here we go...

[darkmatter]

Just picked up my new '09 R8 R-tronic Black Pearl effect with matching Black sideblade, Tuscan Brown leather on Saturday. Sounds like a few of us were out there taking delivery...!

Quite Simply - the car is amazing!

Here's the whole story:

I labored over placing an order for the car for many months, eventually deciding I didn't want to commit to a dealer expecting to lift $30-$50K from my pocket as a premium. As luck would have it the economy dumped and left a nice inventory of new R8s out in the dealer lots with not many customers.
Following many weeks of research, conversations with dealers across the US, and general reading I found the perfect car matching my requirements right in my own backyard here in So Cal. - Circle Audi in Long Beach.

R-tronic

I have to tell you, the reviews out there on the R-tronic are an amazingly bad advertisement for Audi and this incredible piece of technology. I was extremely close to bailing on the RT and going with a 6MT due to all the information I had read on the reviews and the internet as a whole. What convinced me to stick with the RT was this forum and the confidence that no major German automotive company would put out a major piece of drivetrain technology that was as undriveable as the magazine reviewers described.

In short, the RT is amazing. I completely understand why the journalists say what they do, but I think they are not giving this transmission a chance. Maybe it’s the ‘09 software upgrde i’ve read about but I have been driving it in Los Angeles rush hour primetime traffic over the past 2 days and it's a beautiful thing. When sitting stopped, Simply breathe on the pedal and it glides through the shifts almost undetectably and certainly without the "lurching" as described in the trades. Get heavy into it and it surely will treat you as harshly. I understand the heavy shifting descriptions that the journalists describe, if you close your eyes, it feels like a novice MT driver shifting somewhat slowly and heavily. That said, it’s easier when you

I’ve also driven it with the paddle shift and that’s a whole episode of Gran Turismo 4 with 4 xboxes and 2 playstation 3’s on a multi HD display. Wow. Very impressive.

I know I’ll be using both A and M modes on a daily basis. And if I’m ever presented with the good fortune of having to select between a MT and “Automated Manual Transmission” again? There won’t be any choice... I will forever go with the RT.

Clutch Wear

My dealer / product specialist talked a bit about clutch wear: He said the clutch should last quite a while (not the 7-10K miles as suggested by the other poster) He said the best parts of the e-gear trans were adopted and the worst parts were engineered out of the design. On the e-gear you have to paddle shift the car into neutral at a stop light, whereas the RT does this for you, thereby eliminating the heavy wear.

More Car

Oh, and the rest of the car! Fantastic. I’ve been driving Porsches for the past 25 years, never brave enough to step into the Italians because of the finicky nature of them. Now that a german car company is producing a tamed italian for the street... I’m in! My last car was a Porsche Carrera 4. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that All Wheel Drive is an luxury. Absolutely compulsory for any sports car of this class.

The fit and finish is definitely up to german specification. The performance is breathtaking. The brakes are racing level performance. The paint is at the quality to be expected from a major german manufacturer. Beautiful interior, excellent leather. I was worried about the selection of Tuscan Brown since all the photos I’d seen made the leather look bright red... But it’s not! It’s a beautiful deep rich brown (the salesman called it “Terra Cotta” which works well) and they didn’t make all the little details brown as well so it looks a bit more subdued. Nice.

The RNE-S Nav system is a bit quirky, the dial to enter text is strange, but if that’s my only complaint I should probably be more grateful.

Oil Usage

I had to put my first quart of oil into it last night. Nice warning light system. 5W-40 Castrol Syntec as spec’d by the service manager. Having to put a quart of oil into it after only 300 miles was a bit alarming, but I didn’t worry since I had read about the oil consumption rate here on R8talk. Should I be investing in shares of Castrol stock? What kind of oil consumption are you guys seeing as regular?

The car is great. I’m enjoying the ride and the performance. Haven’t seen many heads turn, but it’s pretty hard to see anything other than the blur while driving.

I hope I can make a contribution here on the forum... And thanks for all the info, it really helped me make the right decisions when purchasing.

[russman]

Congratulations! Im picking mine up next Wednesday... 09 Suzuka Grey with Daytona grey Sideblade. I agonized over the R-Tronic vs Gated Shifter and ultimately went with the stick. You're right, the press on the RT was not glowing.... nice to hear it was not exactly based in truth. My decision with the stick was based on the "purity" of the gated shifter but it was mostly my wife who doesnt drive a stick. I love my wife but that was a clincher!

[R84ME]

My decision with the stick was based on the "purity" of the gated shifter but it was mostly my wife who doesnt drive a stick. I love my wife but that was a clincher!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHH! LOL! HAHAHAHHAHA!

[russman]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHH! LOL! HAHAHAHHAHA!

Id love to say I was joking but when they told me I could have my R8 and guarantee my wife wouldnt ever want to drive it AND save about $9k... it became "where do I send my deposit"!

BTW, R84ME, yours is magnificent! Against that desert landscaping... wow, nearly takes your breath away. Sadly, I dont think mine pictured with the cold, grey, uninviting bleakness of a Northeast winter will elicit quite the same emotions as yours did.

[R84ME]

BTW, R84ME, yours is magnificent! Against that desert landscaping... wow, nearly takes your breath away. Sadly, I dont think mine pictured with the cold, grey, uninviting bleakness of a Northeast winter will elicit quite the same emotions as yours did.

Thanks! I had to put off delivery a week because of weather. Thought I'd better get some shots between the storms, snow on the mountains today! I'd love to get up for that but.. Days are getting longer now - you'll soon have all the green we NEVER get here.. Enjoy!

[AnOutsider]

Just got mine today as well... I have to say, that Auto mode definitely is pretty darned lurchey. I guess I'll have to get used to it. Nice review!

[gsmps]

The R-Tronic is fine, you just have to get in the habit of lifting off the throttle for a split second while upshifting

Auto mode is any of the SMG or R-Tronic cars is never going to be smooth, its just there for emergencies.

[09R8]

congrats on the new acquisition. Now, get out there and put some miles on her.

[AnOutsider]

The R-Tronic is fine, you just have to get in the habit of lifting off the throttle for a split second while upshifting

Auto mode is any of the SMG or R-Tronic cars is never going to be smooth, its just there for emergencies.

emergencies? Like, I've got a cup of coffee in one hand and cant shift?

[darkmatter]

yep, already put 430 miles on her. The car that is...
I've found that Auto mode operates just like a manual trans without the clutch foot action. It's exactly the same as if you lifted your foot when you shifted your MT6... lifting the throttle for a moment just before it shifts and then re-applying the throttle as it completes. I've managed some pretty darn smooth shifts these past couple of days. Although Manual Mode with Sport ON is crazy fun too! Thank god we don't get snow here... (just a hint of gloating in that...)