R8 Expectations

The arrival of the R8 supercar in 2007 signalled Audi's intent to become a serious contender in the performance-car market.

Before that it was a domain dominated by German competitors BMW and Mercedes- Benz. Over the past six years the R8 has won many major European races, including the 2012 Nurburgring 24-Hour race.

Over the same period Audi has developed a performance structure throughout its model range, starting with the S Line, S and then RS, to sit under its R models. Today about 30 per cent of Audi customers have some level of performance enhancement added to their new car.

This week, Audi released the first major upgrade of the car that started it all.

Only minor changes, like slight changes to the front and rear bumpers and the addition of LED lighting to the standard equipment list, have been made to the German carmaker's performance flagship model.

Though its new rear "dynamic indicators" are going to attract even more attention to a car that is already a head-turner.

Instead of flashing on and off in the traditional way, the long, slender orange strip lights up from inside to out. It is a cool-looking feature that is sure to be copied by its competitors and after-market manufacturers.

Interior changes also are minimal with a few chrome and high-gloss black highlights added to give it a more premium feel.

It has also added a new top-of-the-range model, the V10 Plus, lifting the top-end price of the mid-engined two-seater, to well above $400,000.

But the most important change to the range is the addition of a seven-speed S-tronic dual-clutch automatic transmission to replace the six-speed R-tronic automatic.

It is a move that has enabled the mid-engine coupe and spyder to reduce its 0-100km/h sprint time by 0.3 secs. and fuel consumption by nearly 1.0L/100km.

While it does not sound like a big improvement it is enough to make the new V10 Plus coupe, which is also 50kg lighter than the standard V10 coupe, the quickest production car ever built by Audi.

The R8 V8 comes standard with a six-speed manual transmission but Audi expects more than 90 per cent of buyers to opt for the S-Tronic automatic.

Earlier this week, WestWheels was among a small group taken to the Phillip Island GP track in Victoria to see how the changes affected this brute of a car.

The last time I sat behind the wheel of the R8 was when the V10 variant was added to the line-up in 2009. It was also on a race track.

I remember walking away from that day thinking that the V8 was a better balanced car that was more fun to drive. It was hard work keeping the same control of the more powerful V10.

This week, I was pleasantly surprised at the composure and balance of the V10, even when driven on the limits of my ability - which sadly, is a long way short of the limits of the powerful Audi.

There is no question the new transmission played a part in this improvement. It is much quicker, and smoother changing than the box it replaces, while the extra cog and improved electronics make it easier to make sure you pick the right gear. The steering also felt sharper and braking more efficient.

I drove a V10 Plus with ceramic brakes and a V10 with the standard braking package. It was hard to pick the difference between the two in regards to performance.

After completing a couple of laps in the V10 Plus and then jumping into the V8 variant I found myself constantly wanting more power, especially coming out of turns and on the back straight.