{"id":19156,"date":"2016-09-01T13:11:54","date_gmt":"2016-09-01T17:11:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=19156"},"modified":"2016-09-01T13:11:54","modified_gmt":"2016-09-01T17:11:54","slug":"payne-audis-r8-is-uncompromising-in-speed-and-comfort","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2016\/09\/payne-audis-r8-is-uncompromising-in-speed-and-comfort","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Audi\u2019s R8 is uncompromising in speed and comfort"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"news-2017-audi-r8-v10-drive-42\"<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

Car names are so homogeneous these days. Shopping for luxury sports sedans sounds like a trip down the microwave appliance aisle. Quick \u2014 what brands make the AMG CLA45, 3-Series M3, ATS-V and WM009? Answer: Mercedes, BMW, Cadillac, and that last one is a Westinghouse microwave.<\/p>\n

Even sports cars aren\u2019t spared. Audi\u2019s expensive goods department, for example, offers a choice of A7, S7, RS7, A8, S8 or R8. Which one\u2019s the mid-engine coupe?<\/p>\n

You: I just bought an R8.<\/em><\/p>\n

Neighbor: Oh, yeah, I love the big back seat.<\/em><\/p>\n

You: No, that\u2019s the A8. I have the two-seat sports car.<\/em><\/p>\n

Yeah, that one. The one that shares a chassis and engine with the Lamborghini Huracan. The one with 610 horsepower and dual-clutch S-tronic tranny that shifts in under 100 milliseconds. The one that goes 0-60 mph in 2.6 seconds, faster than any naturally aspirated car on the planet. At least Lamborghini names its rocketship after a bull. I mean, c\u2019mon, Audi! If you had to go alphanumeric, you couldn\u2019t have named it the XXX? Or PDQ? Or OMG?<\/p>\n

I particularly like that last one, because that\u2019s what people kept shouting when I prowled the Dream Cruise last month. Even at 3 mph, the R8 looks like it\u2019s doing a million. Heads snapped around like Beyonce had appeared in the middle of Woodward.<\/p>\n

Oh, my god, Dad! It\u2019s an R8!<\/em><\/p>\n

Oh, my god! What is that?<\/em><\/p>\n

Oh, my god! Is that the new R8?<\/em><\/p>\n

OMG, this thing is intense. The Audi\u2019s badge may be antiseptic, but it purposely echoes the brand\u2019s legendary R8 race car that dominated LeMans at the turn of the century, proving Audi could compete on the world sports stage with Porsche and Mercedes. Like the racing prototype, R8 is the distillation of Audi\u2019s best technology.<\/p>\n

Now in its second generation, the R8 is uncompromising in speed and comfort. Audi nixed the previous gen\u2019s lower-priced V8 option, meaning your choice is a 540- or 610-horsepower V10. As such, the $164,000-$200,000 Audi occupies a competitive market space with other powerful cyborgs like the Porsche 911 Turbo, McLaren 570S, Acura NSX and Mercedes AMG GT S.<\/p>\n

With their conventional drivetrains (the battery-assisted NSX excepted) and sub-$200K stickers, these greyhounds put up similar performance numbers to gold-plated exotics like the $1.4 million Ferrari LaFerrari, $450,000 Ford GT, and aforementioned, $260,000 Huracan. Rare but hardly unicorns (by contrast, there are only three LaFerraris in all of Michigan) they are the face of GT racing, slugging it out in IMSA\u2019s Weathertech series at venues like Detroit\u2019s Belle Isle Grand Prix weekend where R8 won the GTD class ahead of a Huracan. They are the cars that the $100,000 Corvette Z06<\/a> use as a performance baseline (thus its rightful place as the \u201cbudget supercar\u201d).<\/p>\n

Call them the Junior League of Supercars (taking a page from Marvel\u2019s young superheroes). At $199,925, my Audi R8 V10 Plus may be the best of the breed.<\/p>\n

I say that having tested the class\u2019s best athlete, the 2017 Porsche 911 Turbo<\/a>, at California\u2019s Thunderhill Raceway just days before delivery of my R8 (\u201cPlus\u201d designates the 610-horsepower option). Stuttgart\u2019s superhero outduels the Audi in virtually every spec (according to comparisons by our friends at Car and Driver and Motor Trend).<\/p>\n

Zero-60 mph: Porsche, 2.5 seconds; Audi, 2.6.<\/em><\/p>\n

Braking, 70-0 mph: Porsche 139 feet; Audi, 153.<\/em><\/p>\n

Skid-pad cornering Gs: Porsche, 1.06, Audi, 1.00. And so on …<\/em><\/p>\n

Flogging the R8 around M1 Concourse\u2019s 1.5-mile track in Pontiac, I found the stats backed up the user experience. Like the all-wheel-drive 3,527-pound 911 Turbo, the AWD 3,627-pound Audi was a blast to drive with neutral handling, maniacal acceleration and earth-clawing, ceramic-rotor braking. Compared to a first-gen R8 I drove at Autobahn Raceway outside Chicago a couple of years back, the 2017\u2019s chassis is noticeably more rigid, its aluminum skeleton strengthened by a carbon-fiber bulkhead and undertray.<\/p>\n

