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When we saw the first Audi A4, the 1996 model, it was clear that Audi had not only retreated from the abyss but had shouldered its way to the top of the mountain. It was a sparkling jewel of German engineering, and a paragon of style eventually revealed to be just the beginning of an Audi parade of gorgeous shapes and haute couture interiors. We rewarded its brilliance by naming it a 1996 Automobile Magazine All-Star.But we didn’t say, “Don’t ever change.”

Thank heaven it finally has. For some, the change from the current A4 to this more wedge-shaped 2005 model hasn’t been enough, keeping as it does the same basic platform, the same upper structure above the windowsills, and, in the case of the S4, almost everything under the skin. (Not that anyone here is complaining about the explosive 339-hp S4.)

For others, the remodel is a little too extensive, especially when it comes to the controversial, massive grille. It’s hard to miss that chrome snout barreling toward you. In fact, not a single hot-blooded young male on the mean streets of Palermo failed to stare and point as we passed. The A4’s going-away presence is equally buzz-worthy, with jigsaw-puzzle-piece taillamps taken from the Nuvolari concept.

The A4’s interior (with optional wood trim) is more traditional, so form-fitting it looks as if it were blown in. Audi’s superior radio-navigation system is a snap to decipher with no drama and no owner’s manual help, the way it should be. Each major function has its own push button, fine-tuned by a rotary knob surrounded by four buttons, each with a single task related to the chosen function. A six-disc CD changer is standard, as is a multifunction steering wheel, a center console with an extra power outlet, and cup holders redesigned so as not to spill coffee on the radio. OnStar is out of the picture due to lack of interest, but you can choose either Sirius or the twice-as-popular XM Satellite Radio.

We get the best new FSI (fuel straight injection) gasoline engines from a palette of no fewer than ten-five gasoline and five diesel-A4 engine options in Europe. The base engine is a 2.0-liter turbocharged in-line four making 197 hp, a fat bump from the current base A4’s 170 hp. Torque also jumps, from 166 lb-ft to an estimated 207. Sixteen-inch wheels are standard. The front-wheel-drive model comes with a new six-speed manual transmission, or you can choose a CVT. In Quattro form (the choice of 85 percent of U.S. A4 buyers), a new six-speed manu-matic is available in place of the manual.

That manu-matic is the sole transmission if you choose the very fine, 252-hp 3.2-liter FSI V-6 (up 35 hp and only available with Quattro). The V-6 is fitted with seventeen-inch wheels. That would be our choice. It might even be our choice over the S4 Quattro’s 339-hp V-8, if only because the day-to-day ride quality is so much less jarring than the slam-bang-pow ride offered by the tightly wound S4 boy racer. All three engines put the A4 back in the game.

Both the S4 and the A6 have contributed to the revised A4 suspension. Front upper and lower links are carryover, but upper bushings are S4-sourced, and lower bushings come from the A6. Dampers are carryover but newly tuned. The rear uses the S4’s trapezoidal links and antiroll bar, while the dampers have the same dimensions as those of the A6 but are specifically tuned for the A4. Brakes have an automatic “squeegee” feature that is cued by the use of the windshield wipers.

Those who are unhappy with the changes to the A4 still have time to act. The new cars don’t arrive until March (A4 sedan and Avant wagon), April (S4 sedan and wagon), and fall of ‘05 (S-line version of the A4, with performance suspension and design mods). As for us, we’re happy to see change, even to one we love.

It was September 2003 at the Frankfurt International Motor Show and Audi’s boss Martin Winterkorn stood in the evening air and did his best fanfare introduction of the eagerly anticipated Le Mans Quattro show car. We all knew what it would look like, but we wanted to see it in movement and sound. Audi racer Emanuele Pirro dutifully sped the concept car onto the stage.

At that time, there was skepticism in the air regarding the entire project. As far as we could see, it was a nonstarter since it stepped squarely on the toes of Lamborghini’s Gallardo and this was a counterproductive way of fulfilling the enduring wish for a super sports car from Ingolstadt. At the heart of the risk of this proposition was the concept’s spec sheet that told of a twin-turbo version of the Gallardo V-10 engine producing a whopping 610 horsepower. What was the point of trumping the then-500-horsepower Gallardo (oft criticized as “just an Audi” anyway) with a Gallardo-based Audi? Lamborghinis need gratuitous power numbers for their image within the Volkswagen Group family, but not Audis—at least not yet.

Such feedback convinced Audi and the VW board to rethink the entire project. While the unique presence of the car in question has altered little, both the name and the powertrain, thank goodness, have. The R8, borrowing the name of Audi’s Le Mans 24 Hour dominator, at launch has a much simpler and more refined 420-horsepower naturally aspirated direct-injection V-8. Oh, that we could have been flies on the wall at those meetings in which the V-8 verdict was at last rendered. Regardless of who had to browbeat whom between autumn 2003 and today, the R8 is much the better for it.

