I’m not generally frightened of the dark. However being thrown into the gloom of a November night in deepest French Provence would not have been my choice for the first experience of the new Audi flagship supercar, the R8. Fortunately this race-bred beast is the first of its kind to come with a handy feature – laser full beam headlights. I can’t honestly say they’re something I’ve been craving for over the years – I’ve happily found my way with halogens and then xenons – but I was grateful for this new light in my life as I headed through the black tree-lined countryside on the twisting hillside roads.
The crisp white light scythed through the gloom to let me experience the full potential of this £130,000 Audi range topper. What was even better about the system was that when I did encounter another traveller of the night the automatic dip worked superbly and more importantly restored full beam the instant the other car was past.
The only drawback was that it cast very sharp shadows from the roadside trees and as the system only works above 30 mph, the quality laser light was lost when braking on sharp bends.
The new R8 has been a while coming – apart from a few styling changes and technical tweaks, it’s the first major update since it was introduced 8 years ago.
At the time it was groundbreaking. A sensational design coupled with Audi’s renowned Quattro four wheel drive and power delivered from a beefy V8 or 10 sitting mid-car behind the two seats, it took the “affordable” supercar market by storm.
Since then though things have moved on and perhaps Audi could be accused of resting on their laurels, while the likes of Porsche, Aston Martin and most recently McLaren with their stunning 570S, the first of their new Sports Series cars, have been coming up with great new models.
Interestingly, McLaren see existing R8 owners as their target but Audi have come back fighting. They’ve kept all the key appeal of the original and made it even better so McLaren certainly aren’t going to have a clear field in this executive sportscar arena.
So what’s different about the second generation R8? Well the body shape may look just as dramatic but it’s wider and lower with a few other styling tweaks along the way to complete what Audi call a ‘subtle but emphatic transformation’ of the mid-engined supercar.
The distinctive side blade of the original has gone, reduced to a smaller highlight at the entrance to the side air intake and there’s a much enlarged wider front grille. The standard V10 has an electrically extending spoiler while the V10 Plus has a large fixed rear wing in carbon sigma, matching the finish of the heated and folding door mirrors, front spoiler lip and huge rear diffuser.
On the inside, a lot of work has been done to create a stunning sportscar cabin based around a dramatic flat-bottomed multi-function steering wheel which is crammed with buttons and switches and could have come straight from its Le Mans-winning racecar counterpart.
It’s dominated by a big red engine Start/Stop button and includes all the controls for information and entertainment offered by the virtual cockpit which is making its debut in the new R8. It also houses two ‘satellites’ with the control buttons for the performance mode drive select system and the exhaust system’s sound-altering adjustable flaps to create a range of resounding rasps from the back end.
The virtual cockpit is elaborate to say the least and the graphics in the different display modes are razor-sharp with details of driving programmes, acceleration, deceleration, lateral forces and what the engine is producing in power and torque.
It’s complex and tricky to get the hang of when spending only a few hours trying to master everything it can do, but I’m sure any committed owner would spend endless hours of fun navigating its intricacies.
But it’s on the road that matters for this machine and the experience is stunning. All UK drivers taking delivery of one are eligible for a complimentary full day training session with an Audi Driving Experience at Silverstone as part of their purchase….and I think they’ll need it.
The previous V8 option has been dropped along with the manual gearbox and the high-revving largely hand-built V10 has simply stunning performance with 540PS in the Standard version and a heart-stopping 610PS in the Plus set up of the test car. The lightweight construction and advanced chassis with the renowned quattro four wheel drive – which can send up to 100% of the torque to either the front or rear axle if required – and variable torque control return stunning performance on the road, whatever the conditions.
The gearchanges are a delight whether you leave the box to handle everything itself or have your own input through the paddles, which is especially satisfying in Dynamic setting. The car senses how you want to drive and gives you everything you could want with a beautiful blip of the throttle before it executes the changedown…and all of course accompanied by the delightful rear end rasp and engine note from behind your left ear.
A new freewheeling or coasting function built into the seven speed S tronic transmission boosts efficiency and the Cylinder on Demand system shuts off one of the two cylinder banks by deactivating injection and ignition when it’s not needed. That helps improve economy from what would otherwise be frightening levels to a more manageable 20+ mpg.
The sports seats are figure-hugging and keep you secure no matter how hard you throw the car through the bends and you really do feel part of the machine.
All round it returns driving thrills and excitement by the bucketload or if you want to take it quietly, it’ll also happily tootle along in the Comfort drive mode with a relaxed mild-mannered attitude.
I loved the R8 when it first appeared but latterly felt it was in danger of trading overly on its initial unanimous acclaim. Well it’s come back with a bang with all the right tricks and toys but there are a few alternatives around which weren’t there a few years ago.
What you get for your money is the engineering and racetrack pedigree of Audi in a stunning car to look at and drive. But hang on a minute….that’s exactly what McLaren are offering in their new range of Sports Series supersportscars, led by the 570S.
So which one would I go for? The answer is neither – I’d have to have both.
CAR: Audi R8 Coupe V10 plus 5.2 FSI Quattro 610 PS S Tronic
PRICE: £132,715 (£154,225 as tested)
ENGINE: 5204cc V10 direct injection DOHC
POWER: 610 PS
TORQUE: 560 Nm
PERFORMANCE: Top speed 205 mph   0-62 mph 3.2 secs
MPG: 21 mpg combined
CO2 EMISSIONS: 287 g/km
TT Rating:Â 
