Audi R8 V10: first official photos

By Tim Pollard

08 December 2008 21:08

Audi today edges closer to Lamborghini territory with the new V10-powered R8. It’s enough to turn the R8 from a V8 sports car/911 rival/posh-TT into a genuine supercar – thanks to a 5.2-litre V10 with a stout 518bhp. It’s the Gallardo rival Audi said it would never build.

How fast is the R8 V10? Plenty quick enough, thank you very much. We’re talking 0-62mph in 3.9 seconds and 196mph. It’s comfortably the most extreme roadgoing vehicle ever to emerge from Audi’s sports division Quattro GmbH – but also the most expensive. Before we start cooing over the numbers, be warned that the R8 V10 costs a whopping £22k more than the regular, £77k V8-powered R8 model.













But it looks like a regular R8! How can I spot the expensive new V10?

With a magnifying glass! There are now two, not four, bars on the front and rear air vents either side of the registration plates and the V10 is shod with new 10-spoke, Y-design alloy wheels and wide 295/30 boots at the rear. And if you miss those rims, you’ll need to spot the spoiler lip in high-gloss black and the chromed finish to the vanes on the trademark Audi grille. All 108 LEDs in the headlamps are standard-fit on the top-spec R8.













How Audi’s designers must have dabbled for months getting just the right finish on the aluminium tailpipes, millimetrically wider sidesills and more accentuated sideblades… Problem is, such minutiae is wasted on us. We just struggle to see the difference between this and the cheaper V8.













Is the R8’s V10 turbocharged then?

Nope. Contrary to earlier, spyshot reports, the R8’s ten-cylinder engine – which shares its 5204cc capacity with the S8 super-saloon – relies on no forced induction steroids for its 391lb ft kick. It prefers high revs and FSI direct injection for more precise fuel metering, to the benefit of power and economy.

The same dry-sump, 90deg V10 will power the R8 GT3 racer (see separate story here). Although we haven’t driven the R8 V10 yet, its on-paper stats promise to thrive on needle-bending revs: peak torque doesn’t arrive until a high 6500rpm while maximum power lands at a dizzying 8000rpm. Incredibly, for an Audi, the V10 keeps spinning until 8700rpm.

Audi claims this is an especially lightweight aluminium V10, the whole engine tipping in at 258kg – just 31kg more than the V8. Total kerb weight for the aluminium-bodied Audi R8 is 1620kg. How trim is that? Well, the Lambo Gallardo 560-4 powered by essentially the same 5204cc engine weighs 210kg less…













So another astronomically powered, but mind-numbingly dull Audi missile?

Hardly. The R8 V8 is one of our very favourite sports cars du jour – and CAR Magazine’s outgoing 2007 Performance Car of the Year. Fitting the harder-hitting V10 is odds-on to transform the R8 from 911 botherer to full-on supercar slayer, we’d say.

The V10 comes as standard with a six-speed manual ’box, but Audi expects many buyers to trade up to the R tronic automated manual. It’s controlled by rocker switchers on the steering wheel and switches cogs in less than 100ms. Show-offs can attempt to frazzle the clutch by using the launch control standard on all models. The semi-auto averages 20.6mpg on the European combined cycle.













Will the R8 V10 handle like a treat or a truck?

Unsurprisingly, the newest R8 packs Audi’s trademark Quattro system with rear-biased traction and the V10’s steering ‘has been sharpened’, whatever that means. Even with the bigger lump slung amidships, the mid-engined coupe (and roadster to follow – read our separate scoop of the R8 Spider here) has a close-to-neutral 44-56 front-rear weight distribution.

Audi’s magnetic ride is standard on the V10, which changes the viscosity of the dampers in milliseconds to change the rebound rate to cope with different road surfaces and driving conditions. It’s not the only bit of snazzy engineering on the maximum R8: ceramic brakes are optional (all four discs weigh a combined 9kg) and the spaceframe body-in-white is said to weigh just 210kg. It’s held together by 99 metres of welding seams, 782 rivets and 308 screws. Sounds just like the sort of Meccano kit we’d like to receive this Christmas.

