look at all the downsides...

what's the point in it appart from willy waving it's a diesel? (and please don't go on about the R10 LMP car winning le-mans)

Well, if you don't think that 35mpg from a supercar is anything great, then what about the emissions from it? In a world where (rightly or wrongly) CO2 output from cars is becoming very important, if Audi can cut CO2 emissions from 326g/km to around two-thirds of that, it's a big improvement. It's the kind of thing which might, in the not too distant future, be the difference between a manufacturer being allowed to continue to produce the odd massive V8 and not.

[10 Pence Short]

The acid test for me would be if I came to the point where I was going to buy one.

Which would excite me more; the thought of starting up and driving the diesel version, or starting up and driving the V10.

I don't think for one second the cost would come into it.

I can fully understand why large diesel version of saloons such as the S Class are popular, many are company purchases, the personal tax savings are useful and they're not driven enthusiastically, so what does it matter. With a 'supercar', you are buying it to drive it, it's less likely to be your everyday company car and you want it to feel special every time you drive it. I'm not convinced people will feel the same connection with a diesel version.

[kambites]

Assuming it's any good, which seems almost certain, I for one would take the diesel over the petrol. Not because it's cheaper to run but because I'd rather have the diesel than the petrol - it's just more interesting.

Edited by kambites on Tuesday 8th April 09:41

[LathamJohnP]

Agoogy said:

Well I'm just glad we have Latham here on hand to save us from this filth...

It's my pleasure! Glad to be of service.

Agoogy said:

but just because Audi have the nerve to use a different fuel, suddenly it gets unnecessary... call yourself car lovers?.

What's unneccessary. I didn't say YOU can't like it. I said *I* don't like it. Am I not allowed to express a personal opinion now?

Agoogy said:

Pompous prigs more like... "petrol only for sports cars!"..."I know of a 7l petrol that blows this out of the weeds..." yawn...

I didn't say the the TT 7L Monaro would "blow this out of the weeds". I was pointing out that a large capacity turbo petrol would give the same numbers with better packaging at lower weight.

No need to get personal, chap. Each to their own.

John

Edited by LathamJohnP on Tuesday 8th April 09:44

[Mr Whippy]

Still looks like a Halfords special.

Dave

[matt3001]

kambites said:

Assuming it's any good, which seems almost certain, I for one would take the diesel over the petrol. Not because it's cheaper to run but because I'd rather have the diesel than the petrol - it's just more interesting.

Edited by kambites on Tuesday 8th April 09:41

Exactly!

[lestag]

Scuffers said:

for the love of god, why bother?

35Mpg is hardly earth shatteringly good, and look at all the downsides...

what's the point in it appart from willy waving it's a diesel? (and please don't go on about the R10 LMP car winning le-mans)

The R10 LMP car won Le-mans you know......

[Agoogy]

LathamJohnP said:

Agoogy said:

Well I'm just glad we have Latham here on hand to save us from this filth...

It's my pleasure! Glad to be of service.

Agoogy said:

but just because Audi have the nerve to use a different fuel, suddenly it gets unnecessary... call yourself car lovers?.

What's unneccessary. I didn't say YOU can't like it. I said *I* don't like it. Am I not allowed to express a personal opinion now?

Agoogy said:

Pompous prigs more like... "petrol only for sports cars!"..."I know of a 7l petrol that blows this out of the weeds..." yawn...

I didn't say the the TT 7L Monaro would "blow this out of the weeds". I was pointing out that a large capacity turbo petrol would give the same numbers with better packaging at lower weight.

No need to get personal, chap. Each to their own.

John

Stating that a different approach can get better/different results does not mean that any given alternative isn't worthwhile... of course your personal opinion is valid, you don't need me to validate that, but your suggestions are plainly wrong.
Halo car it may be, but it moves the game in a different direction, different is good, different gives choice, a new and different stack of statistics that some buyers may warm too over others.

Apologies of the personal overtones, your original post came across a little "I know best"
Whereas I'm not suggesting this is right or wrong, simply that it offers something different... and on the whole thats a good thing.

[johnph]

AngryS3Owner said:

I however hate the fact that it'll sound like a dyson and also am not happy about the fact it's made LeMans dull because it's so quiet, however that's because of all the filters they need to use to stop it killing us all.

Yawn... more diesel bullst whining.

