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Entry-Level Audi R8 Said to Offer 2.9-Liter Twin-Turbo V6 with 450 HP

A turbocharged Audi R8 will never happen, some company officials say. Meanwhile, others tell us that it will hit dealerships pretty soon due to demand for downsizing coming from China. So who are we to believe?
2016 Audi R8 1 photo
Photo: Audi
Well, Car Magazine is in the former camp, saying that the entry-level R8 will arrive several years from now with a turbocharged engine.

According to them, the mill is a 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 pushing around 450 hp, a bit more than the outgoing V8 model.

Considering quattro GmbH originally launched the R8 with a V8, not the V10 we have today, an entry-level model would make sense. With prices starting at €165,000, the Audi sportscar is not exactly cheap, and things can only get worse when you look into the options list.

The naturally aspirated solution is always going to be preferable on a car designed for the track. When you find yourself midway through a corner at over 100 miles per hour, linear power delivery is needed, not turbo boost.

Unfortunately, sportscars are as much about the status symbol as they are about track use, if not more. The whole industry is headed in a turbocharged direction, with the entire McLaren model range and new Ferrari 458 being noteworthy examples.

We want to believe this report!

The 2.9-liter displacement sounds a little weird, almost like they took a Maserati engine. However, this report does tie in with earlier ones from German media that say the RS4 will have a 2.9-liter twin-turbo.

Remember that the mid-mounted 4.2 FSI from the old R8 was pulled from its sedan cousin. With that kind of power and a new 7-speed twin-clutch gearbox, the German sportscar should reach 100 km/h in around 4 seconds. It's not that impressive, but Audi desperately needs a competitor for the Porsche 911 Carrera S and GTS.

Still, considering that no prototypes have yet been spotted, we don't expect to see the R8 V6 sooner than 2017. Will there also be a manual involved? Who knows!
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
Mihnea Radu profile photo

Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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