A dying breed, the long-running Audi R8 is going to receive an electric successor in 2025. Expected to feature a Porsche-developed platform dubbed SSP Sport, the newcomer will certainly wow customers in a straight line. On the other hand, its aural qualities will not impress.
Initially offered with a free-breathing V8, the corner-carving midship then leveled up to a naturally-aspirated V10. The Ingolstadt-based automaker upgraded to a 5.2-liter unit, and that’s how the R8 continues to roll these days. The most performance-oriented variant is the V10 Performance, which cranks out 612 horsepower and 423 pound-foot (580 Nm). Most of that is channeled to all four wheels by a rear-biased quattro AWD system.
The pictured car, a UK-spec model with Mat Watson behind the steering wheel, tips the scales at 1,595 kilograms (3,516 pounds). The Lamborghini Huracan’s German sibling is much obliged to drag race against a four-door sedan twinned with the Porsche Taycan, and the first detail that makes a difference in a straight line is the curb weight of the RS e-tron GT. At just around 2,345 kilograms (5,170 pounds), it’s a rather heavy fellow indeed.
On the upside, it produces 637 horsepower and 612 pound-foot (830 Nm) of torque when you give it hell. It also flaunts a pretty clever drivetrain, which integrates a two-speed transmission out back instead of direct drive.
The reason Porsche – and subsequently Audi – opted for this design is rather simple. First gear is for launching the car, and second gear is there for longer legs at higher speeds. As for the best quarter-mile times posted by these immensely different machines, those would be 11.1 and 11.2 seconds in the EV’s favor. The R8 loses from a 50-kph (31-mph) roll as well, but from 80 kph (50 mph), the tables finally turn with a win for the R8. Not exactly surprising, the R8 also stops a little better than the much heavier e-sedan.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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