The R8 V10 goes on sale in the second quarter of 2009, wearing a price tag of £99,575 for the manual and £104,665 for the R tronic – making it not only the fastest Audi ever, but comfortably the most expensive, too. The new Lambo LP560-4 will be £44k more…

Audi A5 and S5 Cabriolet: first photos

By Tim Pollard

03 December 2008 00:01

Audi today ushers in its replacement for the A4 Cabriolet – the A5 Cabriolet. It's a new name and a new number for yet another new model in Audi's universe. No prizes for guessing it's a convertible version of the A5 coupe with room for four and a soft top that arcs down in 15 seconds.













Audi is sticking with a folding fabric roof (available in four colours), where rivals such as BMW and Lexus prefer a robotised metal lid. Raising the hood takes a further two seconds, expanding boot space from 320 litres to 380 with the top up. Roof operation is naturally fully electric and works on the move at speeds of up to 31mph. Perfect for inclement British summers.













What engines can I order in my A5 Cabrio?

Pick between seven different motors, headed by the S5 Cabriolet's supercharged 328bhp 3.0-litre V6. The starter model – priced from around £29,500 when UK sales start in April 2009 – will be the 160bhp 1.8 TFSI. Click here for CAR's first drive of the S5 coupe.













Also expect a brace of diesel units (a 2.7 TDI and 3.0 TDI) in the A5 Cabriolet range, while you can merrily confuse Audi's configurator with a baffling choice of front- or four-wheel drive, new electro rear diff, six-speed manual, CVT and seven-speed S-tronic twin-clutch gearboxes. Transmission oneupmanship, or what?













And gadgets galore?

Sort of. Audihas adopted Merc's Airscarf-style tech for all-seasons open-top driving while the MMI multi-controller upgrades to the third iteration for even easier button mastery/confusion (delete as applicable). Naturally, the new A5 cab range is available with a full suite of blinding LED light options for those who like to flaunt it and the leather seats can be specced with a new solar-reflecting finish.













So is the new Audi A5 Cabriolet simply a chop-top version of the A5 coupe?

In a nutshell, yes. And don't forget the A5 is merely a two-door coupe A4 saloon in drag. But we'd be first to admit the A5 is a mighty fine looking car that has really grown on us... It won't be the last A5 spin-off, either: a more practical A5 Sportback is mooted too.













The new soft-top measures 4630mm long, 1850mm wide and 1380mm tall – all measurements within a few millimetres of the coupe. Audi makes great claims for the folding roof, saying it is one of the most robust and quietest hoods in the sector, and Audi has used some of its aluminium expertise with a few parts – such as the bumpers – made from the lighter metal to trim weight and make up for the steel reinforcement elsewhere.













In the event of a rollover, spring-loaded aluminium braces rise from behind the rear head restraints, while there are airbags stuffed into the doors to protect heads and chests in a side impact. It's even quite practical for a soft-top, with split-fold rear seats.

Shame they didn't fit a folding hard-top...













Ingolstadt argues the A5 Cabriolet's roof is the most compact in the sector, robbing 60 litres of bootspace when stowed. And it's fitted an array of customer-comforting gizmos to stave off any complaints: those solar-reflecting leather seats can lower the surface temperature by 20C, claims Audi, while the Airscarf-style seat heaters can be cranked up to three different speeds.

The S5 (blue car pictured above) is capable of hitting 62mph in a bouffant-troubling 5.6 seconds, on its way to a limited top whack of 155mph. It comes as standard with 18-inch wheels, but many punters (the posers?) will upgrade to bigger rims all the way to 20in items. The S5 cab is likely to top out at £42,000.

It seems Audi is going convertible crazy, with the new A3 soft-top, this new A5 Cabriolet and the forthcoming R8 Spider all launched within a year.

Audi at the Paris motor show 2008

By Ben Whitworth

02 October 2008 16:52

Audi’s sparkling new A1 Sportback – a thinly camouflaged version of its 2010 A1 Mini-basher – as well as its frugal A4 Concept E and a rather large trophy were the highlights of Ingolstadt’s Parisian offerings this year.

