November 17, 2008
Even though Inside Line's Saturday street party was all about the Nissan 370Z, every time I glanced back at the Audi R8 in the parking lot, there were people milling around and snapping photos.
Stop flirting, R8. Don't you get enough attention?
Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor
November 14, 2008
One of the great things about having our own 2008 Audi R8 to drive around as much as we want is the chance to let our friends take a turn. So we forced it on a friend who happens to be a development engineer for a rival car company, figuring he'd give us an outsider's perspective on the way the R8 compares to other cars.
From the start, our guy was really impressed with the R8's quiet, composed ride quality. "Obviously this is the Buick of sports cars, if you like that sort of thing," he said. "No wonder Oldham likes it." He went on to make a few disparaging remarks about "girly men," and noted that the R8 probably gets some added ride compliance because it doesn't have run-flat tires.
He was impressed with the big change in the R8's character that came from engaging the sport setting for the dampers. We were driving a section of CA Hwy 110 in Los Angeles that all manufacturers use to evaluate freeway hop, and the R8 was utterly calm on the regular suspension setting and then porpoised madly on the sport setting. He said this is a difference you really want since it suggests the suspension really has been calibrated for speed. "Of course you can also feel that the suspension bushings are pretty aggressive for autobahn speed, and you really pick up a lot of vibration on coarse pavement," he said.
One thing our guy couldn't get along with proved to be the single-clutch automated manual transmission. "When it shifts, it just drops the engine torque to zero then makes the gear-change, just like a computer would," he said. "It's really just a first-gen system and it can't take advantage of what a dual-clutch can do. And it also makes the car surge in low-speed traffic just like the Smart that I drove last week -- worse than a Smart, in fact. The GT-R dual-clutch is way better. Not even close." He did allow that the Audi's transmission is quiet, although maybe that's because it's all the way at the back of the car where you can't hear it.
He really disliked the lack of coordination from the pedals at low speed. The tip-in for the throttle is too aggressive, and since the clutch comes in all at once, the car kind of surges forward. And while the brakes have a lot of bite for top-speed work, you find yourself varying pedal pressure to compensate for the transmission as it downshifts through the gears.
All this relates to driving the Audi R8 through town, of course. But since comfort and utility are what sets the Audi R8 apart from its competition, this is worth talking about. We probably have some reason to be skeptical, however, because a lapse in judgment led him to turn the R8 into a driveway at the wrong angle and the car got hung up with two wheels as if it were off-roading in Moab. "This is what you get with a 104.3-inch wheelbase and no suspension travel," our man said.
Michael Jordan, Executive Editor, Inside Line @ 24,200 miles
November 5, 2008
On more than a few occasions people have come back into the office after driving the smart and compared it with the R8: They both get a lot of attention from onlookers. Both cars seat only two and both cars have absolutely pathetic transmissions. They're also both pretty useless vehicles despite the Audi's claim to the 911's title of every-day supercar. Well guess what, every day people go grocery shopping. And for this type of thing the smart fortwo is clearly superior to the Audi R8 by one Whole Foods bag.
Mike Magrath, Vehicle Testing Assistant
November 3, 2008
When I got the R8 Friday evening, I started to notice the key fob wasn't working properly. It took a few tries to get it to lock and then unlock. Eventually it would do it, though. I went through the same multiple-fob-push song and dance every time. Sometimes I would try to manually lock the car using the key, but that didn't work either.
I was visiting a friend down in Orange County Saturday night and before we left for dinner (in his car), he wanted to sit in the R8. After a few tries, it unlocked and he got his wish. When I went to lock the car, it refused to lock with the fob. It would not lock using the key hole, nor from the inside using the auto door lock button. After a good five minutes, it was hopeless -- the R8 was just not going to lock. I was also now concerned that if I did manage to lock it, I wouldn't be able to unlock it again. This was clearly an issue with the locks and not the key fob (which still blinked its red light with every push).
Seeing as I was in a rather high-end neighborhood (the country's largest gated community, which was featured in the Real House Wives of Orange County), I figured it unlikely that leaving the R8 unlocked would result in its disappearance. Plus, there's no lock switches or plungers in the car to give away from the outside that it's unlocked. And really, who randomly walks up to cars to see if they're unlocked?
