2011 Audi R8 Review

New Spyder and coupe boast V8 and V10 engines.

Introduction

A new Audi R8 Spyder joins the Audi R8 coupe for 2011. Hand-built in Neckarsulm, Germany, the R8 is Audi's flagship supercar, named after the race cars that dominated endurance racing from 2000-2005. After driving the R8 Spyder and the R8 coupe, we think they're every bit as good to drive as to look at.

The R8 offers a high-revving 430-hp V8 or a 525-hp V10. The engine is mounted amidships and can be seen on display beneath a clear engine cover on the coupe or found nestled under the Spyder's stowed soft top. The R8 comes with quattro all-wheel drive, massive multi-piston brakes, aluminum suspension components, and a nearly flat floor to help keep it on the ground at speed.

Inside is a finished cabin with controls very much like any Audi. The R8 is stylish but not gaudy, luxurious without forsaking efficiency, roomy enough to avoid feet squeezed off to one side or your skull stuck in the headliner. Seats are contoured to fit a variety of sizes without reshaping them, and you can hold a conversation without an intercom. As one indicator of how far Audi's gone to make the R8 useable as a daily driver, consider the Bluetooth microphones in the driver's seatbelt on the Spyder.

Audi was able to exploit some engineering development from sister-company Lamborghini in the form of the Gallardo V10 engine, transmissions and chassis, but any notion of the two being the same car wearing different badges should be banished. If the Lamborghini, or any other angry Italian exotic is Lucifer in outlandish Milan-runway garb, the R8 is still Lucifer but one that's been to finishing school and toting a classic Navy blazer.

Exotics and high-performance sports cars vary greatly in style and concept compared to more plebian cars so there is no set class the Audi R8 competes in. Those cars potential R8 buyers might also be interested in, to what degree determined by their location on the performance-style continua, include the Aston Martin DB9 and Vantage V12, Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1, Ferrari 458 Italia, Lamborghini Gallardo, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, Porsche 911, and Nissan GT-R.

Coming soon is the Audi R8 GT, which will go on sale in the U.S. as a 2012 model. The GT is a bit of a misnomer given it's the sportiest R8 and the least useful for grand touring purposes. The R8 GT will be right at home on race track, however, as it is tuned to play with Porsche GT3 and Ferrari Challenge cars. The R8 GT features a higher-revving V10 engine near 560 horsepower. Lightened by 220 pounds, the R8 GT can accelerate from 0-62 mph in 3.6 seconds and can top 198 mph, according to Audi. It's expected to come with ceramic brakes, lighter glass and polycarbonates, fixed rear wing, and a much lighter battery. Expect it be just slightly faster than an R8 5.2 FSI but notably quicker around a road racing circuit. Only 333 will be built. We anticipate a price around $190,000.

Lineup

The 2011 Audi R8 is offered in coupe or convertible form, with V8 or V10 power. All R8s are all-wheel drive.

Audi R8 4.2 FSI coupe ($114,200) comes with a 430-hp V8 and 6-speed manual gearbox. Standard features include leather and Alcantara upholstery, 10-way power, heated sport seats, climate control, tilt-telescoping flat-bottom multifunction steering wheel, AM/FM/CD/MP3/Sirius stereo, HomeLink, Bluetooth, cruise control, trip computer, bi-xenon headlamps, magnetorheological shocks, and 19-inch alloy wheels. A 6-speed automated manual R-Tronic transmission ($9,100) is optional.

Audi R8 4.2 FSI Spyder ($127,700) is equipped much like the coupe, with the addition of a power folding hardtop with power rear window, leather treated to be cooler, and Bluetooth microphones in the driver's seatbelt.

Options include Nappa leather upholstery ($2000); a convenience package ($2,100) with rearview camera, hill-hold assist, auto-dimming heated folding outside mirrors; MMI navigation ($2,100); alternate side blade colors and finishes; complete LED front lighting ($3,500); alternate wheel styles/finishes ($500); metallic paint ($650); 465-watt 12-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system ($1,800); Alcantara headliner ($1,300); piano black cabin trim ($1,640); carbon fiber trim; illuminated door sills ($875).

