With Its New R8, Audi Proves a Capable Foe in the Exotic-Car Class

The styling is exotic, but the price isn't when compared with others in the exotic class. An R8 with six-speed manual transmission starts at $109,995, including the freight charge. The Rtronic six-speed automated manual adds $9,000. The Rtronic-equipped test car with options was $134,545.

And then there's the dealer premium, which can run $10,000 and more. The add-on is justified by the expensive service equipment required to take care of this mid-engine sports car and the training for the technician. Only select dealers have made the investment.


I found myself trying to compare the R8 with the Porsche 911, but the dramatically styled Audi also has influences from Ferrari, such as the glass deck covering the mid-engine V-8 that has LED illumination to show it off at night.

The Audi's exterior has the appearance of power and presence. People seemed to either hate or embrace the side blades, which are the upswept arcs just aft the doors. They cover air intakes and put a vertical spike in the design to visually break up the long sides. Blades can be body color or silver.

Sending a new sports car into this segment, Audi knew the R8 could not be 1 millimeter less in specifications or performance than the top nameplates. So the R8 has some overengineered qualities.

For example, the brakes. The front discs are 15-inch internally vented discs with eight-piston calipers. The rear discs are 14 inches with four-piston calipers. The Porsche 911 C4 S, the all-wheel drive Carrera, uses 13-inch cross-drilled and inner-vented discs with four-piston calipers - and those used to be considered enormous.

The all-wheel-drive Porsche 911S has a steel body and a curb weight of 3,340 pounds. The R8 is aluminum-bodied and weighs 3,616 pounds with Rtronic. But the R8 is an inch shorter, 2 inches wider and its rooftop is 2.3 inches lower.

The R8's 4.2-liter V-8 hits its peak 420 horsepower at 7,800 rpm, not far from the maximum engine speed of 8,250 rpm. No less than 90 percent of the maximum 317 foot-pounds of torque is constant from 3,500 to 7,600 rpm.

Audi claims a 0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds with either transmission, but passing speed in sport mode is stunningly sharp. Top speed is 187 mph.

A sport mode greatly sharpens shift response, as if in competition. It is ideal for the commute to work and for making lane changes without hesitation.

No heat or noise penetrates the cabin, just fine sound.

The Rtronic automatic manual can be operated in drive mode or manually shifted at the steering wheel or console. Switches for sport mode, ESP, emergency flashers and others are at the base of the shift console. When working the shifter manually, the palm of my hand was prone to switching off the ESP or switching on the flashers and, worst of all, switching off the sport mode. That array of buttons could be relocated ahead of the shifter in a midcycle "freshening."

The six-speed manual gearbox slots through a Ferrari-esque aluminum, gated shifter. It makes nice sounds to clack lightly through the pattern, but the gates are unnecessary to engage the correct gears.

Either way, it is a pleasure to grab the reins and go.

The R8 is low but not prone to scraping on every driveway or dip unless it is severe, and you know those when you see them.

The turning circle is good at 37.8 feet, but there is a noticeable binding at the front tires when the steering wheel is turned to full lock. It feels bad, but it's not, Audi said. It comes from having an all-wheel-drive system that has real worm gears and not just a computer driving four wheels.

Sightlines are open out the front and at the outside mirrors but challenged over the shoulder, although not horrific as in a Lamborghini. The optional rear camera helps. There is no glare from the angle of the windshield, but the visors are tiny, as if from the TT roadster.

The seats and headroom accommodate 6-foot-4 occupants to varying degrees of comfort. But the very large driver may not like the low entry height. And I fear those seats will show early wear from occupants sliding over the bolsters.

There is just enough luggage space for two on a weekend getaway, as long as they pack light and use soft bags. The 911 has more trunk space and storage behind the seats.

As technologically advanced as the car appears, and in many ways is, it has some omissions. To reset the trip odometer, there are simple plunger-type buttons. There are no fog lights, not that they are needed with bi-xenon headlights.

There are no memory presets for seat position. There is no option for an intelligent key with push button starting, and this one seems somewhat '90s with the standard Audi-issue switchblade-style key.

R8 sales will be kept low, less than 1,000 a year for the foreseeable future. Dealers are taking deposits for a 10-cylinder model, and a 12-cylinder diesel concept car was just exhibited at the Detroit auto show. But Audi won't confirm - wink, wink - that these models are in the plan. No need to chill the current R8 mania.

There is much red mist swirling around this car - because it is in such short supply. It is a good car, but it's not all it could be. The next one will be.

Mark Maynard is driving in cyberspace at mark.maynard@uniontrib.com.

Tune in to signonradio.com and join Maynard's Garage Internet radio at 1 p.m. Mondays for 30 minutes of automotive news and reviews.

And click into Maynard's Garage blog site at weblog.signonsandiego.com/weblogs/garage/.

