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Editors at TheCarConnection.com drove the 2010 Audi R8 to bring you this hands-on road test of its styling, performance, comfort, safety and features. TheCarConnection's experts also compared the new R8 to other exotic cars, to bring you the best shopping advice and information possible. The companion R8 review condenses opinions from other respected automotive sites, to bring you a summary of other opinions from around the Web.High Gear Media accepted travel expenses to San Francisco, to be among the first to drive the 2010 Audi R8. Editors drove various 2010 R8s on the road and track near Sonoma, California, to write this hands-on road test.
Likes:
- stunning car, in person or pictures
- Unexpectedly practical
- Lamborghini-derived V-10 even better than V-8
- Balanced, stable handling
- Museum-quality details, down to the engine bay
Dislikes:
- Over-the-shoulder visibility is poor
- Difficult entry and exit
- Small cargo hold-strictly for weekend bags
Consider the 2010 Audi R8 an entry-level exotic car-entry-level only in reputation, possibly. Audi doesn't have the track record of Ferrari, Lamborghini or even the Corvette, but with the R8, and particularly the new V-10-powered R8, it's stepped without hesitation into the rarified world of ultra-performance machines. For the 2010 model year, the R8 adds a V-10 option and a handful of new features. The base price remains $115,400, but V-10 versions top out at $156,300 before options are added.
From its audacious silhouette, to the "sideblades" that give it a vertical visual calling card, the Audi R8 looks every bit the exotic. Its low-flying wedge looks tailor-made for high-speed runs, and typical of Audi, even the most dramatic styling cues play some part in the car's staggering performance. Those sideblades don't merely make a technical appeal to your heart: they cloak extensive ductwork for engine cooling and brake venting. Likewise, the huge wheels staggered in size, front to back, look sharp-and aid in razor-sharp handling. Some frippery exists, but not much-you might call the nose's LED light bar a the glass engine cover that displays the LED-illuminated engine wasteful, but most of us will admire how it puts the powerplant on jewel-box display. The cabin? Useful and distinct in the mode of the original Acura NSX, with a low cowl, at-hand controls and a light touch of style-though plenty of buttons and controls dot the R8's dash. With the new ten-cylinder version comes some light visual differentiation too: the V-10 wears more black and chrome trim, wider side sills, gloss-black sideblades, oval exhaust pipes and a distinct set of gauges, gear shift knob and door handles.