R8 5.2 FSI ($147,500) comes with the 525-hp V10 engine, Nappa leather, LED headlights, Bang & Olufsen sound, navigation and rearview camera.

R8 5.2 FSI Spyder ($161,000) has everything from 4.2 Spyder and 5.2 coupe, plus power-folding, heated, auto-dimming rearview mirrors.

Options for the 5.2 versions include the enhanced leather package ($3,500), and the cosmetic upgrades of the V8: carbon fiber, piano black, alternate colors/finishes, headliner and door sills. (All New Car Test Drive prices are Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Prices, which do not include destination charge and may change at any time without notice.)

Safety features that come standard include frontal airbags, head/chest side-impact airbags, knee airbags, pop-up rollbars on Spyder, electronic stability control, and all-wheel drive. The optional rearview camera enhances safety by increasing the chances of the driver spotting a child or other hazard behind the car when backing up, so we recommend it.

Walkaround

High-performance cars tend to have unique and easily identified styling. Fortunately in the case of the R8, unique and attractive go together, and since the luster hasn't worn off in the five years from its debut, the R8 doesn't change for 2011.

At the ends every R8 is similar. Three separate grilles on the front and more on the rear, gloss-black on V10, variously inhale and exhale cooling air. Bi-Xenon headlights are traced by LED running lights on the V8 while the V10 uses LED headlamps, some chrome details and slightly larger grilles with fewer slats. At the rear rectangular light inserts echo the Audi TT; twin tailpipes on either side identify a V8, a single oval on each side a V10. The GT version will get a big round barrel on each side, air extractors behind the rear wheels, a fixed rear wing, more aggressive diffuser and a wider, more contoured leading edge.

Aerodynamic function and engine placement define the basic bones of any mid-engine sports car. A low snout improves visibility and keeps the nose to the ground, and the creases above the front wheels keep air moving over the windshield and not spilling over the sides. At the tail end a pop-up spoiler automatically lifts at certain road speeds or if the engine needs maximum cooling; it can be done manually as well for cleaning. Look underneath and you'll find it almost totally flat like many race cars.

In profile the R8 coupe is dominated by what Audi calls a sideblade, that vertical slice of bodywork that runs from the roof to the bottom just ahead of the rear wheels. It can be ordered in a variety of finishes, including painted to match the rest of the car. All the scoops and vents are there for machinery cooling or propulsion, and on the V10 the sideblade scoop is larger. Both V8 and V10 come with 19-inch wheels, five twin-spoke on the V8 and five tri-y design on the V10.

The Spyder features a fabric folding top (two colors) with two buttresses over the engine cover. It can be opened or closed in about 20 seconds, and it can be done so at speeds up to 30 mph. The buttresses help direct air around the rear of the car but they don't actually sit on the paint and won't scratch it. The silver panels behind the headrests are engine bay cooling vents, replacing those that run down the roof pillars on the coupe. What the Spyder loses to the coupe is the clear engine cover that lets onlookers admire the beast within.

A Spyder has an electrically lifted rear window (with defrost) to limit some noise and buffeting, and a drop-in wind-blocker closer to the headrests for further reductions. We found with just the window it's possible to converse at legal speeds with the top down, and lowering the window with the top up adds engine intake sounds to the exhaust noise.

The coupe has a minor advantage in cargo space. Coupe and Spyder have a small 3.5-cubic-foot trunk up front, a compact but deep well that might hold your carry-on duffel or a half-case of wine. The coupe has another 3.1 cubic feet of storage space behind the front seats for soft-sided bags or a minimal golf bag. On the Spyder that space is consumed by the folding top.

Interior

For those accustomed to putting on their sports car rather than getting into it the first observation of most R8 occupants is it's surprisingly roomy and civilized. Yes it's low and a wide step in but it looks more conventional than the average exotic car, and downright familiar to any Audi driver.