Tell me more about the A1 Sportback

In essence this follows on from the Metroproject that Audi unveiled last year. Slightly bigger in five-door guise than the Mini, Audi is keen to play on the A1’s practicality as well as its aspirational qualities. There was the usual showcar frippery – lashings of chrome and some nifty but useless split rear windows – but peel all that away and you have Audi’s new baby.

As well as the three- and five-door models, Audi is also considering a soft-top version. A hot 200bhp S1 is a given, as are a raft of Audi’s cleanest and punchiest direct-injection turbo petrol and diesel engines. Expect mild hybrids to arrive in 2011.

What else is new on the Audi stand?

Audi flashed its environmental credentials with its A4 Concept E – worthy, futuristic and laudable, but nowhere near as exciting as Audi being presented by the Le Mans 24 Hours organisers a giant trophy to keep – which is what happens when you win the world’s hardest race three times in succession.

CAR’s verdict: Audi at the Paris motor show 2008

While the A1 is bound to be a sales success – how can an Audi version of a Mini not be? – and the eco A4 mighty impressive, it’s all overshadowed by the Audi’s motorsport record. Tom Kristensen, Dindo Capello and Allan McNish – we salute you!

CAR's Audi stand score: 4/5

Audi A1 Sportback concept: first photos

By Tim Pollard

01 October 2008 21:35

Audi has whisked the covers off its five-door A1 – in the shape of this A1 Sportback concept car, shown to a few selected media and VIPs on the eve of the Paris motor show 2008.












It's a follow-up to 2007's A1 Metroproject quattro concept, which previewed the three-door A1. Audi's new supermini is scheduled to arrive in showrooms in 2010; you can read CAR's full scoop on how the production A1 will look here.












We'll have the full story on the new Audi A1 concept in the coming hours, but we can confirm the car's dimensions: at 3990mm long and 1750mm wide, it's actually a size up on BMW's Mini (3699mm/1683mm in One hatchback form). Which suggests Audi wants to make the A1 a more spacious mini, rather than an impractical but cool urban runaround.

Audi S4 and S4 Avant first official photos

By Ben Whitworth

23 September 2008 00:01

This is Audi’s all-new S4 which makes its debut in saloon and Avant (estate) guise at next month’s Paris motor show. It may look much like you’d expect it to, but in a radical move, Audi is turning its back on turbocharging – the S4 is powered by a new supercharged 3.0-litre V6 that pumps out 329bhp and a hefty 325lb ft of torque for a 5.1 second sprint to 60mph and a 155mph top speed.

After years of turbo-charging excellence, why is Audi going with a supercharger?

We’re a little perplexed ourselves, to be honest. While downsizing to a smaller forced-induction engine is a good way of lowering emissions and consumption without affecting performance, we’d have thought Audi’s turbocharging experts would have bolted on one or even two blowers to the S4’s 2995cc direct injection engine rather than a Roots type blower, even one that does spin to 23,000rpm.

'In conjunction with direct injection it is far superior to twin turbochargers, both in terms of packaging and of starting performance and responsiveness,' claims Audi’s official blurb. Which sounds like more spin than any supercharger could handle.

What else can you tell me about this engine?

Audi claims the smaller and lighter engine – the blower and a pair of air coolers are compact enough to nestle between the 90deg cylinder banks – benefits the S4’s dynamic balance and shortens the path the air must travel to the engine. It drives all four wheels – the S4 gets Audi’s quattro all-paw layout, natch – through a new seven-speed S tronic transmission.

Although at 142kg the dual-clutch some 40kg heavier than Audi’s six-speed manual, performance is actually faster because of the quick 200millisecond shift times and economy is enhanced because the transmission changes up earlier when driving in auto mode. Official combined economy is pegged at 29.2mpg – a massive 26 percent hike over the outgoing V8 model

This S4 has to take on the M3, C63 AMG and IS-F. Anything else up its go-faster sleeve?

