German Car Zone

Audi has had phenomenal success with its R8 model, the stunning two-seat, mid-engined coupé unquestionably being the car of the moment. The Ingolstadt firm has finally gotten around to putting its V10 engine into it too, giving the R8 even more pace to compete against its supercar rivals.

In the Metal

The Audi R8 remains one of the most striking cars you can currently buy. Thanks to its Audi TT-esque cues and unique signatures like the contrasting 'sideblades' the R8 is a stunning-looking machine. With the V10 model, Audi's enhancements are subtle but effective: at the front there are new fully LED headlamps, which frame a high gloss grille and air intakes. On the front wings there are V10 badges and those contrasting sideblades feature a kink to feed more air into the mid-mounted 5.2-litre V10 engine.

Expelling that V10's gasses are oval exhaust pipes, while the panel between them and the taillights are restyled too. 'Y-design' alloy wheels complete the V10-engined R8's design changes on the exterior. Inside, little has changed: there's a V10 badge on the instruments, an improved stereo and satnav system and the seats are electrically moved and heated as standard. The R8's cabin is as beautifully finished as you'd expect from an Audi though so it should be with the R8 V10 costing just £500 short of one hundred grand in standard manual guise.

What you get for your Money

For your £100,000 you get all of the above design changes along with the must-have magnetic damper system that gives the R8 remarkable poise and composure on the road. There's also an LED lighting kit as standard, meaning you can light up your engine bay when it's parked up - which is cooler than it sounds. Ultimately though the extra £20,000 you pay over the R8 V8 car is for the two additional cylinders that make up the high-revving 5.2-litre V10. That and the extra exclusivity, with only around 150 R8 V10s being built each year for UK customers - expect a waiting list.

Driving it

Aside for the V10 badge inside there's little to give you any clues that the R8 is packing an extra two cylinders over its V8 relative. You can't make out the engine's extra length in the rear view mirror, but turn the key and the V10's engine note is subtly different. It's more cultured and slightly more exotic sounding than its V8 sibling. In ethos and performance think of the R8 V10 as Porsche's 911 Turbo to the Carrera 4 S model, a faster more exclusive model that's crushingly competent but remarkably friendly.



Full Story: The Car Enthusiast - | First Drive | Granada, Spain | Audi R8 V10 |


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