Review: Lexus LS600h

So we’ve covered nearly the whole array of hybrids now. The Insight representing the hybrid purist, the Fusion mid-sized family saloon and an SUV. Now we come to a hybrid segment not well known, that of the luxury flagship hybrid. It’s a strange breed this one, almost an oxymoron in of itself as one tends to think of a luxury flagship as a massive road going land yacht, overflowing at the seams with techno goodies to please their wealthy owners. Not you’re average tree huggers mode of transportation.

 

Well, that’s precisely what we have in the Lexus LS600 h. A very large, long wheelbase executive sedan armed with a large V-8, plus the worlds top technology and luxury. And what a ride, the first thing any driver will notice about a Lexus is the silky smooth ride. But there is also two electric motors hidden in with all these items of significance. Which raises the question, why would wealthy limo driving people want a hybrid? Well the answer is that large 

amounts of people with means have been found on Toyota’s showroom floor dropping cash for the Prius. With the Prius leaving showrooms as fast as they come in, Toyota thought, why not let the little guy have the much cheaper Prius, and let the wealthy keep their luxury, power hungry needs with the addition of an eco responsibility badge pasted on the back to help them sleep better at night.

 

And so you have it, the 5.0L V-8 powered, 2,290 kg techno filled, AWD beast can be had with electric assist. Now your wondering, can a little electric motor actually make this car environmentally responsible? Well no, it still uses a good amount of fuel, and therefore still emits a fair amount of pollution. However, what this hybrid system does, is take away a rather large chunk out of the possible harm this car could do, without upsetting the luxuries people come to expect with such a car. Despite being able to heave its massive weight forward at a rate of 5.5sec for 0-96 km/h, the LS600 h has the power of a very large V-8, yet gets the fuel efficiency of a mid-sized V-6, while being able to run on full electric power during low speeds.

 

Then there’s the techno goodies, something Lexus pride themselves on immensely. Personally I’m not a big fan of the tech thing, but an impressive list of self parking technology, Hard Drive based SatNav system, multi-wave radar Cruise system and collision avoidance system, and enough airbags to make a throw pillow junky jealous, puts the LS600 h at the top of its class. Then there is the rear passenger area that features heated, A/C and shiatsu massaging rear seats that recline with foot rest. A personal cooler and work table along with a LCD screen on which to play your favourite DVD’s. Seems like the back is the place to be right. Well yes it is, because the entire week that I had the car, I wasn’t able to get back there once, because a greedy friend of family member wanting a taste of the good life always occupied it.

 

The week I had the car also just happened to fall on the Christmas holidays, which meant I was a big hit at family and business parties, but the most impressive and rewarding feature this car had for me was that little hybrid logo on the rear deck. While looking for a parking spot in an IKEA parking lot, three days before Christmas, the chaos of the situation was, as you’d expect. Long lines of cars stretching out the lot and down the road, all trying to find a parking spot. I figured I’d take a chance and try my luck in front of the entrance. Long and behold, there was two open parking sports right up front with “Hybrid Only Parking” signs protecting them. SCORE! While the LS600 h isn’t exactly a Prius, it is a hybrid nonetheless.

 

 

Specs:

MSRP: $118,700

Price as tested: $142,842

Layout: Front Engine – All Wheel Drive

Engine: 5.0L V-8 with two electric assist motors

Transmission: Electronic Continuously Variable Transmission

HP: 438

Torque: 385

Brakes: Four-wheel ventilated Disc

Curb Weight: 2,290 kg

Towing Capacity: NA

0-100 km/h: 5.5 sec

Fuel Economy (city/hwy): 10.6/9.1L/100km

Feature: Le Mans

As I write this history of one of the greatest racing spectacles of all time, the little Scot of Allan McNish in his all-concurring Audi is being swarmed by a flock of Peugeot 908’s, hell bent on victory at their home event. The 24 Heures du Mans is an annual celebration of speed, endurance, technology and great rivalries between great marks.  This 2009 event represents the 77^th running of the event since its inception in 1923

 

History

Back in 1923, the first running of the 24h Le Mans race was planned to be a mega event by which the winner would be the car that had driven the farthest distance in three annual 24h races. Therefore the competition would take place over three years, instantly giving the event a level of prestige that would rival the Olympics or World Cup. The race became an instant classic, so this idea was abandoned in 1928 and overall winners were declared for each single year depending on who covered the farthest distance by the time 24 hours were up.