The car was still there when I got back from dinner, and when I got back home Saturday, it still wouldn't lock. I had my girlfriend block the R8 with her car in our tandem parking spot. It's still wasn't working Sunday morning. Guess what Magrath's going to be busy with this week?
James Riswick, Automotive Editor @ 23,634 miles
October 30, 2008
Our long-term R8 isn't all only about having fun. Sometimes we put it to work.
We used it to shoot photos and video during our recent ZR1 versus GT-R comparison test.
Mike Schmidt, Vehicle Testing Manager @ 23,300 miles
October 29, 2008
For some reason, our super modern, rocket-ship-looking Audi R8 has a big ole ashtray planted right in the middle of the center console.
<Cue 1970's B-movie music>
Who do they think is driving this car, the Marlboro Man?
I can think of better uses for this space. How about an iPod connection? Or just a little storage compartment?
A lot of carmakers don't even bother with smoking accessories anymore, let alone give them such a prominent position.
Does your car have a smoker's package?
Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor @ 23,281 miles
October 28, 2008
There been considerable hand wringing lately over the faux exhaust tips on the new Ferrari California. Such trickery seemed suspicious enough when it showed up on the Lexus IS-F, but on a Ferrari it's been deemed sacrilege.
Well, got some more bad news for you, the R8 is guilty too. It's less noticeable because the exhaust pipes are tucked away so neatly into the bodywork, but the photo doesn't lie, those tips are not connected.
Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor @ 22,581 miles
October 20, 2008
This morning we had parked our 2008 Audi R8 across the street from a Santa Monica fire department when we were stopping off at a coffeehouse before work for some java. Upon returning to the car we saw these guys admiring the car, excitedly checking out its wheels, luxe interior, V8 engine gorgeously displayed in the back. We just had to get a picture.
Of course they were reluctant at first ("I know where these things usually end up," said one) until we explained to them that we thought it was cool that, in addition to Iron Man, real superheroes loved this car, too. THAT got them in front of the camera. Heh.
They asked how much horsepower our R8 had. When we replied, "420," they smiled and said, gesturing to their firetruck, "Ours has a Caterpillar V8 turbodiesel with 500 hp." We wanted to add, "AND it actually saves lives."
When we were getting ready to drive away, the firemen said, looking at the cop car parked nearby, "Unlike the police, WE'd like to see you go fast..." Instead we just did a U-turn in front of them and revved the engine. If we had time we probably would have offered to give them a really quick jaunt on the freeway. Ah well.
Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor @ 22,543 miles
October 10, 2008
Not long ago I was taking a walk on the beach. There was a lone surfer waiting to catch a wave. Suddenly, a flock of dolphins -- actually, I think the correct term is a pod of dolphins -- started to play with him. These delightful creatures were swimming all around him and jumping out of the water. It was an amazing sight and the surfer was enjoying the interplay.
But, after a while, the dolphins started getting unintentionally rough. They didn't mean it. They're dolphins. They just wanted to have fun. Although they are wildly intelligent, they don't understand that humans are breakable.
Finally, the kid started to get freaked out and made his way to shore. He had an incredible experience but knew if he stayed out there any longer, he was going to get the wind knocked out of him.
That's how I feel sometimes when I drive the R8. It's a beautiful machine in a very accessible way. It is not at all aloof. People give you the thumbs-up just for beautifying their street. They want to play and drive next to you. They want to jump in front of you and take your picture with their camera phones. But after a while they start to sway too close and you really want them to pay attention to the road.
The photo above is one of several car murals decorating our office. She sure is a beauty.
Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor
October 9, 2008
October 7, 2008
When it comes to interiors, Audi has become the standard by which other cars are judged. So you would assume that Audi's flagship sportscar, the one with the six-figure price tag, would have a flawless cabin. Well, it is indeed quite nice, but there are a few sizable pieces of gray plastic that are hard to miss, like this one around the center stack display. They don't look terrible, but they are gray, and they are plastic, so all is not perfect.
Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor @ 21,820 miles
October 6, 2008
Forget its crummy R-Tronic transmission for a second and it's clear that the 2008 Audi R8 hardly puts a contact patch wrong. Props to Audi's engineering staff for sweating the details.
Oddly enough, though, not everything about the R8 adopts the endlessly fussed-over mechani-cool character that pervades every one of its crannies.
