Audi’s refreshed R8 brings angrier styling and more power but more importantly gives buyers the chance to get one of the last naturally aspirated supercars in the world.
Many will argue that the more aggressive styling of the new Audi R8 isn’t very successful, as it makes it look like it’s trying too hard, in a very Honda-Civic-Type-R way. To add insult to injury, most of the new vents on the front end are fake, as shown by Carfection’s Henry Catchpole in their video review.
Not a good start then but everything is forgotten once you sit behind the wheel and fire up that glorious V10 engine sitting behind you. Naturally aspirated engines are unfortunately doomed but thankfully Audi (and Lamborghini) are sticking to the 5.2-liter V10 for a little longer, allowing the updated R8 to produce a proper supercar music.
The range-topping R8 Performance offers slightly more power than before too, at 611hp (620PS) and 427lb-ft (580Nm) of torque. Power is sent to a rear-biased Quattro all-wheel drive system via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. 0-62mph (100km/h) officially comes in 3.1 seconds while flat out it’ll do no less than 205mph (331km/h).
Audi also says they made some revisions on the suspension for even more precision while the electronic nannies were retuned in order to improve braking performance.
Is the facelifted Audi R8 still the best supercar in daily driving? There’s only one way to find out. Well, not one, but you get the idea.