Audi R8 5.2L V10: Excess success?

RICHARD LAUTENS/TORONTO STAR

Audi wedged its 10-cylinder into the stunning R8 this year and charges an extra $30,000 for it.

MARK RICHARDSON

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

The challenge with supercars is knowing when to stop.

There's always a little bit more technology to be applied to a vehicle to make it that little bit better. This means there's always a little bit more money that's needed to be thrown at a car to improve it.

When to say enough?

So it is with the Audi R8. It was a great car when it was introduced a couple of years ago, with its eight-cylinder 4.2 L engine (borrowed from corporate sibling Lamborghini) resting in a subtly lit glass case behind the driver and passenger.

Some 420 hp and 317 lb.-ft. of torque made it monstrously fast, and its compact wheelbase and advanced aerodynamics allowed it to stick to the asphalt with astonishing confidence.

It so impressed Canadian auto writers that it was voted the Car of the Year for 2008. The lineup to buy one of the 100 or so coming to Canada practically needed an invitation to join.

Except this year, Audi introduced the 10-cylinder version and now who cares about the eight? The 5.2 L V10 makes 525 hp and 390 lb.-ft. of torque, for only an extra 31 kg of weight.

Sure it's more expensive – the base price is $173,000, which is about $30,000 more than the smaller car, and very few owners will settle for a base car without the expensive optional leather and carbon fibre – but it's worth the money because it's more. Bragging rights are everything.

These days, all that an ownership of the eight-cylinder will tell people is that you couldn't afford the 10. Or that you couldn't get on the list for the few V10s coming to Canada. You're just not good enough.

Audi's not stopping just yet. At the Frankfurt auto show last month, it introduced the convertible version of the R8, with the engine hidden and the distinctive side slash missing. Its soft-top makes the car about 50 kg heavier than the hard -top, so it will come with only the larger engine when it goes on sale next year.

And then there's expected to be one more version: the Audi R8 RS, which will be even more powerful yet. That will probably be introduced next year.

So if you've been reading Wheels Extra and feeling down because you can't afford the high-priced vehicles that we showcase here, just remember, it could be worse. Just imagine that you can afford them. Wouldn't you be upset if you had an eight-cylinder R8 taking up space in your garage?

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