New Audi R8 review, test drive

Racing has been embedded in the Audi DNA ever since the company was founded more than a century ago. Be it redefining the world rally championship with the Quattro or winning Le Mans 13 times out of 17 attempts at the legendary endurance race. So, it wasn’t too surprising, the manufacturer named its fastest-ever road car, the R8 – the same name which won Le Mans 24hours four times in a row.

The first R8 which arrived in 2006 came with four-wheel drive, an aluminium structure and a hard-hitting naturally-aspirated 4.2-litre V8 engine that revved to more than 8000rpm! Then came the V10 version with more than 500bhp which took the R8 into supercar territory. Not only was this car dynamically brilliant but it was very easy to live with. No wonder it is the most popular mid-engined sportscar in the sub-continent. The second-generation car, then, has a lot to live up to, which might explain why Audi has gone to great lengths to take this car to a whole new level.

We flew to Faro in Portugal to get a first-hand impression of what the fastest Audi ever made feels like. Faro is also home to the mind-blowing Algarve International Circuit; so we could find out how the new R8 feels both out on the road and on a technical and undulating circuit.

As soon as we stepped out of the airport, we were greeted by a whole row of new R8s. At first glance in the flesh, this supercar looks much more desirable than in images online. Although it looks more of an evolution of the old car, the new one looks edgier and more dynamic. Audi has also gotten rid of the side panel behind the B-pillar which makes the profile look more streamlined and cohesive. From the rear though, it looks more or less the same, except for that massive diffuser.

The new R8 still uses an aluminium space-frame but in order to make the shell more rigid and lighter, Audi has used CRPF (carbonfibre-reinforced plastics) which has made the body 40 percent more rigid and 15 percent lighter over the old car. The new R8 also uses a heavily revised quattro all-wheel-drive system and now, it comes with an electronically controlled clutch to divert torque to the front axle, in place of the previous viscous coupling. This system helps much faster transfer of power to the front or rear wheels thus maximising traction and stability especially in greasy and low-grip conditions. What hasn’t changed on this sportscar is the brilliant 5.2-litre V10 Lamborghini-sourced engine. Unlike the old car, which always played second fiddle to its Italian sister as far as power output was concerned, with the new one, it’s not true anymore. The new R8 in this V10+ spec makes the same 602bhp as the mighty Lamborghini Huracan, which is 60bhp more than the old car! Think of a set of performance criteria that a modern supercar should meet and the new Audi R8 ticks all the boxes. Its power figure starts with six, the 0-100kph time starts with a three and its top speed starts with a three.