Audi R8 2007 review

Then there's its classic race-style mechanical layout and the best technology in the Audi arsenal, including quattro all-wheel-drive.

The R8 is beautifully built and has a thumping V8 engine fitted right behind the driver's shoulders that will snap it to 100km/h in 4.6 seconds and on to a top of 301km/h.

And yet, to be honest, Ferrari, Porsche and Lamborghini have almost nothing to fear from the R8. As good as it is and as great as it looks, the R8 falls short of supercar pace and does not have the sizzle that is so essential for the meatiest sports car steak.

That should be bad news for Audi and a punishing penalty for the R8, but it is not.

How? Why? Because Audi hit every target it set for the R8 and is confident its approach, which concentrated on building an everyday sports car and not just a supercar boy's toy, will pay off far more successfully than going all-out against Ferrari and Porsche in a battle it cannot win.

"You cannot attack Ferrari. It cannot be done. Just as you cannot attack Harley-Davidson," the head of technical development at Audi's quattro division, Jens Steingraber, says.

"We decided to make a daily sports car. Audi is not a brand for exotic cars that are not able to run every day or at a high-quality level.

"Nobody has built such a concept for daily use in high quality. The R8 is noisy, but not too loud. You can stay with it and be comfortable and quick.

"This is a new German sports car. If you want a car for daily use, to take to play golf or drive for more than 25,000km a year, this is the right choice.

"We decided not to make a Ferrari Enzo, but to have a new philosophy. It was a position that was empty and we decided to fill it."

But there is something else . . . Audi is part of the same Volkswagen carmaking conglomerate that includes Lamborghini, which meant the R8 was never going to be fully loaded.

After all, why would Audi bother to build an R8 supercar if it would end up going head-to-head with the Lamborghini Gallardo in a fight that would hurt both cars and brands?

So the R8 is effectively capped by the Gallardo, as even Steingraber admits.

"When the Gallardo moves, we can also move," he says.

Even so, there is no doubt the R8 is a mover. And a shaker.

The press preview in Las Vegas last week rocked a city that is packed with high rollers and superstars, as well as highlighting — on road, track and city streets — that the R8 does most everything pretty well.

It is going to be costly, with a price on the far side of $250,000, but Audi Australia has already been overwhelmed with orders and worldwide demand means there will be a waiting list.

The cost of the R8 is reflected in everything from its gorgeous alloy skeleton to hand assembly of many parts, a leather-trimmed cabin — with optional Bang & Olufsen sound — and a mechanical package that runs to a 309kW V8 that cranks to 8250 revs with either a six-speed manual or six-speed R-tronic automated sequential manual gearbox.

But Audi did take an easy shortcut for the R8, installing the V8 it already uses in the RS4 super sedan. It is very good, but it would have been better by far to take the 383kW V10 used in the Gallardo. If only . . .

The R8's suspension is fully independent, as you would expect, but Audi has picked up the same magnetic ride control used in the Ferrari F599, Chevrolet Corvette and the latest HSV Commodore with such stunning success.

It also touts a dry-sumped engine layout, a 44:56 weight distribution and a pop-up rear spoiler.

But most people are more likely to notice the distinctive LEDs used in the headlights — which will switch from xenon globes to an optional full LED system at the end of the year — and tail-lights.

Golfers will appreciate luggage space that includes room for two bags behind the twin sports bucket seats.

Customers can choose a carbon-fibre "sideblade" and a carbon dress-up package for the engine bay, which is also available with a separate lighting package.

Audi Australia is still working on the price and specification for the R8, but the equipment is expected to run to the magnetic-ride suspension and 19-inch alloy wheels, as well as both transmission choices.

"The price will be closer to $250,000 than $300,000. We expect most of the cars for Australia will be manuals," Audi Australia spokeswoman Anna Burgdorf says.

"We have sold 32 cars and we think our allocation will be 60 cars a year."

That means only three days' production at Audi's Neckarsulm factory, which has been set for a lot of hand-finishing work on everything from the Audi space-frame chassis — which cuts the weight of the body shell to 210kg — to ensure the best quality because it builds only 20 cars a day.

