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The Audi R8

Oh look, we're not grumbling really. The Audi R8 is simply stunning. But could it have been even better, more multi-tasking and slightly quieter? Andy Warren thinks so.

Sometimes it’s the little things in life that stand out. Those small touches that for no real reason add so much to the whole. The whole in this case is Audi’s stunning R8 sports car; and one of the little things is the way the engine blips the throttle all by itself when the six-speed R tronic transmission is in auto mode, provoking many a chuckle from my co-driver and me. And about 180 miles later we had discovered a lot more about this car to make us smile.

Power aplenty (420PS) from the low slung, dry sump, high-revving (8,250rpm) 4.2 litre V8 FSI petrol engine never failed to bring on a shark-like grin. Situated right behind the driver, the engine’s soundtrack could be appreciated to the full – whether growling through urban sprawl or howling in the hills. Audi is justifiably proud of this maelstrom of mechanics and shows it off to good effect through the clear engine bay cover.

For this driver, though, the soundtrack wasn’t perfect. When in manual mode the otherwise superb R tronic transmission produced a distinct whine, which seemed loud enough from the passenger seat for it to become annoying. I got the feeling that perhaps this was the point. For while the driver may be so focused as not to notice, the passenger would certainly want things calmed down by returning to auto mode.

Luckily switching between modes couldn’t be easier, such is the brilliance of the R tronic gearbox. Engage manual by tapping the conventionally placed gear stick forward or back or by flicking either of the two steering wheel-mounted paddles. To return to auto simply nudge the stick to the left. And you can do this as often as you like and at whatever speed you choose.

Interestingly, those who drove the manual-only version of the Audi R8 were not aware of any intrusive gearbox noises. Perhaps they were concentrating too much on the unforgiving racer-like metal gate to notice. As this version is aimed at those who like a more involving drive I expected the drivers who were spinning us round the Paul Ricard testing track to rave about it, yet there was hardly a murmur. Sitting alongside Audi’s Le Mans champion driver Alan McNish showed just how usable the ratios could be as he extolled the virtues of third gear while playing tunes on the tyres. And I confess my attention wasn’t diverted by any whine other than my own.

Being less brash than my co-driver, I left the R8 in auto mode for longer and enjoyed the drive enormously. Yet when I finally took greater control of the gearbox I understood immediately why he had been so impressed. That’s not to detract from the auto setting. Leave the R8 to control things and the drive is easier than it has a right to be in a car like this, with as much punch as you could wish for when the opportunity arose to scream past the cars in front.

Take control yourself, though, and that shark-like grin broadens as the car becomes more attentive to your input. Concentration increases, reflexes sharpen and a lot of fun can be had, which made me think manual mode is best left for solo driving or track day use. Then the most could be made of the sport button that looms large on the R tronic console, which places the driver in even greater control of the R8’s handling.

This sport button made me wonder why there wasn’t the option of making the ride more compliant as well? I know that goes against the grain of a true sports car but the R8 is much more than that. Such is its accommodating interior, generous luggage space (100 litres under the “bonnet” and 90 litres behind the seats) and the ease with which the R8 can be driven it could easily take two on a long-weekend city break. But drive around that city and the way the suspension crashes over potholes may well have the passenger complaining. Though this is little more than a fly in the R8’s ointment, and no worse than some of its rivals, it would have been a neat trick to have incorporated a “town” mode for badly maintained roads.

Elsewhere Audi’s electromagnetically-damped suspension and Quattro permanent four-wheel drive, combined with the R8’s aluminium space frame body shell and 44per cent front/56 per cent rear weight distribution (which isn’t even compromised as the fuel tank empties) offers precise, comfortable handling that makes it almost impossible to crash no matter how clumsy or heavy footed the driver. Get a corner wrong and the technology-crammed R8 seems to gently over-ride the driver’s ineptitude and safely guide the car through it.

All this clever technology is beautifully packaged. Shaped by the team responsible for the Le Mans-winning R8 sports prototype, the technologically advanced design manages to appeal to either sex, being both elegant and racy. The much needed large air ducts add to the R8’s aggressive looks while the 12 LED daytime running lights studded along the bottom edge of the main xenon headlights give the front a cheekiness of its own. The distinctive side blades force induced air into the engine while cooling it at the same time. They also visually separate the occupants from the engine while directing the eye to the hydroformed trademark Audi roof arc, which tapers to the rear in the guise of a clear engine bay cover.

As well as the air flowing through the car the design team drew on its Le Mans experience to endow the R8 with the lowest drag coefficient of any sports car producing down force – 0.345 – helping it reach 187mph. There are no permanent ugly-looking spoilers to produce downforce, either. Instead the fully clad underbody incorporates air diffusers to create a low-presure zone between it and the road, while at speed an electrically-activated rear spoiler provides additional downforce. Its lattice structure was designed not to interfere with aerodynamics and also helps dissipate heat from the exhaust area. The R8’s entire 210kg body shell comprises a lightweight space frame of extruded aluminium and die-castings with load-bearing aluminium panels.

The R8 took some eight years to develop alongside the Le Mans prototypes and judging by orders to date the road car will be just as big a winner as the race car. Just 450 are due to reach the UK between its June launch and the end of the year and any new orders won’t be delivered until 2009. More than 50 per cent of orders for the virtually hand-built R8 are from new customers, which gives some idea of the impact this car has had for Audi – certainly the number of photographs taken when we were driving in the south of France and the fact we were mobbed at one point bolsters this claim.

Audi has transformed itself in the past seven years and should complete its product range by 2012. And if the rest of its line-up is as successful as the R8 appears to be then the carmaker’s future seems sound. Judging by the numbers of its rivals that can be seen around the UK capital it would make a pleasant change to see the R8 take its rightful place among them And with women playing a major part in the buying decisions I’d say we are sure to see those four circles on the R8 bonnet making an increasing appearance in rear-view mirrors – no doubt with the occupants chuckling as the engine blips the throttle itself just before the auto box changes down to blast past you.