The Audi R8 is as exciting as it's ever been. And though
there are several updates that set this 2020 model apart from its
forebear, the best thing about the R8 isn't what's changed, it's what
hasn't.
In fact, I'm not so sure many of the changes -- specifically, the
visual ones -- actually improve matters. Up front, the reworked fascia
has a few more angles and air intakes than before, though the little
fangs that flank the sides are nonfunctional, so they're really just
styling for styling's sake. Around back, massive exhaust tips replace
the more discreet design of last year's car, while the honeycomb air
outlets now span the full width of the rump.
I like the way the LED light housings have been darkened for a
slightly more sinister appearance, and it's cool that you can get the
car's badges in black, too. But taken as a whole, the 2020 styling
tweaks actually make the car look worse than before, though make no
mistake, it's still an R8, and therefore a total knockout looker.
Some new colors are available inside and out, and there's a wireless
phone charger just ahead of the gear selector on the center console. Audi's
Virtual Cockpit tech still manages the infotainment system, and
beautifully at that. Plus, with no central multimedia screen, the
dashboard is blissfully uncluttered. Three small knobs house the climate
control functions, but the princess in me thinks it's a little
ridiculous the R8 doesn't come with dual-zone functionality.
Performance
updates are similarly sparse. All R8s use Audi's utterly fantastic,
naturally aspirated, 5.2-liter V10 engine, mounted amidships and
connected to a seven-speed, dual-clutch transmission and Quattro
all-wheel drive. The base car now produces 562 horsepower instead of
532, while torque remains the same at 406 pound-feet. In the hotter V10
Performance model -- formerly called V10 Plus -- that engine produces
the same 602 hp and 413 lb-ft as before. Not that I'm complaining.
Every version of the 2020 R8 can reach speeds above 200 mph, and in its quickest V10 Performance Coupe
spec, Audi's supercar accelerates to 60 mph in just 3.2 seconds, with
the Spyder falling in only a 10th of a second behind that. For what it's
worth, Audi reps admit the company's acceleration data is actually
somewhat conservative; use launch control in a V10 Performance Coupe and
you could reach 60 mph in as little as 2.9 seconds.
No engine sounds as sweet as a naturally aspirated V10 at full wail, and
I cannot applaud Audi enough for keeping this drama alive in the R8.
Numbers aside, launching the R8 is a serious thrill -- and
one best experienced in the Spyder. That big V10 is nestled right behind
your ears, and the louder it gets, the harder you'll push the throttle.
No other engine sounds as sweet as a naturally aspirated V10 at full
wail, and I cannot applaud Audi enough for keeping this drama alive in
the R8 -- especially since I find some of the company's other sporty
engines a little too buttoned-up for their own good (looking at you, RS5).
The
S-Tronic automatic transmission nicely manages the engine's power, but
often has a tendency to jump around when left to its own devices.
Thankfully, steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters allow you to choose
your own adventure, with some of the quickest upshifts available in any
car anywhere. But I will say, Audi could seriously stand to fit the R8
with some larger, meatier, this-is-a-freaking-supercar paddles, rather
than the same tiny, plastic flappers that you'll find in an A3 sedan
. (I'll also never forgive Audi for discontinuing the manual
transmission with the gated shifter, even if the S-Tronic is a quicker
cog-swapper than I'll ever be.)
The V10 Performance models can be
optioned with a carbon-fiber sway bar that saves 4.4 pounds of weight,
which I can't imagine you'll actually notice. A more meaningful upgrade
is the retuned variable-ratio steering system, which is said to have a
more progressive feel not unlike that of the rear-wheel drive R8 RWS.
Without driving the 2019 and 2020 models back-to-back, I'm hard pressed
to notice a tangible difference in the way the R8 steers. The car is
quick to turn in and offers appropriate feedback of what's happening at
road level. Maybe the steering is a little too light in the car's
default Comfort mode. Or maybe I'm just splitting hairs.
Curiously, while the base R8 models use an adaptive, magnetic-ride
suspension, the V10 Performance comes with a fixed setup. On the one
hand, the steel springs are soft enough to deliver a compliant ride over
broken city streets and across long stretches of highway. Yet they're
also firm enough to offer excellent composure when you're really wailing
on the R8 on a great canyon road. I can't speak to the fixed
suspension's manners when pushed to the extreme, but the R8 is such an
incredibly capable car that you'll never, ever come close to finding its
limits on public roads -- unless you're driving like an idiot, I guess.
Some folks might miss the adjustability of adaptive suspension
geometry, but if the car is set up nicely from the get-go, why
complicate matters?
All of this brings me to what I love most
about the R8: It truly feels like the best definition of the "everyday
supercar," as esoteric a segment as that may be. More than an Acura NSX , Ferrari 488, Lamborghini Huracan , McLaren 570S or even a Porsche 911 GT3,
the R8 really feels like the sort of car you could run errands in on a
Monday after driving the doors off it on a Sunday. It's as comfortable
and techy as any other modern Audi, but has no trouble keeping up with
the world's finest supercars -- some of which, don't forget, carry
significantly higher price tags than the 2020 R8's $169,900 MSRP.
Is the 2020 Audi R8 any different than its predecessor? Not really. And that's perfectly fine with me.
