2010 Audi R8 5.2 Review (video)

The more irate R8 is scary-fast

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Article by Justin Pritchard,

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Thursday, November 19, 2009

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The boss says we journalists aren't allowed to use obscene words when writing reviews-- so this story is going to be a doozy to complete.

It’s about the Audi R8 5.2.

The 5.2 is somewhat less forgiving and somewhat more of an animal when drivers get brave.

Apparently, Audi thought the standard R8’s 4.2 litre engine was a good start. This 420 horsepower V8 is a screamer, and it gets the aluminum coupe rolling in a very serious hurry. It’s more than powerful enough for anyone who values their driver’s license-- but apparently, some nut-jobs wanted even more sauce.

A new animal
Audi answered their call with a newly-available 5.2 litre V10. This engine cranks horsepower up to a supercar-worthy 525, and spews even more gut-wrenching sound effects from the tailpipes. Redline is bumped 500 revs beyond that of the V8, to a furious 8,500.

Yes folks-- this machine is a very big deal. Everything Audi’s learned about going fast, winning races, and building stunning-looking machinery is here in masses.

Discreet visual upgrades
The R8 V10 gives away its identity with several visual upgrades. There’s a ‘V10’ badge on each fender, the quad-pipe exhaust tips are replaced by two big ovals, and the vented surfaces on both bumpers are opened up. The R8’s trademark side-blades are widened in the name of increased airflow into the engine compartment, too.

Like the V8, the V10 engine is proudly displayed under a glass cover like a trophy. R8 nuts will notice the longer and beefier-looking intake manifold on top of it.

The tester also got unique wheels and benefited from an exclusive all-LED headlight cluster. This emits bright blue light like a more conventional xenon setup, though illumination comes solely from 3 tiny LED bulbs that don’t get hot or burn out.

Inside, the higher-reading tachometer gets a red ring around it, as does the 350km/h speedo. Other than a few bits of cosmetic dress-up, R8s are functionally the same regardless of the selected engine.