Here's what I mean. Fire the direct-incted, dry-sumped, variable-everything V8 when its stone cold and the R8 idles lumpily, spitting and cracking like a Nextel Cup car. Just a few seconds later, the composure that has been so carefully fettled by its creators flips on and the R8 immediately snaps into a glassy smooth idle.
It's a contrast that I dig.
Jason Kavanagh, Engineering Editor @ 21,794 miles.
October 3, 2008
I had a biz trip to Phoenix and was given a couple of flying options. So I declined the hassle of airports and took Audi's land-locked jet instead. On the wide-open stretches of Interstate 10, where you see nothing but desert and the horizon, I let the car stretch its legs a bit. I say "a bit" because my cruising speeds varied from 85-100 mph (with the assistance of a Valentine One radar detector). Yes, not even breathing hard.
The R8 will supposedly top 185, but though I enjoyed a couple of high-speed bursts, I didn't deem it necessary to fully explore that claim. Maybe I'm getting old...
September 29, 2008
Don't ask me how it happened but I scored our 2008 Audi R8 for the weekend. Yup! Little ol' me, the editor who usually gets assigned the Smart. And I used this supercar -- Iron Man's car, the star of I, Robot -- to finish up the last of my move, to run donated items over to Goodwill and to attend the American Wine & Food Festival (AWFF) which, funny enough, was sponsored by Audi. I was in heaven.
Sure, it's not really practical for running errands, and this car does not enjoy going slow but at all, but it somehow turned even the most mundane moments into a cinematic experience.
September 24, 2008
On Monday night Ed Hellwig and I drove our long-term 2008 Audi R8 down to San Diego (about 120 miles from Los Angeles) to wach the Chargers kick the living daylights out of my New York Jets. The car was perfect for the trip; comfortable, fast and flashy enough to get us a parking spot, which we found out are very hard to come by at Qualcomm Stadium.
Anyway, on the way home I got a warning light telling me the R8 needed a quart of oil. Then I realized the car was also saying it was due for an oil change. Trouble is, we just had it changed 5,000 miles ago, and the interval is 10,000.
So yesterday morning I called Santa Monica Audi. Turns out the oil change alert is a false alarm, but the car needing a quart of oil every 5,000 miles is normal. You know, they all do that.
Our service advisor, Ken Maryan, also said that if we brought the car over there he'd reset the maintenance light for us. It'll only take a minute, he said.
So I went over a few hours later. The guy plugged a laptop thingamajig into the doohicky and reset the whatchamacallit.They even topped up the oil for me. No charge. And it really did take about a minute.
September 23, 2008
On the way to Seal Beach Elementary's "Back to School" night, I glanced down and saw our long-term Audi R8's odometer on the cusp of a mileage milestone.
Maybe you're tired of hearing about our love affair with the R8, our enthusiam over Audi's willingness to extend what was originally scheduled to be a three-month loan.
And perhaps I'll get tired of talking about it, but I'll never get tired of driving it.
Here's to another beautiful 20,000 miles, luvver.
Kelly Toepke, News Editor @ 19,999 miles
September 22, 2008
The following is a collection of quotes from random Santa Monica residents upon seeing our R8 parked on a local residential street:
"Dude, it's an R8, that thing is $250,000" (actual price -- $132,000)
"Its layout was designed by a woman that's why it looks so good" (actual design director - Walter de'Silva)
"Look at the engine. I think it has like 600 horsepower." (actual horsepower - 420)
"Check out the headlights, I think they're LEDs." (actually, full LED headlights are only available on the R8 in Europe. The Cadillac Escalade Platinum is currently the only vehicle in the U.S. that offers full high- and lowbeam LED headlights)
Strangely enough, a Cadillac Executive told me last month that Ferdinand Piech, Chairman of the Volkswagen Group, special ordered an Escalade EXT outfitted with the LED headlights. First person to capture a picture of Piech behind the wheel gets a $100.
Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor @ 19,810 miles
September 17, 2008
Last weekend fate smiled as it handed me the keys to our 2008 Audi R8 for the weekend. When I turned around to leave, fate placed a kick-me sign on my back and and rushed off to wind up the giant boot that kicked me swiftly in the buttocks.
Since the R8's transmission is almost as bad as the smart's in casual driving (it may be as bad, but the extra 350hp over the smart make up for a lot) and it can carry fewer items than your average Radio Flyer, my weekend was shaping up pretty nice: no errands and lots of roads that, when viewed aerially, look like a handful of tapeworms thrown onto a carpet.
