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our test drives or view them all

Audi R8 4.2 FSI six-speed manual

IT’S rare to pick up a manufacturing fault on an Audi R8 – but my black metallic test car with matching black carbon fibre blades had hardly touched down before a sharp-eyed acquaintance noticed a problem.

Unusually the Ingolstadt car makers had failed to spot a flaw on the offside carbon fibre blade – a £1500 option. A rough patch the size of a hand palm looked as if it had been removed from its mould too quickly.

The resultant “tug” had pulled the still soft resin away from its mirror finish surface leaving it defaced.

Audi will not quibble about replacing the offending blade – but how did it get past quality control?

Despite this uncharacteristic slip, the R8 is a king among cars. This is a supercar in every sense of the word – meticulously designed, carefully assembled, outstanding performance, incredibly refined and, thanks to its latest generation quattro 4x4, grips the road like a chamois hangs on to an Alpine crag.

It’s a technological triumph that should leave no one in any doubt about Audi’s ability to challenge Porsche, BMW and Mercedes in the race to build the best high performance coupe.

I’m a 911 lover – for me the flat-six 3.8 Carerra 4 S is the R8’s nemesis. It might have 29bhp less than the Audi’s 414bhp but it has a similar quality character, excellent handling, four-wheel-drive and is £3580 cheaper. But for all that I couldn’t choose between the R8 and the Carerra. They are both outstanding in their own individual way and I have to say the R8 has the 911 beat when it comes to long-distance refinement.

There are few high performance cars that feel better and more comfortable over long distances in their “sport” suspension mode – but the R8 is an exception. The two-position optional “magnetic ride” adjustment gives the car too much bounce and float in its “comfort” setting over a Highland route while “sport” delivers a perfect combination of damping and tautness. The ground-hugging car’s massive low-profile tyres generate a fair amount of road noise, but traction is outstanding.

There’s something sinister about the R8’s stance. It has the menacing crouch of a big cat ready to pounce – but it’s an appealing image and one that’s seen the ultimate Audi two-seat mid-engined coupe sell more than 1200 examples in the UK in the 18 months it’s been on sale.

The quattro four-wheel-drive R8 is a bullseye for Audi. It is its first attempt at a genuine supercar and it hits the mark square on.

Forget its ludicrous top speed, its gut-wrenching 4.6 second to 62mph acceleration and fighter-jet g-force cornering ability – the R8 has the great bonus of refinement and comfort.

I took it over the same demanding, twisty and wet route that I drove the brutal Bentley Continental GT Speed a few weeks ago – Moray to Kyle and on to Skye before heading home over my favourite west coast hill climb from the shores of Loch Carron six miles over the 2000 foot summit at the top of the Bealach na Ba.

Both cars impressed in their own way – but the 1.6 tonne R8 is more delicate, more tractable and ultimately more enjoyable than the sheer brute force of the 2.5 tonne Speed. But like the Audi-owned Bentley, the R8 comes with its own acoustic accompaniment above 4000rpm – a V8 growl under load that’s a joy to any pure-bred car enthusiast.

At £78,300 in standard trim, I’d expect the R8 to be perfect. Apart from that odd carbon fibre blade glitch this strictly two-seat car lives up to that demand.

Construction is aluminium skinning on an ultra-stiff aluminium Audi Space Frame with the odd piece of magnesium thrown in for lightness and strength.

This is a landmark car for so many different reasons, but none more so than as a statement of progression from Audi which has already taken the high ground in producing quality mass market cars. Audi has proven it can build to match BMW and Mercedes and now it’s gone one better and matched Porsche.

I’ve driven both manual and R-tronic paddle-shift automatic versions of the R8 and there’s no doubt about which is best – the manual. Its rifle-bolt action six-speed gearbox is utterly sublime – no sports car enthusiast worth his salt would look past this precise transmission. The alternative R-tronic costs £6000 extra and manages to extract a little more economy from the 4.2 V8. But it’s a reheat of Lamborghini’s e-transmission – a marque in which it worked well, and should have stayed.

Although the R-tronic works well at high speed where power flows easily through its six ratios, at town speeds it’s hesitant and jerky. I’m being picky here because it is a remarkable transmission with lightning changes higher up the 7800rpm 415bhp 4.2 litre V8’s rev range. But the manual, with its delightfully positive bolt-action fixed gate, is like using a precision tool to coax maximum enjoyment from the dry-sump lubricated FSI V8. I defy any car lover not to get moist-eyed and emotional as the revs peak through the manually-swapped gears and produce a sonorous, almost laid-back, lazy deep-throated yowl from the engine’s exhaust system.

The R-tronic comes close to cog-swapping perfection – the manual achieves it.

As a piece of automotive excellence the R8 is perfectly balanced. The flat-bottomed steering wheel allowed me to gyrate round the west coast’s most sinuous roads with ease, the massive brakes tamed speed effortlessly and quattro traction delivered levels of grip to counter the revvable V8 as it did its best to unseat the car. This is a big car – almost two metres wide and just short of 4.5 metres long. But it stands only 1.2 metres tall and that means visibility restrictions.

You can see directly backwards over the deliciously stylish class-topped engine cover, but rear quarter sight-line, important at junctions and for joining from slip roads, is diabolical. You need a “spotter” in the passenger seat to watch out for other traffic.

Then there’s the R8 joke – luggage space. Despite its elegant length you had better be prepared to send your man on ahead with the cases. Under the bonnet there’s just 102 litres of luggage space – enough for two soft bags – while behind the seats a carpet-covered shelf area has room for jackets and smaller objects.

Cabin oddment space is dire. Audi obviously believes in riding light.

But there my criticism fails me. The cabin is an ergonomic delight, beautifully finished with switchgear up to the highest standards of the badge. It’s a wonderful place to be, either as driver or passenger, and delivers skin-tingling performance with outstanding levels of comfort and an air of refinement that defies the high speeds this car is capable of achieving.

But you need to watch your options bill – it can be steep. My test car had £9615 worth of extras including £3159 for a carbon fibre sideblade and interior trim, £1800 for sat-nav, £1105 for heated and powered seats, £1350 for magnetic ride, £630 for front and rear park assist, an incredible £320 for a CD player, £700 for metallic paint and £430 for a lighting package that also illuminates the engine compartment.

Still, the R8 represents the pinnacle of road-going sophistication. An iconic blade-runner with style, refinement and - sideblade apart - unimpeachable quality.

Rating: 9.5/10

FINAL THOUGHT:

The R8 is a king among cars. It won’t be cheap to run but as a quality two-seater with outstanding refinement and comfort it will be hard to find a match. Despite its 4.4 metre length and near two-metre width, this 1.6 tonne supercar handles with the lithe feel of a much smaller performance car. Grip is astonishing, steering pin-sharp and the acoustics of the exhaust note from its 4.2 litre V8 is symphonically sublime. This car is so good that it does not have to be driven fast to prove its mettle – as a steady cruiser it has its rival beat.

CAR FACTS – Audi R8 4.2 FSI six-speed manual

• Price: £78,300 (£87,915 as tested)
• Capacity: 4163cc
• Power: 414bhp
• 0-62mph: 4.6 seconds
  
• Maximum speed: 187mph
  
• Economy: Combined 19.3mpg; Urban 12.7mpg
  
• CO2 emissions: 349g/km
  
• ESP: Standard
• Insurance: Group 20