Audi R8 with V10 engine: Heavenly horses

At once an exceptional sports car and a singularly gifted touring car, the Audi R8 is simply brilliant. When it came out last year, it took home World Car of the Year and Design of the Year honours after winning those same awards in Canada despite its substantial price.

And yet, this first R8 was equipped with a 4.2-litre, 420 horsepower V8 that was also used in the late RS 4, although we were expecting the V10 engine that was featured in the Le Mans quattro prototype instead. Imagine that its V8 has now been replaced by a V10, and the result is the Audi R8 5.2 FSI quattro 2010.

A rich heritage in the making

So why not call it the R10, since the legendary race car that lent its name to the R8 became the R10 when it got a new engine? For Andreas Heine, the keen, young German engineer who supervised the development of this second generation version of the R8, this was out of the question for the simple reason that Audi wants the R8 to become its “classic,” like the 911 series is for its rival and cousin Porsche.

As for an R8 with a diesel engine like the V12 under the hood of the R8 V12 TDI Le Mans prototype unveiled last year at the Detroit Show, we’ll have to be patient. An Alcan engineer that I met on the way to the launch of the new R8 claims that Audi already has the preproduction version of this car. Alcan, of course, has teamed up with Audi for manufacturing aluminum cars like the R8, S8 and A8.

Moreover, with an order book that is already overflowing and a new R8 with a V10 engine, Audi doesn’t need the diesel version for now. Instead, they prefer to focus on a new assault on the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the new R15 equipped with a new diesel engine. It’s a V10 this time.

Can you see a difference?

The changes made to the body and passenger compartment of the R8 5.2 FSI quattro are very subtle. The most obvious are the thin chrome rods of the cross-hatch grille, the wider air inlets under the large vertical strips behind the doors, the black band that goes clear across the back end, and the two oval exhaust tips.

The only real differences are two “V10” insignias on the front fenders and another just in front of the engine on one of the carbon fibre fascias of the flawless engine bay. The cylinder head covers of the V10 are obviously longer than those of the V8, but the presentation and finish are identical. It is a work of art in the automobile world that can even be admired from the window at night, thanks to a set of bluish diodes.

Inside, only the red rings around the knob of the stick shift and the two main gauges are of note. There is also a V10 insignia in the middle of the rev counter, whose red zone starts at 8,400 rpm.

Family rivalry

While there may be nothing exciting about the name R8 5.2 FSI, its mechanics are of the most noble stock since it is essentially the same V10 engine used to propel the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4. The bore, stroke, engine capacity and compression ratio are identical, but the output and sound are markedly different in keeping with the fundamentally different character of the R8 and the Gallardo.

Ralph Worret, the young PhD in mechanical engineering who led the team that conceived and developed the two engines within the Audi AG group, claims that this is mainly the result of the exhaust design. “The Gallardo is more responsive and direct while the R8 is smoother and more civilized; more versatile.” The mapping of the direct fuel injection, the intake manifold and the variable timing of all of the valves also have a lot to do with it.

The numbers don’t lie: The R8 5.2 FSI’s V10 produces 518 horses at 8,000 rpm and that of the Gallardo delivers 560 horses at the same rpm. However, the maximum torque of the German car is 530 lb-ft at 6,500 rpm, and that of the German-Italian is 398 lb-ft, again at the same rpm. Talk about a big difference.

As with the R8 4.2, there is the choice of the manual or the R-tronic transmisson. Their gear reduction is identical, but the R-tronic helps keep fuel consumption to 13.7 litres per 100 km, a litre less than the manual.

The Audi’s wheelbase is also 90 mm longer, 87 mm higher and 30 mm wider, which also explains why the R8 is a great and very comfortable touring car that can be driven in winter, which project manager Heine says cannot really be said for the Gallardo.

A morning of discovery

It was, of course, the R8 5.2 that took us the 65 kilometres from our base in Marbella on the Spanish coast to the Ascari circuit. The night before, a first night-time test drive revealed the remarkably uniform and brilliant beam of the new LED lights and the throatier, sharper and richer tone of the V10. It is a pleasure that can be tempered by the jerky reactions of the R-tronic transmission if you’re not careful to adjust the accelerator when shifting gears on the road.

The trip to the track is both educational and enjoyable. On this clear, winding road, I discover the R8’s cat-like reflexes that show the same remarkable composure, the same stability and almost total balance. Heine, the engineer, says that his team sought to overcome the sagging rear suspension in acceleration with the superior torque of the V10.

The unique pleasure of driving a R8 is increased by the torque and the muscle of the new V10 and its intoxicating aggression. The linear torque completes the 5.2’s precise handling wonderfully. I would like to have a finely tuned ear for music to be able to confirm that the R8’s new V10 can sing a full octave higher than the V8. That is definitely the impression I got from driving it.

On the way to the track, at high speed, ears filled with the melodious sound of the engine, it occurs to me that the V10 can still take a few hundred more revs before hitting the contact breaker, even though the 518 hp maximum is delivered starting at 8,000 rpm.  I downshift, put the pedal to the metal, and the needle on the rev counter climbs toward the red zone and the limit of 8,700 rpm. It’s a spellbinding pleasure that alone justifies the additional $90,000 that it will undoubtedly take to get the R8 5.2 FSI quattro.

The story continues

The Ascari circuit features a series of slow and fast turns, of which some are uneven. We are only allowed to take five laps to evaluate both versions of the R8 5.2, which is not much to explore the range of a car like this. The day of the test drive, it was around 3 degrees. Obviously, the grip of the tires was not at its best, especially with puddles here and there. 

I finish the first lap with the traction and anti-skid controls on, and I do two others with a 5.2 manual gearbox with the traction control off. Like the 4.2 version, the new one allows the front end to drift a lot before the tires start to screech, and if you push a little more the back end follows, but not excessively. The metallic grid of the manual gear box adds charm and the stick shift is placed high up on the console: just make sure not to mess up.

The last two laps in a 5.2 R-tronic are the best. With the traction control off, I use the accelerator more and manage to make the car drift on all four wheels in a turn. The last lap is the most interesting, with all of the electronic systems deactivated, so the R8 behaves like an ultra-efficient rear-wheel drive. The quattro traction system normally directs 85% of the torque to the rear wheels, which benefit from a limited slip differential, but it can transfer up to 30% to the front wheels depending on the context.

The R8 5.2 models used on the circuit are equipped with optional ceramic brakes. It is impossible to even come close to their limits on a single lap, but no more impossible than testing the limits of metal brakes on the road. The feeling of the pedal is identical; firm and consistent. The best qualities of the carbon brakes are that they are going to last as long as the car does (unless you bring it to the race track regularly) and that they don’t leave any soot on the beautiful alloy rims.

As for the price, we don’t yet know how much the new R8 will sell for here at home, but the Germans will soon be able to buy it for a base price of €142,000, or $230,000 with the current exchange rate. It’s a lot closer to the Gallardo’s $260,000 but this new R8 definitely deserves its place among the elite, like the thoroughbreds from Ingolstadt that have ruled the 24 Hours of Le Mans and endurance racing for almost a decade.