Steingraber says: "This is an elite car. It is the peak. It demonstrates that Audi can do this car and the customer can believe in Audi at that range."

ON THE ROAD

THE first few minutes in the R8 are same-same, but different.

The flat-bottom steering wheel and a lot of the switches are familiar from the Audi RS4 and so is the engine, though it is more muted inside and more grumpy outside. The final finishing work is up to the usual Audi standard.

But the R8 has supercar looks that hit you hard as you approach and draw more admiring looks than anything that has worn an Audi badge.

Every R8 tester in Las Vegas wanted to put the pedal to the floor, but there was frustration for the first 90 minutes because nanny speed limits and road works reduced all running to a 90km/h convoy behind a Q7 four-wheel drive.

It was like running the first four hours of the Le Mans 24-hour race with full-course yellow flags, when the only danger is the drivers falling asleep . . . so we quickly found the flaws.

The seats are a touch too high, because they need clearance for electric motors; the automated manual shift is set the "wrong" and non-sporty way, to match the rest of the Audi range; and our first test car, an automated manual with magnetic ride suspension, had a tappet rattle in the engine.

But then the road cleared, the limits rose and it was time to go for it in the R8. And what a go.

The R8 is taut and responsive, yet still comfortable and refined. It copes easily with humps and bumps and the sound system is great.

The steering has great feel, the quattro drive provides great grip and the engine . . . well, the engine is good but not great.

It is a riot in the RS4 but cannot give the R8 the sort of punch and presence to rival a V8 Ferrari or V10 Lamborghini.

Switch the engine and transmission settings to "sport" and it thumps through the gears and gets along quickly, but it does not have the scream or sharpness of a supercar.

It is just as Audi says, a sports car but not a supercar. A long way beyond the TT coupe and yet . . .

Running back towards town after a brisk blast through the desert, the R8 becomes a nice freeway cruise and, after switching to a six-speed manual car — with a great, involving shift and terrific-looking alloy shift gate — it also made easy work of Las Vegas commuter traffic.

The clutch is light, visibility is good, the engine does not grump or run rough and it would be fine for any real-world nine-to-five work.

The R8 is a high-end sports car that will satisfy most drivers without compromising everyday driving.

It is more than fast enough to snap your neck from the lights and blast past slow-moving traffic, but it is not the ultimate. It is naughty, but not nasty.

It will probably be shopped against a Porsche and, even though it is less responsive and involving, a lot of people will go for the R8's brilliant looks and its easy driving. It will satisfy them without challenging them, which is just what Audi wants.

ON THE TRACK

THE R8 comes alive on a closed road course.

That is when you can run it right to the redline, push the limit in curves and really feel the good work that has gone into the Audi.

Audi set up a short course on the Las Vegas Raceway infield, where Marcos Ambrose was running his Nascar on the oval this week, and put no limits on the same R8s that had run through the road loop earlier in the preview day.

Their new star came on strong as the V8 engine was run right to the redline and proved it can deliver the numbers and the response its owners will want.

It still doesn't have the sound or top-end thrust of an Italian exotic, but it is very good.

The launch control in the "manu-matic" kicks in from the line and the paddle-shift change is sharp. The manual gearbox has a direct, metallic shift, which suits the look and feel of the R8 .

The chassis is a little dull and has too much push at the nose, but the brakes — optional ceramic discs on most cars — are brilliant and the car is more than quick enough for most drivers.

I enjoyed the chance to push the limit and even stepped over the edge after switching from a tied-down magnetic ride car to a slightly softer car with regular suspension.

The scuffs from the witches hats were easy to buff away . . . but the R8 did not have me drooling or dreaming about extra laps. It is a sharp road car but does not feel like a racer.

At the end of a long and varied day, the R8 had delivered on all of Audi's promises — except one.

For all its strengths, the body itself over-promises a supercar package that is not delivered. The R8 looks to be a road racer that should throw out a direct German challenge to Ferrari and Lamborghini, but it does not.