Though the R8 driver cockpit looks uncluttered, the technology onboard is just as multi-layered as we’ve come to expect from our German friends. At our first start-up and short drive near Henderson, Nevada, we felt the R8 ride and steering were practically sedan-like. One press of the sport button this side of the R tronic shifter, a poke at the Audi Magneride damper button, and a four-second push of the ESP’s off button, and the greater part of that mild-mannered masquerade vanishes. Wiping through hot curves with total control, you’re slaloming as if in a slot car, the shifts and throttle response get snappy, and the ride can thump you like a surfboard down a flight of shag-carpeted stairs.

We had one entire perfect winter’s day in the high desert and at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and our assessment of the R8 quickly evolved from some of the skepticism left over from 2003 to the realization that this is at long last the Audi we’ve been whining for but never getting for so long. Not all Audi passenger cars need to do what the R8 can do, but we’d appreciate much lighter, nimbler, and more responsive S and RS versions of the entire lineup. Just the fact that the R8’s 4.2-liter V-8 was first dropped into the RS4 makes it clear Audi can work these miracles with the tools at hand.

Cruising along all of the gently winding desert two-lanes is so easy and smooth in this new halo car that it makes us question whether we would still sell our families for a Porsche 911 GT3. With all chassis and powertrain settings left in their default modes, the optional Audi Magneride dampers (supplied by Delphi and also used on the new TT and the recent Ferrari 599 GTB) prove themselves to be brilliant technology under all road conditions, and superior for the R8 customer versus the stiffer Porsche Active Suspension Management on the new GT3. But Audi does Audi and Porsche does Porsche, all right?

Early on, we took a side trip to Bowling Green, Kentucky. But what exactly does a beautiful, roaring all-American Z06 have to do with this story about a tight little German high-tech ride? At first glance, not too much, apart from the universal thrill of speed and driving enlightenment. But at the core of the R8 business case is a long-held desire on Audi’s part for a car that resonates with its specific breed of passionate drivers the way a 911 or a Corvette does with its drivers. Our good pal, and Nevada’s greatest Corvette fan, Don Ford, drove his polished Z06 over to meet us by Callville Bay on Lake Mead.

Though Ford may not be your typical slam-dunk customer for an R8, by the end of our time together, weighing the various qualities of both cars on open road or while just sitting pretty under the bright sun, he was all thumbs-up for the Ingolstadt special. Like all of us, he said (several times), “Sure is a beautiful thing.” Then, while riding shotgun with us in the R8 for a few long heated stretches of curves, Ford again took the words right out of our mouths. Things like, “This is goood.” And, “It’s so smooth all the time.” Or, “You could do 150 through here in this, easy.” So, it looks like the R8 has the basics to submit its application for icon status, but that’s just the first step of many.

Back on the main route, the all-aluminum V-8 engine revs quickly in first through third gear up to 8250 rpm, while it takes longer between fourth and sixth, where it is limited to 8000 rpm. Whereas peak torque for the engine as used in the RS4 comes at 5500 rpm, the R8 can offer the same 317 pound-feet steadily between 4500 and 6000 rpm. In addition, equipped with the optional R tronic manu-matic gearbox, the R8 weighs an estimated 3450 pounds, while the RS4 sedan with six-speed manual dents the scale at a reported 3638 pounds.

By using a dry sump scheme for lubricating the engine (versus wet sump), the efficiently packaged V-8 behind your back can sit about 2.5 inches lower than it would otherwise. This is to say Audi has done its first-ever mid-engine road car correctly and created a very low center of gravity. With the engine also well in front of the rear axle, the balance of the drive is extraordinary with a 44/56 percent fore/aft weight split. As conditions the whole day were ideal, we switched off the ESP system and engaged the sport button (for quicker shifts and throttle) whenever the engine was running. There was never any moment of panic or even uncertainty, no matter how far we tested our skills.

Though the manual six-speed shifter comes highly recommended (the Graziano gearbox is shared with the Gallardo), we would opt for the R tronic system with sequential shifter on the console and paddles on the steering wheel (called e-gear at Lamborghini). The clicks of the paddles require infinitesimal movements and we got very cozy with that right away. This transmission setup will add around $7000 to the R8’s base price of around $110,000, but it’s good work and is more in keeping with the Audi image. R tronic will come on 85 percent of R8s to start, that percentage lowering gradually to 70 percent globally as deliveries build up steam. In either shifting style, estimated acceleration time to 60 miles per hour is 4.5 seconds, though we’re certain that formal testing will reveal a quicker number. The R8 is also the first twenty-first-century Audi to have no speed limiter and top speed is unencumbered to 187 mph.

At Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Audi set us loose for many laps through the infield course. Collecting a minimum of innocent fluorescent cones while learning the dynamics of the R8, within ten minutes we were diving into every tight circuit feature with abandon. The R8 is lower to the ground, wider, and shorter in length than any 911, and its skimmed weight, low center of gravity, mid-rear engine, Audi Space Frame structural rigidity, and the 15/85 percent torque split for this version of Quattro all make it a four-wheeled funhouse to at least equal the reflexes of either the aforementioned 911 GT3 or the Ferrari F430. The 104.3-inch wheelbase is a full 11.6 inches longer than that on the 911. With no engine blocking the steering rack, too, the turning circle for the R8 is good at 38.7 feet, making maneuverability in tight spots almost bearable.