Yet the Porsche\u2019s more sophisticated AWD \u2014 dual-clutch torque vectoring assisted by rear-wheel steering \u2014 made for much better rotation through corners than the Audi and its more common Haldex system. Both cars were shod with Pirelli P-Zero summer tires, but the Turbo was more predictable on turn-in with less slip under high g-loads. Like the Acura NSX, the Audi\u2019s inherent understeer impedes momentum through the tight stuff.<\/p>\n

Under stress, the R8\u2019s brakes showed a tendency to fade (surprising for ceramics) and emitted a noticeable odor when I returned to the paddock. Porsche\u2019s ceramic and steel rotors never blinked under more extreme flogging. Despite their transmission similarities, the R8 displayed eccentricities compared to the rock-solid Porsche \u2014 like a violent, surging downshift when floored at cruise speed.<\/p>\n

Audi makes up for these small track margins with big street pluses. Like design.<\/p>\n

Porsche\u2019s familiar coupe lines won\u2019t send Dream Cruisers running for their smartphone cameras like the slinky R8. Its fascia is no Lambo (Audi\u2019s halo car conforms to brand design themes), but intimidating nevertheless. Eschewing the first gen\u2019s awkward \u201csideburn\u201d intake for a more conventional scoop, the Audi\u2019s long, V-10-engorged rear deck is reminiscent of the dramatic Bugatti Veyron.<\/p>\n

In an age of whispery turbos, the howling, high-revving 10-pot is an aural masterpiece. Zero-60 stoplight launches are epic. My petrolhead pals were laughing as they put the throttle to the mat, the lightning-quick tranny and AWD grip propelling the car forward like Cedar Point\u2019s Top Thrill Dragster roller coaster.<\/a><\/p>\n

On Woodward after hours, the R8 simply sucked the doors off all challengers like Maserati\u2019s alpha dog GT MC. I could have set up a stand at the Dream Cruise and charged for rides.<\/p>\n

Before waking up the throaty V-10, the Audi\u2019s interior, all-digital \u201cVirtual Cockpit\u201d wows. The 12.3-inch display integrates infotainment functions in the instrument panel. The 911\u2019s classic gauge controls look soooo 15 minutes ago by comparison. And by eliminating the traditional dash screen and putting all controls including the START-STOP button on the steering wheel (shades of the racing R8 prototype), the Virtual Cockpit opens up the console for useful storage and cupholder space \u2014 a rarity in sports cars.<\/p>\n

The experience makes the R8 feel like I am driving a video game. Instant power. Ear-rattling audio. Digital special effects.<\/p>\n

With the R8, Audi has married raw Lamborghini performance with 21st-century drivability. Now if they could just come up with a more descriptive alphanumeric badge.<\/p>\n

How about \u201c2.6 0-60\u201d?<\/p>\n

2017 Audi R8 V10 Plus<\/strong><\/p>\n

specifications<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
VEHICLE TYPE<\/strong><\/td>\nMID-ENGINE, ALL-WHEEL DRIVE,<\/p>\n

TWO-PASSENGER SPORTS CAR<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Power plant<\/strong><\/td>\n5.2-liter V-10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Transmission<\/strong><\/td>\nSeven-speed, dual-clutch \u201cS-tronic\u201d automatic<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Weight<\/strong><\/td>\n3,627 pounds<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Price<\/strong><\/td>\n$164,150 base ($199,925 V10 Plus as tested)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
 <\/td>\nPower\u00a0<\/strong>540 horsepower, 398 pound-feet torque<\/p>\n

(V10); 610 horsepower, 413 pound-feet<\/p>\n

torque (V10 Plus)<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n
Performance<\/strong><\/td>\n0-60 mph, 2.6 seconds (Motor Trend);<\/p>\n

top speed: 205 mph<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Fuel economy<\/strong><\/td>\nEPA 15 mpg city\/22 mpg highway\/17 mpg combined<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

report card<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n
HIGHS<\/strong><\/td>\nVIRTUAL COCKPIT DISPLAY; VIDEO GAME-LIKE ACCELERATION<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lows<\/strong><\/td>\nOdd, sudden tranny downshifts; cop magnet<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Overall:<\/strong>\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Car names are so homogeneous these days. Shopping for luxury sports sedans sounds like a trip down the microwave appliance aisle. Quick \u2014 what brands make the AMG CLA45, 3-Series M3, ATS-V and WM009? Answer: Mercedes, BMW, Cadillac, and that last one is a Westinghouse microwave. Even sports cars aren\u2019t spared. Audi\u2019s expensive goods department, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19156"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19156"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19156\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19157,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19156\/revisions\/19157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}