2011 Audi R8

The 2011 Audi R8 Coupe is not the most opulent so if someone is expecting to have a luxurious experience because they paid a 6 figure sum, forget about it. The R8 is all about performance and the features it has are pretty much basic like automatic climate control, leather upholstery, and a basic music player. Yes, you can get a better sound system but that’s about it.

The rest of the options on this car are strictly performance-related like Carbon Ceramic brakes which cost $9000. The optional leather package will replace the stock leather with Nappa leather for seats and door panels for $2000. Overall, the Audi R8 has fewer features than many consumer-level cars but being a sports car just cramming all the features doesn’t make any sense, since you have to think about saving every pound of weight possible to make the car perform better.

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Considering you can spend this much just for a performance car just get the 5.2L, V-10 variant. The price difference is significant but we don’t buy supercars every week so just get the best one.

The 2011 Audi R8 Coupe is powered by a 4.2L V-8 engine with either a 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic transmission. The power figures of this engine are 430 hp & 317 lb-ft of torque and all this is being sent to all 4 wheels as on any Audi vehicle. For someone who is buying their first-ever supercar, this much power is enough to blow your mind but if you have owned performance cars before, Audi has a 5.2L V-10 engine option as well which produces 525 hp & 391 lb-ft of torque with the same transmission options available as of the base variant.

The R8 is surgically precise in terms of handling, just don’t expect a plush ride quality from it as the suspension is slightly on the stiffer side. Well, it is much better than the Lamborghini or Aston Martin but still, the slightest of the undulations on the road can be felt inside. That’s the tradeoff for having such performance. 

Well, all the cars are super quick with less than 4 seconds on the clock for 0-60 mph. The top speeds are insane too, as you'd expect. However, the 911 Turbo is the quickest out of all with a blisteringly quick 3.3 seconds 0-60 mph time.

A V-8 or V-10 engine under the hood does not translate to efficiency. But if you are planning on buying a six-figure performance car, let's just say fuel economy is of no concern to you. However, let’s see how the R8 does when it comes to mileage. The 12 MPG city mileage is a bit dreadful but the highway economy at 19 MPG is not bad at all. To ensure that you don't get bothered by frequent fuel stops, there's a massive 23.8-gallon fuel tank that will help you go over 300 miles effortlessly.

All the supercars have very similar fuel economies, partly maybe the engines on the R8 and Lambo are the same. The Aston Martin slides down the road even further with only 13 MPG combined. What's impressive, however, is the Porsche 911 Turbo's 19 MPG combined. It's especially impressive when you consider the fact that it's also the quickest accelerating car here.

Audi is adhering to the function over form philosophy for their interior. We are not saying that the cabin is of questionable quality, far from it, in fact, it has some of the best materials used throughout the cabin. The dashboard, door panels are all covered in leather or even Nappa leather if you want. All the parts of this cabin are either covered in leather or suede. You won't touch plastic even for once. 

It is just that it doesn’t do anything artistic or unique as far as design is concerned. The knurled steel gear shifter will definitely catch your attention every time you enter the cabin. The seats are supremely bolstered and offer great support to the driver’s body. Moreover, the Legroom and headroom are plenty for most of the drivers. Overall Audi has tried their best to offer some luxury in a performance car. 

The cargo capacity of the 2011 Audi R8 Coupe is actually higher than the number suggests as you can get the optional cargo nets that get fitted behind the seats. Moreover, you can store some light luggage as there is some space at the rear. The Aston Martin has the best cargo space as it's the only front-engined car with a proper trunk at the back. Some of the key interior features are:

• Nappa leather upholstery
• Manually adjusted steering wheel on a super sports car
• Power adjustable driver seat 

How intuitive is the 2011 Audi R8 Coupe’s infotainment system?

The Audi R8 comes with a 7-speaker sound system with dual memory card support. Bluetooth and navigation are optional with a 12-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system. The infotainment screen is touch-based and has a low resolution. While it is not that bad to see the title of the song or the album art, turn-by-turn navigation on such a screen is just a bad idea. Overall, the infotainment system isn’t even trying to be a good one, it's pretty much bare bones, however, it is still better than most exotic performance cars. Some highlights of the infotainment system are:

• Sirius satellite radio
• Factory Navigation
• USB ports
• Bang & Olufsen sound system
• Dual memory card slots
• Seat belt integrated mic 

The 2011 Audi R8 Coupe is a complete head-turner. The R8 is unlike any other supercars we are used to seeing. Like Porsche or Lamborghini, the R8 has a unique style that will become its identity in the near future. Well, the car doesn’t have any sharp edges like a Lamborghini and it's not as docile as the 911. It is all smooth and curvy but yet it looks aggressive. This may be due to the unique headlights or because of the massive triple grille set up at the front. 

The side profile of the car is like nothing else because of the massive intakes that are distinctive and have become the identifying element of the R8. As for the rear, it is so simple yet well thought out that it matches the overall design theme quite well. To sum it up, it's completely unique and distinct, something worthy of challenging the Italian exotics.

The Audi R8 has the widest stance of all in the group that gives it the superb handling we talked about earlier. Even the low overall height works in its favor, cutting through the air like an arrow. The Lamborghini shares a piece of pie with the R8 in this regard. The Audi is also the heaviest car in the segment. Needless to say, it is arguably the most eye-catchy out of all the cars here, and that's saying something when one of the rivals is a Lamborghini. Some key exterior features are:

• LED headlights
• Side intakes
• Transparent engine bay

Well by now it is very much a clear picture that automakers don’t like to crush their expensive toys and we totally understand. But this leaves us all in the dark regarding the safety aspect of our potential purchase and there's nothing much we can do except hope for good. After all, we are spending upwards of $100,000, so our expensive hopes should work better than others. There are some safety features present on this car like ABS and traction control.

Sadly, the body type of the Audi R8 doesn’t allow it to have side curtain airbags. Moreover, you get driving aids such as a rearview camera and parking sensors that will surely help you avoid hitting curbs while parking, and that’s about it. So be the judge of your own life and stay safe. The highlight safety features are:

• ABS with traction control
• Rearview camera
• Parking sensors
• Anti Lock brakes
• Stability control
• Traction control
• Side curtain airbags

The Audi R8 Coupe is immensely fun to drive with looks that don’t agitate the bystanders. The car pulls hard and stops on a dime when you ask it to. It will do everything you require, just don’t expect absolute practicality and you will be content. Yes, everyone out there is praising the R8 for its practicality but those people forget to mention that it's practical only for a performance car. If you want a high-performance car that you can take to the parties as well as on tracks, the R8 will deliver without any fuss.