Funny thing about the word super. Despite the promise that anything described as super will exceed every expectation, using that label almost guarantees that it will possess at least one crippling weakness. Superman crumbles in the presence of kryptonite. The Super Bowl smothers football in overhyped commercials. And for supercars, an otherwise perfect driving experience will inevitably be spoiled by an inability to handle trivial, everyday challenges.
Yet it shouldn't surprise you that we begged Audi for a mid-engine R8 to add to our long-term fleet. For its touring-car comfort, exotic performance, relative bargain price, and stunning sheetmetal, we had named the R8 our 2008 Automobile of the Year. Now, as a daily driver, the four-ringed supercar would face every challenge that's ever stymied a Ferrari or a Lamborghini. In our Four Seasons fleet, the R8 would be tested by crawling traffic, a brutal winter, frequent road trips, and expectations of impeccable reliability.
Our Mugello blue Audi R8 arrived in July 2008 with 15,127 miles on the odometer and a brand-new six-speed manual transmission. Since our test car had previously made the rounds through Audi's press fleet, we attributed the need for a new gearbox to ham-fisted journalists rather than mechanical fragility. However, it was immediately clear that even the new transmission had issues. Directing the shifter into third gear took finesse and patience, as the R8 had a penchant for spitting the stick back to neutral before the gear was engaged. Audi's mechanics couldn't find anything wrong with the gearbox, so we taught ourselves to shift with greater diligence, and over time and miles, the severity of the problem faded.
That early hiccup didn't dampen our enthusiasm for such a rare car. In addition to winning our top award, we also declared the R8 as our 2008 Design of the Year. Its combination of style and performance led one driver to comment that the R8 is "one of the few cars that really delivers on the promises of its looks." We gushed at the arrival of our $131,245 Four Seasons car, yet we all agreed that the dark blue paint dulled the R8's gorgeous lines and masked the carbon-fiber blade just behind the doors. Still, the R8 has presence, and hordes of drivers and pedestrians noticed and stopped to photograph the supercar, even after the model had been on sale for nearly two years.
Early on, some staffers questioned whether Audi's 4.2-liter V-8 was sufficient for this segment. The R8's 420 hp is equaled by the much less exotic Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8, senior Web editor Phil Floraday pointed out. West Coast editor Jason Cammisa wanted to be rewarded for redline runs with a power boost in the 6000-to-8000-rpm range. Several people complained about gearing that kept the engine spinning above 3000 rpm on the highway. ...next page >>