On this episode of Ignition
Category
🚗
MotorTranscript
00:00 But no, for this week's ignition, you're stuck with me.
00:04 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:28 See, the first time I drove an Audi R8 with their R-tronic
00:32 transmission-- and that's Audi speak for the single-clutch
00:35 automated manual transmission-- it performed so
00:39 poorly, I thought the gearbox was broken.
00:41 Now, don't get me wrong.
00:45 When you're moving at a pretty good clip, the
00:46 transmission, it's OK.
00:48 But it was around town.
00:50 It was a little bit of a mess.
00:51 And I'm not going to get into that.
00:52 But I'm going to tell you what I think about it.
00:54 The transmission, it's OK, but it was around town.
00:58 It was almost undriveable.
00:59 It was lousy.
01:01 The problem is that Audi has always touted the R8 as an
01:04 everyday supercar.
01:06 But with that transmission, it's not.
01:08 Don't take my word for it.
01:15 Audi was so unhappy with that transmission, they went ahead
01:18 and threw it in the dumpster.
01:19 And instead, they're replacing it with a, dare I say, proper
01:23 dual-clutch transmission that they're calling S-tronic.
01:26 And that's good, because not only do you get fast shifts on
01:28 the track, but around town, the car's not
01:30 going to feel drunk.
01:32 But of course, that's the theory.
01:34 And as I love saying, there's only one way to find out.
01:37 I'm here at some Italian racetrack with the latest
01:47 iteration of Audi's supercar, the R8.
01:49 In fact, these blue guys behind me are actually the new R8
01:52 V10 Plus.
01:53 And we'll get into what that means in a second.
01:55 But I just got to tell you, I'm always a little hesitant to
01:57 drive a car on the track before you do on the street.
02:00 And the reason why is, especially if you're unfamiliar
02:02 with the track, you're so busy trying to learn it that all
02:05 you can really pay attention to is acceleration, braking,
02:08 and turn-in.
02:09 So I don't really think you get a good
02:10 evaluation of the car.
02:11 However, I am going to take one for the team and do it,
02:13 because it's a lot of fun.
02:15 [CAR ENGINE]
02:27 OK.
02:28 So I'm here in the R8 V10 Plus.
02:31 And the plus stands essentially for 25 more
02:34 horsepower for a total of 550 and 50 less kilograms of
02:38 weight, because they use a lot of carbon fiber in this thing.
02:41 Now, the R8 V10 Plus is a little bit different.
02:44 Now, if you're in the car with me, the first thing you would
02:47 notice, besides my mustache, is how quickly this thing leaps
02:50 out of corners.
02:52 I've driven very few cars that accelerate like this thing.
02:55 The car rotates terrifically.
02:57 It's just so incredibly fast.
03:00 It really just honks.
03:01 And this dual-clutch transmission is unbelievable.
03:05 It's just like the Porsche PDK in that it's really smart.
03:08 If you need two downshifts, it gives you two downshifts.
03:11 Like there, it's got one.
03:12 And also, what's nice is coming out of a slow corner,
03:16 it'll actually upshift for you.
03:18 And that way, you won't get jerked around when you get on
03:21 the throttle.
03:22 It's a really smart transmission.
03:24 Some corners, if you really come in hot, it'll understeer.
03:28 But for a car with power going to the front wheels, it's
03:31 really manageable.
03:32 This head sock, however, is not.
03:39 Wow.
03:40 This thing is so fun.
03:42 Back to Audi's claim of the R8 being an everyday supercar,
04:02 this transmission makes that claim true, finally.
04:06 We just left Bolzano, Italy.
04:07 It's this ancient town at the foot of the Alps.
04:10 Cobblestone streets, narrow, slow.
04:12 And for the first time I've ever driven an automatic R8, I
04:16 was able to move slowly without the car lurching and
04:20 heaving, and I wasn't doing this.
04:22 It just works like a normal car.
