2008 Audi R8 —
closest thing to Audi race car
The 2008
Audi R8 is a lot like other exotic-looking sports cars: Priced in the six
figures and awesome looking.
But the
two-seat R8 is unexpected, too: It’s comfortable to ride in, if you don’t mind
sitting low to the pavement, and it’s sporty and taut without being harsh and
punishing.
Just
remember to watch the speedometer. With a 420-horsepower V-8 and a slight,
3,600-pound weight, the aluminum-bodied R8 is the fastest production Audi ever,
with a 0-to-60-mph time of just 4.4 seconds and a top speed of 187 miles an
hour.
If the
numbers alone won’t convince you the all-wheel-drive R8 is the closest thing
you can get to a road-ready Audi race car, there’s always the styling, with air
gills and swoopy metal. The look is like that of the R8 that won the 24 Hours
of LeMans race five times from 2000 to 2005.
Why bring
such a car to market?
For one
thing, the R8 has Audi’s highest price tag. Starting manufacturer’s suggested
retail price, including destination charge and gas guzzler tax, is $115,600 for
a manual transmission model with required convenience package. With automatic
transmission that includes a shift-it-yourself function, the price starts at
$124,600.
Already
known for building stalwart German luxury cars, Audi wants to set a new,
exciting image and better capitalize on its racing heritage. So it’s going
against impressive competitors in the two-seat, exotic sports car segment,
including the 2008 Porsche 911 Carrera that has a
starting retail price of $73,260 for a six-cylinder model, and the Lamborghini
Gallardo, which starts at $184,250 for a V-10 model.
Indeed,
the R8’s well-arranged cockpit — complete with a speedometer that’s full of
numbers that go all the way to 220 mph and a small steering wheel with a flat
bottom — instantly says “serious, modern motoring.” And the test car’s black
metallic exterior paint and black leather interior made for a compellingly
sinister persona.
I
couldn’t tell what I enjoyed more — the smooth power that came from the
4.2-liter, double overhead cam V-8 sitting just behind the seats or the feeling
that the low-slung R8 rode on rails at every corner.
The
tester had the R tronic automatic, which required
some practice before I could go through the first couple of gears
without feeling each shift sharply. But the thrusts of power jetted me and the
car past everyone, no matter what the speed. Torque in the R8 peaks at 317
foot-pounds through a range from 4,500 rpm to 6,000 rpm. Redline is way
up at 8,250 rpm. A six-speed manual transmission also is offered.
I made
lots of stops at the gasoline station for premium fuel. The car’s tank holds
23.8 gallons, but you wouldn’t know it the way the engine gulped gas. For the
record, the R8 has a federal government fuel economy rating of only 13 miles
per gallon in city driving with the automatic transmission, and I didn’t get
much over 11 mpg.
The
highway rating is 19 mpg, but I didn’t see that, either. The government imposes
a gas-guzzler tax of $2,100 on the R8.
The
engine is used in Audi’s sporty RS4 sedan, too. But because the R8 sits so low
to the ground, the engine has a dry sump bottom. No worries about ground
clearance, though.
I didn’t
even scrape the front air dam going in and out of my driveway in the R8.
There
isn’t much visibility out the back of the car, though, even when the rear wing
stays down. (It goes up automatically at 65 mph to handle rear end lift and
goes down at 20 mph.) Audi offers an optional rearview camera.
Storage
space is better than expected, with some room behind the seats and another 3.5
cubic feet of rectangular space in the front of the car, under the hood.
Remember, the engine isn’t up there.
Even
6-footers can find the R8 interior comfortable, with decent headroom and
legroom. Because the R8 is a low-volume model, the federal government has not
reported crash test results. Standard safety equipment includes knee air bags,
seat-mounted side air bags, side air bags, Audi’s quattro
all-wheel-drive and electronic stability control.