R8 First Drive Experience

[decksurgeon]

Today is second day and another 100km in manual mode.

I am begining to fall in love with it already!!!!

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Hi. I just got my R8 and drove short distance in it. It was HORRIBLE and I hate the drive. How can R8 V8 drive so jerky in Rtronic, stiff steering wheel, bumpy?

Is this how it is supposed to be to drive a supercar? Or is it my tyres or some other problems with the car I bought? CSE at Audi said it is like that. I couldn't believe myself I paid 400k USD for this noisy jerky machine.

Very shock and sad and felt like selling it soon.

HELP. HELP.

[Bodhii]

It would be best if you would provide some points of reference to your very subjective descriptions. The R8 is more "bumpy" than a .....
The steering is much tighter ( looser) than...

You are a surgeon? Then use your med school diagnostic skills to help describe what you think are the problems in the car.

I am probably wrong, but from what you describe, I wonder if you had ever driven a hi-performance sports car for any lengthy period of time before getting this car? Did you ever test drive a R8 before paying your 250K USD? How does your car's ride compare to the test drive car?

[desperado]

I'm sorry your first experience was a bad one.

Your experience sounds similar to CXMI. He was frustrated by the car when he first got it. After his son showed him how to drive an R8 briskly, he and the R8 became friends.

My First Post: Found & Bought an R8 in less than 24 hours.

[mngolfer]

For what is worth it took me about two weeks to be comfortable with the R-Tronic. I never use the auto mode. The paddle shifter is easy to use and keeps your hands on the steering wheel. In manual mode you shift when you want. In sport mode the car shifts quicker. I would never own another R8 without an R-tronic.

[S&W 10]

I had never driven an R8 until the day my 4.2 R-Tronic was delivered and the only other true sport cars I had any experience with all had manual transmissions. So I drove it home in auto, spent some time reading in the operators manual and reading several posts here on the forum about R-Tronic; now it's very rarely driven in auto mode. Once you get familiar with manually shifting you'll be able to slightly feather the throttle for gear changes that are waaaaay smoother than the jerky and unexpected shifts produced by the auto feature.

As far as the steering; mine feels a bit stiff and bumps & clunks while turning tight at slow speeds, but lightens up nicely once you're past a brisk walking pace. I believe it has to do with the AWD and locking differentials, which if I've interpreted what I have read here correctly, is normal, but you still may want to have it checked by a competent R8 technician just to be on the safe side

I assume by "bumpy" you mean the ride quality; have you checked to see if the suspension is in sport mode? This setting will make a pretty substantial difference in the feeling of every little bump in the road.

I've only had mine for six months and have yet to track it, but I'm sure other, more experienced members will chime in as well and give you some good advice.

Good luck with your new car and please don't give up without giving it a chance to prove its great abilities...once you drive an R8 for a while you'll wonder how you ever lived without one for so long!

[SebringSilver]

Sounds like there's nothing wrong with the car. First thing you have to do is to not drive it in Auto mode. Shift it manually with either the paddles or the shift lever and you'll enjoy the car much more.

As for the ride quality, it's got probably the most compliant ride of any sportscar I've ever been in, but like Bodhii says, it's all relative to what you've been driving in the past.

If you could share more info with us on what your previous or other cars were/are, then there'd much more context to what you're saying about the R8.

(Failing that, a quick trip to the ECP for some black pepper crab will surely put you right!)

[harrison]

Does the car have Mag-Ride?? The cars' ride is definitely harsher in the "Mag Ride on mode".

[ignomini]

As others here are asking, against which other cars are you making this comparison? I have found the R8 to be the best riding car I have ever experienced - as compared to the under $100k cars with which I have experience. As compared to a Rolls Royce...wouldn't know.

The R-tronic is absolutely a learning experience. I have struggled to get comfortable with it, but if you offered to swap it for a manual you'd have a fight on your hands. Once learned, it is an intoxicating experience.

[Jeff]

I'll add my voice to the "don't drive an R tronic in automatic mode" chorus. Put it in sport mode and shift using the paddles. It's so easy and smooth.

Regarding the ride, be sure that all the shipping spaces were removed by the dealer before delivery. Mine had one still in place, which I noticed during a walk around before I test drove it. (Highly unlikely, but it was on mine, so it can happen.)

[M3R8]

I don't know what cars you're comparing against and what you've driven before.

Compared to my beloved M3 I find the driving in the R8 to be heavenly, I felt it starting from the first few minutes and I still feel the same thousands of miles after. My M3 is manual, my V10 is manual, both have 19" wheels. It is said that the M3 is quite harsh with 19" wheels, I never tried it with 18".

I wouldn't know about the R-Toxic, however the M3 feels significantly bumpier and the ride is harsher, the M3 is also significantly louder from the inside.

Give it a chance, get to know it better, drive it in different terrain, not just around the city or the highway. Give yourself enough quality time to get used to it. Drive it without radio/music.