Test driving Audi R8 V10: It's the most powerful production Audi ever

The new R8, in its proper next-generation avatar, has gone all-out to match its more expensive bullish designer Italian cousin, Lamborghini Huracan.

At first glance, there is the obvious addition of sharper edges and fewer curves. It's a swoopier design and the wider, bolder front grille looks more intimidating, especially in rear-view mirrors; more so, with the piercing headlamps with LED eyebrows that make those ahead believe they've angered the car. The R8 trademark side blades are retained somewhat. Under the skin, too, there's a lot different - primarily, the aluminium space frame that now has carbon-fibre sections in critical areas to reduce mass and improve strength and rigidity. There's also a revised four-wheel drivetrain.

The engine, a familiar 5.2-litre naturally-aspirated V10, now gets the same state of tune as the Lamborghini Huracán: a full 610 PS and 560 Nm, together with cylinder deactivation and the combination of direct and indirect injection to take efficiency even higher. The compression ratio has been altered to a slightly higher 12.7:1 (up by 0.2), which explains its slightly more aggressive and eager character.

The meaty V10 produces 610 PS and 560 Nm of twist

Alcantara. That was the first thing we saw when we entered. The headliner is entirely alcantara. That apart, the most inviting bit on the inside is the steering wheel, with its four buttons. The new virtual cockpit is quite a piece of work. Speed, park assist, navigation, gauges, and that active digital tachometer are all enclosed in a space almost perfectly proportioned to the size of your attention span. The carbon-fibre inserts around the cabin, including the air-vent surrounds, look naked and unabashedly lightweight; no glossy coating there. The plus-spec sport bucket-seats adjust manually for slide and electronically for height.

The interior has with Alcantara leather, carbon fibre and aluminium. PICS/Sanjay Raikar

The R8 V10 plus is agile, but can be driven around slowly and out of tight parking spaces without lurching forward every time your foot tries to connect with the pedal. There are four driving modes: Comfort, Dynamic, Auto and Individual. The revs gather quickly whichever mode you may be in.

The Audi R8 V10's quattro system splits the power well and, given some stick, sends a deluge to the rear via the e-diff, making the front end go light. It hits 100 km/h in just 3.7 seconds and cracks the quarter-mile in a shade under 12 seconds at over 192 km/h. The virtual cockpit comes to life there.

The ride is quite firm, with a stiff suspension setup even in ‘Comfort' mode. However, change direction at speed and the R8 remains planted as ever. On the open road, a flick to the left and the lateral forces take a greater toll on your body and mind than the car, which goes about business as usual even at speeds exceeding 160 km/h, with the grip levels from the mixed rubber far from peak. The R8 simply sticks to the road. That's when we felt the need for an F1-style HANS device. Then there are the brakes, carbon-ceramic units that are bitten by six-pot front callipers and four-pot rear ones, from Audi's top shelf with RS initials. Even with the R8 V10 plus weighing in at 1,555 kg wet, speed is shed staggeringly quick.

Consider that the old R8 LMX, complete with its laser light show and all of 570 PS, cost Rs 2.97 crore. That makes the new R8 V10 plus, with its 40 extra horses seem like a bargain at R2.47 crore; a full half-crore lower price-tag. If you've dreamed of having something that gets you and your pulse racing, and that goes faster even faster, this new R8 does just that: accelerate everything.

Need To know
Audi Rs8 V10 plus
Engine: 5,204 cc, V10, naturally-aspirated, petrol
Max Power: 610 PS @ 8,250 RPM
Max Torque: 560 Nm @ 6,500 RPM
Transmission: Seven-speed, twin-clutch, automatic, all-wheel-drive
Weight: 1,555 kg
Price: Rs 2.47 crore (ex-Delhi) (ex-showroom Pune)