Audi

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The Audi R8’s digital display is the future of dashboard design

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This latest R8 may not look much different to the last one but underneath that aluminium skin, it’s a totally different car. Based on the Lamborghini Huracan, you can own one with either a 5.2-litre V10 or V10 Plus lump in the boot.

The first produces 540bhp – our monster Plus is 610bhp and totally awesome in the 3.2 second dash to 60mph. This new R8 is 110 lbs lighter too – making it faster and more agile than before. Just be careful when you press down the front boot lid – the metal is so light it bends in!

But what’s extra special about the latest R8 is the virtual cockpit. No, it still has a steering wheel and pedals but there’s no infotainment display screen in the centre of the dash. Instead, it’s right in front of the driver where the speedo used to be.

The whole binnacle area is entirely digital. The speedo readout is still there but you have a choice a countless set ups to suit your taste. If you like, the entire screen can be one big sat nav display.

It’s clever and you can bet a lot of other manufacturers will soon be following the same design too…

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The Audi R8 V10 Plus is a monster of a car…

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What’s the difference between driving last week’s Rolls-Royce and this week’s Audi R8? Well, apart from the £130,000 price difference, the great British motoring public seem a lot less hassled by the Audi.

Maybe it’s the fact the R8 isn’t quite so ‘posh’ but other drivers just get out of the way of the Audi – while the Ghost seemed to wind people up enormously and create all kinds of road rage madness.

So the R8 is quite the monster of a car. Low, wide and extraordinarily fast, it’s every inch a supercar – even if the styling isn’t quite so eye-catching as a McLaren or the Audi’s sister lambo.

It’s not quite a Porsche 911 in terms of daily practicality – the boot is tiny and the dashboard is less intuitive – but it’s still one hell of a car…

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F-Type, 911 or R8 – which one would you choose?

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Jaguar F-Type convertible, Porsche 911 Cabriolet, Audi R8 soft-top – which one would you buy? There’s a big difference in prices and the Jag is the cheapest by far but is it way out of it’s depth in such company?

Having driven all three this summer, I’d opt for the practical, sensible and easiest-to-live-with 911. I don’t think the 911 is that inspiring to look at, it doesn’t set my pulse racing like the F-Type but it is the brilliant all-rounder.

I’v already talked about the F-Type having a heart and soul, although it’s a real shame the noisy tailpipes and uninspiring interior let the car down.

That might suggest the R8 is a great compromise but, well, it just looks a little rear heavy. I know the design is meant to exude true ‘supercar’ but quite frankly, despite the amazing handling, the Audi has a fat arse and that’s the end of it.

Which leads me to conclude this is a dead heat, only won by the Porsche because it does everything well. Such as shame it just conjures up images of flash bankers and little else…

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The Audi R8 is a supercar you can live with everyday, only rivalled by the Porsche 911

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The R8 leaves Car Couture today – just in time for me to start listening to day 2 of the Ashes on our new Golf R’s DAB radio! Because the Audi doesn’t have digital, I’m more than a little delighted to see the VW arrive.

Don’t go thinking I won’t miss the R8 because I will. The S-tronic DSG gearbox is absolutely brilliant, whether you are howling the V8 down the A303, or pootling along the Kings Road. The flappy paddle system works so smooth you will long to use it at every opportunity.

There’s a new R8 out in August and that will no doubt address the rather dated cabin. Somehow, the R8 doesn’t feel like a supercar when it shares so many bits with lesser Audis.

It’s beautifully built, looks suitably expensive and is backed up by a highly regarded Audi dealership network. The R8 then, is a supercar you really can live with everyday – only rivalled by the Porsche 911.

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Space, the final frontier – in an Audi R8

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It’s quite easy to shut your eyes (not when you’re driving, of course) inside the R8 and believe you are steering an Audi TT. Petrolheads will note there are many similarities between the two.

The R8’s steering wheel and dashboard are swathed in buttons and dials you will find in many a lesser Audi. No bad thing but just remember this is a £110k supercar. Wouldn’t you expect more?

I’ve already revealed the ‘issues’ with the infotainment system but the lack of cubbyholes and storage is starting to bug the hell out of me. My iPhone 5s disappears sideways when I slot it in the centre cup holder. There’s nowhere to store it safely.

Practicality is the R8’s Achilles heel and comparing in with the popular TT only highlights the issue more. There’s no back seats and the luggage space is somewhat lacking.

The search for the perfect convertible goes on…

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The Audi R8 Spyder is a big car that seems to have very little space on the inside

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So, what do you make of the R8 in profile? Apart from being very ‘Dubai’ in its supercar looks, there’s rather a lot of rear end going on and not enough bonnet for my liking.

Of course, being rear-engined you would expect that but compared to a Porsche 911 (or even a Boxster) the Spyder does have a bottom of epic proportions.

