LANDOVER, Md. - The roars bounced off the walls of
Audi, trolling like a fisherman using flashing lures, has launched a series of 2008 high-performance cars as a way to promote the brand. We went to FedEx Field to drive the 2008 models of the R8, Audi's first world-performance car; the RS 4 Cabriolet; and the S5 super coupe.
One of the courses featured a twisting and long road layout with many tight turns, and off-camber twists. The other was a tight gymkhana, requiring constant movement of the steering wheel and smooth throttle and brake use.
Smooth operator: We started with the best, spinning around the road course in the R8. We fired it up using the push-button start, and letting the 420-horsepower, 4.2-liter V-8, coupled with a six-speed manual and Audi's all-wheel-drive system do the rest. R-tronic automatic is also available - its roots can be found in the Lamborghini Gallardo.
The car, which had behaved like a smooth cruiser on the drive from Washington, became a balanced beast on the track. Its smoothness revealed itself as the laps progressed, and its balance asserted itself the more we pushed it. Corners that at first seemed to require braking became mere quick apexes with minimal steering. Only a slight and momentary throttle lift was necessary before we could get back on the gas.
This is a sleek, world-class performance car seemingly created out of thin air. And with prices starting at $110,000 and climbing into the $135,000 range, you'll need a fat wallet if you want to buy one. You'll also need to be patient - it is reportedly sold out through next year. We'll have it for a full week soon and a full review will follow.
Coupes in a comeback: You see them everywhere, the Infiniti G37S, Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, Pontiac G6, and many others. They have a common theme: throwback-style raw performance. Enter the Audi S5. Its snout looks much like the ferocious fascia of the R8, with gaping grille, wide stance, and horizontal headlamps over deep-set fog lights.
Its power is ferocious as well, with 354 horsepower emanating from a 4.2-liter V-8 engine. As with the R8, six-speed manual and an automatic are available, this one the classic Tiptronic. It is also among the more expensive new coupes out there, with prices starting at around $52,000 and easily climbing toward $60,000.
We drove this one on the road course, too, and the rumbling, yet sedate grace it showed on public roads again was easily stored on the track. A hurtling hunk of engineering - that could easily be an everyday commuter car - romped around the course, braking firmly at the last second, showing remarkably little body roll even in hairpin turns, and fairly bursting off apexes. And it could also turn what looked like challenging S-curves into virtual straight lines, with all four wheels pushing, steering wheel barely flicked apex-to-apex, and flat, sure cornering. The S5 will be available starting this month.
Running against the wind: Usually, when you think drop-top with a rear seat, you think wind in the hair on cruises down country lanes, like in a Chrysler Sebring. But not with RS 4 Cabriolet. We plied this one on the gymkhana course, a tortuous trail of throttle, braking, and constant use of the steering wheel.
This ragtop will easily outrun the stiffer S5 coupe, given the 420 horsepower it generates from a 4.2-liter V-8, which is again linked to a six-speed manual or a Tiptronic transmission.
Sedans and coupes often suffer when the roof is lopped off. Torsional rigidity can give way to extra twisting and a quivering dash that I like to call "Mad Cowl Disease." None of that here.
The course was a twist of left-to-right and right-to-left that never let up. It was hard on the driver's neck, but no problem for this remarkably stiff and stable convertible. And with a redline of 8,250 rpms, it ran in low gears all the way on the course, revving and snarling more like an Asian motorcycle than a car. But put back out on a country lane, drop the roof, and it might appear to be just another nice convertible passing by. Of course, to get this kind of performance there's a high price to pay: the base model costs around $82,000.
So why is Audi introducing high-performance cars even before some of its sedate models are unveiled? Like I said, it's fishing. But it's in good company. Another automaker often does the same thing, launching brute before beauty:
Royal Ford can be reached at ford@globe.com.
