Audi's halo car finally reaches supercar status with an exotic V-10 engine.
Taking a walk around the R8, I took note of the supercar's low-slung good looks and sporty proportions. Externally, the R8 V-10 can be visibly discerned from the V-8 model in a few ways. The R8's trademark sideblades receive flared intakes to help the larger engine to breathe. The front and rear bumper vents have been enlarged and finished in a glossy piano black. The HID Xenon headlamps have been replaced with the world's first production full-LED arrays. Most obviously, chrome "V10" badges on the front fenders let everyone know how many cylinders you're working with.
The R8 V10 retains its trademark Y-spoke wheels and sideblades.
(Credit: Antuan Goodwin/CNET)Under the rear glass, on display for all to see, is the 5.2-liter direct injected ten-cylinder gasoline engine. Not only does this powerplant have two more cylinders and a full extra liter over the V-8, it also gains a whopping 105 horsepower and 74 pound-feet of torque. The result is a complete transformation of the nature of the vehicle, whether cruising a back road or barreling, flat-out down the back straight of your favorite racetrack.
Starting with a casual blast through the back roads of Sonoma County, I was impressed with the R8's manners when its drivetrain and suspension were left in their respective comfort modes. Now, the V-8 model is by no means miserly in the torque department, but this new model feels noticeable more beefy.
Even the six-speed R-Tronic sequential automated manual transmission felt less clunky than I remembered it--possibly due to revised programming to match the larger powerplant. However, Audi wasn't able to completely tune the clunk out of the transmission, and giving the Audi less than 9/10th in sport mode will result in lurching, jerky shifts.
Our tracktime with the Audi was supervised by trained racing instructors, do not try this at home.
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