Audi cranks up the power

May 3 2009 Mike Torpey

THE names roll off the tongue like classic winners at a hall of fame ceremony - Aston Martin DB9, Maserati Granturismo S, Porsche Turbo and Jaguar XKR Coupe.

And they all have something else, other than supercar status, in common.

When it comes to power, acceleration, top speed, power to weight ratio and price, none can touch Audi's new 10 cylinder version of the aluminium-bodied R8 sports car.

It's perfectly reasonable to wonder why the high flying German manufacturer would feel the need to introduce a car like this in the midst of a recession, especially as the original 4.2-litre R8 has barely been around for two years.

Well 1,000 potential - and hopeful rather than optimistic - customers have already each paid a £2,000 deposit for a model that will be restricted to 150 a year in the UK.

What the lucky few will be getting at this end of this month is a car of outstanding capability and style. It's also a rocket ship.

Here are a few figures to mull over. The new R8 is powered by a 5.2-litre V10 petrol engine producing a whopping 525PS at 8,000rpm and capable of reaching 62mph in a fleeting 3.9 seconds.

There will no doubt be one or two disappointed folk, because the speedo needle won't quite touch the 200mph mark, stopping fractionally short at 196.

But when linked to the R tronic automatic transmission it can reach 124mph in just 12 seconds. Of course with power comes thirst, the six-speed manual car returning a mere 12.5 miles per gallon in urban conditions and a claimed 19.2 overall.

The mid-engine configuration - the huge V10 is mounted longitudinally behind the cockpit - along with Audi's quattro permanent four-wheel drive and magnetic ride adaptive damping also ensure limpet-like handling.

In fact the car's balance is unaffected by the need to accommodate the extra cylinders, because the extra weight is at the front of the engine, so a near perfect 44/56% weight distribution is achieved.

It's only when you actually get behind the R8's flat-bottomed steering wheel that you appreciate just how desirable this car is.

Plip the throttle and a deep, almost threatening, burble assaults the eardrum; ease off and the Audi sounds sweet as a lamb.

Throw it into a bend and the car remains absolutely planted; potter round the suburbs at 30mph and the R8 cruises smoothly along without a hint of twitchiness.

And that's one of the car's most endearing qualities. Yes, it looks fantastic and has mountainous punch, yet it's also a very usable everyday car that its manufacturer claims can even stow two sets of golf clubs behind the seats.

As for innovation, the R8 boasts the world's first all-LED headlamps - so low and high beam settings as well as daytime running lights and indicators have high intensity diodes - and there are also 19-inch wheels, Nappa leather sports seats, a 465-watt Bang & Olufsen sound system, wider side cooling vents and a new rear diffuser.

The interior may be comfortable, user friendly and classy, but for a car that's predominantly hand built the cabin has too much of that corporate Audi look to it.

And if I'm being picky, you might expect the indicator stalks and one or two of the other switches to feel less cheap.

But then so far as supercars go - and expert predictions are that this one will hold 40% of its value - the R8 V10 is a tempting proposition at £99,575 for the manual and £104,665 for the R tronic.

The only problem is going to be getting hold of one.