Yup – there’s the Quattro system with a 40:60 front-to-rear split for a more neutral stance, and a new ‘active sport differential’ that rotates 10 percent faster than the driveshafts and can channel almost all torque to either rear wheel.

The multi-link front and rear suspension is ally-intensive, the ride height has been dropped by 20mm and there’s a programmable driving dynamics system (Audi drive select) that lets you fiddle with the throttle response, gearshift speed and Servotronic steering and set them up to you liking.

It looks, err, just as I expected it to…

Yes, no real design surprises here, both inside and out. It’s your typically hewn-from-solid looking quick Audi with brushed chrome touches, LED daylights, plenty of exhaust pipes and big 18-inch alloy wheels. Audi’s guess-which-model-I-am design language may have taken a bit of pasting of late, but there’s no denying the allure of the S4, particularly in estate form. And the cabin is fully loaded with plenty of multimedia gear, electric everything and leather galore.

The S4 arrives here in March 2009 with prices for the saloon expected to start at £36,000. With the Avant costing about £1500 more, the S4 seems like a bargain, especailly when a 3.2 Quattro S-line A4 starts at £32,090.

Audi R8 GT3 (2008): first pictures

By Ben Pulman

27 August 2008 14:34

Just when you thought the R8 supercar couldn’t get any better, Audi unleashes a 500bhp-plus, rear-wheel drive GT3 version. But before you fling your hefty deposit at your local Audi dealer, beware this is an Audi Sport car destined to go racing. Porsche race car owners should be scared.

So the Audi R8 GT3 isn’t a road car?

We’re afraid not. Instead the R8 GT3 is destined for various national and international race series around the world, where it will be matching up against cars from Porsche and Aston Martin. The first customer cars will be delivered in the next few months and the R8 GT3 is expected to make its competitive debut early in 2009.

‘Ever since the R8 was unveiled we’ve been inundated with enquiries about a race version,’ says Dr Wolfgang Ullrich, head of Audi Motorsport. ‘The R8 is the first production Audi bearing the name and genes of a successful racing sports car and is therefore an excellent base from which to build up our first big customer sport programme’.

What changes have been made to turn the R8 into a GT3?

Out goes the Quattro four-wheel drive system, prohibited by GT3 regulations. That means rear-wheel drive, with power sent through an all-new six-speed sequential 'box. No word from Ingolstadt on what engine powers the R8 though. We know it has over 500bhp, but is it a V8 or a V10? This car's R16 tag gives us no clues – it’s not a Bugatti Veyron engine.

Other tweaks and changes including junking the leather-lined interior, fitting a full roll cage and that enormous rear wing. Combined with the new front spoiler, side sills and rear diffuser it should create plenty of downforce. So even though the four-wheel drive system has gone and the suspension is apparently little changed over the production car, Dr Ullrich is claiming the R8 ‘is nevertheless easy to handle.’ We want one.

Audi RS6 saloon (2008): first pictures

By Ben Whitworth

12 August 2008 00:01

Following on from the RS6 Avant launched at the start of the 2008, Audi has revealed the saloon version of its hottest A6. And it’s hot! Like the estate, the four-door RS6 is powered by a twin-turbo 5.0-litre V10 with outputs to shame the CLS63 AMG and M5…

Spill the mechanical beans on this Audi RS6 saloon, then.

With direct injection and dry-sump lubrication – always handy if you plan to knock off a few laps of the Nürburgring on the way home from work – the blown V10 whips up a supercar-rivalling 572bhp at 6250rpm and a mighty 479lb ft that kicks in at just 1500rpm.

Running through the Audi’s Quattro 40/60 front/rear drivetrain and quicker shifting six-speed Tiptronic box, the RS6 will blast to 60mph in 4.5 seconds and slam up against its 155mph limiter with ease. There’s an option to raise that limit to 174mph, and insiders claim that with the right rubberware and electronic liberation, the big Audi could nudge 200mph.

