June 11, 2019

The 2019 Audi R8 is a 600 HP wallflower among supercars

It might look rude to write down a review on a supercar as talented as the Audi R8 with a deviance into taxonomical semantics, but the question is whether we should regard it as a mainly muscular sport car or whether it achieves the empire of a supercar sums up the wider confusion about just where it sits in the market. On one hand, the R8 shares much of its underbody structure and its howling V10 engine with the Lamborghini Hurcan, the supercar bona fields of which can’t be questioned. While on the other side, it wears Audi badge and despite the best effort of that glorious V10 its power outputs today seem modest when another supercar increasingly break the 700 hp barrier. The current R8 5.2-litre petrol engine is capable of producing 532 horsepower, and the Audi R8 plus version just cracks the 600hp mark. Audi has introduced a face lifted version, which is ready to arrive in the United States in summer 2019, likely as a late-arriving 2019 model. In Europe, the update brings a gasoline particulate filter to help clean the V10 tailpipe emissions and titanium valve train components that help model show off 611 horses. However, the US car will get those engine tweaks. There are three smaller intakes which we told reference of the sports quarto, a group B really legend of many years ago. Expect this design language to be introduced across multiple Audi models in future. At the bigger are a bigger diffuser and two oval tailpipes in place of the current car flat edged outlets. There are minor tweaks on the exterior but the interior is effectively unchanged.

Track time

Our drive in the new R8 car was limited to the track at the Ascari Race Resort in Southern Spain. We used a truncated layout leaving parts of the circuit free for photography and also to have pas through pit lane on each lap, however, get to experience two versions of the car, one with optional active steering and one without. The engine remains the star of the show. Although unable to much the boost low down shove of its turbocharged rivals, it responds to the smallest choke input without hesitation and has both the willingness and enthusiasm to explore the upper reaches of its range all the way until the limited bites at 8800rpm. The revised Audi engines have does what the Audi R8 has always done delivering supercar drama in a usable everyday package. The Audi R8 has been reworked with extra power and more feel from the steering changes add just a little tinsel and spice to a car that was already crammed with personality. While rivals from McLaren and Porsche may offer something more dynamic. Audi single-frame grille has been widened and lowered to make room for three slots that back to the Quattro of the eighties. At the back, you will notice the new width mesh cover, as well as a fresh design for the bumper, while the exhaust is inspired by the GT3 racer.

Is the R8 finding out?

The current generation R8 is only three years old, but it already feels as if it is on the expressway on retirement. Audi has said it is not going to proceed with the partly developed by the v6 version that it was previously working on. We also know that the Hurcan replacement will be switched to a hybrid power train that likely would be expensive for the R8 and Audi has admitted it has no current plans to replace the car. It remains a hugely talented performance machine. Our previous experience suggests that this one will perform better on the road then it does on the track. The modest revision will reach the U.S next year, but we are still actually doubtful that the R8 will remain an attraction for the buyers and will only look at on their way to more exotic alternatives.