The Audi R8 RWS: A New Era in Rear-Wheel Drive Supercars

Audi has always been known for its innovative approach to car design and engineering, and their latest creation, the R8 RWS, is no exception. This new model marks a significant departure from the traditional all-wheel drive system that has characterized Audi's supercars for years. Instead, the R8 RWS is powered by a rear-wheel drive configuration, which promises to deliver a more agile and responsive driving experience.

The R8 RWS is not just a novelty, but a fully-fledged supercar that boasts impressive performance figures. With its 500 horsepower engine, it can accelerate from 0-60mph in just 3.2 seconds, making it one of the quickest cars in its class. The car's top speed is electronically limited to 186mph, and it features a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission that provides seamless shifting and rapid acceleration.

One of the key advantages of the R8 RWS is its adjustability. Without the constraints of an all-wheel drive system, the driver can more easily tailor the car's behavior to suit their driving style. The lack of front drive shafts, prop shaft, and center diff means that the car now responds solely to the driver's inputs through the steering wheel and the rear wheels.

This adjustability is particularly noticeable on the road, where the R8 RWS handles with remarkable precision and agility. The car's suspension is tuned to provide a comfortable ride, but it also has a firmer edge, which allows it to grip the road tightly and deliver rapid acceleration. On twisty roads, the R8 RWS is a joy to drive, its handling and response making it feel like a highly specialized track-day car.

Despite its impressive performance figures, the R8 RWS is not just about speed; it's also a beautiful and luxurious car that offers an exceptional driving experience. The cabin is spacious and well-appointed, with premium materials and a range of advanced technologies on offer. The dashboard is beautifully designed, with a minimalist aesthetic that emphasizes the car's sporty nature.

In contrast to its predecessor, which was criticized for its lack of adjustability, the R8 RWS has been designed from the ground up to provide a more dynamic driving experience. The driver can easily customize the car's behavior using a range of settings and adjustments, which can be accessed through the car's menu system.

One of the standout features of the R8 RWS is its engine. While some might find it less impressive than the V10 found in other Audi supercars, this six-cylinder unit still delivers a thrilling driving experience. The engine's redline is 9,000rpm, and it sounds suitably raucous as you approach the limit.

In comparison to the Porsche 911 GT3, which has become the benchmark for rear-wheel drive supercars, the R8 RWS has some advantages of its own. For example, while the GT3 has a more aggressive stance and a harder edge, the R8 RWS is adjusted to provide a softer ride that still delivers rapid acceleration.

Ultimately, whether or not the R8 RWS is better than the 911 GT3 depends on your personal preferences. Both cars are exceptional in their own right, but they offer different driving experiences. The R8 RWS has a more relaxed and adjustable nature, while the GT3 is harder and more focused.

If we were to put these two cars through their paces on a track like Goodwood, it's likely that the 911 GT3 would emerge victorious. However, this was not the case in our test, where the R8 RWS delivered an impressive performance on the road. On damp roads, which often favor the rear-wheel drive configuration, the R8 RWS excelled, delivering a more comfortable and adjustable driving experience.

While some might find it less exciting than the 911 GT3's raw power and aggression, the R8 RWS has its own unique charm and character. It's a car that's designed to deliver a smooth and responsive driving experience, rather than just raw acceleration. And on our test route, where the roads were damp and twisty, it proved itself to be an exceptional handler.