Its on-paper figures may be the stuff of dreams, but if our drive of the RS6 Avant is anything to go by, the RS6 saloon will be incredible fast and grippy but lacking in real driver engagement. An M5 and E63 might be slightly slower point-to-point but they’ll arguably provide a more involving driving experience.

What else is new?

There’s the usual line-up of engineering goodies – aluminium-intensive suspension, speed-dependent steering assistance, three-way adjustable dampers, a recalibrated stability programme that steps in later than expected and (in light of the performance, an entirely sensible) option of 420mm front and 357mm ceramic brake discs, gripped by eight piston callipers.

And of course, there’s all the visual trim to go with that power – the single-frame grille, gaping air intakes, active bi-Xenon lamps, bespoke LED daytime running lights, flared wheelarches, body kit and a pair of oval exhaust pipes. Bucket front seats, a flat-bottom steering wheel, a top-drawer Bose audio system and – crucially – a boost gauge rounds off the in-cabin upgrade. The saloon arrives in here in the autumn, and will be priced around £76,500.

Audi A6 facelift (2008): first pictures

By Ben Whitworth

12 August 2008 00:01

This is the new Audi A6. Despite a seemingly endless flow of new metal over the last 12 months, Audi has found time to give its 5-series, E-Class and XF rival a bit of a spit and polish, enhancing the saloon and estate line-up with new petrol and diesel engines, tweaked interior and exterior styling and enhanced safety equipment. The revised line-up arrives here in October, with the saloon priced at £24,800, and the Avant estate commanding a £1570 premium over the equivalent four-door model.

So what’s the big story with the Audi A6, then?

Headline news is the arrival of two new engines – a supercharged 3.0-litre V6 petrol and an ultra frugal 2.0-litre turbodiesel aimed at the corporate driver. The forced induction petrol TFSI (T in the Audi lexicon now somewhat confusingly signifying engines with either a supercharger or turbo blower, or both) majors on torque, developing 286bhp at a relaxed 5000rpm and 310lb ft between 2500-4850rpm.

That’s enough to push the A6 to 60mph in 5.9 seconds and onto the standard 155mph limited top speed, while returning 29.7mpg on the combined cycle, and posting a CO2 level of 219g/km. The cleaner and more frugal engine effectively replaces both the outgoing 3.2 FSI V6 and the 4.2 V8 petrol units.

With the price of petrol as it is, I’ll pass. Tell me about the diesel…

It’s the 2.0TDIe diesel that’s likely to get most corporate buyers reaching for their wallet, though. The high-economy common rail unit develops some modest performance figures – 135bhp at 4000rpm and 235lb ft at 1750rpm for a 10.3 second sprint to 60mph and a 129mph top speed is hardly going to set your pants on fire – but 53.3mpg and 139g/km will certainly put a smile on the face of any cash-strapped fleet manager.

The A6 employs an on-demand power steering pump, an alternator capable of regenerating energy during coasting, a bespoke long-legged six-speed manual gearbox and a 20mm lower ride height. A 170bhp version of the same engine will arrive later in the year.

Anything else I should know?

Audi’s engineers have fettled the A6’s suspension to improve its ride and handling – the cars feature new springs and larger-diameter front shock absorbers with a revised valve system. And following on from the success of the rear-biased quattro system used in the S and RS models, all four-wheel-drive A6 models will now feature the 40/60 split for enhanced rear-drive characteristics.

Visually, the new model will be subtly distinguished by its revised front end – the grille, headlamps, bumpers and air intakes are all modified, while the saloon features an integrated bootlid spoiler. A new rear diffuser and taillights round off the visual upgrades.

Inside, there’s new ‘high-resolution’ instruments, a tweaked MMI Multi Media Interface, 3D mapping for the 40GB hard drive sat-nav, and a new blindspot lane-departure warning system. Transmissions - six-speed manual, six-speed tiptronic automatic and seven-speed multitronic CVT automatics – remain as before. And as before the S-line sports package – which adds 18inch alloys, sports suspension, daytime LED running lights and a 30mm lower ride height – is an option across the majority of the models.