Time was that if you wanted a proper supercar, you went to the Italians -- Ferrari or Lamborghini. But for 2008, German automaker Audi has introduced their first mid-engine supercar, the R8. With a 420 horsepower V8 nestled behind the passenger compartment, all-wheel-drive, and a shape to die for, the 2008 Audi R8 sure has the right resume. But how does it work in real life -- is this the stuff of which dreams are made? Read on. $112,100 base (including destination and gas guzzler tax), $133,045 as tested, EPA fuel economy estimates 13 MPG city, 19-20 highway.
First Glance: Fourteen again
Larger photos: Front - side - rear - cutaway
When I first booked the R8 for a test drive, I vowed I would write a serious review. I'd talk about turn-in understeer and trailing-throttle oversteer and all sorts of high-end performance-related stuff. I'd write as if I drove Lamborghinis and Ferraris and Moslers every day, and the R8 was just another supercar, and, at $112k, a deeply-discounted one at that. Ho-hum, just another day at the office.
All that went out the window the moment the R8 arrived. I instantly turned into a 14-year-old with his bedroom walls covered in posters of Countaches and Samantha Fox. (I grew up in the 80s.) Even now, as I sit here at the keyboard, all I can think is Holy cow, there's an Audi R8 in my driveway! How cool is that? (The answer, by the way, is REALLY FRICKIN' COOL.)
Never mind how fast it is (very). Never mind how well it handles (unbelievable). Never mind how beautiful it is (breathtaking). As I drove the R8, my left brain would ask questions like "Do I detect a bit of front differential binding in sharp turns?" to which my right brain would answer "I'm driving an R8, this is so awesome!"
Bear in mind that the R8 makes it easy to spend all of one's time reveling in its coolness, because it's so incredibly easy to live with. By definition, supercars are temperamental beasts that buck at anything but the open road. Not the R8. You can get in and tell it "We're just going to run down the street to pick up a quart of milk," and it'll say "Sounds good to me," and go about the job with the ease and convenience of a Honda Civic.
First Glance: Fourteen again
Larger photos: Front - side - rear - cutaway
When I first booked the R8 for a test drive, I vowed I would write a serious review. I'd talk about turn-in understeer and trailing-throttle oversteer and all sorts of high-end performance-related stuff. I'd write as if I drove Lamborghinis and Ferraris and Moslers every day, and the R8 was just another supercar, and, at $112k, a deeply-discounted one at that. Ho-hum, just another day at the office.
All that went out the window the moment the R8 arrived. I instantly turned into a 14-year-old with his bedroom walls covered in posters of Countaches and Samantha Fox. (I grew up in the 80s.) Even now, as I sit here at the keyboard, all I can think is Holy cow, there's an Audi R8 in my driveway! How cool is that? (The answer, by the way, is REALLY FRICKIN' COOL.)
Never mind how fast it is (very). Never mind how well it handles (unbelievable). Never mind how beautiful it is (breathtaking). As I drove the R8, my left brain would ask questions like "Do I detect a bit of front differential binding in sharp turns?" to which my right brain would answer "I'm driving an R8, this is so awesome!"
Bear in mind that the R8 makes it easy to spend all of one's time reveling in its coolness, because it's so incredibly easy to live with. By definition, supercars are temperamental beasts that buck at anything but the open road. Not the R8. You can get in and tell it "We're just going to run down the street to pick up a quart of milk," and it'll say "Sounds good to me," and go about the job with the ease and convenience of a Honda Civic.
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