It only took a few minutes of driving before I realized this plan was not going to work out as well as I'd hoped. Merging onto the freeway the Audi cut power and the traction control light illuminated. In the remaining 8 miles to my apartment traction control turned on no less than four times and, sensing a pattern, was fully disabled (by me) once when I came across a big puddle on a 6-lane road. (I'm weak when it comes to weather-related shenanigans.) I checked the tires the following day when the sun was out. While -- as visible in the picture above-- they look ok, a tactile inspection reveals the truth: there was no groove left. Someone got the last of the excellent grip afforded by quasi-shaved tires and left me with two slick rubber tubes that never held on. Needless to say, this made my drives much slower, much more interesting and caused the AWD system much more trouble.
"R8 needs rear tires ASAP" my text to Schmidt read on Sunday morning. Monday I called Stokes Tire Pros to place the order.
September 9, 2008
We begged. We pleaded. And we got our way.
Audi extended our loan of the R8 for another three months.
You'll remember our goal for the R8 was to get the odometer up to 20,000 miles, just like any car in our long-term fleet. But we had to do it in three measly months instead of our normal twelve. Well, we've almost met our goal. Today is the three-month mark and as of this morning our Audi R8 has reached 19,334 miles.
But now we have it for three more months. So let's give a half-time report.
We've gotten used to the celebrity status that comes along with this beauty of a car. People smile and point when they see the R8 as if they just spotted Lindsey Lohan and Britney Spears making out. We've learned to ignore their stares. They're soooo boring.
But all kidding aside, the bloom is slightly off the rose. The R8 is still a blast to drive. But our non-stop road trips have started to wear on our supercar. The front trunk, or frunk as we like to call it, doesn't close properly and takes some finagling. We'll have it looked at by the dealer. At our last service appointment we had the loose parking brake lever cover reinstalled.
This morning I noticed the Tuscan brown color is wearing off of the leather upholstery on the left driver seat bolster. Everyone slides against it getting down into the car and it's starting to show. We'll have that looked at as well. Minor things.
So, what should we do with the Audi R8 for the next three months?
Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor @ 19,334 miles
September 8, 2008
Abomination against a supercar or coolest daycare pickup ever?
September 2, 2008
I despise valet parking. Unless the lot is only 1,000 square feet or the nearest public parking lot is a mile away, I avoid valet like the plague. I don't need some dude in a maroon vest joy riding in my car -- even if it's not really my car. I don't need to show off at the valet stand. When I'm driving something like the R8, it's even worse. But twice I've been driving the R8 and had to valet. The first time (photo above) was because the lot was about 1000 square feet, but it's right next to the restaurant so I don't mind. And the second time occured this weekend when the nearest public parking was a mile away. I reluctantly handed over the keys to maroon vest dude who was working solo. It's a tough feeling handing $130,000 over to somebody.
Anyway, when I got out of dinner, I handed the guy a $20 for the $7 parking charge. To make it easy, I even just asked for a 10 back. He informed me he had no change, only a 1 and a 20. I would have to check in the restaurant for change. They had none. I came back to the guy empty handed and the little snot was giving me attitude as if it was my fault he didn't have the change to do his job. "You have to pay for your service, sir." "Service? What, driving my car 30 feet to the other side of this building? Do you expect me to just pay you $13 extra for that? I may be allegedly rich, but I didn't get allegedly rich by being stupid." But I didn't say that. Instead, I ran over to a gas station for change and paid the little bastard -- no tip. I should've just driven off.
It sullied my evening and I couldn't help but feeling that he was treating me like this because I was a 20-something driving a flashy 130-thousand-something car. The sort of unwelcome attention I was lamenting over in Riswickland. Perhaps it would've been the same had I been driving the Focus, I don't know. Either way, my distaste for valet parking continues. Next time, I'll say, "Get in the car buddy. I'm parking her myself."
James Riswick, Automotive Editor @ 19,066 miles
August 28, 2008
August 26, 2008
My high school reunion is coming up. It's a multiple of ten, but I won't say which one.
I have to drive something. Why not take advantage of the Audi R8? Or is turning up in Ironman's car the most utterly tool-ish move I could make? "Nice car, Dan. How long have you had it?" "Well, it's like this..."
