The R8 experience...

[jlips]

hey guys,

been a while since ive posted here; just want to give my opinion/impression of the car (took possession about two weeks ago)

its been said a hundred times but ill say it again; the thing is amazing. its difficult to describe what makes this car so special, but essentially its the perfect unison of so many amazing elements; the handling, the ride, the comfort, the sportiness. it really is everything you've been hoping for and then some.

id say the most surprising aspect of the car is its dynamic nature; want to cruise around in comfort? no problem. want to rip up the tarmac? no problem. its a luxury cruiser and dangerously capable sportscar in one, depending on ones mood.

this leads me to R-Tronic. i made the difficult decision of going with this transmission without actually testing it, and man im glad i did! it is FANTASTIC! ive driven the manual and while its a great shifter, very tactile and clickity-clack-cool, it feels somewhat archaic in a car of this sophistication. i know i know, people are gonna flame me for that comment, but just MHO.

i believe the software update (especially the second one) made the R-Tronic what it should have been from the beginning. please disregard the early reviews of the tranny; its just superb. easy to handle while still feeling 'involved', so many different ways to drive it (paddles, auto, lever, sport, normal)...its just a dream and i wouldn't have the car any other way. Ok maybe thats going too far...:-), but seriously consider the R-Tronic when placing your order. IMHO, it defines the futuristic experience of driving this machine.

and thats the thing...it just doesn't feel like a 'car'. its a human transport vessel, so telepathic in its response to driver inputs, so seamlessly capable no matter the conditions or demands. yes, I'm gushing, but like many of you ive driven more than a few fast cars in my day and nothing feels quite like this. sure, some are faster in a straight line, some are louder, have more low-end torque, etc, but the complete package has never been so wholly realized. its truly a dream and well worth the hype and wait!

also, do yourself a favor and plunk down the coin for the B&O sound; just excellent. if going R-Tronic, hillhold assist is a great help. backup camera is almost mandatory as well as its difficult to properly gauge distances behind the car...

i was a bit concerned over the attention the car would garner, but i must say its been 100% positive so far. some people know what it is and say things like, 'finally i see one live!', but most people just don't know what they're looking at. I've had smiles from grandma's, thumbs-up from 6 year olds, oo's and ahh's from middle aged men. people are in awe of its unique beauty and are genuinely curious about the car in a completely 'innocent' way. the funniest incident so far was a few days back while filling it up with gas. an older Italian man was walking around the car and asked, '400 thousand?'.

'Not quite' i answered.

'Ferrari?' he asked.

'no,' i said, 'Audi'.

he did another circle and asked, 'Mercedes?'

i laughed and said again, 'no, AUDI.'

he just couldn't believe what he was looking at. i look at it every day and feel exactly the same way. :-)

what a machine.

[randombloke]

The attention it gets is a double edged sword - I've never felt so guilty about letting a car get dirty before, makes it feel like I'm letting people down and it's not like theres a local trustworthy hand carwash around here so out comes my ever expanding range of things to supposedly make cleaning it easier

I love the r-tronic apart from the going to neutral when the car sits still for a few seconds with no brake or gas - that has added an extra element of doubt at certain kinds of junctions where split second decisions mandate not being able to sit on the brake or wait for it to reselect.

[SFR8]

Thanks for sharing your experience!

[bz888]

Totally agree!! There are quicker cars in a straight line. But the R8 looks special, feels special and it's performance limits are easily accessible to most drivers!! Thats what counts.

[swansailor]

This sums up my experience so far ...much more eloquently than I could have done. Thanks.

BTW ...I had almost exactly the same conversation at a gas station last week ...strange!