04:24 And then you get it on the road, and it's fantastic.
04:26 You put it in sport mode, boom, boom, boom.
04:29 Super quick shifts.
04:31 You got the paddles, pull what you want.
04:32 I mean, it's such a good transmission.
04:34 Hard to understate what a good job they've done.
04:37 Even though it's only been out for a few years, the R8's
04:40 already one of the most iconic sports cars in the world.
04:43 Opinions are obviously split on how it looks.
04:46 Some people think it's very beautiful.
04:48 I think it looks like Cylon's designed to dolphin.
04:50 But say what you want about it.
04:52 It's a distinctive looking car that grabs attention.
04:56 Interior, well, they haven't really done much updating there.
04:59 This used to be a really standout interior, although some
05:02 of the touches have migrated to other products, like the egg
05:05 shaped gauge clusters and stuff.
05:06 So to me, it looks a little dated.
05:08 In fact, the nav system isn't the new Google-based unit found
05:12 in all other Audis.
05:12 It's this older system.
05:15 It's a little dated, but it's a little bit more modern.
05:18 It's a little bit more modern.
05:19 It's a little bit more modern.
05:20 It's a little bit more modern.
05:22 It's a little bit more modern.
05:23 It's this older system.
05:25 It's OK.
05:27 Still, though, for a super car-- and make no mistake,
05:29 this is-- it's incredibly comfortable, especially
05:32 with these nice padded seats.
05:34 Alcantara everywhere, good steering wheels.
05:38 It's a very nice place to spend some time.
05:41 As I stated, there's a very good reason
05:43 that I had to come on this trip.
05:44 And that's because, unlike everyone else on staff,
05:46 I've never loved the R8.
05:48 To me, it was too flawed.
05:50 It wasn't the complete package.
05:52 And it wasn't the everyday super car that Audi claimed.
05:55 However, this new dual-clutch transmission brings redemption.
05:59 And I don't think I'm going to surprise anyone
06:01 when I say that the R8 is now one of the best
06:03 super cars in the world.
06:06 You're going to love it.
06:21 Who cares about you?
06:23 I [BLEEP]
06:24 love it.
06:25 This is the one.
06:27 This is the R8 to get.
06:28 Forget about the V8.
06:30 Forget about the Plus.
06:31 This one, the topless one, V10, all-wheel drive, mid-engine,
06:37 no roof.
06:38 This is the car.
06:40 Oh my god.
06:42 It's so good.
06:44 [ENGINE REVVING]
06:47 Oh, sorry about that.
06:49 But you drive this R8 Spyder V10 for five minutes,
06:52 and you'll be singing its praises.
06:54 There's a lot of guys out there that are going to tell you,
06:56 oh, I'd never drive a convertible,
06:57 because I'm going to lose 0.2 seconds off my lap time.
07:00 But total nonsense.
07:03 This car, these mountains, it's just--
07:07 I can't-- I can't even.
07:09 I'm just going to go.
07:10 I'm going to go.
07:11 I'm going to go.
07:12 I can't-- it's so good.
07:15 You've got to drive this.
07:17 You've just got to drive this.
07:19 [ENGINE REVVING]
07:22 So the only problem I see with this car right now
07:33 is that because we went through some snow,
07:35 Audi put snow tires on it, which means
07:38 that it's limited to a top speed of just over 160 miles an hour.
07:42 Aside from that, I want it.
07:47 Oh, do I want it.
07:49 [MUSIC PLAYING]
07:53 [ENGINE REVVING]
07:56 [MUSIC PLAYING]
07:59 [MUSIC PLAYING]
08:02 [MUSIC PLAYING]
08:05 [MUSIC PLAYING]
08:08 [MUSIC PLAYING]
08:11 [MUSIC PLAYING]
08:14 [MUSIC PLAYING]
08:18 [MUSIC PLAYING]
08:21 [MUSIC PLAYING]
08:24 (upbeat music)