The Audi R8 V10 Plus packs a naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V10 engine that is capable of powering out 610 horsepower and 560 Nm of torque, resulting in the vehicle able to reach 100 kph in just 3.2 seconds with a top speed of 330 kph.
In comparison, the regular Audi R8 reaches 100 kph in 3.5 seconds and has a top speed of 323 kph, capable of an output of 540 horsepower.
Numerous upgrades are added to the base model of the Audi R8 to achieve the top-of-the-range specifications of the Audi R8 V10 Plus.
With test drives on the vehicle now ongoing, do its specifications only look good on paper, or do they translate to a unique driving experience?
Piston Heads: "This new car is a whole lot more 'Audi' in look and feel and those migrating from other products in the range will be in for less of a culture shock than before... Evolutionary or not, the R8 still looks superb too... As stock the V10 Plus comes with a passive Sports suspension set-up, which even on seriously bumpy Portuguese back roads proves itself lithe, compliant and composed without a trace of harshness... One of the more astonishing things about the R8 is its sheer breadth of character... So hushed and composed is it in Comfort mode on the motorway there would be no qualms at all about using it this way but when you demand more it delivers in abundance... And when you really let rip with the full 610hp the R8 suddenly gets a whole lot more serious... That the R8 can do this while boasting all the Audi stuff you'd expect of a lovely interior, mature styling that won't frighten the neighbors and inherent sense of quality sets a very high bar."
Evo: "The original R8 got better and better with age, culminating in the sublime V10 Plus... The overall shape is immediately familiar, but the front and rear ends now show off an aggressive, angular form that works more effectively in person than it does on the page... With everything turned right down, the R8 V10+ is a docile, supple and relatively quiet machine... The drivetrain is stunning - the engine is ferociously responsive and it revs with real intensity in the upper reaches, while the gearbox is instantaneous... The four-wheel drive system works so effectively that not a single horsepower is squandered."
Autoweek: "Power is fed to all four wheels through a seven-speed S-tronic dual-clutch transmission, which swapped cogs seamlessly and instantaneously. Shift times? We estimate 0.0 seconds... On the smooth Portuguese roads, the R8 felt as composed as a supercar can, which is to say it rode a lot like a really fast Audi sedan... It's possibly the easiest supercar to pilot that we've ever tested."
Slash Gear: "After a few miles of acclimatization the R8 felt not only nimble and agile but predictable, too... The R8 is all about the driver, and nowhere is that illustrated better inside than the wheel... Somehow, the 2017 car feels prescient in how it delivers its power... It's not the only tech I found myself appreciating. Audi has been pushing the envelope in automotive lighting for years now... There's no arguing that the second-gen R8 is worthy of its supercar badge."
Car Magazine UK: "The new R8 V10 Plus is a bona fide supercar. And it's fantastic... This is still a very Audi supercar, which is to say the first thing you notice once you're inside is the refinement - and the ride comfort... The engine is magic. Muted on the inside if you just want to cruise, deep-lunged enough to pull easy overtakes in higher gears, and brutal to the point of total justification for the firecracker exhaust noises when fully lit in the Dynamic drive select setting."
The Audi R8 V10 Plus has only been tested in Europe with European specifications, but Audi said that there will be no significant changes once the vehicle arrives in dealerships next spring in the United States.