The Nissan GT-R perhaps? Only the truly car saavy (and heavy-duty gamers) will know what it is. To everyone else it might simply register as yet another 350Z with an overwrought body kit. This one is a good car-guy filter. Fellow motorheads are always easy to talk to at awkward parties.
How about the Smart? Nah. Everyone thought I was a dork in high school (I drove a Ranchero with side pipes back then.) I'm not sure I want to remove all doubt with this one. But this is Southern California, after all, and I'd like to think we've all grown up a bit. Yeah, right.
The Pontiac G8 GT? Why not the Evo or STI? The Cadillac CTS is another good one.
I must point out that I am happily married and am not trolling in any way. Besides, no one but the valet (if there is one) is likely to see my borrowed ride.
Oh, sure. I could drive my own car--if it'll start. But who wants to turn up in a beater Miata with faded red paint and no A/C? Or in a minivan full of crumbs, for that matter? My wife sure doesn't, and she didn't even go to my high school!
What would you pick?
At this point I'm leaning toward the GT-R, myself.
Dan Edmunds, Director of Vehicle Testing @ 18,150 miles
August 22, 2008
One thing I dig about our medium-term 2008 Audi R8 is how light it feels from the driver seat. The Nissan GT-R feels lighter than 3,900 lbs, but it's still obviously a substantial car. The Corvette Z06 somehow doesn't feel notably lighter than the GT-R, despite being the lightest of the bunch by a longshot (3,162 lbs). But the 3,634-lb R8 -- trust us, we weighed it -- has a light-on-its-feet character in corners that the other two supercars just can't match. It feels compact, tossable and playful; the others feel a bit piggish by comparison.
Over at the Austrian's recent R8 post, however, three astute commenters gave voice to something I've thought from the first moment I laid eyes on the R8 in our garage: that front overhang is out of control! Go to Austria's post and check out the first picture -- looks like the car is about to tip forward and fall on its face, particularly given the clipped rear end. I know there's a (largely useless) frunk up there, but, dude. Those front wheels need to be moved about a foot closer to the front of the car.
Josh Sadlier, Associate Editor, Edmunds.com @ 18,022 miles
August 18, 2008
Slummed it in the Audi R8 again this weekend. Had to drive to Monterey to see what all the rich people were doing in Pebble Beach. Apparently all that news of a recession hasn't hit the upper classes as there were more new Ferrari's, Lamborghinis and Rolls Royces than I could count.
That said, I didn't see another R8 once. Maybe I wasn't looking hard enough, maybe there was a Deutsches Autoerscheinen that I missed, who knows, but the R8's rarity cemented its status as the ultimate anti-Ferrari. People waved, smiled and otherwise seemed to enjoy seeing something other than a bright red F430 with shiny tires. The fact that I left our long-termer covered in bugs and brake dust only added to the effect.
August 14, 2008
"Why are those people staring at us?" my girlfriend asks. We're just trying to get some fruit, albeit from the popular Farmer's Market at the Grove in Los Angeles, but the facts don't change: The two of us are just doing some grocery shopping and people won't leave us alone.
"Ignore them" I tell her, "the poor don't deserve our attention." By the time my head stopped ringing from the smack to the head, we had miraculously found a parking space, exited the car and were sipping tripple iced espressos.
When returning to the car, bags in hand, we were startled by a group of teens surrounding the R8. "Great car!" "I saw this at the auto show!" "Is it fast?" My replies were pleasant and I didn't bludgeon or threaten any of them with the cane I had been carrying due to a knee injury. (I did make various threats to children playing, upset that they were on the lawn.)
I just wanted to put my groceries into the absurdly small frunk (front trunk), go home and go to bed. This wasn't Cars and Coffee, this wasn't Hot Import Nights; it was simply a hot Wednesday night where I happened to have a car and some coffee.
And this brings me to my thesis statement: Supercars are dumb.
Before you get your Countach poster all in a bunch, follow the jump.
August 13, 2008
What's that old joke about the ultimate in mixed emotions?
"Your ex-wife going over a cliff in your new Porsche."
I remembered that joke when I walked through the garage today and saw these three cars parked together. I kept trying to tell myself how cool it was to see the R8 and GT-R in close proximity, but the Smart Fortwo kept trashing my "dream garage" fantasy.
