2012 Audi R8 5.2 FSI: The Supercar Done Right - Ignition Episode 23
On this episode of Ignition
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00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:03 This week on Ignition, the most complete supercar ever.
00:06 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:10 We really don't have a good reason
00:23 to do this show this week.
00:24 The Audi R8 was introduced six years ago.
00:26 In 2008, we named it the best handling car in America.
00:30 And since, we've tested the snot out of every V10 we could--
00:32 the coupe, the Spyder, and the GT.
00:35 So why are we here?
00:36 Because it's a V10 Audi R8.
00:39 And I want to drive it.
00:40 [ENGINE REVVING]
00:43 Let's refresh ourselves with the details, shall we?
00:46 The R8 is a product of Quattro, Audi's in-house performance
00:50 division.
00:51 As you'd expect, it's all-wheel drive.
00:53 It uses a lightweight aluminum body.
00:55 And its V10 is sourced from the Lamborghini Gallardo.
00:59 It'll top out at 196 miles an hour.
01:03 When you're launching the Audi R8,
01:05 now you have to keep in mind you have a very, very, very powerful
01:07 V10 engine attached to four wheels
01:09 through a manual transmission.
01:12 That means clutch slip.
01:13 So we're going to dial in a few revs, slip the clutch,
01:15 and get out of the hole.
01:16 [ENGINE REVVING]
01:19 [TIRES SCREECHING]
01:22 Oh, it is quick indeed.
01:25 0 to 60, 3.4 seconds.
01:29 Oh, and I love the way this shifter sounds when you bang it
01:31 through the gates.
01:34 A quarter mile passes at 11.6 seconds at 122 miles an hour.
01:39 [ENGINE REVVING]
01:43 And now for a 60 to 0 braking test.
01:47 Stops very, very quick.
01:49 100 feet from 60 is our best stop.
01:51 [ENGINE REVVING]
01:53 All right, beginning the figure eight in the Audi R8.
01:56 Oh.
01:57 [LAUGHS]
02:00 Always forget how wonderful this car is to drive quickly.
02:05 It doesn't behave like a typical all-wheel drive car
02:07 with lots of understeer.
02:09 It'll actually-- the tail end will come out on you real quick.
02:12 [ENGINE REVVING]
02:15 This is pure supercar stuff right here.
02:19 So much grip, so willing to play,
02:23 and so many revs too.
02:26 It just screams and screams.
02:27 And you think you're at red line,
02:29 and you look down and you realize there's 2,000 more
02:32 RPMs to play with.
02:33 [ENGINE REVVING]
02:35 That's the beautiful thing about a supercar,
02:38 is it's near sensory overload at the limit.
02:43 But when you can control it, when you get it right,
02:45 when you manage everything, it's a thing of beauty.
02:48 [ENGINE REVVING]
02:52 [MUSIC PLAYING]
02:56 The R8 is a rolling example of the supercar done right.
03:00 I mean, every component of this car, every piece
03:03 feels bespoke and unique and custom just for this car.
03:07 I mean, you still get the Audi DNA,
03:10 but this thing feels like the purest of the breed.
03:12 [ENGINE REVVING]
03:16 But what I find interesting is that this
03:18 costs about the same money as the R8.
03:21 It's the same price as the 911 Turbo S.
03:25 And the 911, in a lot of people's minds,
03:27 is a sports car, while this is a supercar.
03:30 [ENGINE REVVING]
03:32 Partly one of the reasons I think that is,
03:35 is because the design of this thing.
03:37 I mean, it's simply stunning.
03:39 And I think years from now, we'll look back at this car
03:42 and see it as the car that ushered in a new generation
03:45 of supercar styling.
03:47 You see motorcyclists giving you thumbs up.
03:50 You see people jumping in their tracks on the side of the road.
03:53 I mean, people in cars next to you on the freeway
03:55 still take photos.
03:56 [ENGINE REVVING]
03:59 And what's more incredible is you have the performance
04:01 to back up that styling.
04:03 I mean, it makes peak torque when
04:05 most cars are hitting redline.
04:07 And you just have to love that kind of character.
04:09 [ENGINE REVVING]
04:13 Truthfully, there really is no great transmission option
04:16 for the R8.
04:17 You have the R-Tronic, which shifts kind of slowly
04:20 especially in contrast to a modern twin-clutch
04:23 transmission.
04:24 And this manual that we're in now,
04:26 it takes a lot of muscle to move between gears.
04:29 It makes some wonderful sounds on downshifts.
04:31 You get that metallic clank, which is kind of rewarding.
04:34 But still, the effort is pretty high for a car that doesn't
04:38 feel like it should be.
04:40 But still, having a transmission like this
04:42 with a gated gearbox like this, the effort's high.
04:45 But in its defense, it's going to feel more special every time
04:49 you take it out on the weekend or when the weather's right
04:52 or when you want to take a road trip.
04:54 That's going to add to sort of the aura of the car.
04:56 [ENGINE REVVING]
05:00 [LAUGHS]
05:02 I just want to shut up and enjoy this.
05:04 [ENGINE REVVING]
05:10 The R8 is the most complete supercar on the road.
05:13 It combines so many disciplines so seamlessly
05:17 that it just makes you giddy.
05:19 It's effortless to drive in traffic
05:20 with a flexible powertrain with an inexhaustible supply
05:23 of torque.
05:25 It's a joy on mountain roads, never frenetic, always fun.
05:28 You never feel like this supercar
05:30 has an edge that might cut you.
05:32 It's playful, but never worrisome.
05:35 The cabin, that gorgeous cabin, complements
05:37 the stunning exterior.
05:40 And then, when you're done driving it,
05:42 you can just sit in the garage and stare at it for hours.
05:46 The R8 is the supercar done right.
05:51 Yeah, you feel like Superman in this car.
05:53 You feel like Tony Stark driving this car.
05:55 Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh.
05:59 Made a topical reference that's kind of old because
06:01 of the Avengers where he drove an NSS.
06:03 [MUSIC PLAYING]
06:09 [ENGINE REVVING]
06:12 [MUSIC PLAYING]
06:23 Now I feel your guys' pain because you just
06:25 get to sit here.
06:27 And I'm like, wow, this is the greatest car in the world.
06:29 And you're like, yep, I'm sure it is.
06:31 Yeah, I bet it's awesome.
06:32 Jackass.