2008 Audi R8: Introduction

So jealous right now...
 
PS - Was that mention of a long term GT-R for real?? When is it coming??

Just don't wreck it!
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQLM-K9TwWM (Rated PG-13 for language)

I'm too jealous to keep reading updates on this car!!!!!!

I don't understand the characterization of this 420 hp automatic transmission Audi as a "supercar." So far the only thing "super" about it is its price. Please be mindful of the base/Z51 Corvette and similarly powered 911 performance envelopes when running your tests. These cars should be the performance benchmarks for the Audi.

This car is amazing. I see one regularly on my way to work, and it is gorgeous. I can't wait to read about it.

you guys should ship it to an area w/o speed limits (not a racetrack), im thinking of a place that starts with AUTO and ends with BAHN. I know thas crazy but if u wanna see true potential it would be nice to pass a 911 porsche going 150.
 
Second option take this car in a very snowy place - its awd afterall - what can it do.
 
Next take it on an ice rink - u guys ever see that Mercedes of vw commercial where its talking abt its awd cars and how it can easily drive on ice by switching power to any wheel with traction(make a similar commercial and post it on youtube).

Having had the priveledge of driving an Audi R8 I can attest to the fact that it is an impossibly good car to drive. Every aspect of the driving experience is just so "right", it is really difficult to express. Still, I just can't get past how ugly it is. I know I am probably the only person in the world who feels this way, but I absolutely despise its styling. The design is way too self conscious for a car that is this good. That exhaust note quickly made me forget that, though :).

If you guys are around the midwest, we're running new student orientation for incoming freshmen and transfer students on the weekdays up through around mid-Julyish on the Bloomington, IN Indiana University campus and there are at least a few car enthusiasts on the orientation staff (including myself) who would love to see (and possibly drive) this car.
 
We have some good hills around Indiana. There's also a nice country road I know of here too that'll be a nice test for the R8. It's twisty and a bit bumpy, so seeing how well the R8 remains composed there might be a nice test.
 
So if you stop by, I'd be more than happy to show you around!

So gorgeous. Enough said.

I live in an area with a fairly high rate of exotic sports cars and supercars and for some reason the R8 is nowhere to be seen. I've narrowed it down to a major brand image issue (still an issue compared to the other companies, not so much in terms of quality but it terms of resale value) and to a design which in many ways is too reminiscent of the TT (some tuners have even released kits with rear diffusers...). On the other hand the Gallardo is all over the place.

If I had an R8 for only three months, I would pull a true 'one-lap' of America, endurance-race style. The plan is Atlanta-Miami-Caribou, Maine-Buffalo-Seattle-San Diego-Houston-Atlanta with the only stops for driver change and fuel.
  
You could make two laps for a total of 18,764 miles. Driving straight through, this would take about two weeks. You could stop there and send it back, or, preferably, stick it to Audi for their rules and do it as many times as you can in three months (six) and see how many miles you can rack up (112,584).
  
It would be the end for future long-termers from the four rings, but what a way to go.

I was having a good day and feeling smug about it, then I read this and realized I don't have so much to feel smug about lol.
 
Congrats! Keep us posted!

Awesome!

I love that you were able to drive it across the country, and I hope you flog it at the track (and maybe at Bonneville?), but I'm most excited about what it's like to live with on a daily basis.
 
Mercedesfan, I'm sure you're not the only one who fails to swoon at the R8's approach. It has chancy styling, not the timeless lines of a 911. I happen to love it, which is a rare thing indeed, but who knows how I'll feel in ten or twenty years?

Great White North...
 
Cross-country in an R8. Does it GET better than that? Um, I think not!
 
Canucks like us especially need AWD. I think it'll be nationally mandated soon. If they sell this thing in a hybrid, I'm so there :)
 
(Seriously, kudos to Edmunds for always picking vehicles that never fail to garner great input from readers. It's why I'd rather read you than any other automotive resource.)

Collision repairs for that thing aren't gonna be cheap... ;)

"I don't understand the characterization of this 420 hp automatic transmission Audi as a "supercar." So far the only thing "super" about it is its price. Please be mindful of the base/Z51 Corvette and similarly powered 911 performance envelopes when running your tests. These cars should be the performance benchmarks for the Audi."
 
jfjr, you clearly do not understand the beauty of the R8. Read a single, thorough review, and come back. This vehicle doesn't need a 700hp V16 to be a supercar. The handling is, by all accounts, basically perfection. It drives like it shouldn't.
 
