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In a thread a while back I mentioned that I had just bought a 2010 R8 V10 with about 3K miles on it. Some members here asked me to start a thread about it in the 'Other Vehicles' section; so here goes:
Traded in my 2008 MB CLK Black Series as I wasn't driving it enough and the truth is, I was looking at Gallardo SL's; Scuderias, etc. when I bought the BS. Fantastic car, but I just wanted something a little more 'special' to me. YMMV. Eventually I settled on the R8 as I can get it serviced just up the road in Kansas City versus having to drive about 300 miles to get a Lambo or 'Scud serviced; it was less money, and the car is not so uni-dimensional. Got a great deal on the R8 from EurocarOC.com and my sales guy, Danny, was awesome to work with. Before I had it shipped to me he took it to Premier and the whole car was covered in their Satin Guard film except for the front and rear grills; the front and rear spoilers, and the side blades. Also had the interior windows tinted with their 20% Nano film and the windshield protected with their new Diamond Fusion. I love the look of the car; (very 'Darth Vaderish'), and it certainly attracts lots of attention; always it seems in a good way. The car is very small btw, I didn't realise how small until mine was delivered as I'd never seen one before.
About the car: it is very fast, but of course not GT-R fast, and makes an incredible V-10 'wail' when you're really revving it. An exhaust valve opens around 4,000 rpm to really let the motor scream, and for those of you who've heard an E60 M5 at WOT, you know how great a V-10 can sound at 8,000 rpm. Intoxicating describes it. Below the 4,000 rpm area, the exhaust is very mild so it's incredibly easy to have a conversation or talk on the phone via Bluetooth, etc. In fact this car is so civilised it's hard to believe it. Yes it handles incredibly well, as any mid-engined sports car should with 525 hp; yes it steers extremely well; (not telepathic like most Porsche's, but not 'nervous' either); the brakes are phenomenal; there is about every comfort and convenience item you could think of included with the car; BUT the thing that really blows your mind is the ride quality; it is unbelievable. This car has such a compliant suspension whilst still handling well that you have to wonder how Audi were able to do it. My wife loves to ride in it; (not something she looked forward to in the CLK BS), and tells me the car has a 'better ride' than my Audi S4 on our broken up, pot-holed streets. The last time we were out in it she said a person could drive an R8 across country; it's that comfortable. It does firm up appreciably when you set the shocks to their 'Sport' mode, but that's for Canyon carving and the road course anyway. Lastly the gearbox. My R8 has the R-Tronic gearbox which is a semi-automatic 6-speed single clutch Grazziano unit similar to the SMG III transmission found in the E60 M5. It is a great transmission but quite different than the GR6 or other dual-clutch automated manuals. Many don't like the single clutch units as they can be a little more difficult to drive smoothly; however as I had an E60 M5 for two years it's taken me no time at all to adapt to the R-Tronic. The 'trick' is to just let up on the throttle a slight amount when initiating a gear change as this smooths things out nicely. Now, in 'Sport' mode at WOT the whole car feels like its been slammed with a baseball bat when you call for an up-shift; really brutal and you can almost feel a distinct 'bang' that goes through the whole car. Again I love it as it's very viseral and is something I really missed in the GT-R; (or any DSG type car I've driven for that matter). For those of you who really miss a true 'manual' gearbox, a single clutch automated manual is as close as you can get. The 2013 R8 is supposed to get a DSG gearbox and whilst it will be smoother and faster of course, I fear a little 'edge' will be taken out of the car.
Anyway, sorry to have posted so long but hopefully some of you will be interested. I will be taking the car to my local road courses, but it looks like that will have to wait until next year. The R8, especially in V-10 guise, is supposed to do quite well on the track as it is quick; brakes well, and handles beautifully; however when I see a GT-R in the mirrors I'll just move over, wave you by and get out of your way. I'll try and post some pictures of the car and thanks to Jon H helping me with them.
Bish
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Traded in my 2008 MB CLK Black Series as I wasn't driving it enough and the truth is, I was looking at Gallardo SL's; Scuderias, etc. when I bought the BS. Fantastic car, but I just wanted something a little more 'special' to me. YMMV. Eventually I settled on the R8 as I can get it serviced just up the road in Kansas City versus having to drive about 300 miles to get a Lambo or 'Scud serviced; it was less money, and the car is not so uni-dimensional. Got a great deal on the R8 from EurocarOC.com and my sales guy, Danny, was awesome to work with. Before I had it shipped to me he took it to Premier and the whole car was covered in their Satin Guard film except for the front and rear grills; the front and rear spoilers, and the side blades. Also had the interior windows tinted with their 20% Nano film and the windshield protected with their new Diamond Fusion. I love the look of the car; (very 'Darth Vaderish'), and it certainly attracts lots of attention; always it seems in a good way. The car is very small btw, I didn't realise how small until mine was delivered as I'd never seen one before.
About the car: it is very fast, but of course not GT-R fast, and makes an incredible V-10 'wail' when you're really revving it. An exhaust valve opens around 4,000 rpm to really let the motor scream, and for those of you who've heard an E60 M5 at WOT, you know how great a V-10 can sound at 8,000 rpm. Intoxicating describes it. Below the 4,000 rpm area, the exhaust is very mild so it's incredibly easy to have a conversation or talk on the phone via Bluetooth, etc. In fact this car is so civilised it's hard to believe it. Yes it handles incredibly well, as any mid-engined sports car should with 525 hp; yes it steers extremely well; (not telepathic like most Porsche's, but not 'nervous' either); the brakes are phenomenal; there is about every comfort and convenience item you could think of included with the car; BUT the thing that really blows your mind is the ride quality; it is unbelievable. This car has such a compliant suspension whilst still handling well that you have to wonder how Audi were able to do it. My wife loves to ride in it; (not something she looked forward to in the CLK BS), and tells me the car has a 'better ride' than my Audi S4 on our broken up, pot-holed streets. The last time we were out in it she said a person could drive an R8 across country; it's that comfortable. It does firm up appreciably when you set the shocks to their 'Sport' mode, but that's for Canyon carving and the road course anyway. Lastly the gearbox. My R8 has the R-Tronic gearbox which is a semi-automatic 6-speed single clutch Grazziano unit similar to the SMG III transmission found in the E60 M5. It is a great transmission but quite different than the GR6 or other dual-clutch automated manuals. Many don't like the single clutch units as they can be a little more difficult to drive smoothly; however as I had an E60 M5 for two years it's taken me no time at all to adapt to the R-Tronic. The 'trick' is to just let up on the throttle a slight amount when initiating a gear change as this smooths things out nicely. Now, in 'Sport' mode at WOT the whole car feels like its been slammed with a baseball bat when you call for an up-shift; really brutal and you can almost feel a distinct 'bang' that goes through the whole car. Again I love it as it's very viseral and is something I really missed in the GT-R; (or any DSG type car I've driven for that matter). For those of you who really miss a true 'manual' gearbox, a single clutch automated manual is as close as you can get. The 2013 R8 is supposed to get a DSG gearbox and whilst it will be smoother and faster of course, I fear a little 'edge' will be taken out of the car.
Anyway, sorry to have posted so long but hopefully some of you will be interested. I will be taking the car to my local road courses, but it looks like that will have to wait until next year. The R8, especially in V-10 guise, is supposed to do quite well on the track as it is quick; brakes well, and handles beautifully; however when I see a GT-R in the mirrors I'll just move over, wave you by and get out of your way. I'll try and post some pictures of the car and thanks to Jon H helping me with them.
Bish
