Audi R8 2008 review

Scintillating, mind-bending and eye-watering - quite literally - the Audi R8 is on another plane when it comes to scorching through a favoured back road.

First impressions of this car were from behind the wheel of a left-hand-drive car at Phillip Island, followed by a brief road drive in unfamiliar territory.

Now it has been sampled on the challenging, familiar, sometimes-rough but always entertaining roads through the Adelaide Hills.

Suggesting it has passed the test is a little like saying Einstein was a bright bloke with potential to do OK.

This little two-seater is quite simply one of the most awesome vehicles I have driven, a list which includes plenty of high-performance brands.

There are more than a few fast Audis within that list but none has impressed in so many ways.

First, the looks of this low-slung machine pass the bus-stop test unanimously - young or old, male of female, the R8 turns heads and gets the camera phones firing.

It's wider than a Commodore, only a little longer than a Barina sedan and you look up at the little Holden's driver.

The brand makes good use of LED running lights and indicators in its super coupe, with xenon headlights also making an impression on those ahead.

What isn't on offer is a lot of luggage space, with a small compartment in the nose and a small amount of space behind the two seats.

You'll have to take something else from the garage to course if you need to take your golf partner and both bags. Or you could take up a different sort of driving.

Firing up the V8 engine, which cranks out the same 309kW and 430Nm as the RS4 from the same stable, the noise is enticing, yet subtle. A razor-sharp throttle and a somewhat lifeless clutch can make take-offs a little haphazard, something that can also be said for the gated six-speed manual.

Once accustomed to the shift, there's less chance of mutilating the gear change, but the tactile mechanical nature of the change might not be to all tastes. The close-set pedal box is not ideal for size 12 feet but careful application is rewarded.

An automatic transmission is available, for an additional $15,000. While it might make the day-to-day drudgery a little easier to deal with, the loss of the metallic soundtrack to the gear changes might be missed.

Dribbling through traffic, the R8 is remarkably docile, with a broad torque band helping to make progress unfussed. At 1560kg, the aluminium spaceframe body with plastic panels feels taut, light and strong.

Tipping into a corner at pace for the first time is an enlightening experience. Whereas Audis of older days suffered numb steering and a weighty snout, the mid-engined all-wheel drive is biased both in weight and drive to the rear.

It works a treat. As the pace quickens, there are no complaints from the Pirelli P-Zero rubber.

Even without the tricky Audi Magnetic Ride magnetic-fluid suspension in Sport mode, the R8 sits flat, turns, grips and fires out of most corners with delicious disdain for the bend.

Even tighter turns fail to induce major understeer and any front-wheel scrubbing is easily remedied with the wheel and the right-hand pedal.

The ride quality is remarkably good given the intended duties of such a machine, and even when pressing ahead hard into corners the Sport suspension button is not required.

Track days on a billiard table surface might warrant the tighter suspension settings, but it is by no means required.

Of course, at $260,000 for the manual, it's not on too many shopping lists, but given the price tag of some of the other Euro hyper-cars required to keep up, it's a bargain.

Small torque

Audi R8 4.2 FSI QUATTRO

Price: $259,900

Engine: 4.2-litre 90-degree dry-sump direct-injection 32-valve DOHC V8.

Transmission: Six-speed manual, quattro all-wheel drive, electronic differential lock, traction and stability control.

Power: 309kW at 7800rpm.

Torque: 430Nm between 4500rpm and 6000rpm.

Performance: 0-100km/h 4.6 seconds. Top speed 301km/h (governed).

Fuel consumption: 14.6 litres/100km, on test 17 litres/100km, tank 75 litres, 98RON

Emissions: 349g/km.

Suspension: Front and rear double-wishbones.

Brakes: four-wheel ventilated and cross-drilled discs, with ABS and EBD.

Dimensions: Length 4431mm, width 1904mm, height 1252mm, wheelbase 2650mm, track fr/rr 1632/1593mm, cargo volume 100 litres, weight 1560kg.

Wheels:19in alloys.

In its class:

Porsche 911 Carrera 4S, from $243,000

Aston Martin V8 Vantage, from $245,000

Ferrari F430, from $416,850

Lamborghini Gallardo, from $414,993