2015 Audi R8

While the R8 relies on the good old natural aspiration for its intakes, the rivals like Mercedes-Benz SL 550 and BMW M6 coupe all have forced induction engines, something that will matter to the technology-centric buyers. Another rival, the Porsche 911 Carrera GTS is relying on their tried and tested 6-cylinder boxer setup.

The 2015 Audi R8 comes in 4 trim levels - V8, V10, V10 Plus, and V10 Plus Competition. The V8 trim comes with 19-inch wheels and adaptive suspension with LED headlights. leather upholstery and suede lining are standard on the base trim. On the V10 as the name suggests, you get the V10 engine and upgraded leather upholstery. The infotainment system receives an upgrade in this trim as well. 

The higher trims V10 Plus and V10 Competition are for serious performance enthusiasts and comes with permanently sports tuned suspension, ceramic brakes, etc. getting the top trim Audi R8 will lose its daily driving advantage because the ride quality is strictly tuned for precise sporty handling.

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The Audi R8 is solely made for performance with an added benefit of daily usability, to an extent. Considering that, the 2015 Audi R8 in its V10 trim will be our pick. It is not only about the power but it also comes with some standard safety features and a better infotainment system which you can’t buy optionally. The price bump over base trim level is huge but you are getting an almost practical supercar.

The 2015 Audi R8 has decided to not disappoint even a single buyer. It has multiple engine options and transmission options for casual fun seekers to the serious track day enthusiast. The base trim Audi R8 comes with a naturally-aspirated 4.2L V8 which makes 430 hp and 317 lb-ft of torque. This and all the rest of the engine configurations come in both a 6-speed manual and a 7-speed Stronic automatic transmission with paddle shifters. 

Next is the V10 engine, the 5.2L mill produces 525 hp & 391 lb-ft of torque and has some Lamborghini DNA inside as well. Audi has further tuned this V10 engine in the V10 Plus trim which gives out 550 hp & 398 lb-ft of torque. The $20,000 price difference doesn’t really justify the power increase, honestly speaking. There is one bonkers edition R8 available too, the Audi R8 V10 Competition which again sports the same V10 but with some more tuning. 

This time again the power figures are upped by only 25 hp and torque by just 8 lb-ft. Audi should have just Twin-Turboed the standard V10 instead of playing around with the engineers giving tiny boosts to the engines. The V10 Competition only comes in an automatic transmission and AWD is standard throughout the trim range.

The Audi R8 is not immensely powerful in its base trim level but this base is covered with V10 engine options. The BMW M6 is the quickest and the most powerful car in the group but Audi has their answer to this with the V10 Competition with 570 horses and they have managed this by just fine-tuning their engine.

The sports car territory is devoid of such luxuries yet we have some exceptional performers today. The Audi R8 has a dismal city fuel economy of 11 MPG and with premium fuel. The highway fuel economy is comforting news with 20 MPG and is on par with its rivals. If you can’t win this way, win the other way. The Audi R8 has a poor economy compared to its rivals but it excels in the fuel capacity department.

All the rivals are significantly better than the R8 but that’s being compensated for by the fuel capacity. The 911 Carrera GTS has a significant advantage of 19 MPG city economy whereas the 19.8-gallon fuel tank gives the SL550 the best city and highway driving range.

As the 2015 Audi R8 a two-door coupe with only 2 passenger accommodation the interior space is rather limited. This makes the engineers' job easy as they only have to think about the front row passenger space and it is great. Yes, headroom might create problems for taller than average people but legroom is available in abundance. 

The seats are very well bolstered and are comfortable for longer drives. The dashboard design is flat and aimed at more visibility than creating unnecessary distractions. All the panels of this interior are covered in leather. The steering wheel is a flat bottomed one with thick leather padding and can be adjusted manually. The main point of attraction in this cabin would be that polished steel transmission knob, it kind of looks out of place in such a modern interior.

The interior space of the R8 is fine but it lacks cargo carrying capacity and most of the rivals do too. The trunk might just be able to hold some light groceries at best. The SL 550 has a decent amount of trunk space and can be useful sometimes. The M6 offers the best cargo capacity due to its better overall length. The R8 does have a nice interior when it comes to all-out sports cars and that being said, some of the standout interior features are: 

• Polished steel transmission knob
• Premium leather upholstery
• Under-seat storage
• Adjustable steering wheel
• Automatic climate control
• Optional DVD-based navigation system
• Heated eight-way power seats with four-way power lumbar support

How intuitive is the 2015 Audi R8’s infotainment system?

The 2015 Audi R8 comes with a fairly basic infotainment unit with a 7-speaker sound system. The higher trim levels get a 12-speaker setup from Bang & Olufsen. A 6-CD changer is standard on all cars. The screen size of the infotainment screen isn’t comfortable or navigation and the overall low-resolution display makes it hard to differentiate from intersections and junctions. There is no smartphone connectivity on offer and you will have to rely on an AUX cable for your music needs, an iPod can be connected to the music system.Some of the highlights of the infotainment system are:

• 6-CD changer
• Navigation
• Bluetooth
• AUX
• FM/AM
• Satellite radio
• Optional 12-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system
• iPod interface

The 2015 Audi R8 has a completely different ideology when it comes to design. For all these years we witnessed Italian design masterpieces which are too exotic but Audi created a design so unique it is going to become an icon in the next few years. The overall design of the car is understated unlike you see on other European cars where curves are everything.

The wider overall stance with the front fascia almost covered with grille and intakes suggests that this vehicle means serious track business. The side blade of the R8 is the most distinctive design element of the car and at some point, it looks like it will deploy itself into some kind of wings, doesn’t get you hopes though. The rear end has a speed-sensitive spoiler that is a joy to watch for other people. One more interesting thing about the exterior is the way you can watch the engine roar under that glass panel. 

The 2015 R8 is the lightest vehicle in the class thanks to its aluminum chassis and overall shorter body frame. The R8 even has the lowest ground clearance in the group. A low clearance, less body weight makes the R8 quite literally fly like a rocket on the roads. That said, some of the standout exterior features are:

• Front diffuser
• Heated power-folding mirrors
• speed-activated rear spoiler
• 19-inch wheels with summer tires
• Full LED exterior lighting
• Auto-dimming rear view mirror

Here we go again, another super sports car and no crash tests. Even though Audi knew that agencies don’t test high-performance cars they did their best engineering job and manufactured the car in lightweight aircraft-grade aluminum. There are some interesting facts about the car being used in the “Iron Man” movie, which says a lot about its strength. Google is your friend. The R8 comes with very few active features excluding the mandatory airbags, some of them are as follows:

• Parking sensors
• Stability control

Yes, this is it. Audi believes in the driver’s skill more than technological intervention. 

The 2015 Audi R8 is a different breed of super sports car altogether. Performance of the R8 doesn’t need any explanation or discussion, it’s a V8 or a V10 under the hood, what else do you expect. It is expensive, sure, but far less than a Ferrari or a Lamborghini and handles similarly if not better. So bragging about practicality is still doubtful but that would be a bonus on a sports car and not a necessity. The Audi R8 is a very unconventional sports car to have with German engineering promise.