For the brand, the Audi R8 is a pivotal vehicle in its history. It altered how people thought of Audi. It also demonstrated that they were capable of being cool, quick, and goal-oriented. The V10 R8 is now officially being announced as the last of its kind.
We announced a few weeks ago that the R8’s next version would be an all-electric vehicle. Contrary to many other theories, Audi made such statement today. By 2023, production should be finished.
Audi RS’s head of communications, Sebastian Grams, confirmed it to Top Gear “Audi RS adheres to the main Audi company’s all-electric driving philosophy. With our S and RS versions, this is the plan. If we were to create a brand-new category of super sports automobile, it would be electric. It adheres to our plan and our goal for a world powered entirely by electricity.
That not only makes it very evident that there won’t be another V10 R8, but it also raises the possibility of another possibility. Remember that he said, “If we construct.” Therefore, there appears to be a likelihood that Audi won’t replace the R8 in any way.
Of fact, the RS e-tron GT is already capable of keeping up given how quickly electric vehicles are developing. Later in the decade, Audi might decide to bring back the badge. That would allow the company time to devise a distinctive strategy for standing out.
We do know that Lamborghini won’t play a significant role in it, though. Despite the fact that they have always used similar components to create both the R8 and the Huracan, they are now obviously diverging.
According to their CEO, Lamborghini does intend to produce an all-electric vehicle by 2027 or 2028, but it won’t be a great sports car. Additionally, Grams made it clear that Audi will not be developing a hypercar in the vein of a Rimac any time soon.
“If you construct a lightweight vehicle, you won’t require 2,000 horsepower to enjoy yourself on the road. Even on the track, physics will always place a cap on your ability to perform. For instance, it makes no difference if you have 2,500 horsepower or 2,000 horsepower.
That’s a really good point that emphasizes how drastically the automotive landscape is shifting due to electrification. We eagerly anticipate learning the final shape of the new R8.
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What will the Audi R8 be replaced by?
“Audi RS adopts the primary Audi company’s fully electric plan. With our S and RS versions, this is the plan. If we were to create a brand-new category of super sports automobile, it would be electric. It adheres to our plan and our goal for a world powered entirely by electricity.
You now have it. If Audi produces a successor to the R8and all indications point to the company’s firm intention to do sothat wonderful 5.2-liter V10 will have to bid e-motors farewell and welcome. The R8 is completely going “e-tron.”
Sebastian Grams, the CEO of Audi RS, has announced that information. It’s the first time he’s publicly stated the upcoming R8 won’t have a hybrid or smaller engine. People, it’s certainly batteries. It’s anticipated to arrive in the middle of this decade.
Is this a sign that the new “R8” will change from one of the more reasonably priced, lower-powered supercars to a $1 million+, 2,000bhp hypercar like the Lotus Evjia and Rimac Nevera? Fortunately, it doesn’t.
Will there be an Audi R8 in 2023?
The magnificent naturally aspirated 10-cylinder supercar’s illustrious run ends with the 2023 Audi R8, and its farewell is probably marked with a special-edition model.
Audi plans to produce the R8 in 2022.
The natively aspirated supercar, which is among the last of its kind, is not just dying; it is essentially extinct. The recently redesigned 2022 Audi R8 is one of them. Its 8,700 rpm V-10 screams out a song you’ll hear in your nightmares for years if you drive it on a curved road, fulfilling an age-old sports-car fantasy of instantaneous power, Velcro-like grip, and the ability to snap the tail out at will. It’s simple to ignore the R8’s shortcomings given the impending scarcity of vehicles like this. Although we’ll do our best to avoid becoming sentimental, please pardon us if we do.
Audi R8 V-10: End of an Era
The highlight of the R8 is its 5.2-liter V-10 engine, which is completely devoid of turbochargers and any form of electrification. Wait, why did we use the plural form of that word? Because many turbos are commonplace in supercars. Instead, the rear-drive R8 relies only on the ability of its pistons to create suction during the intake stroke to produce its 562 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque (an increase of 30 horsepower and 8 lb-ft from the rear-drive model from 2021). If you’re young enough to think direct fuel injection and variable valve timing are outdated, this is power made the old-fashioned way.
Even the cabin has a retro feel to it. Its absence of a center screen is most striking. Since when have you seen a vehicle without one of those? Although it is outdated but not primitive, the 2022 Audi R8 does offer moving-map navigation and a backup camera with displays on the instrument cluster. We are here to drive, not play Subway Surfers, thus there is no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.
Consider the fact that the R8s we droveboth the coupe and convertible models, though we only put the former through our testing processdon’t even have all-wheel drive if that isn’t already puritanical enough for you. R8s with quattro are even more potent, with 602 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque, and shorter ratios in the top five gears of the seven-speed twin-clutch transmission.
On the Test Track: RWD vs. AWD
Does the lack of power in the 2022 Audi R8 RWD matter? At the test track, it did. We activated the chassis’ most extreme mode, Performance Dryoh (they Germans are so literal!) and a launch mode that kept the engine rpm at little beyond 3,000. The R8 accelerated like a rocket, reaching 60 mph in 3.2 seconds. Although that is a remarkable number, it loses some of its shine when you consider that the last all-wheel-drive R8 Performance we tested completed the same run in 2.6 seconds. Although the very audible wheelspin undoubtedly cost us some time, we believed the drama made up for the slower pacing.
