I didn't drive it, my dad did but this is what he told me... Anyway, I was there with him and the car sounded great at idle. At higher revs its quite soft, not something you would expect of a semi-exotic.

Some comments he made:

- It's comfortable for a sports car but definitely not as comfortable as the QP (which I find quite uncomfortable already!)... By the way it was equipped with Magnetic Ride.
- The throttle response is very sensitive which makes it rather difficult to drive because just a little depression on the accelerator might break your neck
- It doesn't feel as powerful as the QP at the higher end but definitely feels torquey
- The gearbox is VERY jerky, more jerky than the Maserati's even (surprisingly)... R-Tronic was the only test drive car available.
- Driveability is very good, vision is better than in the QP because of the large viewing angle
- Interior noise is more than the Mazza, engine noise is clearly heard
- Handling is good, it glues to the road

Well that's all we've discussed so far. He likes it a lot though... He'll definitely get a manual if we decide to buy one. Traffic was bad which may explain the jerkiness and the lack of opportunity to fully exploit the car's power. We're valuing the second hand value of the A8 now to see what price we can get. If it's a good price a R8 might just be on the way. We need a second test drive and of course my approval first before we buy though!

It is very comfy for beeing a Supercar!
just my 0.2 cents

That's cool James ...I guess you will be on your best behaviour if your dad gets one of these ...he might let you borrow the keys.

Do two adults fit in the backseat?

Hey James, if your dad decides to add the R8 into the family fleet, I am flying over to your place straight away.

You have to make the backseat 1st, then figure out how you are going to fit it in, then decide which bodypart you want to sacrifice before sitting in the backseats.

Thanks for these first impressions!! It sounds like a great car...maybe you will have to chance a R8 with 6 speed manual!

Might... But he hasn't let my sister drive the A8 nor the QP yet.

That's very true.

It's a year wait... Really crazy, we might be looking at used units.

Unfortunately I doubt we can ever sample the great 6 speed manual, so I guess it's from intuition and from reviews that we know it's miles ahead than R-Tronic.

We test drove a Daytona Grey model. Everywhere it went, everyone was staring at it. It certainly has presence on the road.

hanx for the impressions man ,wll 6 speed manual sounds inevitable

Interesting impressions. Unfortunate that you can't get a manual test car. BTW have you booked a CL test drive yet?

Not yet, I doubt Mercedes will allow those but we will try. The 911 Carrera S is available though!