Audi R8 V10 Plus - with a digital soul
There are cars and cars. One for driving, one for breathing. They don't have to be practical. It is important that they be loud, hellishly fast and phenomenally beautiful. They impress everyone without exception. And we got behind the wheel of one of them. Audi R8 V10 Plus.
Since it appeared on our editorial calendar, the days have gotten longer. While we were making plans, the countdown continued. What will we do with it, who will be able to drive it, where will we take pictures and how to test a car that does not require testing at all. To get close to its limit, we would have to spend long hours on the track, and testing practicality is pointless. And yet, as we were curious, so, perhaps, you too - what it's like to have a supercar for just one day. And we decided to bring you closer to this by driving Audi R8 V10 Plus.
It hits cold
In the discussions of people who cannot afford car cream cars, we will meet a lot of criticism. Having seen the premiere photos myself, I realized that something was missing in this new R8. It looks like this...usually. However, when your bank account, or rather bank accounts, allows you not to worry about such a trifle as the price when buying a car, the choice becomes an incomprehensible process for us gray citizens. Caprice? The charm? In pursuit of adrenaline? This should be asked of future and current owners.
And then the day came that I had to spend with a representative of the genre that we dreamed of from an early age. white in front of me Audi R8 V10 Plus, I already have the keys in my hands. I didn't expect this. The photos do not capture the magic that comes from a real supercar. It looks much better live than on screen or on paper.
Automotive Elite are projects that fire the imagination. You can look at them and look at them and still discover more details and curiosities. However, the second-generation Audi R8 is more economical in this respect. Smooth surfaces and angular lines look a little futuristic, but at the same time minimalistic. So much so that even the handles were molded into the embossing on the door. You don't drive up to someone and say "jump". You still have to explain how to do it.
Form follows function. This can be seen at a glance, driving all the way around the R8. The front end looks like a vicious stingray - a little over two meters wide with mirrors, and only 1,24 meters high. Yes, five feet. I would not want to stand in this car behind a parked BMW X6. Its driver can park on your roof. The small frontal area of the car is, however, a significant advantage in terms of aerodynamics. Side silhouette Audi R8 V10 More already reveals that the engine is located in the center - a short, low hood and a sloping roof. The back is a show of strength. The V10 Plus has an optional fixed spoiler, but the car's stance, swollen wheel arches and 295mm tires hidden underneath are electrifying. By the way, this spoiler, together with a diffuser, creates a downforce corresponding to a mass of 100 kg on the rear axle in the region of maximum speed. All aerodynamic systems are capable of creating even 140 kg of downforce.
Overwhelming simplicity
Now simplicity is associated only with superlatives. Something easy to use is good. The design is simple, that is, fashionably modern. We are fed up with artificial splendor and glitz, and as a result, we lean towards less complex but more functional art. Still, I'm not a fan of Audi's new idea that allows you to control all systems on one screen. There is simply too much going on in this machine to handle it effectively, though I can't say the operation itself is unintuitive. It's so different from what we're used to that it takes time to change habits. However, one disadvantage of this solution is undeniable. Rear visibility is negligible, so in parking lots you'll want to use a rear view camera. Its image is displayed while driving, but when parking it often twists a lot, so in some positions you block the image from the camera.
Rich people have their own whims that the producer must fulfill. Therefore, the test model was equipped with optional Audi exclusive seats for PLN 18. And no wonder, if not for the fact that you pay big money to make your car less comfortable. Yes, they are lighter and hold the body better, but do you really want to deprive yourself of the possibility of a comfortable journey? In everyday use, this is still nothing, but driving several hundred kilometers in a hard chair without the ability to adjust the position of the lumbar is torment.
The steering wheel began to resemble that of the Ferrari 458 Italia. In its central part we can now find a row of buttons related to driving a car. There's an exhaust volume control button, a drive select button, a Performance mode knob, and, of course, a red start button. Above, on the spokes of the steering wheel, there are already standard computer, telephone and multimedia control buttons.
Sitting in Audi R8 V10 More you feel like you're on a spaceship. Or at least a modern fighter. All these buttons, the display, the armrest around the seat, the low roof with black lining ... But something is missing here. Engine sound.
Red button
The seat is installed, the steering wheel is pushed forward, the seat belts are fastened. I press the red button and immediately smile. It will be a good day. The speedometer already accompanying the start of the engine speaks of an oncoming wave of adrenaline and endorphins. The harsh, harsh roar of a V10 backed up by a few tailpipe shots is what a car fan would love to hear every morning. Shower, espresso, sip of exhalation and go to work. How can you even be in a bad mood when your toy greets you like that? It's like a dog that drools and wags its tail readily every time it sees you.
