Audi R8 V8 Test Drive since 2007 compartment

Italomania

The Germans clicked the Italians on the nose, raising his hand to the holy. Supercar from Audi? A couple of years ago, no one even dared to hint about this.

But then there was a historical victory in Le Man, and now we have a completely real Audi R8 car. New, hard, aggressive. Very similar to Lamborghini Gallardo, but with four rings on the hood.
 

However, the hood here can hardly be called a hood. Under a huge lid, similar to the airfield, only a small cargo box, a battery and a repair kit for tires are hidden in the front of the body. The motor closed by glass, the engine rests behind the driver’s back, inherent in a true supercar.
 

By the way, according to the version of marketers from Ingolstadt, the comparison of the R8 with a supercar is not entirely appropriate, since, unlike the same Lamborghini, the novelty is still only a sports car for everyday use, albeit with an appearance that is not quite characteristic of such an auto. It is unlikely that, of course, this opinion is shared by those who managed to take the line and will become the owner of the coveted car before the end of the calendar year (the whole hundred of the R8 allocated to our country parted for several weeks), but since the manufacturer insists ...

 
The new Audi looks very entertaining. It would seem that the wide, as if crushed in the orientation of the car, but the style used in the design of certain parts, is very ambiguous, is very ambiguous. In front, a kind of formidable product of technological progress, striving to tear everything that comes in his way. And a dozen dozens of LED bulbs encircling each headlight emphasizes this image more than spectacularly.
 

However, the R8 profile is no more calmly like a racing car, but to the good old TT. As for the incredibly inflated base, an unusually long stern and practically concerning the land of the bumper, then, with a strong desire, it can be attributed to the efforts of some abrupt tuning studio. And optional carbon pavers located outside the doorways in this context only enhance this impression. However, it is worth taking only a couple of steps, and a completely different picture opens up. The back in the style of Lamborghini is literally impresses with energy and convincingly powerful forms. Here, to the place and add -ons, such as the obligatory wide rollers, twin pipes of the exhaust system and the clamping of the motor shining through the rear window. By the way, in both halves of the latter, four magic rings are engraved, there is also the V8 FSI nameplate as a modest addition to them, but more on this for dessert.
 

What the Germans created with the interior, the description does not succumb to this must be seen. In the R8, of course, only two people will be shed, there will be only a ladies' handbag or a portfolio with business papers behind the backs of the seats. The seats themselves are founded in sporting, but to the brown bodies of the riders are quite friendly. The most entertaining in the architectural structure of the cabin is that most of the front panel is given to the passenger. It is rightly reasoning that the driver will be more than enough (and if necessary, he will be able to use the traditional set of buttons on the steering wheel), the Germans identified the workplace descending from the visor of the dashboard with carbon arcs, thereby clearly delimiting the space on the master and guest zones . In general, the driver was provided with a real racing cockpit, and everything else was provided to the passenger: both climate control, navigation system, and a phone, and a FM tuner with a CD changer, and decent acoustics from Bang & Olufsen.
 

True, I would exclude the last position from the list, since the formidable roar of the motor overlaps all acoustic interference, it can only be enjoyed only in the parking lot. However, it is unlikely that the true connoisseurs of cars will greatly upset the 420-headed herd located behind the backs of the seats sometimes better than a different musical classics.
 

However, without the participation of Italians in the R8, it was still not. Thus, the Germans preferred the finished 520 hp. 4.2-liter V8. 5-liter V10 from the same Lamborghini. Apparently, at the forefront, again, the civilian orientation of the supercar arose initially. An all-wheel drive platform with a WISKOFTA and a 6-speed R-Tronic robot enlarged by a dozen centimeters migrated to R8 with Gallardo. Moreover, according to engineers from Ingolstadt, nodes and governing bodies are produced on the apennins.
 

But quite lyrics. V10, of course, would be more incendiary, but with the V8 a constant excess of adrenaline in the blood is provided to the driver. True, it is worth immediately warning that it is better not to meddle in the city in the city on the R8 during the day.
 

Slowly, as you understand, this Audi does not want to move, and in general cannot. In automatic mode, the R-Tronic twitches nervously, in the sports, the motor is raped to no avail. It only calms that with the basic mechanics it would be even more difficult to force traffic jams in this mode only by phlegmatic. The second problem is geometric patency: about pits, borders and lying policemen, I hope not to explain. But when these obstacles are eliminated ...

The first hundred R8 is gaining 4.6 seconds after the start, and the second after 15. In general, you feel the same sensations here when you take the same sensations when taking off the aircraft: the body is pressed into the chair, everything flickens outside the window. Then there will be braking, turns, but now this is not about that. If you want to switch manually, you want to trust the robot, you still won’t feel much difference (powerful shocks that accompany the transition to the next step will remain in any situation). In the first case, however, the engine can be twisted all the way.
 

His even roar, oddly enough, calms down. The sound is strong, but it does not have hysteria or a tear. Which gives confidence in his abilities, but, alas, does not start. However, such an impression could have developed on another reason. At first, after 180 km/h, you release the accelerator pedal subconsciously scary. Then, however, you repeat it already consciously shakes, and mercilessly. For passengers, the R8 is murderous even recently restored Moscow rings, and here it is no longer up to enthusiasm. But happiness was so possible: the absence of even hints of rolls in corners, a clear, informative, albeit tight at low speeds, the steering wheel, real German brakes and, of course, amazing stability. Even with the ESP disconnected, an all -wheel drive chassis easily draws a one and a half -ton car to a given trajectory, the main thing is not to overdo it with the throttle, however, in this case, any deviations are elementaryly adjusted using the steering wheel and pedal. By the way, electronics can not be disconnected, since it is not in a hurry to interfere in the process allows you to frolic, make stupid things, and then correctly corrects them. However, it is better to exercise in this way on the track, while in the city the R8 works exclusively to the public, attracting his eyes, roaring during switching and thereby showing the status of the owner. By and large, such cars are bought for this.
 



Vladimir Zhidkov
Author photo: Yan Segal
 
 

Source: Mkobil magazine [October/2007]