Test Drove the New 2017 Audi R8 V10 Plus

[NickBoz]

A buddy of mine recently picked up his brand new v10 plus R8 and invited me to come check it out. It took him around 7 months to have the car delivered because of the spec he ordered it. Orange on white is definitely an interesting combo...

Coming from recently having a Hurucan, I will compare some parts of the cars to each other.

First sitting inside the R8, it immediately felt like a different, much more space than in the hurucan, they basically took a chunk out of the center console to make it less claustrophobic. I really love how Audi Group is starting to go with the new LED Instrument cluster, you can change what view you want, (Tac in the center or speedo and tach on the sides with the entertainment in the center). The interior itself felt more "expensive" than the hurucan, the hurucan was very plasticy and everything would squeak, just gave an sense of poor build quality.

Starting up the R8 sounds just like the Hurucan, it is the same engine lol, my buddy has a steep driveway and usually I would come at an angle but he told me to go straight, and magically the car did not scrape what so ever, extremely big surprise there. I really enjoyed the gear shifter, it reminds me of BMW in which you have two options to change gears in manual mode (Paddles and Gear Selector).

On thing that stood out to me the most was how smooth the transmission was, in comfort mode, it is such a relaxed drive, feels like the transmission in an S550, no jerk at all, and even when you're in the Dynamic mode (sport mode), the gear shifts were still hard but nothing like corsa in the Hurucan. Even in Audis "performance mode" it was still comfortable. One complaint was that the paddles on the R8 are really small, so I would probably want to add after market paddles.

With the plus you get the Exhaust Mode button, to change from loud to quiet, and boy does it make a difference. In the quiet setting, downshifting the car sounds like downshifting a 528, it feels like your hurting the car. But when you push that button, a downshift is the most glorious thing you'll ever hear, the popcorn goes on for days.

The ride quality of the car was impeccable, it was as comfortable as driving an S-Class. I could see myself easily daily driving this beast without an issue.

Lastly the power, and boy was there a lot of it. Mashing the throttle in 2 gear at 60 MPH feels like you are transporting into another dimension. If you're around 4-5k RPM and step on it is such a nice feeling. It reminds me exactly like the Lambo. The launch control on the car is very easy to figure out and it puts you in your seat. You can hit dangerous speeds very very quickly...



Final Verdict: If your looking for a Super car at the 170-230k mark, this is definitely the way to go, limitless power, extreme comfort, and simple drivability, this car is definitely a perfect daily driver for someone who likes to maintain a Low Prof, but wants to make a statement

[roastbeef]

orange creamsickle. i dig it.

[BEM-S4]

Have a friend who recently came into some money and I tried like hell to get her into an R8 for exactly the reasons you describe. Ended up with a GT3 RS but for my money, especially with a novice-ish driver, the R8 is tough to beat in terms of max performance with minimal chances of killing yourself. Just so drivable and easy to handle.

[Red Bread]

Originally Posted by BEM-S4

Have a friend who recently came into some money and I tried like hell to get her into an R8 for exactly the reasons you describe. Ended up with a GT3 RS but for my money, especially with a novice-ish driver, the R8 is tough to beat in terms of max performance with minimal chances of killing yourself. Just so drivable and easy to handle.

Five years from now compare those two cars resale. I love the R8, but unless your friend massively over paid to cut in line to buy the RS, it's a much better investment.

Not that I've ever gone out of my way to pick cars based solely on resale.

[MightyMouseTech]

Originally Posted by BEM-S4

Just so drivable and easy to handle.

Which also makes it pretty boring. My sister has a V10 R8. My 1er is more fun to drive, at least it has personality.

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by Red Bread

Five years from now compare those two cars resale. I love the R8, but unless your friend massively over paid to cut in line to buy the RS, it's a much better investment.

Not that I've ever gone out of my way to pick cars based solely on resale.

I'm not saying investment, definitely not. She could basically drive the Porsche for free.

That said the car ain't worth shit if she wraps it around a tree.

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by MightyMouseTech

Which also makes it pretty boring. My sister has a V10 R8. My 1er is more fun to drive, at least it has personality.

Yes for an accomplished/experienced driver boring. For someone just starting out with this sort of thing a good way to not die.

Told her R8 = training wheels.

[NickBoz]

Personally my all time favorite car is the 991 GT3, so between those two, I would go for the Porsche, but if considering how rough that suspension is it makes me lean towards the audi for daily driving purposes.

[nrgy]

I have to say I do think the new R8 is a fantastic car, and I like some of the new tech they have like the virtual cockpit...very cool! But it sounds like this car is a little too refined for my tastes? I personally want my sports car to be raw, loud and rough. To me that's what gives you that feeling that you're not in an ordinary car. If the gear changes are too smooth, ride too smooth, it loses some character I think. I don't want the driving experience to resemble of S550 in anyway shape or form.

Obviously there will be some people that love that about the new R8, a beautiful fast car that you can sip on your latte and cruise around town. If someone tries to do that in my car they're paying for the interior detail lol!

But like you said, if your looking for a supercar you can use everyday this new R8 certainly fits the bill. Just boils down to what your priorities are. Congrats to your friend, it's a beast in an orange tuxedo!

[Matt@EuroJerks]

Originally Posted by BEM-S4

I'm not saying investment, definitely not. She could basically drive the Porsche for free.