I drive away from the surrounding roads, gently and conservatively stepping on the gas. After all, behind me is a 5.2-liter V10 engine that develops 610 hp. at space 8250 rpm and 560 Nm at 6500 rpm. Naturally aspirated, let's add - no kidding. However, as soon as I hit the main road, I can't resist the urge to hit the gas pedal hard. You are just 3 seconds from starting from a spot to the possibility of losing your driver's license. 3 seconds from the traffic light and to the right. During this time, you do not even have time to look at the speedometer. Everything happens so fast that you prefer to focus on the road rather than some computer screen. Acceleration to 200 km / h takes an amazing 9,9 seconds, but unfortunately I cannot legally verify this. Take Audi at their word. It’s a pity, because it took us 0.2 seconds from the time set by the manufacturer during overclocking tests to “hundreds”, then it could have been at least no less interesting here.
Unlike its predecessor, the racing models R8, R8 V10 Plus and R8 LMS were created in parallel. This made it possible to use solutions that will prove useful both in motorsport and on the road. The space frame concept has been carried over from the first generation, but now part aluminum and part carbon. This saved about 30 kg of weight compared to using only aluminum, while at the same time the body rigidity increased by as much as 40%. The rev limiter only takes effect at 8700 rpm, and at these high revs the pistons move in the engine at about 100 km/h. The oil pump, in turn, ensures proper lubrication of the cylinders even with the maximum overload that the R8 is capable of transmitting through a bend - 1,5 g.
The previous Audi R8 was considered one of the best everyday supercars. From a practical standpoint, it's nonsense. If you want to use the car for anything other than driving, go for even a very powerful front-engined car. However, the suspension also may not be as surprisingly comfortable as you might imagine. In "Comfort" mode, the car still bounces, although the bumps are more blurred - in "Dynamic" you can try to determine the diameter of the pit you just drove into.
The rigid body, suspension and mid-engine provide unparalleled agility and cornering stability. You could say that the MINI drives like a kart, but how does the R8 drive? The slightest movement of the steering wheel is converted into a turn of the wheels. The steering wheel is pleasantly heavy, and our every command is carried out without a single word of objection. You can enter, drive around the roundabout and take any exit while maintaining a constant speed. Audi R8 V10 More it just stuck to the road and seems to be spinning around the driver's body. The feeling of connection with the machine is amazing. As if your nervous system was connected to it.
The inexhaustible desire to achieve high speeds must remain under control. That's where ceramic disc brakes help the hell out. While we can't deny them benefits such as higher heat resistance, the price isn't cheap. They cost, mind you, PLN 52. This is 480% of the base price of the car.
We can choose between two levels of traction control shutdown. In sport mode ESC, Audi R8 V10 More predictable. This is a good mode to gently guide the rear axle into a turn or intersection, to the delight of the audience, but without unnecessarily increasing the risk. The fast, gentle counter does the trick, and you feel like you're the master of the wheel. However, it is better to entrust the complete shutdown of the traction control system to professionals. In a car with a centrally located engine, everything happens much faster. Stand the counter and you'll find out what you did on the lamppost. However, the transmission is not prone to oversteer often, most of the time the R8 just sticks to the road. Next comes understeer, only at the end it turns into a skid on the rear axle.
The economy of the Audi R8 is probably not a frequent topic of conversation, but manufacturers have done a bit of work in this regard - let the engineers responsible for reducing fuel consumption also have their five minutes. When driving slowly in 4th, 5th, 6th or 7th gear, a group of cylinders may become disconnected. The transitions between working on 5 and 10 cylinders are imperceptible - individual cylinders are turned off one by one, and the sound is similar. There is also a drift mode. And what is it for, because fuel consumption for most of the test was in the range of 19-26 l / 100 km? And it was even 40 l/100 km. The lowest level we recorded is about 13 l/100 km on the highway.
A car called desire
I see no reason for a machine like this Audi R8 V10 More it wouldn't be standing in front of my house if I had the cash to pay for its purchase and maintenance. It's rarely the only car in a millionaire's family, so you don't have to worry about the practicality of a race car. Rather, it would be nice if you could drive a car with such absurd performance on normal roads - and in relative comfort when you compare the stiffness of the R8 to a purely competitive car. However, the R8 will not turn out to be a completely niche car like the Marussia B2 or Zenvo ST1. Your four wheels on the hood are worth more than 1000 "wheels", but this community includes the mustachioed gentleman from the 80-year-old Audi 610. Luckily, we don't live in Dubai, and no one here looks like that. A 6-horsepower car for a small amount should impress - and it really is. This is a class by itself and no one can match the extremely fast RS. Another league.