CNS SPECS BOX

2008 Audi R8

Body style: compact, two-seat, mid-engine sports car with quattro all-wheel drive

Engine: aluminum, 420-horsepower, DOHC 4.2-liter V-8 with gasoline direct injection and 24 valves

Horsepower: 420 at 7,800 rpm

Torque: 317 foot-pounds at 4,500-6,000 rpm

Transmission: Rtronic six-speed automated manual

Acceleration: 0-60 mph, 4.4 seconds

EPA fuel economy estimates: 13 mpg city, 18 highway; 91 octane recommended

Fuel capacity: 23.8 gallons

DIMENSIONS

Length/wheelbase: 174.5/104.3 inches

Height/width: 49.3/75 inches

Curb weight: 3,616 pounds (3,605, manual transmission)

STANDARD FEATURES

Automatic rear spoiler; bi-xenon headlights; heated, 10-way power sport seats; multifunction, three-spoke, flat-bottomed steering wheel with tilt and telescopic adjustment; automatic climate control; remote locking; driver information center with onboard computer; seven-speaker Radio Concert audio with in-dash CD; Sirius satellite radio; cruise control

SAFETY

Front dual-stage air bags, seat-mounted side bags, front knee bags; electronic stability control; ABS

CHASSIS

Brakes: inner-vented discs with eight-piston front calipers, four-piston rear; 15-inch front discs, 14-inch rear

Steering: electromechanical with speed-dependent power assistance; 38.7-foot turning circle

Suspension: double wishbone front and rear

Tires and wheels: Front 235/35 91Y 19-inch, rear 295/30 91Y on alloy wheels

PRICING

Base: $118,995, including $995 freight charge. Price as tested, $134,545, including $2,100 gas guzzler fee

Options on test car: Enhanced leather package, $5,500, includes leather dashboard and interior trim; Premium package, $3,500, includes advanced parking system camera, six-disc CD changer, hill-hold assist, integrated garage opener, Bluetooth phone preparation, auto-dimming driver mirror, storage package; navigation system, $2,000, Bang & Olufsen audio upgrade, $1,800

Warranty: 4-years/50,000-miles limited coverage with roadside assistance; 12-month/5,000-miles free first scheduled maintenance

PLUSES: It's as fast as it looks, but comfortable and controllable.

MINUSES: Too much attention from everybody.

SIDEBAR

Test driving the Audi

By Mark Maynard

The first Audi R8 I tested was a European-spec model, dropped off for a week in October 2007. At that time, this mid-engine, two-seat, V-8 sports car had just started delivery to customers in very limited numbers. It had been thoroughly enjoyed by the top auto writers and there was much awareness of the car by enthusiasts. But few had actually seen a car on the road.

Driving home the first afternoon, I saw in my rearview a customized Chevy pickup speed up and duck in behind me on the interstate. The driver followed very close until traffic jammed up and we were creeping, when the truck pulled alongside. The passenger was lowering his window, waving his arms and yelling, "Man! That is some Sick S*&T! Sick S*%T! What is it?"

A shaggy-maned woman between the driver and passenger was squirming her way out the passenger window with the intent to run across the lane and jump in the R8's passenger seat. She was restrained.

It was then that I understood why men buy cars like this.

Now, three months later I've just finished a week and 1,000 miles in an R8 built for the United States. It was painted Ice Silver metallic with silver side blades.

The biggest difference between cars for the United States and Europe is the magnetic ride adaptive damping system. This magic flux of magnetically charged particles in a synthetic fluid can continuously adjust from hard to firm to soft as road conditions demand. The system allegedly provides a quicker response than conventional valve-damping systems, but at times it seemed to respond with too much bounce and other times too hard. I preferred the more direct feel of the European-spec suspension.

The 4.2 liter V-8 is rated 420 horsepower at 7,800 rpm with 317 foot-pounds of torque from 4,500-6,000 rpm.

At 100 mph, the engine is spinning at about 4,000 rpm. Mash the accelerator for passing power and the Rtronic clicks down two gears and the car jumps to hyperspace. It upshifts to fifth at 130 mph and, had I stayed on the throttle, into sixth at 163. Control feels the same at 65 as it does much higher.

Audi claims a 0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds with either transmission, Rtronic automated manual or six-speed manual. But passing speed in sport mode is stunningly quick. Top speed is 187 mph.

In relaxed driving, the automated mode of Rtronic can give pronounced shifts, as if somebody else is clutching and shifting. Shifting manually cuts out the rev-and-clutch effect.

The six-speed manual is smooth but not as silky as the manuals in Audi's current S-line performance cars.

A side note about the side blades: An option for carbon-fiber blades has been halted until a dependable supply of aircraft-grade material is again available. All of the good carbon fiber is being consumed by the Airbus A380, Audi says.

It is a prize to take possession of an early R8, but there will be revisions made as the model matures. In short time, these first cars could be seen for what they didn't have.

As with all of these limited-edition vehicles, let the red mist evaporate. Audi will build more.

SIDEBAR

Porsche Carrera C4 S coupe

By Mark Maynard

Engine: 3.8-liter flat six-cylinder

Horsepower: 355 at 6,600 rpm

Torque: 295 foot-pounds at 4,600 rpm

Transmission: six-speed manual or five-speed Tiptronic automatic

Length/wheelbase: 175.6/92.5 inches

Height/width: 51.6/72.9 inches

Fuel tank: 17.7 gallons

Curb weight: 3,340 with Tiptronic

Acceleration: 0-60 mph, 5 seconds

Price: $90,560, including freight