I am so jealous.

Yeah, just wanted to add that this is radical (that's right, I'm bringing it back) and that I am also very envious. Have fun guys!

One of the few cars that is just simply beautiful from any angle.

Firstly, this car is hideous. Secondly, we've had an M3, a Ferrari, a forthcoming GT-R and an R8 but no C6 Vette? Give me a break.

Stop in Austin and drive by the University of Texas along Guadalupe street around lunch time. While you are at it stop for some BBQ and take pictures with the co-eds flashing the hook'em horns sign.

Aw, come on, chavis10. We're trying to revel here!
 
For the record, I'd like to see a C6 Corvette as well, but I will never complain about getting to see the R8 and the GT-R first. And I'm betting most other readers won't either.

The C6 vette is a last dynasty GM, budget afterthought slapped on interior.
 
I'd wait for an interior redesign or a C7 with an interior comparable to the rest of the world's high performance sports cars.
Otherwise it's an American fast food taste minimal thought special.

Billt9- it doesn't matter what interior is installed on the Corvette, it won't be loved by the Edmunds crew and they have no interest in adding one to the fleet. Pay for the $10k interior option if you want leather to replace the plastic on the dash, problem solved.
 
Why is this concept of the "everyday super car" supposedly unique to the R8? The Vette has been accomplishing this mission for years with more versatility and for less money. I can get a base C6 which is a better value than the R8, a Z06 which will embarrass it around the track and for the same money a ZR1 that will simply destroy it. I fail to see the hype of this car. Heck, I can even get an M3 and still keep up.

"I fail to see the hype of this car."
 
If you can't see why a R8 garners more interest then a Z06, then I feel for ya, buddy.

Everyday super car? Yeah right... That's like calling a stripper a great mom/wife.
 
The R8 would be too impractical as my only-car/daily-driver and if I am getting a sunny-weekend-canyon-backroad-dedicated-track-driver then I'll go with the Z06 without a blink.
 
The $30k+ difference I saved up can go to my future speeding tickets...

I wonder what would happen if we replaced a certain M3 with a previously-loved ZO6? I wonder if a certain someone will remember this shlock and eat a delicious dinner of broiled crow.

I can't believe you guys got this. Just how large IS your budget?
 
Also, I fully expect you guys to rack up 15K miles for the duration.
 
Montana is a great place to put this beast through its paces. While we do now have speed limits, it is completely legal and affordable to pay off the police. Inadvertently got caught going 150mph in a 75? Just give the cop a $50.

I guess you'll be feeling for me because I seriously don't get it. If it cost $20k less, then maybe I would. The interior, engine and drivetrain is essentially the same as the RS4 yet it cost $130k? Again, give me a break.
 
The ZR1 comes in at $117k fully loaded including gas guzzlers tax and destination. It looks better, has just as many features, will be faster and probably have better ride. Now that, I can get.

estreka- Audi donated this car for 3 months. Edmunds didn't pay a penny.

"The ZR1 comes in at $117k fully loaded including gas guzzlers tax and destination. It looks better, has just as many features, will be faster and probably have better ride. Now that, I can get."
 
Its in the details people get a clue. The R8 is expensive because its hand assembled and the craftsmanship is world class. Scratch the surface and view the details.
 
Not to knock the Corvette but if the Corvette used the same build processes and had world class construction and materials Im sure it would cost much more. The Corvette uses some off the shelf parts which helps tremedously with costs as well as the fact there are many more Corvettes produced than the R8.
 
http://youtube.com/watch?v=9UU36560mJA

Z06 has a made-for-track suspension though. Doesn't have ths soft comfort everyday ride of the R8 or the M3. Otherwise it is faster.

I thought that we all had gone beyond the "image is everything" commercial. It appears that a lot of you as well as the edmunds.com crowd haven't progressed beyond that. An honest, professional evaluation of this car by Edmunds would be appreciated by real high performance enthusiasts.

"Not to knock the Corvette but if the Corvette used the same build processes and had world class construction and materials Im sure it would cost much more. The Corvette uses some off the shelf parts which helps tremedously with costs as well as the fact there are many more Corvettes produced than the R8. "
 
The vette usues expensive materials and shares few parts with other GM products. Its cheaper because its produced in much larger numbers than the R8 or other similar cars. The R8 shares a lot of its components with other Audis and the Gallardo. The sheetmetal is whats really unique to the car. The car isnt attractive from the front or back. It also costs too much for the performance it delivers. I would rather have an S5.