This time around, I gluttonously dived into the R8, which promised to deliver full-on comfort on the roads and uncompromising track performance. I took a road trip from North Carolina to Virginia to test the R8’s Grand Touring capabilities, and journeyed to the Daytona International Speedway to see what it could do when fully unleashed.
Two-faced (in a good way)
In case you forgot, the 2017 Audi R8 is the latest iteration of the automaker’s halo vehicle, packing a mid-mounted 5.2-liter V10. In its standard configuration, the R8 cooks up 540 horsepower, but in its more aggressive V10+ format, the R8 will produce 610 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque. This output of energy is sent to all four wheels by way of a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and managed by Audi’s patented Quattro all-wheel drive system.
Audi’s R8 put Porsche on notice when it first hit the scene, vying for the title of the sports car that could double as a daily driver. The R8 is supposed to be a capable track car that doesn’t also sacrifice on its comfort aspects. To put that to the test I headed off from the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina and took the long way to Virginia to put a couple hundred miles on the multifaceted motorcar.
Embarking on such a trip in a supercar is automotive masochism at its best, but the R8 is more GT-like than it lets on. Even after covering a few hundred miles of highway and country roads, I never felt fatigued sitting in it. The seats have multiple directions of adjustment, including lumbar support and side bolstering. I could raise and lower it, and there was plenty of headroom.
Lounge area
Audi’s Virtual Cockpit is the sole source of info in the R8. The 12.3-inch screen replaces the traditional gauge cluster with a modular interface that displays performance information, media, or a large Google-maps-powered navigation screen at any one time. It’s very driver-focused in its layout, but it’s visible enough that a passenger can take over certain duties like radio or map functions.
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