Nice video of the Audi R8 V10

Moses7

Sounds awesome with that 5.2-liter V10 from the Lamborghini Gallardo.

qz

Nice vid, some great shots around the 1 minute mark.
And look at those wheels at 1.45/2.04! :eek:

Matt Simis

In anticipation to morons that bleat "this advert was boring..", these VAG video montages are for dissemination into marketing material, on their own they do not constitute an advert.

Big Nasty

Matt Simis wrote: »

In anticipation to morons that bleat "this advert was boring..", these VAG video montages are for dissemination into marketing material, on their own they do not constitute an advert.

Well I still found it boring, unless you've got a complete horn for the lines of this car. Kinda like watching a poor movie, you know it's bad but you continue to watch it in case something exciting happens - and it doesn't

Victor_M

Matt Simis wrote: »

In anticipation to morons that bleat "this advert was boring..", these VAG video montages are for dissemination into marketing material, on their own they do not constitute an advert.

good, because if it was an advert it would be woefully boring.

Aside from the exhaust placement and air brake how is this any different/better than the 4.2 V8 R8, it doesn't sound any better performance probably isn't any better and beautiful and all as it is from some angles it still looks like a TT/A4/A6/A8/Q7/Q5/A3 from the front, un-inspirational styling from Audi, rather than take a gamble and design something different they just regurgitate the same shape in every car.

Matt Simis

Victor_M wrote: »

good, because if it was an advert it would be woefully boring.

Aside from the exhaust placement and air brake how is this any different/better than the 4.2 V8 R8, it doesn't sound any better performance probably isn't any better and beautiful and all as it is from some angles it still looks like a TT/A4/A6/A8/Q7/Q5/A3 from the front, un-inspirational styling from Audi, rather than take a gamble and design something different they just regurgitate the same shape in every car.

I dont have the performance stats to hand (dont think the R8 V10 stats were released), but presumably its at least 450BHP (as V10 in S8) vs 420 BHP (V8) and is even more exclusive than the "vanilla" R8 (ie more expensive). Regarding the look, I think you completely miss the point of halo products. Its meant to look similar the rest of the line-up, its the headline catcher that draws in the crowds who ultimately purchase the more regular cars you mentioned. Doing something radically different would frankly be a stupid excercise in counter-productivity.

Complaining about Audi's styling in general is pointless; the sleek, industrial look is their image, on this and their other models. I like the look, minimalist yet purposeful, shapely but reserved. Lots of people like it, but no design can or even should appeal to everyone. You'll notice no mainstream brand makes each car look different.. I think you'll find the combined marketing might of these companies may know a little more about what appeals to the market than you or I, but more-so you

RedorDead

Victor_M wrote: »

it still looks like a TT/A4/A6/A8/Q7/Q5/A3 from the front, un-inspirational styling from Audi, rather than take a gamble and design something different they just regurgitate the same shape in every car.

Seriously ? Similar from the front as a Q7 - are you for real?

Matt Simis wrote: »

I dont have the performance stats to hand (dont think the R8 V10 stats were released), but presumably its at least 450BHP (as V10 in S8) vs 420 BHP (V8)

525 BHP for the V10 vs 420 BHP in the V8.

galwaytt

harmless, but nice. White is the new silver, I see.

Victor_M

RedorDead wrote: »

Seriously ? Similar from the front as a Q7 - are you for real?

Not exactly night and day now is it? considering this is a front comparison between their sleek sports car and vulgar off roader, put the front of any of their other cars side by side and you car hardly tell at all.

Lazy styling from VAG in general, there used to be much more distinction between all of their ranges. The Phaeton looked almost identical to a Passat externally, hence no one bothered with it, a 90K + Passat look alike is not what the market was looking for.

All just IMHO obviously, but they are undeniable attractive cars but dull and un-insipring is the feeling I get from them. But there are 'VAG till I die' fans out there who just aspire to make their way through the whole range of Golf > passat > A4 > A6
regardless of what they actually drive or look like.

Matt Simis

Victor_M wrote: »

Lazy styling from VAG in general, there used to be much more distinction between all of their ranges. The Phaeton looked almost identical to a Passat externally, hence no one bothered with it, a 90K + Passat look alike is not what the market was looking for.

All just IMHO obviously, but they are undeniable attractive cars but dull and un-insipring is the feeling I get from them. But there are 'VAG till I die' fans out there who just aspire to make their way through the whole range of Golf > passat > A4 > A6
regardless of what they actually drive or look like.

Yeah, impossible to tell a Passat from a Phaeton alright, sometimes I have to double take on the car I get into in the morning.




You seriously have issues with spacial awareness and detail.

conneem-TT

It's the same with most manufactures though, they have their own family genes as it were, same with BMW for example(which I am a fan of). And IMO the point of the Phaeton was not to stand out from the crowd hugely but to be subtly different in looks while having everything you could need in a luxury cruiser.



