Car of the Week: Audi R8 V10 Plus

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  • The 5.2-litre V10 Audi R8 V10 plus.

    The extraordinary Audi R8 V10 Plus is a loud car, particularly with the sports exhaust in full cry and in attention-grabbing Vegas yellow. It’s a machine that leaves most men, women and children in awe.

    In its home environment in Germany it commands ultimate respect – so much so that while I was driving it away from a hotel on my way to France and Le Mans a couple of weeks ago a group of schoolchildren stopped and waved excitedly as I drove past.

    So it came as something of a surprise a couple of hours later when a gentleman on a bicycle cycled past me while I was parked up, minding my own business, in a quaint German town, stopped, propped his bike up against the wall, marched towards me and tapped on the window. Call me naïve if you like but my natural assumption was that here was someone else who wanted to get a closer look at this dream car. So I smiled, lowered the window and expected to hear the words “Nice car”, albeit in German.

    Not a bit of it. Realising that I was English (and this was before we opted out of Europe, so I can’t blame post Brexit resentment) this gentleman glared at me and said: “Your engine is running!”

    Taken a bit by surprise, I replied: “Er, right…I know, I am waiting for somebody and will be leaving in a minute or two.”

    Steering-Wheel-Test-Drive-Audi

    Clearly not impressed, he accused me of helping to destroy the environment and insisted I should shut down the car immediately. Naturally, I apologised and turned the engine off…for a couple of seconds and then pushed the delightful red ignition button on the steering wheel as he got back on his bike and unleashed the full orchestral audio of the V10 with the sports exhaust button switched on which creates a minor explosion followed by popping and burbling as I lifted off the accelerator. Childish I know, but it gave me great satisfaction as he wobbled off into the distance on his cycle no doubt cursing under his breath.

    Ecoman apart, almost every other human being I encountered while driving this deliciously powerful car, adored it and quite rightly so. This R8 has been redesigned from the floor up. The V8 engine in the original has been ditched and replaced by a 5.2-litre V10 high-revving powerplant which is superb and Ecoman clearly didn’t know it is incredibly efficient. It consumes 13 per cent less fuel than the V8 and even has a system where under 55kmh in comfort mode it switches to freewheel when you lift off the accelerator which reduces emissions even more.

    But the real joy of this machine lies in the fact that under the skin it has the DNA of a fully-fledged racing car. It actually shares 50 per cent of its components with the R8 GT3 LMS racing car which has had so much success on the track. Everything from the way the roadcar looks to the way it handles screams motorsport at you.

    Side-View-Audi-Test-Drive
    The exterior design doesn’t look that much different from the original R8 but one significant change which I really like is that the side blade that dominated the look of the last generation has been reduced in size which allows the design lines to flow much better.

    The whole appearance has a real Le Mans feel about it and it has laser light technology which was developed in endurance racing. At 50kmh four high-powered laser diodes are activated by the high beam, sending out a narrow laser beam of white light which allows you to see further ahead.

    I am a huge fan of Audi interiors, particularly the virtual cockpit and infotainment system which is in the new R8. Again it has a racing car feel as you sit behind the fantastic sports steering wheel with the digital instrument cluster in front of you with everything you need displayed on the 12.3-inch screen.

    You can set up the car exactly how you want it with different drive modes available – Comfort, Auto, Individual, or Dynamic. There is also a performance button which is probably best left for the circuit.

    Audi-Backview

    The cabin is extremely luxurious with Nappa leather, diamond quilted seats, carbon-fibre and polished metals. It is extremely compact and comfortable but there isn’t much room for luggage.

    The engine has 610bhp and 560nm of torque and is married to an excellent seven-speed S-tronic dual clutch gearbox which puts the power down via a revised version of the legendary Audi Quattro AWD system. The car is built around Audi’s Space Frame Technology which means it is made mainly of aluminium and carbon-fibre so it is light. The result is an incredibly potent car with a 0-100kmh time of just 3.2 seconds.

    The chassis and suspension system is fantastic and the car is precise, agile, more taut than the original car, and delivers what I can only describe as a sensational and fully engaging driving experience. With a starting price of Dh629,000 which rises significantly if you load it up with options, it is not cheap but it is a special piece of kit. It’s the most rewarding car I have driven so far this year. It’s R-some!

    R8-V10-Plus

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