Audi's preparing the new V10 version of the R8, to start at a jaw-dropping $147,200. The R8 has received a lot of glowing reviews, which is to be expected from a very stylish, mid-engined German sports car based on the Lamborghini Gallardo platform.
The R8 is supposed to be a comfortable, luxurious two-seater, a GT if you will, that can perform very well. It definitely achieves those targets, without a doubt, but it's an Audi. Priced in the neighbourhood of Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Aston Martins. You shouldn't have to tell people that it's a Gallardo under the skin or that it is mid-engined, they should just know what it's about when it's above a hundred grand.
As much as I like the R8, I think that it is grossly overpriced. Here's my logic. The V8 R8 is around $115 grand, give or take. Also very expensive. The engine it has is Audi's direct-injection 4.2-liter V8 from the RS4, producing 420 horsepower. I consider that engine equivalent to BMW's 4.0-liter V8 in the M3 with 420 horsepower, Lexus' 5-liter 420-hp V8 in the IS-F and Mercedes' similarly-powered, hand-built 6.3-liter AMG V8. All those cars are priced between fifty grand and seventy grand. So if you take an engine from cars in that price range, and combine it with a borrowed platform that is not specifically made for the car, that car should be priced more reasonable. I would say seventy to eighty grand.
Cars above a hundred grand are something else. You can't use borrowed platforms and engines in this price bracket; that's just absurd! That borrowed engine doesn't have the charm of Ferrari's legendary V8 in the F430 or the awesome staccato bark of the mighty V12 in the Aston Martins. Its just not right!
So apart from overpricing and a lack of character, charm and inspiration, is there anything else that I find wrong about the R8? Yes. Performance. Since your R8 doesn't have the prestige of Ferrari, Lamborghini and Aston Martin, it must have something else, right? Luxury? Yes, but the Mercedes SL-class has that better covered. Reliability? No, the Japanese own the rights to that. Looks? Well yes, but any better than the Italians? No. So the performance must be stunning, right? That depends on what you're comparing it to.
It has the same acceleration times as the car it borrows its engine from, the RS4. Also the same as the Mercedes C63, BMW M3 and Lexus IS-F. If its performance you want, there's a little thing they call Godzilla. Yes, for seventy-three grand, it is more than an entire second faster to 60 than the R8 and pull more than 1 G on the skidpad. The GT-R is also reliable, being hand-built in Japan.
So overall, how does the R8 fare? Fail.
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The R8 is supposed to be a comfortable, luxurious two-seater, a GT if you will, that can perform very well. It definitely achieves those targets, without a doubt, but it's an Audi. Priced in the neighbourhood of Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Aston Martins. You shouldn't have to tell people that it's a Gallardo under the skin or that it is mid-engined, they should just know what it's about when it's above a hundred grand.
As much as I like the R8, I think that it is grossly overpriced. Here's my logic. The V8 R8 is around $115 grand, give or take. Also very expensive. The engine it has is Audi's direct-injection 4.2-liter V8 from the RS4, producing 420 horsepower. I consider that engine equivalent to BMW's 4.0-liter V8 in the M3 with 420 horsepower, Lexus' 5-liter 420-hp V8 in the IS-F and Mercedes' similarly-powered, hand-built 6.3-liter AMG V8. All those cars are priced between fifty grand and seventy grand. So if you take an engine from cars in that price range, and combine it with a borrowed platform that is not specifically made for the car, that car should be priced more reasonable. I would say seventy to eighty grand.
Cars above a hundred grand are something else. You can't use borrowed platforms and engines in this price bracket; that's just absurd! That borrowed engine doesn't have the charm of Ferrari's legendary V8 in the F430 or the awesome staccato bark of the mighty V12 in the Aston Martins. Its just not right!
So apart from overpricing and a lack of character, charm and inspiration, is there anything else that I find wrong about the R8? Yes. Performance. Since your R8 doesn't have the prestige of Ferrari, Lamborghini and Aston Martin, it must have something else, right? Luxury? Yes, but the Mercedes SL-class has that better covered. Reliability? No, the Japanese own the rights to that. Looks? Well yes, but any better than the Italians? No. So the performance must be stunning, right? That depends on what you're comparing it to.
It has the same acceleration times as the car it borrows its engine from, the RS4. Also the same as the Mercedes C63, BMW M3 and Lexus IS-F. If its performance you want, there's a little thing they call Godzilla. Yes, for seventy-three grand, it is more than an entire second faster to 60 than the R8 and pull more than 1 G on the skidpad. The GT-R is also reliable, being hand-built in Japan.
So overall, how does the R8 fare? Fail.
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