And while Audi seem to be quite conservative in their styling cues, taking a more simple approach, they put more importance in getting the proportions and stance of their cars rights which may not come across much in photos but moreso in real life where the dramatic looks of an R8 are really evident.

Matt Simis

conneem-TT wrote: »

And while Audi seem to be quite conservative in their styling cues, taking a more simple approach, they put more importance in getting the proportions and stance of their cars rights which may not come across much in photos but moreso in real life where the dramatic looks of an R8 are really evident.

Yes, as the ex-Alfa then Audi now VW lead designer Walter DiSilva put it, the "Marilyn Monroe effect". That to make a sleek, elegant car you dont have to make it long and unwieldy, proportion is everything.

Victor_M

Matt Simis wrote: »

Yeah, impossible to tell a Passat from a Phaeton alright, sometimes I have to double take on the car I get into in the morning.




You seriously have issues with spacial awareness and detail.

Is it not the older shape Passat that the Phaeton looks like?

Side by side there is no mistaking them (by the way I think the Phaeton is an amazing car so I'm not getting a dig at it) but on it own most people (non petrol heads) looking at you car would think its a Passat.

Big Nasty

I would have considered the Phaeton the equivalent of an A8 as the Passat would be the poor mans A6. Of course it looks similar, it has to! Now the Phaeton W12 - there is a waste of a car!

moleyC

Victor_M wrote: »

Side by side there is no mistaking them (by the way I think the Phaeton is an amazing car so I'm not getting a dig at it) but on it own most people (non petrol heads) looking at you car would think its a Passat.

Most people would not know a real RS4 either unless it burst their ear drums driving past, but then they would probably think it was a boy racer :rolleyes:

Matt Simis

Victor_M wrote: »

Is it not the older shape Passat that the Phaeton looks like?

Side by side there is no mistaking them (by the way I think the Phaeton is an amazing car so I'm not getting a dig at it) but on it own most people (non petrol heads) looking at you car would think its a Passat.

I dunno, you tell me? The grille on the front is not the "shield" type as on the newer Passats (and the newer Audis, though VW are dropping the shield on the Mk6 Golf and new VWs anyway), so it could be said to be similar to the older Passat (and Golf etc) grille. People have/do asked (around the start of the year usually) if its the "next gen" Passat, something new that havent seen yet.
But the rear lights on the Phaeton are similar to the EOS, new Passat and Touareg. But as stated, this is all intentional, its a halo car, it needs the family look, otherwise it just a one off car that ads no brand value.


Agreed side by side its obvious which is the top car, but the same could be said of S Class vs E Class Merc or A8 vs A6. Maybe not so much the 7 series vs 5, but thats more to due with the prettyness of the 5 vs the.. convoluted shape of the 7.

Victor_M

Matt Simis wrote: »

I dunno, you tell me? The grille on the front is not the "shield" type as on the newer Passats (and the newer Audis, though VW are dropping the shield on the Mk6 Golf and new VWs anyway), so it could be said to be similar to the older Passat (and Golf etc) grille. People have/do asked (around the start of the year usually) if its the "next gen" Passat, something new that havent seen yet.
But the rear lights on the Phaeton are similar to the EOS, new Passat and Touareg. But as stated, this is all intentional, its a halo car, it needs the family look, otherwise it just a one off car that ads no brand value.


Agreed side by side its obvious which is the top car, but the same could be said of S Class vs E Class Merc or A8 vs A6. Maybe not so much the 7 series vs 5, but thats more to due with the prettyness of the 5 vs the.. convoluted shape of the 7.

It was the old shape Passat that the Phaeton looks like.

I don't think anyone would mistake an S Class for a E class or a 5 for a 7, but the A4/A6/A8 are almost identical from a distance as is the Passat from the Phaeton.

Matt Simis

Victor_M wrote: »

I don't think anyone would mistake an S Class for a E class or a 5 for a 7, but the A4/A6/A8 are almost identical from a distance as is the Passat from the Phaeton.

Oh really?

New Model:


Current Model:




If the S-Class looked different from the E then its failed, its very clearly and intentionally a close derivative. Merc have some designs that look very un-Merc like, so they are well capable (as are VW, Audi etc, look at New Beetle, Touareg, EOS and A3, S8, quite different) of making cars different for the fun of it, but the C, E and S all come from the same stable.

One the BMW side, the only reason the 7 and 5 look a bit different is due to the largely negative reaction the new E65 7 got, they toned down the E60 5 series to appeal to fans and critics alike. But step a generation back and the 7 and 5 look a lot more alike:






To get back on topic a bit, I refute the idea the R8 looks too much like an Audi, as above these halo or range topper cars by definition have to look like the line up, otherwise they do not serve the brand.

Victor_M

Matt Simis wrote: »

To get back on topic a bit, I refute the idea the R8 looks too much like an Audi, as above these halo or range topper cars by definition have to look like the line up, otherwise they do not serve the brand.