And what’s even stranger still is the fact the R8 has a tiny, tiny amount of luggage space under that steeply raked bonnet. You can just squeeze one weekend bag in, a couple of jackets and not much else.

Inside, there are a two sandwich-sized cubby boxes between the seats in the rear bulkhead, a glovebox – and that’s it! Space is as a premium, yet a 911 seems to cram two rear seats and much larger luggage area into a vehicle of lesser dimensions.

The Audi then, is a big car with limited room for your belongings. Weird.

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A three stage heated seat – or a digital radio in your Audi R8? You decide…

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I’ve just been eyeing up a 1995 Porsche 911 Targa. It’s 20 years old now but somebody has retro fitted a DAB radio. It means I can listen to Radio 6 and Test Match Special on BBC Five Live Extra even in the car.

I mention this because again today I was frustrated by the 2015 Audi R8 I’m driving this week. I just can’t get my head around the fact a £110,000 supercar doesn’t come equipped with digi radio?

You see, I can’t believe the majority of people would rather have three stage heated seats and auto windscreen wipers, rather than digital radio. It doesn’t make any sense.

At least when I have found something worth listening too on the radio, the B&O sound system is pretty awesome. No excuses though Audi, lack of digital radio in the R8 is simply not acceptable…

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I’ll probably be found half-eaten by the dog because I have no kids. At least I have the Audi A8 for company…

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I was too busy lapping up Saturday’s sunshine in the R8 to write. Whereas today has been less than exciting in the deluge – I keep thinking about all those buggers who carefully planned to take this week off to ‘enjoy’ a camping trip with the family. Painful.

As the A8 skipped down the A303 towards the coast, I could see dads in their people-movers cursing the rasping tailpipes of the Audi. At least they have kids to help them pick their retirement home one day. I’ll probably be found half-eaten by the dog.

The R8 appears to have no less than five different gearboxes – and to think my first car in 1981 only had four forward gears. Yes, you can whack it into ‘auto’ or ‘manual’, then choose ‘sport’ mode for each, or use the + and – option on the gearchanger. In fact, there’s more because the R8 has flappy paddles on the steering column.

I’m not a big fan of the flappers but hey, in a high performance car like the R8 they are great full. Using them to change down in sport mode emits a bubbling, angry sound from the twin pipes. More than enough to annoy everybody within earshot.

And the Audi is exceptionally good fun. It’s extremely forgiving, allowing even amateurs like me to feel like they have been hurtling around racetracks for years. Again, it reminds me of the Golf GTI, or a Porsche Boxster.

Jump in, turn the key and you’re a driving superstar. Nobody will know it’s the car rather than your skills that are providing the thrills.

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The £103K Audi with no 7-digit input for the sat nav. Make sense?

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I’ve just returned from interviewing the legend that is Jonny Wilkinson. It meant a 510-mile return trip to Newcastle, which gave me more than enough time to sample the delights of the R8.

I must say, I’ve never been a fan of the looks – if you want a supercar and can afford a six figure fee, then why not buy a ‘proper’ one? Of course, it turned out I was wrong. The Audi is all that and some.

The full story on the R8 will unravel over the next seven days but let’s start with a negative. This out-going model has drawn criticism of late for its outdated cabin. And what really let this car down was the lack of a 7-digit input sat nav system.

I’ve only been to Newcastle once before and trying to find a nameless street with the Audi system was a complete nightmare. You don’t want to keep Jonny waiting, do you.

The R8 also uses the Audi rotating dial system for selecting letters and numbers to input. It’s way too sensitive and easy to click on to the wrong digit.

I found the whole infotainment system in the R8 a complete pig’s ear. I’m visiting an organic pig farm near Swindon this afternoon to talk bacon with the owner. Perhaps I’ll  ask what she thinks.

Anyway, DON’T buy an R8 if you rely on sat nav a lot. I’ve checked with Audi Swindon and they tell me it’s not possible to pay for an upgrade either. Porsche offer such a service for older cars for about £320.

Let’s hope the new R8 fixes the problem.

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The only area where the new Audi TT doesn’t score is exclusivity…

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It really is is difficult to spot the difference between this latest TT and the last model. My best advice is to look carefully at the headlight cluster – 2015 TT has much narrower lenses.

The interior is an improvement over the previous TT too but what really stands this latest version apart isn’t the aesthetics, it’s the drive.

New TT is sensational. The steering inspires confidence, the brakes have great feel and, well, everything about the TT just feels right. You will want to own one because it makes you feel good.

Shame then that the one feature the TT has never had is exclusivity. You just know that in two years time, every Tom, Dick and Harry will be driving one.

Like the brilliant VW Golf GTI, the TT is a victim of it’s own success. So buy one now – before they become too common…