The $12,900 Dynamic option, which was included with the R8 Coupe we drove, sharpened its reflexes both on the road and in our handling tests. We recorded a lap time of 23.8 seconds at 0.83 g over our figure-eight circuit, barely 0.3 seconds slower than the all-wheel-drive variant. We measured 0.98 g (average) of lateral grip on the skidpad. With almost no understeer, no oversteer threat, and only a small wiggle-slide of the tail on curve departure, the chassis balance was miraculous. The track-oriented carbon-ceramic brakes immediately warmed up and stopped the coupe in 112 feet from 60 mph.
Does the R8 Need the Dynamic Package?
We also tested a R8 Performance Spyder without the Dynamic package in addition to the coupe, and we were surprised (though not wholly dissatisfied) by the variations in the two chassis configurations. The coupe with Dynamic technology is a true sports car with a noticeably stiffer ride and improved body control over bumps. The R8 Coupe handled well in whichever setting we selected, even when Performance Dry was turned on, but it swung its tail out when we drove quickly.
We didn’t appear to have driven aggressively enough to maintain the brakes at an appropriate temperature outside of the test track, though. They had a fairly grabby feeling, serving as a reminder that occasionally performance elements designed for the racetrack are best kept there. The $1,400 Dynamic Steering system, which modifies the steering ratio dependent on speed, was also installed on our coupe test car. We discovered that if we drove too close to the speed where the ratios flip, the steering may be erratic and we had no idea how much (or little) input we’d have to offer. It was a noble notion, perhaps, but poorly executed.
The R8 Spyder was more of a grand tourer without the Dynamic package. Although the car’s construction felt as rigid as a girder, the ride was much softer than in the coupe, to the point where the dampers occasionally struggled to control body motions. When Performance Dry was selected, the suspension became substantially stiffer, which significantly altered the chassis balance in the Spyder. The R8 Spyder would cheerfully swing out its tail when it was on; when it was off, the vehicle maintained its course like an all-wheel-drive Audi. At our slower real-world pace, the car exhibited better wheel and pedal feel without the Dynamic Steering and ceramic brakes. If you use your R8 on the racetrack, the Dynamic package is a must-have; however, if you only use it on city streets, you might want to skip it. In either case, we advise against purchasing the Dynamic Steering package.
Best and Worst Aspects: Engine and Transmission
The greatest component of the 2022 Audi R8the naturally aspirated V-10was shared by both models. The $3,600 Sport Exhaust option, a must-have addition in both vehicles, gives the V-10 a powerful bellow that will send any auto enthusiast’s adrenaline into overdrive. To hear the engine roar and the exhaust’s booming and popping as it echoed against canyon walls, we found ourselves changing gears at the most inconvenient times. There aren’t many vehicles that sound better than the Audi R8 V-10 Performance, yet there are those that can match it.
The paddle shifters, oh yes.
The seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, which may be the R8’s worst feature, is what brings us from the car’s best feature to its worst. With Sport mode selected, the gearbox constantly felt to be about a half-second behind our requirements and desiresan complaint we never thought we’d level at an Audi. So, we utilized the paddles not only for fun but out of need.
The transmission’s performance in Normal mode was even worse than how slow it was in Sport mode. Some of you may be considering what we think: “Who gives a damn? Why wouldn’t you operate an Audi R8 in Sport mode?”
Time for a tangent: The R8’s ability to function flawlessly in regular driving is one of its best qualities. You won’t find a nose-lift button on the Audi’s dashboard if you look around. Know why? One is not necessary for the R8. Despite how low to the ground it is, it never seems to scrape into speed bumps or driveways. The R8 is (relatively) simple to get into and out of by supercar standards, and it has good visibility. Even when it’s cold, it functions without a hitch, and when all the buttons are in the default position, it’s silent and unobtrusive. One of the few supercars that can actually be used as an everyday driver.
Except for the transmission, which practically balks at downshifting to part-throttle in Normal mode. The V-10 only offers moderate acceleration without a downshift because its power is only available at higher revs. The R8 will buck, halt, then kick like a mule with all its power coming on in a shouty wrath that threatens to launch it into the car in front if you don’t nearly floor the accelerator to command a downshift. While turning on Sport mode enables part-throttle downshifts, it also drives the transmission into lower speeds while you’re merely cruising, which increases noise. There is no in-between driving style with this behavior set; you can either drive like an old grandma or like a lunatic. That is what we anticipate from the Lamborghini Huracn, the R8’s rowdy cousin, but not the more responsible R8.
End of an Era
Despite these shortcomings, the Audi R8 Performance RWD is still fairly fantastic. Should I choose a coupe or a convertible? Although we enjoy a good drop-top, the R8 coupe is a far beautiful vehicle. The R8 Spyder, on the other hand, looks uncomfortable with the top up and, worse even, completely conceals the V-10. We rather appreciate the coupe’s glass-enclosed engine display. Though it was a difficult choice, the coupe triumphs as an object of art.
The person who purchases a 2022 Audi R8 V-10 Performance RWD is the true winner in this. We would drive the R8 hard on our favorite winding road, stopping for rest with our ears ringing and nostrils filled with the hot-oil fragrance of a car running hard. We shall miss these feelings. We already know that the new E-Tron GT RS from Audi can equal the performance of the R8 while operating in glorious silence and without experiencing transmission issues. The only reason it isn’t even quicker is that the VW Group saved the Taycan with the Porsche logo for the best performance. However, no electric vehicle can match the R8’s roar and ferocity, so we contemplated how much we would miss that before deciding to stop. We were better off simply continuing to drive the R8 as much as we could before returning it to Audi because we were running out of time.