 

The track itself was a collection of local public roads that linked together the towns of Le Mans, Mulsanne and Arnage to create a racing circuit. In 1923, the first circuit was 17 km long and ran through the center of Le Mans. Due to safety concerns the track has been manipulated several times and shortened to 13 km, however still heavily consists of public roads that are closed for the weekend during the race. The tracks name, Circuit de la Sarthe, is represented by its location in the Sarthe region of France.

 

Speed and Endurance

Before every manufacturer boasted about how fast their cars could lap the Nurburgring, it was a cars top speed along the Mulsanne straight that was the crown achievement of sportscar builders. The Mulsanne is a special bit of racing ground, as it is a 6 km straight, using the rutted two-lane road of the D338, a road linking the towns of Le Mans and Mulsanne.

In the late 80’s both Peugeot and Mercedes recorded speeds of 404 km/h and 399 km/h respectfully. After much concern of these insane speeds being obtained, chicanes were installed in the famous straight to calm the speeds of the cars. Despite the addition of two chicanes on the straight, today cars still reach well above 200 mph. In fact the circuit as a whole is very much a wide open, as 85% of a lap time is spent at full throttle. This puts a heavy workload on power and drive trains, bringing us to the endurance side of the equation.

 

It is a 24-hour race of course and these high-strung, peak of performance technology machines have great demands placed on them. This in particular makes for a great marketing advantage to successful entrants. The endurance aspect of the race also demands teams to be extremely professional in everything from driving the car responsibly, pit crews being prepared for any problem that may arise and having cars not only built to put in a competitive lap time, but to continue to be fast and reliable over the 24 hours of competition. Then there is the fatigue factor. While it is mandatory for each car to have at least three drivers, the demands of racing twice around the clock are heavy, as early morning hours see several accidents and mistakes caused by mental errors, both driver and pit crew. Post race walks of the course often reveal tools that have fallen out of cars, left by a tired crewman.

 

Technology

 is because of this need for top-level professionalism and equipment that has seen a great amount of technology be created by teams in competition. Windshields, window wipers, disc brakes, ABS and fuel injection were all a result of Le Mans racers looking for an added 

advantage. The race is so prestigious that several teams dedicate their entire existence to this 

single race. Disc brakes were one of the most famous uses of new technology, With speeds becoming so high, stopping technology was lagging behind, and it was in 1953, that the Jaguar C-Type races were the first to use disc rather than drum brakes. Then of course it’s the modern day Audi’s and Peugeots that run on diesel racing engines. Massive torque along with added durability and fuel efficiency has proved diesel engines to be ideally suited to this form of racing.

 

Great Rivalries

We are now four hours into the 2009 edition of Le Mans. It is the modern day rivalry of Audi and Peugeot who are battling it out for top honors. However back in the field, the storied rivalry of Porsche vs. Ferrari continues to tug at the heartstrings of national loyalists. This is one of the major contributors to the passion of this event, as racing cars not only represented the manufacturer fielding them, but the nation in which they belonged. In the first races back in the twenties it was Bentley, Bugatti and Alfa Romeo who would battle for victory. After a ten year hiatus in racing during and after the war, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Mercedes-Benz and

 Jaguar were standard sights on the Sarthe Circuit, each enjoying periods of dominance, however one of the great rivalries came to fruition in 1966 when Ford took the first of four straight wins with the GT40, a car designed solely to take the title away from Ferrari out of spite from failed merger negotiations. However, one manufacturer that has always, and will continue to be a fixture at Le Mans in Porsche. Whether fighting for an outright win, or a class victory, 911’s, 917’s, 962’s or the RS Spyders of today, a car bearing the Stuttgart/Porsche coat of arms will always be found on the starting grid, and likely 24 hours later on a podium of some kind.