There were 53 cars at LM last year, only 5 of them were diesels. That left us with 48 noisy cars, not what I call boring, especially when you have the Corvettes, Astons, Ferraris, Porsches and the Judd, AER and Zytek powered cars all screaming by you at 4am . You'd be whinging if the diesels made noise, tbh i'd prefer diesels on the road to be quiet as the noise they make isn't that amazing.

You ever been to LM? Do you even have an idea of the history of the race?
Read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Mans_24_Hours#Purp...
And this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Mans_24_Hours#Inno...

And diesel does not 'kill us all' The level of ignorance round here is stunning.

Edited by johnph on Tuesday 8th April 11:10

[Mr Whippy]

As interesting as it is, I'm not really impressed, a big diesel engine in a big car? Wow, they pulled out all the stops with that elegant solution.

Now, how about a 200bhp diesel Elise type car, weighing under a tonne, and having a supercharger to in-fill the curve off-boost.

Now THAT would get me interested.

Dave

[LathamJohnP]

AngryS3Owner said:

I however hate the fact that it'll sound like a dyson and also am not happy about the fact it's made LeMans dull because it's so quiet, however that's because of all the filters they need to use to stop it killing us all.

I'm no expert, but I assumed the diesel LM cars were quiet because of the turbos and low revs, not the filters.

John

[AngryS3Owner]

johnph said:

AngryS3Owner said:

I however hate the fact that it'll sound like a dyson and also am not happy about the fact it's made LeMans dull because it's so quiet, however that's because of all the filters they need to use to stop it killing us all.

Yawn... more diesel bullst whining.

There were 53 cars at LM last year, only 5 of them were diesels. That left us with 48 noisy cars, not what I call boring, especially when you have the Corvettes, Astons, Ferraris, Porsches and the Judd, AER and Zytek powered cars all screaming by you at 4am . You'd be whinging if the diesels made noise, tbh i'd prefer diesels on the road to be quiet as the noise they make isn't that amazing.

You ever been to LM? Do you even have an idea of the history of the race?
Read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Mans_24_Hours#Purp...
And this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Mans_24_Hours#Inno...

And diesel does not 'kill us all' The level of ignorance round here is stunning.

Now I'm really trying not to just say fk off, however I appriciate my words weren't the best choice.

Yes I've been to LeMans for the last 3 years in a row in fact, I'm also a member of the ACO (not that I'm sure that's worth shouting about anymore) and have read quite a bit about the history in the past. There may only be 5 diesels but you sir are missing the point, the car that wins shouldn't be the quietest on the track, in my mind that sets a precedent and plays into the hands of all the half wits that say can't the rest / racing in general be quieter. I don't like quiet cars, I love the fact you can feel the Corvettes go past, I think from last year the Panoz cars and the rather unfortunate Lambo also deserve a mention for sounding out of this world.

Trust me on this, I would not be moaning if the Diesel's made noise, I actually quite like the noise a 535d (good example of a road car with a modern diesel I think) makes when giving it some abuse.

Diesel is far more carcinogenic that petrol when it's burnt, if it wasn't for all the particulate filters and other crap (that makes the cars quiet) there would be clouds of black st coming out the back. I don't have a problem with Diesel cars at all and would probably by a 535d if I needed a big car and needed it to be fast but cheap to run.

The conclusions jumped to by some people on Pistonheads is simply stunning at times.

[VladD]

red_zed said:

the idea of a supercar is to shock, no?

Yes, but it's the kind of shock that's important.

If I woke up after a night out with Kylie in my bed, I'd be shocked and delighted.

This is like waking up after a night out with Gordon Brown in your bed.

[AngryS3Owner]

LathamJohnP said:

AngryS3Owner said:

I however hate the fact that it'll sound like a dyson and also am not happy about the fact it's made LeMans dull because it's so quiet, however that's because of all the filters they need to use to stop it killing us all.

I'm no expert, but I assumed the diesel LM cars were quiet because of the turbos and low revs, not the filters.

John

Look at what goes between the turbo and when the exhaust finally makes it to the outside world, yes a turbo car would be quieter, but no way near that quiet. I'd like to hear a turbo Corvette that only revs to 5,000 to make a comparison. My understanding is that Audi were told if one puff of black smoke comes out the back they'll get black flagged from the race, I take that with a pinch of salt but still I can see where they were heading.

ETA: opps can't hit the keys.

Edited by AngryS3Owner on Tuesday 8th April 11:37

[Huliganov]

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