Powered and heated sport seats provide plenty of comfort and rely partially on the encapsulating doors and console for lateral retention. They are not as confining as some sport seats that assume a 30-inch-or-smaller waist, and not as heavily bolstered and contoured as some Audi S or RS sedan seats. Not only do 6-foot, 4-inch adults fit inside, their feet fit in the footwells, a common pinch point in mid-engine cars.

With a range of power adjustment, a good dead pedal, and a manual tilt/telescoping steering column, it's easy to get a suitable driving position and good view of the instruments. Forward and rearward visibility are good, while rear quarter vision is better in the coupe with the small rear side windows and slightly compromised with the convertible top up.

The V8 cars come with leather-framed, alcantara-center upholstery; full leather of the V10 is available, and both cars can be enhanced further with leather for the dashboard and upper door panels. Spyders have specially treated leather to keep cooler than regular leather. Aluminum style cabin trim is standard; upgrades include carbon fiber and piano black, the latter high-gloss that suggests it might be a good idea to test drive in the sun top-down before ordering one that way. Audi's cabins are well-regarded and if there's a weak point in the R8's cabin it's the plastic console trim.

All the instruments, including oil temperature and electrical condition, are in a pod ahead of the driver with a glare-free covering. The steering wheel foregoes an excessively thick rim and has redundant-control thumbwheels and switches, but the flat-bottom shape is not ideal for urban driving or ribbons of mountain roadway that require more than a turn of the wheel. Flat-bottom steering wheels are better suited to formula cars. A proper handbrake is immediately right of the driver, much preferred over the electronic kind.

The manual shifter has a slotted metal gate like Ferraris of yore; R-Tronic cars use paddles on the wheel.

Stalks handle the usual wiper/signal/main beam/cruise chores. The navigation screen is easily seen in direct sunlight, with or without polarized lenses). The audio/navigation system is a standard Audi part and reasonably intuitive, and the climate controls are right out of the TT. Bluetooth and iPod integration are well thought out, detailed to the point the Spyder driver's seatbelt has three microphones in it for hands-free calling with the top down. Cabin storage space is moderate in the coupe, smaller in the Spyder.

Driving Impression

If you can use such an expression, the slowest R8 coupe will run the standard 0-60 sprint in about 4.6 seconds and manage 187 mph; a V10 posts values in the high-three-second range and can top 195 mph. Spyders carry more weight so they are not quite as quick yet still plenty potent; you'll be illegal by third gear. The R8 has been compared to Acura's NSX of 20 years ago as a supercar without all the drawbacks. The NSX wasn't fastest in class, nor is the R8. It turns out some drivers have higher priorities than outright speed.

Although it uses an aluminum chassis the R8 is no featherweight: All-wheel drive, solidity and luxury add up to a weight of 3600-3900 pounds. The fiercest acceleration in the competitive set comes from the Porsche 911 Turbo S which explodes to 60 mph in less than 3 seconds and continues the momentum as unabated as a V10 R8. But the 911 can't match the sound from either of the R8's engines, and Ferrari's 458 could cost six digits more. Both the all-wheel-drive 911 Turbo and rear-wheel-drive 458 use more sophisticated 7-speed dual-clutch gearboxes and weigh about 200 pounds less than a V10 R8.

Despite identical cylinder dimensions each R8 engine has a unique note. The V8 sounds more threatening at idle, more musclecar in the midrange, and singing as it passes 8000 rpm. The V10 has a quieter, more subdued purr at idle, more mechanical midrange and syncopation, and simply wails approaching its 8500 rpm limit. Both must be revved for maximum power, the larger engine more so, yet there is such an abundance of power and proper gearing they can be driven around town very briskly while behaving as sedately as a limo.

Regarding fuel economy, let's just say it's about what you'd expect for a silly-fast car, and the 24-gallon tank won't last as you think it might. If you want to be green and fast simultaneously, the 911 Turbo is better in that regard.