That 15/85 split is a key to the brilliant rear-wheel-driving feel of this Audi versus all other Audis. Maximum redistribution of torque is 30/70 percent and we can finally carve out all manner of controlled oversteer lines with these numbers. It turns into a flowing, throttle- and steering-based dance. Instead of the standard eighteen-inch alloys, our tester wore optional nineteen-inch wheels with more aggressive Pirelli PZero tires, this naturally helping out a lot during track fun and games. We spent most of our time with the standard steel brake set and it worked well, though an estimated $8000 can get you some big ceramic discs that definitely stop you faster and never show any fade while also peeling thirty-five pounds off the weight of the car.

The Torsen differential used on other Audi Quattros, including the Le Mans Quattro concept car, changes here to a lighter weight and quicker-acting viscous coupling as originally used on the Gallardo. This was necessary because the usual Torsen diff finds it hard to wrangle such fast-revving torque.

Though the standard seating offers great support, you can request performance bucket seats with a more wraparound feeling at the hips and shoulders. The driver’s spot is designed with surround continuity that blends the console, binnacle, and door armrest into one embracing framework, and this can be ordered in standard stitched leather, carbon sigma, or piano black finish. The driver’s door handle is ingenious in its design as it notably eases exit from the cockpit.

The cockpit itself is impressively spacious due to the long wheelbase, wide tracks, and seventy-five-inch overall width. Two people can sit very comfortably in here for long distances, and along with the 3.5 cubic feet of front luggage space, two medium-sized golf bags can fit stacked in the additional 3.2 cubic feet of space between the seatbacks and the rear bulkhead. At all speeds and in all gears, the isolation from engine, road, and wind noise in the cabin is better than the sports car average.

Exterior design for the R8, led by Walter de’Silva, is almost exactly as we saw in the Le Mans Quattro. In an idea lifted from the Smart ForTwo playbook, the two lateral side panels behind the doors can be switched out to different colors if you so desire. The operation is part of the Audi Exclusive personalization program, and it takes a qualified dealer around one hour to swap out each side. The other significant option on the outside is the space age-looking set of LED headlights that really set the car apart from any rental fleet and will be available by the end of this year. There’s also a set of LEDs that can illuminate the rear engine compartment if you want the bells-and-whistles treatment.

Audi builds the R8 at its center for aluminum expertise in Neckarsulm with the Quattro division taking the construction lead. The plan is to complete up to twenty R8s per day. Deliveries in North America start by early September after European markets start getting their cars in June. Of the handful of cars per year, around half are slated for the United States.

Future plans to expand the R8 legend include an R8 spyder to be unveiled in 2008, an RS 8 that uses the Gallardo’s 520-horsepower V-10 in early 2009, and there’s even much talk of returning to that bi-turbo V-10 good for 610 horses later in 2009. All by itself, this future product is fantastic news and is great for the Audi brand. But where will that leave Lamborghini and its elevated prices? And with Porsche owning 30 percent of the Volkswagen Group—and hinting at absorbing more and more—how will the hard 911-versus-R8-versus-Gallardo challenge play out?

We personally don’t give a damn how it plays out for the companies, just so long as we get to play with their cars.

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The A8 is Audi’s largest, most sophisticated sedan: Comfortable, fast and very smooth. Yet those qualities are the baseline for full-size cars in this price range. The A8 is the newest of Germany’s Big Three luxury sedansMercedesBMW’s
A8’s redesign a year ago was thorough. Its wheelbase was stretched to provide even more room and comfort for rear-seat passengers, which can be crucial in this type of executive-class transportbonds
The 2005 A8 4.2 models are powered by a 330-horsepower 4.2-liter four-cam V8 with Audi’s five-valve-per-cylinder technology. A six-speed automatic transmission
The A8 L 6.0 offers three options: a 20-inch wheel/performance tire package, upgraded from standard 19-inch wheels and not offered by BMW or Mercedes; radar-managed Adaptive Cruise Control, which maintains a prescribed distance to traffic ahead; and a rear-seat entertainment package with DVD player and two LCD screens in the back of the front headrests. The rear center console can be deleted in favor of a three-place bench seat.

2005 Audi A8 Road Test

Consumer Guide’s® seasoned auto editors road test more than 200 new cars and trucks each year. We evaluate each vehicle’s on-road performance in ten critical areas: acceleration, fuel economy, ride quality, handling, quietness, interior controls, front-seat room, rear-seat room, cargo volume, and overall value. The Consumer Guide® 2005 Audi A8 road test gives you a quick snapshot of the vehicle’s performance with pros, cons, and numeric ratings. Also included on select reviews are Editor’s Comments and Long-Term Tests.

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