Audi R8 Coupe

While the age hasn’t taken too much toll on the exterior styling of the Audi R8 Coupe, the same cannot be said about the cabin on the inside. The layout of the dashboard has begun to show its age, with the R8 Coupe lacking many new age modern design elements that have already made their way in other Audi offerings.

The driver’s cockpit looks focussed with a multifunctional flat-bottom steering wheel, which also gets push start-stop button and Audi drive mode selector mounted on it. The instrument console behind looks futuristic though with its full TFT virtual cockpit layout, with a centrally mounted tachometer flanked with two trapezoidal screens on either sides.

There are oodles of carbon finish on the steering wheel, AC vents, and door panels, living true to its supercar image. The central console of the dashboard looks minimalist with tapered AC vents and toggle and the dial like controls for automatic climate control.

The front bucket seats finished fully in top-class leather are separated by a huge and wide transmission tunnel, in which the gear lever and mode selector levers are placed with piano black and carbon fibre surrounds. 

The current iteration of the Audi R8 Coupe is in existence now for almost half a decade, but that doesn’t deter it from the fact that it looks dated by any standards. It has beautifully evolved from the model it has replaced, in a much sharper way, thus taking its factor of aggression even more.

The front look of the Audi R8 Coupe is graced by a large hexagonal grille which is positioned much lower here, while unlike the other Audis, the Audi logo is placed above the grille on the bonnet. The full LED headlamps look sharper with their trapezoidal design and come with sharp-looking daytime running LEDs on its upper edges, with large air dams placed just below them.

The side profile gas the traditional coupe-like silhouette with sloping roofline towards the back, with smooth and large contours flowing above both the wheels, which are quite large in size. The doors come with door-mounted rearview mirrors on them, while the rear edges have vertical air vents to enhance aerodynamics on the go. 

The rear of the Audi R8 Coupe too looks wide with horizontally laid sleek looking trapezoidal LED tail lamps with trapezoidal air dams placed just below them, covering the majority of the boot area. The boot also comes with a large spoiler mounted on it to remind that this supercar means serious business.

Blessed with Audi’s Quattro all-wheel-drive technology, the Audi R8 Coupe gets electro-hydraulic multi-plate clutch that enables the power delivery and distribution of torque on front and rear axles precisely depending on the road and weather conditions. The limited-slip differential at the rear also allows maximum traction in all kinds of terrains.

Powering the Audi R8 Coupe is Audi’s most powerful engine to date – a naturally aspirated 5.2-litre V10 engine at the back. Coupled to a seven-speed S-Tronic automatic gearbox, this one of the last naturally aspirated mills of its kind generates a maximum power output of 610 PS and a peak torque output of 560 Nm. Needless to say, it provides thrills on level max, with a 0-100 kmph recording of 3.2 seconds and a top speed rated at 330 kmph.

The Audi R8 Coupe does miss out on many latest electronic safety aids, but still packs insufficient amount of safety features like front, side and curtain airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, electronic stability control, traction control, and parking system plus with reverse camera, anti-slip regulation and electronic differential lock.

While the Audi R8 Coupe offers bonkers level of performance and thrills when it comes to its experience behind the steering wheel, it isn’t too impractical by supercar standards, and is one of the easiest and friendliest supercars to live with.