 

Danger and Tragedy

Anytime cars are traveling at close proximity to each other on public roads at speeds of excess of 200 mph, there is an incredible risk of an accident, injury and death. It was in 1955 when the Le Mans 24h witnessed one of racings all-time worst tragedies. Taking the name of his uncle who was also killed in a motor race in 1904, Pierre Levegh was at the wheel of a Mercedes 300 SLR when he clipped an Austin-Healey at speed. His car was thrown into a dirt bank, and launched into the spectator area along the start/finish straight. Levegh was killed instantly when thrown from the car, while the disintegrating car killed another 82 spectators. With over a 100 more wounded, this accident saw the cancelling of several top motorsport events and even the banning of motorsports in Switzerland. The Pit straight at Le Mans would have to be redesigned and rebuilt while safety measures were also upgraded to both cars and circuits around the world as a result.

 

Over the years there have been several other fatalities in the race, but one of the most spectacular accidents that did not result in any deaths happened in 1999 when the Mercedes team had aerodynamic problems that caused lift when traveling over the hill on the Mulsanne straight at speeds over 200 mph. Driver Mark Webber flipped his Mercedes GT1 twice, once during the test day and another during race warm-up. However it was Peter Dumbreck who launched his Mercedes 6 meters into the air and completing three back flips before landing in the forest at the side of the track. As spectacular as it was, no one was seriously injured.

 

And so we have it, this great race has completed yet another great feat of endurance, with the upstart Peugeot team finally getting their first win with the 908 diesel powered LMP1 car. The giant known as Audi finally met its fate with only its #1 car finishing on the bottom step of the podium after nearly a decade of domination. Porsche and Ferrari continued the epic battles that once dominated the top classes, with the F-430’s proving that Porsche, like Audi, can be beaten. The race is over, thousands are finally getting some sleep, all but the engineers, already hard at work finding the winning combination for the second weekend of June, 2010.

Feature: G-Wagon turns 30

You’ll find them in communities known as Yaletown, the Westside, Shaunessy and the British Properties. Chances are they will be driven by women who look as though they spend a year’s blue-collar salary on beauty products alone. They are probably driving it, only because it has a Mercedes tri-star on the grille and is the most expensive production SUV money can buy. However, you must admit, there is something seductive about the G-Class. It has all the classy looks that make it popular in the posh crowd, but it also has a sense of adventure about it as well.

 

What modern owners of G-Classes may not know is that the G-Class is also known as the Geländewagen, and was never meant to be a luxury product. Quite the opposite actually, as the G was built for the battlefield.

 

To understand the double life this unique vehicle lives, we must go back to the beginning. In the early 70’s, Iran was looking for a durable, rugged 4x4 to be the military’s primary means of transportation. It just so happened that the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was a major shareholder in the Daimler Corporation. Not wanting to let down the King of Kings, and with tensions in Iran rising, Daimler-Benz began a joint project with Austrian carmaker, Steyr-Daimler-Puch, to build a rugged little army vehicle. It would be called the Geländewagen in Europe, which translates to “tough terrain vehicle.” The Geländewagen was compliant with all NATO specs, featuring three locking differentials that helped it climb grades up to 36 degrees and straddle lateral inclines up to 24 degrees.

 

In 1979, Mercedes saw that the Geländewagen could be a successful civilian soft roader as well, as the Toyota Landcruiser and Land Rover Defender enjoyed the mass popularity of this segment. So a civilian version was offered to the public straight away, and quickly became a popular contender to the Japanese and British competition. Customers could choose between three body styles, a 2-door SWB convertible, a 2-door SWB wagon and a LWB 4-door wagon. In military guise, the options added a windowless version of the 2-door wagon as well as a pickup, and a chassis-cab with a wheelbase of 2850, 3120 or 3400 mm, being the base vehicle for army-ambulances, communication vehicles or any other custom fabrication wanted.

 

The early vehicles came with several choices of power. Petrol engines included a 2.0 and 2.3L inline-four, as well as a 2.8L V-6. Diesel power plants included a 2.4L inline-four, as well as a 2.5 and 3.0L inline-five cylinder. In 1980, Mercedes built a custom-built version of the G for Pope John Paul II to protect him from wind and rain when he visited Germany. After an assassination attempt in 1981, the bodywork was finished with bulletproof glazing. In all, over 50,000 G-wagens were built in the first decade.