In conclusion, the Audi R8 RWS is a remarkable supercar that offers a unique blend of performance, adjustability, and luxury. It's a car that's designed for the modern driver, who values comfort, precision, and responsiveness above all else. Whether or not it's better than other rear-wheel drive supercars like the 911 GT3 will depend on your personal preferences, but one thing is certain: the R8 RWS is an exceptional driving machine.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthis is the new audi r8 rws v10 rws stands for rear wheel series which means you can now order your r8 in rear wheel drive it's available as both a coupe you see here and a convertible and audi say they'll only ever make 999 of them prices start at about 110 000 pounds which makes this the cheapest audi r8 you can buy now think about that for a second can you imagine porch releasing a limited series car that's lighter and more driver focused and then charging less money for it murray that's all well and good but come on is that car as good as a 911 gt3 let's go for a drive and find out try and keep up why am i so happy to be sitting in a rear-wheel drive audi r8 on this damp cold day well to start with it's 50 kilograms lighter than the four wheel drive car because it doesn't have the front drive shafts it doesn't have the prop shaft and it doesn't have the center diff performance is pretty much unaffected not to 63.7 seconds top speed still 198 miles an hour and all of a sudden some magic's been injected back into this car now while the italian stallion tells you all about that r8 rws it's my job to tell you about this 911 gt3 except you've probably heard about this car a thousand times already you know all about the performance you know all about how brilliant the steering is how good the handling is you know all about the engine and all about the amazing soundtrack although let's just have a quick refresher 9000 rpm yeah it's a spectacular engine but i want to tell you something about this car that maybe you haven't heard before i want to talk about the damping okay you've probably heard that the damping is spectacular in this car but i want to describe it in a bit more detail because for me more than the engine in these gt porsches more than the performance more than the steering or anything else it's the quality of the damping that really makes these cars stand out basically when audi launched the first r8 back in 2007 they sent absolute shock waves through the supercar elite out of nowhere there was a four-wheel drive mid-engine car from the might of audi and it was absolutely fantastic a couple of years later they face lifted the car and somehow they turned it down a bit it lost some of that original cars magic now i'm happy to report that magic is mostly back the really important question is can you actually tell this car is now rear-wheel drive well yes you absolutely can unless you're just sort of poodling in traffic when you know you probably couldn't tell that you have one with four-wheel drive you can immediately tell that this is rear-wheel drive there's now a balance of the car that you didn't have on the four-wheel drive car it's 50 kilograms lighter and that 50 kilograms is immediately felt the car changes direction much more keenly there's a lightness to the steering that wasn't there before you might not have driven a 911 gt3 before but if you've ever slammed shut a soft closed kitchen cupboard door you know what the damping feels like you know what that's like when you slam that cupboard door and you expect it to crash loudly but it doesn't it shuts quickly and sharply but softly we've got lots of spring rate there's not much wheel travel so you expect it to crash like that cupboard door but it never does it absorbs all of the impact it absorbs the shape of the road but it does so brilliantly so it never runs out of travel and skips it never scrapes its belly into the tarmac and it feels beautifully controlled it really is an amazing sensation and you just don't really feel it in many other cars it's so rare it really is an incredible achievement all of a sudden there's a delicacy back into the chassis of this car pick up the power too quickly and the back will step out it moves around a lot as well it's really really exciting it's damp here and that was full throttle there esp completely dealing with the situation dynamically it's absolutely fantastic brakes fantastic love the sound that engine v10 5.2 liters i love the noise this thing makes the only thing that slightly left is because it now hasn't got those front drive shafts putting some sort of momentum into the front wheels some of the steering feel has gone from a mark ii car and then as you know the rest of the car is basically just as good it's e-pass but the steering is beautifully weighted so precise really sharp it's even got feedback the gearbox is sensationally quick the engine yeah we know that this engine is out of this world he thinks it's maybe a bit too noisy i think he's being a bit soft how can you have any issues with that you just sense the front on the steering at the limit on these damp in these damp conditions gearbox works absolutely fantastically not convinced by the actual paddles themselves they feel like they could do with uh just something a bit more substantial they just need kind of poor excuses they're plastic whereas in dan's gt3 he's got some quite nice aluminium oversized paddles i think this car could do with some of those everything else in this cabin is absolutely spot on it feels absolutely beautiful dan's in the gt3 but this is a nicer place to spend time the ride is absolutely fantastic it rides nicer than gt3 it might not be quite as aggressive but come on this is definitely the better compromise grip body control agility precision just everything about this car is next level all of which means i do not envy any other manufacturer who tries to get involved in this sector of the market this 110 000 pound 500 horsepower sports car market because how do you compete with one of these cars and you know what to be fair to it to be fair to audi it's not really trying to be a 911 gt3 is it it's not as hardcore it's not as single-minded it's not as focused as a 911 gt3 you can tell that by looking at the tyres that it's on and look at the tires that this gt3 is on these are michelin pilot sport cup twos running p zero so it's not on the silly sports tires that dan's got i think dan's probably got some cup twos on his car and it'll be understeering everywhere all of a sudden i've got an adjustability back into this car that i didn't have in the four-wheel drive car the lack of front drive shafts the lack of prop shaft and a lack of center diff means that this car now does everything i want it to do i no longer have to second guess what the four wheel drive system is going to do if the car starts to sense a lack of grip all of my inputs go to the steering through my hands and to the rear wheels through my feet there is still something about that r8 isn't there its engine is even in comparison to this 911 gt3 engine its motor is spectacular the gearbox is incredible it looks great it's got a good cabin and then you've got all the theater and all the drama of a mid-engine car with a v10 probably the most likable r8 they've ever done all things considered and yet it's still known 911 gt3 dan you have brought a track day special to a road test fair enough and you know we're about three or four miles where we are now from goodwood circuit yeah and i think if we were out on track today in these two cars i think there'd be an ocean between them i think this gt3 would walk it dan if i had longer legs i'd be taller we are not on track we are on a road and that is why this today is the winner of this test it's not on silly tires it's on p0's admittedly bespoke to this car it's slightly softer so it hasn't been affected by the cold weather and the damp i think this is the better car today on these roads i think that r8 is a wonderful car actually it's it's my favorite r8 best audi r8 they've ever got correct to be fair to audi they're not trying to build the car as focused as this year but the the payoff is that it's just not quite the raw involving exciting driving experience that you get from this car what are you taking i'm gonna stick with the the hardcore one i'm staying in the gt3 do you not feel slightly short-changed by your six-cylinder engine compared to my my massive v10 okay i'm looking at something just here it says nine what's your red line uh eight and a half and nine thousand is more therefore it's a better engine i i do you know i've said it before i actually think that engine sounds a bit harsh over that last 1000 rpm i almost think it's there just for the sake of it being there i kind of get what you're saying but i think overall it's it's a mighty engine yes it's got a rawness and an edge to it that i love that v10 but it doesn't feel as serrated as sharp yeah you know you're right it is a sharper car all over but i'm going to stick to my guns i'm going to say that on this damp day today i think this is the better car because we're not at goodwood we're close but we're not there and i actually think today on this road this is a nice car did i just say blue doesn't suit you okay my mum also blew my blue eyes\n"