That said the car ain't worth shit if she wraps it around a tree.

Explain this. How can you drive a car for free?

[gonzo]

I like the new r8. But...
Watch Leno do his test drive with the audi rep. He looks BORED TO DEATH. I say this because the guy, like him or not, knows what lights up the pleasure senses.

[Red Bread]

Originally Posted by Matt@EuroJerks

Explain this. How can you drive a car for free?

Any car? You can't. But something like a GT3, that has a waiting line and only pre approved buyers can purchase new, at MSRP?

That's easy. Look at eBay for used GT3's, not just RS's. They sell for generally more than retail. So if you have the means to buy one and not put tons of miles on it, you can usually sell a two or three year old model for more than you paid for it. Possibly for enough to pay for the insurance, registration and gas if you play your cards right.

There are other cars that this works with too, but a GT3 is an easy example.

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by Red Bread

Any car? You can't. But something like a GT3, that has a waiting line and only pre approved buyers can purchase new, at MSRP?

That's easy. Look at eBay for used GT3's, not just RS's. They sell for generally more than retail. So if you have the means to buy one and not put tons of miles on it, you can usually sell a two or three year old model for more than you paid for it. Possibly for enough to pay for the insurance, registration and gas if you play your cards right.

There are other cars that this works with too, but a GT3 is an easy example.

Yep. Even if not literally free she can drive it and get most of her money back out. It's not like a normal car that loses 50% of it's value as soon as you drive it off the lot, or some prewar Bugatti or something insane where every trip to the store destroys hundreds of thousands of dollars in value per mile.

[8k4]

I don't know how 610hp coming from a V10 is boring

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by 8k4

I don't know how 610hp coming from a V10 is boring

I wouldn't call it boring. It's easy to drive fast and do so reasonably safely. It's predictable and surgical and hard to really get yourself in trouble. Other cars that are more engaging (aka less boring) require a lot more skill and driver input to drive on full attack and you can get yourself in trouble (aka dead) if you don't know what you're doing.

The GT3 with its inherent design compromises being rear versus mid engine from a physics perspective, brakes that need to be up to temp to perform, all that stuff makes it more fun but more challenging to drive.

If you don't have a lot of time behind the wheel of exotic super cars (not that I'd classify an R8 as such) best analogy I can give you is you can get great photos from an older very expensive camera using film if you have the proper gear and know what you're doing, and you can get very good photos with an easy to use modern digital camera that removes a lot of guess work and is just point and shoot.

[oolas3]

I would much rather have the entry level McLaren at that price range.

[gonzo]

Originally Posted by 8k4

I don't know how 610hp coming from a V10 is boring

Hell no. Gimme one for an hour.
And, she doesn't need the 610 comp.

I was just relaying Lenos demeanor.

A new review of the 991.2 gts, not Leno, had the guy saying he'd take it over the r8. Over the 570 McLaren...he said that is a tough call.
He was British...

GTS manual rwd please. Cheaper too.

[atxgt3]

I haven't tried the R8, but I have a Huracan and I had the 991 GT3. I think the GT3 is easier to drive than the Huracan, and it's very comfortable and easy to live with as well. I'm sure the R8 is pretty refined, but I don't think the GT3 is a hard car to drive at all. It's very confidence inspiring.

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by atxgt3

I haven't tried the R8, but I have a Huracan and I had the 991 GT3. I think the GT3 is easier to drive than the Huracan, and it's very comfortable and easy to live with as well. I'm sure the R8 is pretty refined, but I don't think the GT3 is a hard car to drive at all. It's very confidence inspiring.

I agree. But you're not a 25 year old girl whose fastest car until the Porsche was a Jeep. I've driven both, and a lot of other things, and the Audi is definitely easier.

[evanescent03]

I am looking forward to renting the V10 Plus. it's a beautiful car but the AWD business does concern me. I'm a track day guy so I like to push my cars pretty hard out there. after having several AWD and RWD cars (albeit no super cars), I've noticed that for normal driving and slightly spirited driving I don't mind the AWDs. once you turn up the speed it is far more noticeable. I've seen plenty guys in GTRs, R8s, and other AWDs that will tell you the car was on rails and zero understeer etc, but then you see them on track and they're 10sec behind everyone else.

this is why I think I'd really enjoy the r8 as a road car where I like to accelerate hard and take ramps at speed (but not sideways), but would likely find it uninspiring on track. I'm interested to see if my research and expectations will be correct.

thanks for the review!

[RACEM4TE]

Originally Posted by evanescent03

I am looking forward to renting the V10 Plus. it's a beautiful car but the AWD business does concern me. I'm a track day guy so I like to push my cars pretty hard out there. after having several AWD and RWD cars (albeit no super cars), I've noticed that for normal driving and slightly spirited driving I don't mind the AWDs. once you turn up the speed it is far more noticeable. I've seen plenty guys in GTRs, R8s, and other AWDs that will tell you the car was on rails and zero understeer etc, but then you see them on track and they're 10sec behind everyone else.

this is why I think I'd really enjoy the r8 as a road car where I like to accelerate hard and take ramps at speed (but not sideways), but would likely find it uninspiring on track. I'm interested to see if my research and expectations will be correct.

thanks for the review!

Its a rwd based awd with a 20/80 (front/rear) split in performance mode.

[ShocknAwe]

Thanks for the review! Great pics too.