Mr. M

Now a few months has passed since the R8 was unveiled to the world. Shock and owe, Audi finally released a proper mid-engined sports car to compete with the 911s. While previously Audi was notorious for its FWD cars, numb steering and ungainly weight distributions, the R8 suddenly and quite spectacularly deconstructed notions of Audi's incapability to build a sports car. Undoubtedly, in the few months following its release, the R8 has garnered award after every award, winning comparisons like it's an everyday occurrence. It has even, at times, beaten its own step-sister, the Gallardo, and even the 911 Carrera S.

It's now appropriate for you to state in this thread, what you think of the R8, Audi's first modern supercar and arguably its biggest achievement to date.

Say anything you want about it - design, performance, interior, whatever - I want to know what you think.

Yannis

It's a fantastic car.

Mr. M

I'd chip in first.

No one expected the R8 to perform so well but it did so admirably, from running the Hockenheim so amazingly quick and being so comfortable and useable at the same time. I think, nobody thought of Audi as a sports car maker before the R8. Now, everything has changed. The R8 is the proper halo car for Audi. No matter what the link, people would draw to the R8 whenever they talk about Audi.

I have never seen such an Audi myself (fair, given I've been around for only 18 years) and the R8 is a revelation to me. I'd never think of Audi quite the same way again.

With the V10 coming, coupled with DSG, this car is going to rock the house. As JC puts it so aptly, '... This car is without fault' and I think he's 100% right.

Too bad there's no space in the house for an R8 now. Otherwise...

Mr. M

Okay, I could have just said that without writing such a long post.

MikeJ

Time to start looking for a bigger house then.

Seriously, I think I would choose this car over the competition if I were in the fortunate position to have the money required. It's less brash than the Italians and less ubiquitous than the 911.

coolraoul

Weel, this technically a fabulous car, Audi managed to create a really really serious spotscar, among the best of the category at the first attempt.

But it does not appeal to me that much. The design is strange, too long, and too Audi. It will age I think, the front really begins to imo.

And the RS4 motor is not like a flat six, emotionwise. Let's see with the V10...

So, even if this is a fabulous car, really, I would take a 911. Because it is something more. It is a classic, it is a myth, it is beautiful, the motor is a masterpiece. It is a 911. Everytime I see one, I think to myself "this is perfect. This is THE car...". It is not the case with others sports cars. Even Gallardo or Ferrari 430, they are spectacular, yes, but... The 911 is my dream, a Carrera S...

(because, strangely, I don't like the 911 Turbo at all, even designwise, and there is a 911 Turbo Cabriolet 997 often parked near where I work).

So 911 for me...

Mr. M

Maybe, maybe... It's a shame it's either manual or R-tronic for now. If it had been DSG it would have made it more certain...

That's a nice way to think of it. I never liked the 911 for its same-shape-different-model philosophy. If you drove a 911 and a R8 down a street, you'd know which one would get the stares, the awes and the dropping jaws...

I agree that the R8 isn't beautiful. In fact it's not even a good looking car to begin with... Just eye-catching maybe.

The Porsche has a more organic shape, and has the name and history to go with it... Good choice. The R8 to me though represents something new and different which of course I always treasure.

What do you guys think of the Gallardo-R8 conflict? Will the upcoming V10 R8 be too close for comfort to the Lambo? Is the R8 a wrong project from the start, and that just like the Phaeton, it would forever be labelled as a 'poor cousin' to its better endowed siblings? I for one would be very interested to see how they price the V10... And whether they would introduce DSG in the Gallardo or R8 first.

coolraoul

It is a very interesting question, the Gallardo/R8.
Even if the R8 seems a bit better balanced technically speaking, the look of the Gallardo is just incredible...Its name too.
I don't know how they are priced. The V10 R8 will be near the Gallardo I think, and then, I would pick the Lambo in a heartbeat.
The R8 has only interest in V8 version, lower-priced, where it can challenge the 911/Aston.
But it won't.

I don't see it selling a lot, for me the sales will decrease considerably once the "wow, new" instant has passed. It is just an Audi after all, and looks like a stretched TT from certain sides... Nothing to compete with Porsche perfection and Aston's astonishing, stunning look.

So for me, two things are bad flaws: it is just an Audi, and it sort of looks like a TT.

Centurion

When I read the press release for the R8 I became very skeptical about the car and doomed it to be a failure. Despite the "low" 420hp, AWD and relatively high weight the R8 was surprised us all. It does perform like a sports car and Audi has proven that they have officially joined the game. With a V10 and DSG box it will be one of the best sports cars on the market. The R8 is the only car at the moment which can truly challenge the 911.

Unfortunately it is not all perfection. Audi failed with the design. The design is a bit fabricated like an American idol artist.

It's not as passionate and perfectly crafted like the Audi TT which is Audi's design star. Standing next to the R8 it doesn't evoke the same emotions as F430 or any other exotic. Nonetheless it's Audi's first job and they have created a good sports car. I look forward to the successor though.

Monster

I will definitely buy one if I have the money. I love the styling. I saw a silver version with carbon fibre side blade. It just looks so much better and smaller on the road under natural lighting. And that V8 sound, I can hear it through the noisy diesel engine of the bus I was in.

In every single drive review I have read, it has been described as one very serious driving machine, that performs on the road as well as on the track, and unlike previous Audi performance cars, the driver receives detail feedback from the car and he is fully involved in action, controlling every aspect of the car.

I am not lucky enough to have driven one, but judging from all the reviews I have read, the R8 is a true driver’s car, and for that I want one. The stunning styling comes as a bonus.