All that has changed. For the first time in my life, I have a single favorite car: the Audi R8.
The Drive
Since the R8's debut, there have been critics for whom the 4.2-liter V-8's 420 horsepower and zero to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds just wasn't enough. Now, the V-10's 525 hp delivers a zero-to-60 time of 3.7 seconds, and that puts it in line with other supercars. Speaking of supercars, the V-10 isn't the 4.2-liter V-8 with a couple of additional cylinders. It's actually shared with the Gallardo from Lamborghini — which Volkswagen also owns — and, in less-powerful forms, with the Audi S6 and S8. Early hopes of further differentiation from the Gallardo were dashed during development when a prototype R8 fitted with Audi's twin-turbo 5.0-liter V-10 burst into flames. The thermal challenge couldn't be overcome.
No great loss. The 5.2-liter is a potent engine, and though its torque peak is a mere 391 pounds-feet at 6,500 rpm, there's enough grunt to get you going without much delay, and the standard Quattro all-wheel drive makes sure the power goes to the pavement during straight-line acceleration. The torque peak is definitely far up the rev range, especially for a 10-pack of cylinders, but possibly not as high as you'd think: The engine redlines at 8,700 rpm, so 6,500 rpm is relatively accessible and there's a decent torque band to work with.
Thankfully, our test car had the manual transmission, which showed off the engine's lightning-fast throttle response — something that's all too rare with today's by-wire throttles. When you blip the throttle to downshift, the tach jumps as quickly as it did with the late, lamented cable-operated butterfly. At last, this improvement is starting to look like an improvement.
The V-10 dumps rpm as quickly as it builds them — much faster than most engines, due to a low-mass flywheel and a very high compression ratio. Direct injection allows for 12.5-to-1 compression, which slows the pistons down precipitously as soon as the gas is cut. It reminded me of racing engines. I learned to back off only a bit on the throttle with each upshift to keep the revs matched during normal driving. Otherwise I'd be shifting with frantic speed when not accelerating frantically.
The gated shifter is a joy to behold, and it's satisfying to use. I don't believe it's the best design for quick shifts, honestly; it's too easy to catch the edge of one of the teeth when, say, moving from 2nd to 3rd or 4th to 5th. But I'll gladly tolerate this quirk in exchange for the clicking sound of the stick moving through the gates. It never got old.
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