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The fact that Audi is touting the R8 as a super sports car that will transport you over distances in relative comfort rather than a rock-hard, bare-bones trackday star, underlines which side of the table the chips have fallen. The upside is that it allows you to hear the excellent Bang & Olufsen stereo in all its glory at normal listening levels.
The long distance aspect needs to be qualified, since the front compartment will only swallow a couple of squashy bags, with a further two behind the seats. Audi says you can carry two sets of golf clubs on the pseudo shelf behind the seats!
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After nearly a decade of Audi ownership, Lamborghini build quality has been ramped up a couple of notches, and down the road at Modena, the hugely profitable Ferrari machine is also making cars whose quality easily eclipses their products of half a decade ago. Meanwhile, not that far from Audi’s hometown Ingolstadt, Porsche has also been improving on its legendary build quality and reliability.
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However, the one area where the Audi beats all comers hands down is in build quality. Build quality is at the core of today’s Audi product. Whether you step into an A3 or an A8, you get the same solid door shuts, the same hewn from solid cabin architecture. With Audi, build quality is a fact of life, not an optional extra.
This is one of the linchpins that has enabled the Ingolstadt firm to win so many conquest sales from BMW, whose recent styling put customers off, and from Mercedes, who are only just recovering from their serious quality lapse of the last decade.
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While it is true that the major cabin elements take their styling cues from the Audi A6 model in the shapes of the instrument surrounds, this is as much a corporate style element as the distinctive front grille.
Importantly, as on the TT, the bulk of the R8’s cabin is bespoke, and nice detailing abounds. The gearshift knobs, lever and surround plus the knobs that operate the heating and air-conditioning are all machined from solid blocks of aluminum, and look and feel substantial. Carbon fiber trim is an option.
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The electrically adjustable seats are plush, and along with the beautifully trimmed cabin with mod cons like air-conditioning and sat-nav, underline the R8’s raison d’etre as a super sports car rather than a street legal racecar. More than that, the R8’s interior is classy and that counts for a lot.
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That touring role is also reflected in the car’s weight. Although it is 90kg lighter than the Audi RS4 super-saloon with which it shares its potent, high-revving V8 motor, at 1,560kg, the R8 is also 100kg heavier than the mostly steel 997 Carrera 4 and weighs 40kg more than its shorter and lower aluminum clad Italian cousin.
If the R8 were made from steel, that weight would be no surprise, but with Audi’s ASF aluminum space-frame clad with aluminum panels, we would have expected the R8 to come in under 1,500kg.
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Next page: Verdict |
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