Audi R8 2013 Review

Audi R8 V10 Plus and V8 coupe

We’re halfway through Phillip Island’s looping, lifting Southern Loop when Luke Youlden says “nuh too fast”, reaches across from the passenger seat and gives the steering wheel of the Audi R8 V10 Plus a big yank left.

Instantly the nose tucks, the rear tyres slide right and the car washes off enough speed to fumble our way down and around to the exit and out onto the flat-out run to Stoner Corner.

Audi proudly claims the Plus is the fastest production car it has ever built. In this particular case, during the local media drive at Phillip Island, it didn’t take long to appreciate massive performance combined with fuss-free delivery can equal too fast pretty quickly.

Big speed out of Doohan Corner, then not enough pressure on the ceramic discs for Southern Loop could have led to some serious problems… Sometimes it’s handy to have a bloke who has raced in the Bathurst 1000 12 times sitting in the passenger seat to make sure a slight misjudgement doesn’t escalate.

Having said that, escalation is what the Plus is all about. It’s the flagship of the updated R8 range, which goes on sale around Australia today. You can find the guts, bolts and dollar deals explained in our product story and read Michael Taylor’s in-depth launch review from the global first drive in Italy. (although note that in Australia, the V8 comes with 19s and the 316kW engine output has been standard for a couple of years).

But in essence the Plus compared to the standard R8 V10 coupe – there’s no Spyder - means plus 18kW to 404kW, plus 10Nm to 540Nm from the Lamborghini-sourced V10 engine and, at $408,200… plus $41,300 compared to the standard R8 V10.

The Plus has minuses too – like minus 50kg in kerb weight, and minus a tenth of second from the 0-100km/h time, taking it down to just 3.5 seconds. It’s also the most economical of the V10 models in the R8 line-up at 12.9L/100km.

But underneath all that the Plus sticks to the fundamentals that have made the R8 a global success since its launch – aluminium spaceframe chassis, mid-mounted engine, quattro permanent all-wheel drive, driver-focussed two-seater cockpit and dramatic, individual styling.

The Plus’ performance (and economy) is aided by a new seven-speed dual-clutch S tronic gearbox… It replaces a robotised manual which was very much the mechanical weak link in the R8’s technical armoury. The ‘R tronic’ was slow and jerky at low speeds and almost impossible to live with in first or reverse gears.

Not that first and reverse are of much interest to us today. To appreciate a car with the ability to reach 200km/h in less than 12 seconds and rush on to a top speed of 317km/h there are few better places than the fast and flowing Phillip Island grand prix circuit.

We get two three-lap sessions in the V10 Plus, plus another three laps in a V8 coupe, maybe just to remind us that the Plus is fast – ultra-fast.

Youlden’s advice first time out is sample the S tronic in auto, just drive around, feel out the car and the circuit. First impression is of an engine that simply rips up and down the rev range. Peak power comes at 8000rpm, peak torque at 6500rpm.

The next thought? That in Sport mode, left to its own devices the combination of gearbox and throttle is sharper than I like. You can feel that kick as you plant the throttle and it’s a tad unsettling. Manual changes are the go when having a crack.

Next realisation – ‘woah this thing is bloody fast’. Yep, it’s the moment Youlden wrenches on the wheel to stop an excursion onto the grass. Next time round I work the ceramics and the front six-piston calipers properly and we dawdle round the corner. “The proper pace is probably somewhere between the last lap and this lap,” notes Youlden.

Time for a break and a think. The speed is what gets me, even though I am cautious through the big final left-hander on to Gardner Straight, the speedo is showing 170-180km/h at the exit. By the time we’re under the bridge and heading downhill for Doohan Corner it’s gone past 240km/h.

For a literal change of pace it’s time for the V8. In isolation there’s no doubting its pace, but it feels like a pussy cat compared to the Plus. Everything is happening that little bit slower and easier and therefore there’s a chance to relax into it.

The S tronic’s manual changes are superb, throttle response is slick, the wave-design discs work almost as well as the ceramics and the 4.2-litre V8 makes a joyful noise. There’s also a chance to drive the V8 on the road briefly, which shows even in its softer mode the magnetic ride control damping remains pretty taut. No doubt it’s more compliant than the Plus, which has fixed-rate sports-focussed suspension tuning. Predictably, S tronic is a huge improvement over R tronic for slow-speed work.

Back at the track, back in the V10 Plus -- this time in manual mode -- and the whole experience is that much more enjoyable. Get your lines right and the Plus is superbly quick, barely bodyrolling, jetting out of tight corners and then squatting down hard through the big quick sweepers like the flowing left-right-left Hayshed complex that leads up to Lukey Heights. The performance is so incredibly accessible, there’s no hitching in delivery, very little movement under brakes and a real sense of dynamic strength.

Around the awesomely fast Stoner Corner the Plus just sucks on to the inside line and stays there. Brake hard at 150-metre for the on-rushing hairpin and you’re at walking speed before turn-in. Memo to self: brake later next time.

Or get in the passenger seat and see how the pros do it, courtesy of Audi Sport factory driver Markus Winkelhock. It’s like hitting the fast-forward button. On now decidedly second-hand Pirelli P Zero he’s forcing the front of the car into the corner, feeling the understeer, unwinding lock, searching for oversteer to help with the turn, then repeating the dose. There’s no doubt the Nurburgring 24-hour winner and former F1 racer is extracting maximum from the car and it’s a pleasure to experience it.

That applies to the car as much as Winkelhock’s driving. The R8 has always been highly rated, be it V8, V10, coupe or Spyder. But the upgrade to S tronic is the brick that plugs the hole in its technical wall. It’s now truly an A-grade sports car. The Plus? Well you’d have to say it’s A-plus, wouldn’t you?