 

In 1990, the first generation G-wagen (W460) was replaced with the second generation W461. The second-generation vehicle was all but identical to the first, however would now offer a more luxury minded interior and a 5.0L V-8, as well as a 5.4L supercharged V-8. This new luxury line taken by Mercedes opened up an all-new market for the G-Class now being imported into all of North America. The G500, offered the wealthy civilian a 32-valve 382 horsepower 5.5L V-8 engine, while the G55 AMG kicks out an impressive 500 horsepower 5.4L V-8 engine, and can get from 0 to 100 kph in a mere 5.5 seconds. Not bad for a vehicle that weigh’s 2,555 kg but comes at the cost of being Canada’s worst polluting vehicle for those vehicles with published environmental numbers.

 

 

In 2004, the Canadian Department of National Defense signed a contract to purchase 357 G-wagens for the army, more importantly for combat operations in Afghanistan. The outdated Volkswagen Iltis had long been the workhorse for the Canadian Forces, but offered soldiers little in the way of protection. The new G-wagens came with an Armour Protection System, which can be installed in the vehicles in less than eight hours, and offered protection from small arms and small explosive munitions.  However, Taliban fighters simply made the IED’s bigger, making the G-wagens armour out-dated with in the year. Other problems the Forces have met with the G-wagen has been its center of balance. With military versions equipped with a massive armoured machine gun turret on the roof, the G-wagen becomes very unstable when cornering. In fact a good many CF G-wagens sport damaged sides as they tip over so easily, now causing the CF to rethink how they arm the vehicles.

 

So we come to the present day and the G-wagen is still living the double life of luxury SUV and military support vehicle. Today there are 28 nations that use the G-wagen for all sorts of different military operations, while the civilian version is just as popular as ever. The updated G550 now sports a 5.5L 382 hp V-8 while the manic G55 AMG pumps 500 hp from the supercharged 5.4L. With such a passionate following, both wealthy and off-road enthusiast based, Mercedes has scheduled the G to continue production into 2012. The Geländewagen really does represent a unique show of versatility for a vehicle to straddle two very opposite ends of the spectrum so successfully for thirty years now.

Review: BMW 335d - The Tree Huggers M3

For those who read my test of the M3 in the September issue last year, will know that I had one of the most exciting driving experiences ever, finding the abilities of this amazing car. However, the M3’s limits are incredibly high, and the cost of exploring such performance attacks the bank account once the fuel gauge plummets to empty.

 

While the car put one of the biggest smiles on my face, environmentally and economically, the M3 is not all that friendly. And this has been a real problem for a select group of auto enthusiasts who do want to be responsible to both the planet and our wallets, but can’t stand the single mindedness of a hybrid. Lets face it, hybrids are for those hell bent on being the cleanest driver they can possibly be, likewise with the cars themselves, as any and all performance has been sacrificed for the all-mighty L/100km number. They just aren’t any fun to drive. So what do we as eco responsible motor enthusiasts do?

 

This brings us to BMW’s 335d. With a 3.0L twin turbo inline-6 being run off diesel, this engine puts out an expected 265 hp, but a mind blowing 425 lb-ft of torque. That’s 130 more than the M3. Couple this great engine with the already proven advantages of the 3-series tight body with 50/50 weight distribution, the 335d comes right in line with BMW’s “Ultimate Driving Machine” motto. Following the same route I took in the M3, this 335d had my adrenaline flowing near to the extent of the M3. It is a car that flourishes on a narrow winding mountain road, and will reward the driver for such a grand choice. While my fuel economy with the M3 was what you would expect a high revving 4.0L V-8 to be, having just as much fun in the 335d, yielded a combined 7.7L/100km, and I wasn’t going easy on her. That is absolutely remarkable seeing as I could only manage 8.1L on a hypermiling run of a medium sized Japanese sedan along the same route. While in town I was enjoying 5.9L/100km doddling around in the city.

