2013 Audi R8 V10

 

                        2013 Audi R8 V10

 

The fact that theR8 V10 is the fastest accelerating car in Audi’s history is reason enough to buy it. Aimed at the hard core enthusiast, the Audi R8 proved to be every bit as sophisticated as it was expected to. The R8 was first shown at the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show and sales started from 2006 and the supercar was first launched in India in 2008 and later on Audi launched it with a 5.2-litre V10 engine. Earlier this year Audi launched the R8 with a facelift and gave it an increase in power and also added a new gearbox. The 2013 Audi R8 V10 hasn’t yet been launched in India but the manufacturer is expected to be launching their supercar sometime next year.

Design

The styling has been tweaked a bit and changes to the R8 include redesigned front and rear bumpers and restyled LED head lights which are now standard. The front grille is new as well while the wing mirrors, front splitter and rear diffuser are now made of carbon fibre. The front bumper gets chrome inserts and the rear too gets LED tail lamps. There are 2 additional colours - Ibis White and Brilliant Red. The soft top on the convertible variant is made up of aluminium and magnesium which opens and closes in 19 seconds at up to 50kmph. The changes to the exteriors make it look sportier than before. The rest of the styling remains the same and the R8 remains one of the most distinctive looking cars around.

Interiors

There are changes made to the cabin too with addition of chrome and the dashboard also gets new leather trim. The cabin has both space and functionality and the dash retains its curve and has a smart multi-function steering wheel. You can get theR8 with Alcantara/leather and Fine Nappa and you can also opt for the optional bucket seats. There is a built in hard drive and most of the switchgear is borrowed from other cars in the Volkswagen line up. Finish and build quality is fantastic and the cabin looks both trendy and sophisticated.
The Bang & Olufsen Sound System comes as standard and depending on how deep your pockets are you can add features like a high-beam assistant, a cell phone preparation with seatbelt microphone and there is also a reversing camera.

Engine and Performance

The naturally aspirated 5.2-litre V10 model now produces 25PS more which increases the power rating to 550PS. This increases the acceleration to 100kmph by .3 of a second and the R8 V10 sprints to the ton make in 3.5seconds which is comparable to the Ferrari 458 Italia. The top speed is limited to 350kmph and the biggest addition to the R8 the heavily improved single-clutch robotised manual R tronic gearbox which now is smoother. The seven-speed S tronic automatic gearbox comes with launch control and the manual gearbox in comparison is two-tenths of a second slower to 100kmph. The S tronic dual-clutch transmission is now available across the R8 range.

Ride

TheR8 rides on double wishbone front suspension made from aluminium and on the V10 variant the magnetic ride adaptive damping is standard. The R8 with the use of carbon fibre is 50kg lighter and also added to the 2013 model are the additional aero aids and custom wheels. The fade-resistant carbon ceramic brakes are standard and though the ride quality is understandably compromised for the sake of handling, the customers won’t mind that because the R8 handles like a dream. The 4WD Quattro system is rear wheel biased and the normal and sports mode dramatically alter the dynamic characteristics of the car.

Competition

The R8 V10 competes with the Porsche 911 Carerra S, the Aston Martin Vantage and the Jaguar XKR-S.

Verdict

Audi as a manufacturer in the last decade has improved in leaps and bound and the R8 is a testimonial to that. Since its launch the sportscar has received great reviews from all auto journalists across the globe for being a track friendly car which could also be used on a daily basis. Improving on that was going to be a big challenge and earlier this year the manufacturer launched a facelift version of the R8 V10 which is a definite improvement on what is already an awesome car. The reworked LED head and tail lamps look sharper and there are some alterations to the interiors too. Power has improved which makes it accelerate faster and the V10 is the fastest accelerating car in its segment. The big change though is to the gearbox and the R8 is now lighter which should improve the handling. Though this car hasn’t yet been launched in India the manufacturer would definitely be considering to do that in the next year.
Quotes from other reviews:
Autoexpress UK: ‘The Audi R8 has aged well and a raft of minor cosmetic changes inside and out keeps it looking fresh. The range has also been boosted by the introduction of a slick seven-speed S tronic automatic gearbox and a more powerful and lighter V10 Plus model, which trades a minor reduction in comfort for a slightly more focused driving experience. For most of the people most of the time, the V10 Spyder is our choice though, thanks to its better all-round ability.
Audi has revised its R8 supercar and added a new flagship model to the range. The V10 Plus has 25bhp more than the standard V10, taking total power from its 5.2-litre engine to 543bhp. Plus, thanks to extensive use of carbon fibre, the newcomer is a useful 50kg lighter than the standard R8.’