AUDI R8 2016

Specifications

VEHICLE TYPE:mid-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door coupe

ESTIMATED BASE PRICE:$170,000-$190,000 

ENGINE TYPE:DOHC 40-valve V-10, aluminum block and heads, port and direct fuel injection

DISPLACEMENT:318 cu in, 5204 cc
Power: 540/610 hp @ 8250 rpm
Torque: 398/413 lb-ft @ 6500 rpm

TRANSMISSION:7-speed dual-clutch automatic with manual shifting mode

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 104.3 in
Length: 174.3 in
Width: 76.4 in Height:48.8 in
Curb weight (C/D est):3500-3550 lb

PERFORMANCE (C/DEST):
Zero to 60 mph: 3.1-3.4 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 7.0-7.4 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 11.3-11.7 sec
Top speed: 199-205 mph

FUEL ECONOMY(C/DEST):
EPA city/highway: 14/23 mpg

Hardware matters, but often it’s the software that tells the hardware how to operate that makes the difference. That’s true for smartphones that tech websites tear down to reveal $40 worth of parts, but increasingly also for cars—even the ones that don’t drive themselves around racetracks. The new Audi R8 is perhaps the greatest example of tuning through 1s and 0s. There’s no question the hardware here is superb. The Audi is the Lamborghini Huracán’s twin sister, and mechanically the two cars are as closely related as any two GM J-bodies. They share the same engine, transmission, partially carbon-fiber floor and bulkhead, chassis hard points, steering system, and electronic architecture. Meaning it’s the software that gives each of those components a very different character in the two supercars. The Audi is, as you would expect, dowdier and marginally less exciting, yet on first acquaintance we suspect it is destined to be seen as the higher achiever.

V-10 or V-10?

Buyers of this R8 will have far less choosing to do than before. The V-8 of the original has gone, along with the little-ticked option of the manual transmission and its glorious, gated gear lever. We mourn the passing of both, not least because it means the new car will be considerably more expensive in base form than its predecessor, even if far more powerful. A roadster version is a future certainty, and there eventually will be a smaller, turbocharged engine. For now, though, the decision is between the standard V10 coupe with 540 horsepower and the V10 Plus with 610 horses, both sharing the same 5.2-liter displacement and heady, 8700-rpm redline. There’s no official word on pricing, but we’re told to anticipate both sticking close to the market position of their predecessors. In other words, you can be fairly certain that, without at least $170,000 to spend, there won’t be an R8 for you.