 

So is it actually like driving an M3 without the cost? No, nothing can top the abilities of the M3, and what they do to 

the driver’s senses. Driving a diesel is much different than driving the M3. For best performance, you want to be playing around in the upper limits of the rev range. The cars ridiculous amounts of grip plus the sound that emits from flirting with 8,000rpm, all come together for a truly unique driving experience. When driving the diesel, staying in the power band means staying in the torque, which is found down low in the rev range. You do get that same kick in the chest as 425 lb-ft rockets you forward, its just much more civil and organized manner than the blurring madness of the M3.

 

The 335d also has upgrades of qualities I really don’t like in BMW’s. My dislike of Bangle design era continues on with the 3-series, although they have made it a little more attractive with a facelift, adding LED blinkers front and rear and a slight fascia redesign. The once hair-pullingly frustrating act of operating the iDrive system is now improved in its third generation, and even I am starting to come to terms with it’s increased simplicity. Finally, while the actual CO2 levels are lower than its petrol burning brother, the diesel still can’t quite match the level of tailpipe cleanliness that a full blown hybrid possess.  So if the environmental aspects concern you most, the hybrid may be the choice for you. However if you don’t want to let go of the love of the drive aspect, the 335d is an impressive drivers machine.

 

Specs:

MSRP: $49,700

Price as tested:

Layout: Front Engine – Rear Wheel Drive

Engine: 3.0L Twin turbo Inline-6 Diesel

Transmission: 6-Speed Automatic with manual shift

HP: 265

Torque: 425

Brakes: Four-wheel Disc

Curb Weight: 1,735 kg

Towing Capacity: NA

0-100 km/h: 6.0 sec

Fuel Economy (city/hwy): 9.1/5.4L/100km

Feature: Porsche 911 - Mistake gone wright

The year was 1963, and the Beatles just release their first album, Please Please Me, Alcatraz is closed, Martin Luther King Jr. gives his “I have a dream” speech, and President Kennedy was assassinated. This was also the year the Ferdinand Porsche, eldest son to Ferry Porsche, penned what would become the worlds most recognizable sportscar. The 901 concept was shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show that year, and would be in showrooms the very next, renamed the 911. From the get go, the 911 was a controversial car. Like the 356 before it, the 911 featured an engine that hung off the back of the car, literally. Crawl under even today’s new 998, and you’ll see that the back of the engine starts where the rear tires end.

 

This was the centre of much criticism of the 911. All that weight hanging off the back made the car unstable during cornering. And true enough, early 911’s required a special kind of driver to get the most out of them, while many a private owner found themselves traveling backwards and climbing barriers. With very little weight up front and so much hanging off the back, the car tended to understeer when not pushed hard enough, and violently oversteered if the driver got too aggressive. This meant that the driver had to drive with a special technique, while being conscious that he was on a constant knife-edge. 911 drivers were the creators of the saying, “In like a lamb, out like a lion,” in reference to the best way to get the car around a corner. So the 911 became known as a very difficult car to drive. For a car that would become one of the automotive industries greatest icons, it sure wasn’t off to a good start.

 

However, the first thing Porsche did was to go racing. This is something that they do very well, and in 1964, Porsche engineers Herbert Linge and Peter Falk entered a 2.0L 130 hp 911 into its first ever motorsport competition, the Monte Carlo Rally. Racing on ice in an unstable car, most didn’t give the German team a chance against the Scandinavian specialists, but the team finish fifth overall to everyone’s surprise. Soon this supposedly undrivable car was taking the racing world by storm. The 911 would go on to win the Monte Carlo Rally, as well as the Targa Florio, the 12 hours of Sebring, the 24 hours of Daytona in 1973. In 1976, the 935 silhouette Group 5 car was released, featuring massive bodywork modifications, followed up by the “Moby Dick” 935 of 1978. This car carried this name due to the sheer size 

of the whale tale rear wing, and the amazing 845 hp pumped out of the 3.2L turbocharged flat-six still hanging out the back. This car would go on to win the 24h Le Mans in 1979. Then to throw everyone for a loop, Porsche unbelievably mastering the toughest race of all, the Dakar rally, not once but twice in a new AWD 959 version of the 911, thus completing the 911’s mastery of all prestigious rally and endurance races. The car not only was a top tier road car, but now its legend as a racer had combined to give the 911 an unequalled pedigree that fed off itself to make it the darling of the sportscar world. Other cars were faster, other cars looked better, but none withstood the test of time like the 911, and none could touch the accomplishments it achieved. But the car was still a handful on the street.