We may have to agree to disagree on this one then, the Halo products that you continuously refer to with all other manufacturers certainly pass styling queues down to their cheaper lower range models, but they shouldn't ever be mistaken for their cheaper sibling. Take the A8 for example, the few that I have seen around town I always have to check around the back to check if it's really an A8 or just an A4 Tdi with those huge wheels that alot of them have these days, Ihave never made that mistake with a Merc, BMW, Jag, Lexus.
You sound like a VAG fan, you've bought into the advertising coming out with comments like ""Marilyn Monroe effect". That to make a sleek, elegant car you don't have to make it long and unwieldy, proportion is everything. " & "minimalist yet purposeful, shapely but reserved."

To me VAG took the A4 (I think it was the A4 B5) that was the 1st 'newer gen' Audi's that took off and were seen as a viable alternative to the 3 series or the C class, they got a shape that appealed to a certain sector and they have been afraid to deviate from that at all, like Porsche they make tweaks rather than radical changes between models, but Porsche only have a handfull of products VAG have loads and they all look very similar, from a marketing perspective it's been very successful I'm sure, because like you there are lots of people who have bought into the VAG lifestyle and will never own anything other than a VAG product.

Getting back to the OT the V10 R8, can you explain to me exactly what this does better than the V8? The V12 Tdi I could understand as it's going to be a radical departure for Super cars being a diesel but the V10, they have just gone and taken the Gallardo engine (more VAG inbreeding) and stuck it into the R8. Performance won't be significantly better, I suspect they are just releasing it to keep themselves in the press seeing as there are no other new face lifted models being released for a few months. Not exactly Vorsprung durch Technik now is it?

Matt Simis

Victor_M wrote: »

You sound like a VAG fan, you've bought into the advertising coming out with comments like ""Marilyn Monroe effect". That to make a sleek, elegant car you don't have to make it long and unwieldy, proportion is everything. " & "minimalist yet purposeful, shapely but reserved."

Just to correct one thing, Im not (merely) some pleb regurgitating VAG marketing, but I worked in Marketing for 8years, thats how I would describe them. I dont know what marketing nomenclature Audi are using these days. Its easy to dismiss my views as bias as I drive a VW, but I have equal appreciation for all the German brands and some others to boot

I can however accept that we cant and wont all see the same things, your comparison of an A8 to an "A4 Tdi with those huge wheels" makes this abundantly clear. Im also a little taken aback that you presume to know me well enough that I personally would never/have never owned anything but VAG as Im some sort of drone like follower of a consumerism based "lifestyle".

Victor_M wrote: »

Getting back to the OT the V10 R8, can you explain to me exactly what this does better than the V8? The V12 Tdi I could understand as it's going to be a radical departure for Super cars being a diesel but the V10, they have just gone and taken the Gallardo engine (more VAG inbreeding) and stuck it into the R8. Performance won't be significantly better, I suspect they are just releasing it to keep themselves in the press seeing as there are no other new face lifted models being released for a few months. Not exactly Vorsprung durch Technik now is it?

Not that Im responsible for giving you personal Audi position statements (hi AudiChris?), but I would presume what this fast sports car does better than the earlier model is.. its faster. What else you are expecting from a sports coupe is a mystery. Why are they doing it.. largely because they said they would, it demonstrates the value of the "premium" Lambo brand they own in their homegrown line up and it keeps them in the news as you said (like thats a bad thing..?).

Considering their American peers are in the news for all the wrong reasons, its a little sad you are so critical of a car company doing what they do best and what their engineers love, making fantastic looking fast cars.. faster.

conneem-TT

Victor_M wrote: »

Getting back to the OT the V10 R8, can you explain to me exactly what this does better than the V8? The V12 Tdi I could understand as it's going to be a radical departure for Super cars being a diesel but the V10, they have just gone and taken the Gallardo engine (more VAG inbreeding) and stuck it into the R8. Performance won't be significantly better, I suspect they are just releasing it to keep themselves in the press seeing as there are no other new face lifted models being released for a few months. Not exactly Vorsprung durch Technik now is it?

I don't see what you are looking for, it is not a new design from the ground up, the R8 is only about 2 years old and was and still is a revelation when it came out. This will have much better power to weight ratio 320hp/ton vs 265hp/ton for the V8, it has upgraded brakes(and a ceramic option), modified suspension and full LED headlights(a first in a production car I think). It is estimated that it should improve it's lap time at the Ring by up to 20s getting in the company of cars such as the Z06 and F599.

And in reference to any new facelift products they have coming. They just had a 30s Superbowl half time ad for the facelifted A6 with their brand new 3.0l supercharged engine which also features in their recently released S4. Also at Geneva this year there will be the debut of the A5 and S5 convertibles and rumours of the new TT-RS(with a brand new 5cyl turbo engine) and A4 allroad making an appearance. I don't see what you want from them, they seem to be making as much prgress as anyone in the current climate and probably more than most come to think of it.

And in case you are wondering, I suppose I am a fan of Audi as I currently drive on at the moment and am very happy with it, but if something else comes along that suits me better I'll go for that.

Here is my car