Maybe it was actually a good thing. Having two such amazing vehicles right next to each other might cause some sort of "cool-car overload," creating a temporal anomaly, unraveling the time-space continuum and destroying the universe! Admittedly, that's a worst-case scenario; the destruction might be confined to our own galaxy.
Either way, the Smart does an effective job of equalizing the "cool car" energy that could otherwise risk our total annihilation.
Karl Brauer, Edmunds.com Editor in Chief
August 12, 2008
As part of my job writing model reviews for Edmunds, I take the opportunity to drive as many short-term cars that pass through here as possible. The more I drive the better, with more volume-selling cars being a wiser use of my time than limited production GT500KR-like things. But as I was about to grab the keys to the 2009 Mazda 6, I saw the Audi R8's switchblade hanging on the board beckoning me. I gave into temptation.
And with apologies to Katy Perry...
August 11, 2008
I was lucky enough to style in the R8 this past weekend, my first time to drive it. Although it was penned by Walter de'Silva, its modern sexy looks could easily have been shaped by architects Frank Gehry (Disney Hall shown) or Santiago Calatrava.
The R8 attracts so much positive attention not only because of its exotic looks, but because it -- or its driver -- doesn't have a negative image. Remember the old BMW and porcupines joke? Well the same thing could apply to Porsches, Ferraris, and Lambos too. But the Audi doesn't have such baggage. And although Lambos aren't uncommon on the fashionable West side of LA, I've only seen one other R8.
I didn't experience the psycho pursuit or cell-phone stalkarazzi that the other staff members have gone through. But my friends, co-workers, and a few strangers went absolutely bananas over it. As I was fueling, one guy asked to take some pics. "Go ahead and sit in it," I said. When he was finished, he looked like a kid who just opened his Christmas presents. And when I was rolling on Melrose, one guy saw the window was down, and shouted while smiling, "Hey, are you Ironman?" I just smiled and pointed to him. A female friend, begged for -- and got -- a ride.
Recently somebody told me that the Toyota Prius was being bought by poeple that don't like cars. I argued the point. "Everybody likes cars," I said. "Everybody."
And last week I was proven right. I was driving our long term 2008 Audi R8 to work, which essentially means inching along in traffic, while drinking coffee and talking on my cell phone. Normal morning. But imagine my delight when I looked over and saw this guy in the pictured slate gray Prius taking a picture of my car. He photographed it from several angles before lowering his camera and giving me the thumbs up, all while smiling like Theo Epstein the day the Dodgers took Manny.
Now, when you're in the R8 people take your picture. Happens 100 times a day. But the fact that this guy got it, despite being signed up for years of payments on that Prius should tell you something.
Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief
August 8, 2008
Yesterday around 4 pm, while stuck in a traffic jam near downtown Los Angeles, our long-term 2008 Audi R8 insisted it was 118 degrees outside. Trouble is, it was near room temperature in the City of Angels at the moment.
We'll have the glitchy thermometer addressed on monday morning when the R8 visits the dealer for a faulty front hood latch.
Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief @ 16,855 miles
August 7, 2008
I got handed the keys to go on a short photo shoot location scouting mission. I drove up to Malibu on the PCH, which normally is the land of the rich and famous driving their 911 Turbos and Ferrari F430's. I figured the R8 wouldn't be that big of a deal.
I was wrong.
I stopped in the Malibu Village area to grab a coke. A swarm of people descended on the R8 as I was at the cash register. Normally I don't mind talking about the car I'm driving, but this day I just wanted to get back out on the road and figure out where I was going to shoot a three car comparison.
As I approached the car, I a family of tourists was standing in front of the car taking pictures of it, them with the car and so on. They noticed me standing there and gestured if it was ok for them to continue. I had no problem letting take a few more photos.
Once they finished they waved and nodded with a smile, the international "thank you". The oldest son approached me and said, "Your car is German. We are French."
"I'm happy for you."
I got in the car and drove away, not sure of what to make of their declaration and my reaction. Must have been lost in translation.
Scott Jacobs, Senior Photographer
August 5, 2008
At this point, I've used the R8 for basic transportation around town and one long road trip. Yeah, it sounds great and handles nearly perfectly, but what keeps jumping out at me is how comfortable it is along the way.
