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The Audi R8 mid-engine has just improved.
Audi has equipped the coupe and convertible versions of its high-end model with a range of design, technology and mechanical updates that combine to increase its appeal. Let's start with the front fairing, which looks more chiseled and more aggressive than before. The frame around the grille highlights the LED headlights and receives three rectangular vents located just under the hood. The vents are an inherited style item added as a tribute to the award-winning Sport Quattro coupe built in the 1980s.
Come back and you will notice smaller changes in the design. According to Audi, the ventilation grid located under the lights is lower than before and the diffuser is larger. The 19-inch alloy wheels add a final touch of sportiness to the design. Super light units of 20 inches are offered at an additional cost for buyers seeking to lose as much weight as possible. Those who take this route – which inevitably leads to hot laps on the track – will also want the carbon ceramic brakes and the front stabilizer bar to be composed of a blend of carbon fiber and aluminum.
The R8 does not give in to the industry's tendency to offer smaller engines. It continues with a naturally aspirated 5.2 liter V10 engine closely linked to the unit that propels the Lamborghini Huracan. Audi promises to continue offering two variants of the 10-cylinder engine, but retains all the underlying technical details. The British magazine Autocar learned that the standard model loaded 562 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque, an increase of 30 and 10 respectively over the outgoing R8. The Performance model boosts performance with 611 hp and 417 lb-ft. of couple.
A seven-speed automatic dual-clutch transmission and the company's Quattro all-wheel drive system come standard, regardless of the power provided by the V10. The well-received, tail-end rear-wheel drive model could return to production a little later; keep your fingers crossed if you like your R8 laterally.
Even if you can not see the software changes, Audi promises to feel them when you drive the R8 on a winding road. Engineers recalibrated the steering system for increased response and feedback. They also added three profiles to the driving mode selector called dry, wet and snow, respectively, that modify the dynamic parameters (such as suspension firmness and sharpness of the throttle response) depending on the road conditions. . Finally, adjusting the ESC settings reduced the stopping distance of the car.
In Europe, the updated R8 will start arriving in the showrooms in early 2019. Audi will release pricing information and complete technical data in the weeks preceding the model's release date. Although we do not have any details yet on the US version of the car, we hope to learn much more about it in November at the annual Los Angeles auto show.
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