 

Porsche, being the stubborn Germans that they are, decided they wanted to make the 911 a great handling, practical sportscar that anyone could drive, but they were going to keep the same original design. Never to admit a mistake, which on paper, one must question the sanity of the design, they plugged away, constantly updating the car,

 making it better and better each time. In 1988, the Carrera 4, fitted with AWD, was offered to the public for the fist time, fitted with a 3.6L flat-six putting out 250 hp. The AWD was the one of the first steps to control the “bite back” nature of the car, along with improvements in suspension and the introduction of wider wheels with greater trac

k width. But this didn’t stop Porsche from building absolute madness with the release of the GT2 in 1995. A turbo powered RWD rear-engine car producing between 450 and 600 hp. Built for the track, the car was successful, but instreet guise the car gained the name “Widow Maker.”

 

With the handling issues gaining head, in 1997 Porsche did the unthinkable and scraped the air-cooled engine design for a liquid cooled version. While the Porschephiles were disgusted at first, the increase to 300 hp out of the 3.6L won over all but the most stubborn. This was also the year the maddest incarnation of the 911 yet, was released, the GT1. This sleek beauty would bring home yet another 24h Le Mans victory, and as wild as the car looked on the track, a homologated street version was available for a short time to very lucky customers.

As we entered the 21^st century, the 911 became more and more pleasing to the everyday driver as the 996 and 997 models were released. Gone are the cars tendencies to want to kill its driver, (even in 2WD guise now) while the ease of driving, and remarkable versatility in cargo and passenger space goes unchallenged in the supercar world. However the one thing that impresses the most is the cars unmistakable look that has gone nearly unchanged for well over 40 years, and thanks to keeping with this early sixties design, 360-degree vision from the drivers seat is not only the best of any supercar, it out performs just about any modern car on the market.

 

Today the Porsche 911 Carrera 998 is one of the best cars out there to get around a corner, fast.  What Porsche has done to this 46-year-old design is a truly masterful bit of not only engineering, but also pride. Today, the 998 has evolved into a car that no one else could ever copy, and none have as it is the last rear-engine car built. They have taken that iconic shape, and modernized without changing the overall look of the car. They have increased the quality of the interior, although it still looks the same. Porsche has stayed true to Ferdinand’s forward thinking design that has not lost any of its character, only growing in age. While others build retro copies to relive their glory years, Porsche has never stopped building the 911. The 911 gives the driver the true feeling and excitement of driving a 911, but made it safer, more versatile, yet faster. The 998 really only has shape and drivetrain layout in common with the original 911 from 1964, but to drive the 998, you are undeniably sure you’re driving a 911, and it forces you remember why these cars are so great.

Review: Audi R8 - The all-weather supercar

I’m not really sure why I get all my really nice sports cars in the dead of winter. Whether it be my inexperience as a journalist making me low man on the totem pole. Thus, ineligible to receive these great cars in the summer when the old dogs get first crack. Or it may be that I’m actually quite fond of driving in the snow, and have a racing background to back up any suggestions of my competency.

 

Deep dark winters past I’ve braved the elements in M3’s, M Coupes, Porsche Caymans and 911 Turbos. Even the open topped (and open sides, front and rear for that matter) Ariel Atom was driven in the final few rainy days of winter. My hairline still hasn’t recovered from the bombardment of rain droplets hitting me in the forehead at 160.

 

Regardless, its early February, and I’ve finally got my greedy paws on the keys to a supercar that I’ve been dying to give a go to; Audi’s extraordinary R8. The R8 is one of those cars you just won’t see that much of, like a proper supercar should be. You may see one once in a blue moon, and the chances of you getting a ride in one is slim to none. But, to get behind the wheel of this mysterious car means you will be one of the lucky chosen few.

