The Audi R8 project that started so many years ago is essentially over, as the company is now thinking of an electric supercar. However, as far as swan songs go, the R8 V10 Performance is perfect.
Even though the second generation of the quattro flagship was relatively well received about four years ago, there were many things stopping it from matching the success of its Lamborghini Huracan counterpart, chief among them being styling.
That seems to have changed with some exterior styling changes, which most other journalists and we consider successful. The grille mesh perfectly matches that of the intakes flanking it, which now look much sharper. Also, the performance body kit takes advantage of Audi's carbon fiber know-how, while three small vents are a nod to the original Quattro.
It looks faster from the back as well. Thanks to a new diffuser and much larger exhaust pipes, it's menacing in the extreme, but this Vegas Yellow seems to work in its advantage as well. The guys at Auditography continue to provide us with jaw-dropping footage for the brand's fans to enjoy.
When it launches in early 2019, the R8 will come in both coupe and spyder variants. As far as the engine is concerned, the 5.2-liter naturally aspirated V10 is now offered with 570 or in the case of the performance model 620 HP and 580 Nm (428 lb-ft), an increase of 10 HP and 20 torque. This fastest model needs 3.1 seconds to reach the benchmark 100 km/h and runs out of puff at 205.7 mph (331 km/h).
More minute settings include better stability control programming and three new settings for the R8 V10 performance quattro: dry, wet, and snow. It's an improvement for sure, but one that comes too late to save the life of the only mid-engined mass-production German supercar. Would you buy this over a McLaren or Porsche? It's still a tough sell in our opinion.
That seems to have changed with some exterior styling changes, which most other journalists and we consider successful. The grille mesh perfectly matches that of the intakes flanking it, which now look much sharper. Also, the performance body kit takes advantage of Audi's carbon fiber know-how, while three small vents are a nod to the original Quattro.
It looks faster from the back as well. Thanks to a new diffuser and much larger exhaust pipes, it's menacing in the extreme, but this Vegas Yellow seems to work in its advantage as well. The guys at Auditography continue to provide us with jaw-dropping footage for the brand's fans to enjoy.
When it launches in early 2019, the R8 will come in both coupe and spyder variants. As far as the engine is concerned, the 5.2-liter naturally aspirated V10 is now offered with 570 or in the case of the performance model 620 HP and 580 Nm (428 lb-ft), an increase of 10 HP and 20 torque. This fastest model needs 3.1 seconds to reach the benchmark 100 km/h and runs out of puff at 205.7 mph (331 km/h).
More minute settings include better stability control programming and three new settings for the R8 V10 performance quattro: dry, wet, and snow. It's an improvement for sure, but one that comes too late to save the life of the only mid-engined mass-production German supercar. Would you buy this over a McLaren or Porsche? It's still a tough sell in our opinion.