New Audi R8 V10 review

Apart from lots of disposable income one thing a potential Audi R8 V10 supercar owner must have is patience. With only 150 of the £99,575 to £104,665 two-door V10 coupes available this year and 1,000 deposits paid by potential UK owners, there is going to be a long wait for the 196mph mid-engined car. But it will be worth it because whether it is V8 or V10, the Audi R8 is currently one of the world’s great two-seater sports cars.

Engine and performance

Greatness in design, the R8’s all aluminium space frame construction allows for the highest power to weight ratio of any supercar. The 5.2-litre, V10, 517bhp (520PS) high revving FSI direct injection petrol engine is 31kg heavier than the existing V8 414bhp unit, but with the additional weight at the front of the engine, and being a mid-engined layout, means no loss of balance, one of the R8’s greatest features coupled with Audi’s renounced quattro all wheel drive system.

But it is the V10’s immense torque output, 530Nm at 6,500rpm, against the 430Nm of the V8 unit, which sets the two R8s apart. The response is phenomenal even in top gear, the larger unit just pulls like a train and overtaking is lightning fast.

Top speed is 196mph and 0-62mph is 3.9 seconds, marginally faster than the R8 V8 which does 187mph and takes 4.6 seconds to get to 62mph from zero. The new unit perhaps does not enjoy such an infectious exhaust ‘howl’ as the V8, more of a growl or bellow, but sit back, drive and enjoy.

You have a great engine, brilliant drivetrain, suspension and steering plus fantastic all wheel drive grip and perfect balance.

Pricing

Whether the extra £19,755 for the V10 over the V8 is really worth it is purely down to the customer but many will want the ultimate performance whether it can be used in real-life or used effectively with their driving skills.

The price increase is shared roughly 50/50, with around £10k for the more powerful engine and nearly £10k for the added equipment and styling changes. Worthy of special note is that the R8 V10 has the world’s first use of all-LED headlamps as standard.

Other exterior lighting around the car remains LED as well. Audi’s magnetic ride with adaptive damping is fitted as standard as is a ‘quality’ Bang & Olufsen audio system and satellite navigation.

Options

All this equipment will still not stop customers going through the extra cost option list and from past experience Audi said R8 owners add another £9,500 to the price of their cars in the form of accessories. Just so you know even Bluetooth phone connectivity is a £410 extra cost option.

Whether a customer chooses the 6-speed manual gearbox or the R tronic semi-automatic sequential transmission is down to pure choice.

One of the other great things about the R8 is its ability to be a car for everyday use despite its high performance. It doesn’t get temperamental; it can be driven at low speeds in town, in a leisurely manner on open roads or very hard at track events, all without fuss.

For most drivers the auto gearbox option will be ideal for the daily commute or the long motorway cruise. Others will prefer the manual gearbox which I did, not because it is £5,000 cheaper, but it gave me a better ‘feel’ for applying power and it was marginally smoother and progressive with no hesitation and abruptness between ratio changes.

Emissions, consumption and running costs

Whether you choose the manual or automatic transmission the 5.2-litre, V10 engine emits considerable CO2, 327g/km for the semi-auto and 351g/km for the manual which means they are both in the new Band M vehicle excise duty grouping that costs £405 a year.

For pure entertainment value I can reveal to you the fuel consumption for the R8 V10 manual model during my brief test driving using public roads was 18.6mpg, impressive, the auto less so at 16.4mpg.

Officially it should be 19.2mpg for the manual and 20.6mpg for the auto. The manual gearbox just coped better and more efficiently with what was asked of it.

No point leaving your money in the bank gaining no interest, invest in an R8 V10 – you know it makes sense - well not sense exactly but it will give you lots of satisfaction.

Audi R8 V10 MILESTONES

Audi R8 5.2 V10 FSI quattro, 6-speed manual

Price: £99,575

Engine/transmission: 5.2-litre, V10, direct injection petrol, DOHC, 4-valves per cylinder, dry sump, 525PS and 530Nm at 6,500rpm, 6-speed manual, quattro all wheel drive

Performance: 196mph, 0-62 3.9 seconds 19.2mpg (18.6mpg actual), CO2 351g/km, VED Group M £405

BIK tax: 35%

Insurance group: 20

For: Stunning performance but user-friendly for everyday normal driving, immense grip, perfect balance, must-have supercar technology, beautifully built and comprehensive specification in the cabin

Against: I’ll think of something I’m sure – oh yes an expensive and less than smooth-changing auto gearbox

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