 

To those lucky few, Audi has served up a real treat. First of all you cannot overlook the R8’s unique look. Love it or hate it, Audi’s usually conservative designers must have been at the closing stages of a kegger when the R8’s lines were created. It really is a uniquely special vehicle. While it may give off the look of a supercar, that’s where the similarities end. For one, the interior has a surprising amount of room and comfort. An excellent seating position, great forward visibility, and a striking dash layout make the R8’s interior a surprisingly invitable place. The biggest surprise however, was the way it drove.

 

Audi’s performance brands have awed the rednecks of higher society with large growling V8’s that can go real fast in a straight line. Sure they have massive brakes and incredible grip with every car featuring the Quattro system. However for me, the S4, RS4, S6, and RS6 are magnificent performers, but the heavy front ends and Quattro system tends to dull the driver’s interaction with the car and give a feeling of indestructibility. It’s not that “seat of the pants, heart in your mouth” driving experience you get from other RWD or cars with the engine mounted in the rear. When the S5 was set to unveil, Audi enthusiasts were begging for a RWD machine, only to have yet another Quattro thrown in front of them. Oh the understeer is overwhelming.

 

The R8 is, yes you guessed it, a Quattro. A backwards Quattro, but still a Quattro. However, with that big V8 sitting in the back, the handling characteristics have completely changed. Now we have more weight in the back, giving a more efficient turn-in and cornering balance as the rear end follows you around the corner. Then when it comes time to put the power on, Audi have kept the vast majority of the torque (70% in fact) going to the rear wheels. Ah, finally the glorious oversteer I’ve been yearning.

 

There in lies the problem with driving a mid-engined car. They have an amazing ability to bite back. The time it takes to go from hero to zero is ferociously fast and violent. Those unskilled I the ways of the mid-engine will be left standing beside a smoking heap of aluminum and carbon fibre, being laughed at by everyone driving by in a Civic. That is what makes mid-engine supercars so special. They strike the fear of death into you. However with the Quattro system at work, Audi have made the R8 a surprisingly civil and competent supercar.  So much so, Audi handed over the keys even as the snow fell. So off I went in a $160,000 supercar, with traffic lines obscured with a blanket of white.

 

Terrifying one may think. What with Carbon Fibre, Magnesium and Aluminum making up the majority of materials and a 420 hp V8 lifted from the RS4, the R8 should be an extremely expensive accident waiting to happen. However, it was well behaved and never gave me any unscheduled shots of adrenaline. The Quattro made this car as capable as any. Although it is in the dry where this cars shines, and luckily for me this is Vancouver, and snow rarely lasts more than 48 hours. With dry tarmac a foot, I called in sick, and set off to explore the R8’s true abilities as a sportscar.

 

With the new day came a dry road. So calling in sick, and off I went to enjoy the R8. Enjoy it I did, as the car is absolutely infectiously addictive to drive. Massive quantities of grip, staggering  braking abilities and a good bit of power is what you would expect from such a car. However the easy of which it drives was something I was not expecting. The predictability and ease of the R8’s handling abilities are phenomenal. It never gives you the feeling that you will loose control, and when the tires do start to loose contact with the ground, it is so easily controllable it should almost be illegal. It feels as though the car was designed to be just as comfortable sideways as it is driving straight. It all makes for an enormously enjoying yet intoxicating drive.

 

Then there is the sound. A prerequisite of all supercars is that they must emit a spine chilling sound that is permanently engraved in the mind of anyone who hears it. When the fast foot hits the floor in the R8 the 4.2L barks out a roar of magnificence that will make anyone jump within a 300-meter radius. It is a sound that strikes the fear of death into hearts of all who hear. I’ve never had a car that actually made a grown man scream like a child as I passed by with the tach reaching for the red and back-end steeping out of line.

 

So the end is near, its time to give the R8 back. This is the time when my emotions say the most about the car I’ve just driven. Some keys you can throw back with no problems. Some hurt you a little inside. Then there are a select few that just simply hurt to give up. Giving them up is like saying good bye to a good friend you know you may not ever see again, leaving that empty feeling in your stomach. Cheesy I know, but there is a car that can do that as well, and the R8 did. That’s when you know when a manufacturer has built something special.