The direct-drive (1:1 top gear) 6-speed manual uses a gated shifter with quick throws that make a metallic click through the light action, not unlike a small-bore rifle. It's simple to drive and a joy to operate even in traffic, causing us to wonder why, even at this price, anyone pays $9,100 for the optional R-Tronic. So our recommendation is to go for the manual.

The R-Tronic is not an automatic transmission but rather an automated 6-speed manual that does the clutch and shifting for you. The R-Tronic relieves the driver of two-foot coordination. It may be better around a racetrack because it shifts so quickly, almost violently, and you can keep both hands on the wheel, but on most public byways it's clunky, slow and doesn't feel much more advanced than a Smart's transmission. We've found that partially lifting off the gas when changing gears will smooth things somewhat. We've also found this type of transmission awkward when maneuvering in and out of tight places that require moving fore and aft, such as pulling into a tight parking space or garage; it lacks the precision and speed of either a manual or an automatic in such situations.

Every R8 is all-wheel drive, quattro the term Audi has used on its performance cars since the Quattro coupe debuted in 1980. In the R8 the nominal split sends 90 percent of the thrust to the rear wheels, giving it a rear-wheel-drive feel. In certain conditions, either model can send at least 30 percent of the power to the front wheels. You can haze the rear tires around a track but in general every horsepower the engine doles out translates directly to forward motion. It also gives the R8 a slight advantage in putting power down in a corner or helping it get around one quicker.

One word of caution about quattro: Since slowing is done by brakes and tires the R8, like any all-wheel-drive car (including the 911 Turbo and Nissan GT-R), does not stop any better than a car with similar brakes and tires. Maybe even a foot or two longer because of the added weight. Too many original Quattro owners incorrectly figured Audi had re-written Newton and stuffed a high percentage of Quattros into ski-resort snowbanks.

With the heaviest part of the car right behind the driver and low to the ground, the R8 changes direction quickly and easily, in the process feeling lighter than it really is. Sticky tires generate big grip and corners become mere changes of scenery out the windshield, with no drama, wiggle, or mid-bend correction needed.

Brakes require just a light touch to erase a lot of speed and leaning on them hard should not be done with anything heavier than a tissue loose in the cabin because it may not slow down as fast as the car. With relatively large, high-compression engines, there is some engine braking available merely lifting off the gas.

Sophisticated shock absorbers constantly adjust in milliseconds and help the R8 offer that precision and grip without any sense of harshness, even on the tighter V10 model. Many lesser two-doors don't ride as well and those that do don't handle this well. Lighter mid-engine cars may change direction better (the Lotus Elise and Ferrari 458 come to mind) but the R8 is extremely well sorted out so it's easier to find the limit, and that is perhaps the R8's greatest virtue; you don't have to be a skilled racer to drive it quickly.

Although it frequently leads to a less-stiff structure, the Spyder felt as tight and solid as a coupe with no squeaks or groans on bad roads or severe-angle driveways. It felt no less weather tight than the coupe, and we couldn't hear any more wind noise. Bear in mind the R8 is insulated but with 420 ponies at your ear it's never luxury-car quiet. Cowl shake wherein the windshield vibrates slightly because there is no roof attached was absent on the Spyder, as the inside mirror was completely stable: a good thing too since the R8's soundtrack invites you to be a hooligan and you'll be checking it frequently.

Summary

The Audi R8 does what you expect from a high-performance sports car: it goes like Meat Loaf's second album title, changes direction like a K Street spin wizard and stops as well as it stops traffic and draws admiring stares. And it does so with daily livability, turn-key reliability, and perhaps in your style more than any other. You could drive it to the office in the rain, go parts shopping, then do a few laps at your favorite track all in one day, changing nothing more than the radio station or iPod track.

G.R. Whale filed this NewCarTestDrive.com report after his test drives of R8 Spyder and coupe models with V8s and V10s in Southern California.