The World of Audi

Audi R8 Quattro launch - India

When the Audi R8 was first introduced in 2007, many observers argued a more powerful motor might be needed to unlock the true potential of the car. Fast-forward a few years, and a considerably more powerful R8 is a reality.

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Powered by a Lamborghini-sourced V10, the latest R8 sends 525 horsepower to all four wheels thanks to a sophisticated quattro all-wheel-drive system. The car was introduced to the public at the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
Though sporting two more cylinders and a little more grunt mid-ship, V10-powered R8 doesn't feature too many visual differences from its V8 sibling.
More air is fed to the ten-cylinder through larger side scoops, which jut out sharply from the body-side, adding a more aggressive stance to go with its increased power. The lower side sill also get an extra flare which runs along the wheelbase, adding further visual cues that this is the true uber-Audi. The changes are subtle enough to be obvious only to those in-the-know, thus keeping the R8's clean lines as uncluttered as possible.
However, some subtle changes from the standard R8 will include dual oval exhaust outlets, bigger side air intakes, a revised front and rear fascias and larger brakes. The V10 version also sports unique LED headlights and a rear diffuser.
Prior to the car's launch, rumors were swirling that Audi would name the V10-powered R8 the R10 or RS8, but the more technical "5.2 FSI" designation was used.
The V10 is the same 5.2L FSI powerplant found in the new Lamorghini LP560-4, albeit detuned to 525 horsepower and 390 pound-feet or torque to keep the R8 out of the Gallardo's territory. But despite being down a bit on grunt, the R8 V10 can still rocket from zero to 62 mph in 3.9 seconds, on its way to a top speed of 196 mph.

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Audi R8 V10 Quattro

Audi R8 V10 5.2 FSI Quattro

Audi R8 V10 Quattro

Audi R8 V10 Quattro Hyper Black Edition

Audi R8 Quattro launch - India

Audi R8 V10 5.2 FSI Quattro

Audi R8 V10 5.2 FSI Quattro launch - India

Audi R8 Quattro launch - India

Sanjay Dutt and Malaika Arora Khan @ Audi R8 Quattro launch in India

Audi R8 Quattro launch - India

Audi R8 V10 5.2 FSI Quattro

Jason Statham with his girlfriend and their beloved Audi R8 V10 5.2 FSI Quattro

Audi R8 V10 5.2 FSI Quattro

Audi R8 V10 5.2 FSI Quattro on Indian Roads

Audi R8 V10 5.2 FSI Quattro Convoy at India Gate, New Delhi, India

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Audi A8 L W12 6.0 Quattro

Beyond being symbols of luxury, automakers use their flagship sedans to trot out the latest in technology. Such is the case with the 2011 Audi A8 L, sporting an innovative cabin tech interface, LED headlights, a raft of driver assistance features, and integration between Google and its navigation system. Inevitably, these types of tech features trickle down to lesser cars, but the well-heeled get first crack at them.
And though the A8 may be an electronics-filled luxury barge, performance technology also makes it a stunningly good driver over the kinds of roads that sports cars love. In this case, its adaptive suspension, all-wheel-drive system, and sport differential trickled up from models lower in the lineup, such as the 2009 Audi A4.
LED headlights
The A8 underwent a major change for the 2011 model year. Rebuilt from the ground up, Audi uses an aluminum cage around the cabin, which saves weight while retaining safety and rigidity. The latest version of Audi's Quattro all-wheel-drive system includes, optionally, a rear differential that pushes torque from left to right. Just about the only holdover from the previous generation is the direct-injection 4.2-liter V-8, which is already a very advanced engine.
In keeping with current car design principles, the body looks smoother, with less ornamentation, than the previous generation A8. Despite criticism of its big, open grilles, Audi emphasizes that element even more for 2011, including using more geometrically pronounced cross members.

Audi A8 Headlamp

Audi mimics its previously established parking-light style with these LED headlights.

But what really make the car stand out are the LED headlights, which follow a dipping line previously pioneered by Audi in its parking lights. These headlights have the advantages of lasting much longer than incandescent or HID lights and using less electricity. Audi says the light temperature resembles that of daylight, causing less eyestrain, although in our driving we did not particularly notice this quality.
Audi also did good work on the interior of the new A8. In previous models, we had complained that there was too much ugly plastic for a car that costs close to $100K, but Audi has fixed this problem, for the most part, in the 2011 model. Wood, leather, metal, and soft plastics are much more prevalent in the new A8, although many buttons remain plastic. However, we do like the finish on the plastic, which has a more quality look than in the previous generation.
Our car did not come equipped with the driver assistance features we would like to have seen, but they are available. Audi keeps up with Mercedes-Benz and BMW by offering night vision. An adaptive cruise control system can bring the A8 to a complete stop when there is traffic ahead. And the car can warn the driver of lane drift or vehicles in the blind spot.

Audi A8 Massage Seats

A luxury feature our vehicle did come equipped with was massaging front seats. With an easy-to-use lever and directional control on the side of the seat, we were able to choose from a pounding to a wave-like massage. This same control also let us fine tune the seat shape, changing headrest angle, bolster inflation, and lumbar support. Along with the usual forward/back, up/down, and recline, there are five areas of the seat that we could adjust.
Another feature not available until spring of next year is navigation integration with Google maps. During a demonstration, Audi showed us how satellite imagery from Google maps would fill in the navigation system's own maps, showing much more realistic detail of the car's surroundings. More importantly, the system will allow local search through Google, making it easy to find points of interest based on general search terms, rather than the specific terms required currently.
We were able to test the new cabin tech interface, which includes a revolutionary touch pad for tracing letters. Putting the navigation system into destination entry mode, we were able to bypass Audi's inefficient rotary alphanumeric input and trace letters on the touch pad. We found it very easy to keep our eyes on the road while entering letters and numbers, with the system offering verbal confirmation for each input.

Audi also changed the main menus in the system--for navigation, phone, and audio--to an ellipse style. These aesthetically pleasing menus are very easy to read at a glance, and present a substantial amount of information.
Unchanged are the very rich maps in the navigation system, which uses an Nvidia graphics processor to render buildings in certain downtown areas with particular detail. The system even uses textures on some landmark buildings--the concept being to make it easier to correlate the map to the outside world. These maps are stored on a hard drive, giving Audi the space to use very rich graphics.
The A8's navigation system comes with the usual advanced features we would expect, such as text to speech and traffic avoidance. This latter feature did not always work optimally in our testing. In one instance, it advised us to get on the freeway into stop-and-go traffic rather than travel about four blocks on surface streets. Unlike some competitors, Audi has not added data sources such as weather or local gas prices.
Drive modes
The A8 is the kind of car that could be chauffeur-driven--and Audi will most likely release a long wheelbase version, as it did with the previous generation--but we preferred sitting in the driver's seat, usually with the car set in Dynamic mode.

Audi A8 Drive Select

Audi fits the A8 with its Drive Select system, which sets steering, suspension, throttle response, and transmission between Comfort, Automatic, Dynamic, and Individual modes. Piloting the big A8 around the city, we left it in Comfort mode, where the adaptive suspension did an excellent job absorbing the bumps without letting the driving experience feel sloppy.
Comfort mode also builds some slack into steering and throttle response, but the A8 never seems loose or sluggish. The direct-injection V-8, with 4.2-liters of displacement, cranks out 372 horsepower and 328 pound-feet of torque (that former number up by 22 horsepower over the previous generation A8). The car gets to 62 mph in 5.7 seconds, according to Audi.