It's a $120,000 mid-engined exotic, yet you don't have to fall into the driver's seat to get in. And once you're situated, it's not the least bit claustrophobic. The sight lines are good through the windshield and when you look over your shoulder you can actually see out the back window.
August 4, 2008
This job has given me the opportunity to sample a lot of impressive automobiles: Dodge Vipers, the Lotus Elise and Exige, a Lamborghini Gallardo, a Ford GT, Vettes, AMG Benzes, the occasional Ferrari, a plethora of Porsches and the Nissan GT-R. But none of them has elicted the kind of extended gawking, spontaneous cell-phone photography and ill-advised pursuit as this 2008 Audi R8.
It started on the 91 freeway as I was driving home. The guy in the car pool lane next to me held-up his followers for a good 5 minutes while his passenger shot dubious-quality photos with his cell phone. At one point people in three different cars on all sides of me were doing much the same thing. Is this what it's like to be Brad Pitt?
July 31, 2008
Last night my neighbor's cat let me know that our 2008 Audi R8 is the greatest thing since the Pontiac Solstice and its hammock-style cloth top. The cat, who goes by the name Mr. Fuku, partied hard on the right quarter panel before bedding down over the engine compartment.
This morning the manager at our local car wash let me know it would be $30 to remove the paw prints and dander, which is actually not bad for a true hand wash in West LA. We've decided not to risk putting on long-termer on the tracks for the customary semi-hand wash.
July 28, 2008
How many times can I get up to look out the window to see this beauty in my driveway?
But we couldn't let if just sit there. So we headed south toward San Diego but then remembered it was the last day of Comic-Con and didn't want anyone to mistake the Audi R8 for the Millennium Falcon. So we stopped off in San Clemente, former home of the former worst President of the U.S.
It's a quaint old town with a little shopping district, some nice restaurants and lots of Spanish mission type of architecture. All of the buildings look like Kim Novak should jump off of them. But I guess that was San Juan Capistrano.
The ride packed the usual excitement for other drivers. It really makes me nervous when you see cars looking at you in the mirror instead of the road. There's always somebody who takes your picture, somebody who wants to race, somebody in a Prius who yells at you as you drive by because you're destroying the environment. The usual crowd.
There is something accessible about the R8 that makes people want to talk to you. I can't imagine getting the same reaction in a Ferrari or Lamborghini. Perhaps it's the newness of the R8. People haven't seen it before. And the style is exotic without being ostentatious. It makes people happy.
On the highway, the R8 is fun, fun, fun. Merging? No problem. Speeding? Can be a problem. Once the R8 gets going, its low hum lulls you into thinking you are driving at legal speeds. Until you look at the speedometer and "Whoa."
Starting off is very clunky in the lower gears, very similar to driving the Smart. No fooling. The transition from 1st to 2nd can be awkward until you learn to finesse it. Outside of the attention factor, the similarities end there. I was driving behind a friend in the R8 and he said when he looked in his rear-view mirror, he thought the R8 was going to eat him. The Smart on the other hand looks like it's about to be gobbled up by Ms. Pac-Man.
One of the interesting things about the R8 is that, although you can drive it as an automatic, it has no "Park" gear. You just put on the hand brake, notch the shifter into gear and shut her off.
Behind the seat is a handy storage area that keeps small items from bouncing around yet remain within arm's reach.
The nav system was a pain in the you-know-what. It gave me ridiculous directions and when I chose another path, kept telling me to make a u-turn. I mean, I must have passed twenty-five intersections before it finally shut up and readjusted itself. And then it still tried to re-route me back to its original course. I ended up shutting it off. The tiny map graphics were useless anyway.
Have you seen any Audi R8s on the road?
Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor @ 15,696 miles
July 23, 2008
Yesterday Santa Monica Audi performed a 15,000 mile service on our long-term Audi R8. Ken Maryan our service advisor could not have been more pleasant to deal with, and the work was done in a single day as promised.
They changed the oil and filter, checked the car over and installed a new dust and pollen filter to our climate control system. That's it. Total for parts: $185.06, which includes 9 quarts of synthetic motor oil.
What killed us was the labor. Two and a half hours at an incredible $160.00 an hour (Labor for our 1984 Ferrari 308 was only $120.00 an hour.) That's $400.00 in labor costs. Total for the job: $600.33.
Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief @ 15,472 miles
