It has just been two hours since we left the expressway and Lonavala behind. But it feels like it has been ages. Deep in a by-lane on the way to Amby Valley, we’ve perched our ride for the day, an Audi R8 V10 Plus, next to an old, abandoned, run down structure of sorts. Me and Prathik haven’t spoken for the last hour or so, cuz we’ve been gorging at the beautiful sun that’s setting before us. It’s a magical place, this one. And it only gets better with time, cuz once the sun sets, the stars come out of hiding to light up the entire sky in a moment of zen!

Talking about ageing well, the Audi that we’re driving here is the latest and greatest R8 ever made for the road. It’s powered by a 5.2L naturally aspirated V10 engine, churning out close to 550bhp. Those are some big numbers! But at this point of time, none of that matters. The sun has just set and we’re seeing a part of the milky-way unwind before us. This place is barren, dark, and eerily creepy cuz of that ruin I was talking about, but the presence of the stars in the night sky make it feel almost friendly. Just like the R8. It really is a friendly supercar. Yes, it has got a massive engine right behind the driver, but it’s only intimidating when you push it hard. Else, it’s just happy idling around the city at 40 kmph in fifth gear.

There’s lots of carbon fibre on display on the outside. The mirror housings for instance, as well as the front splitter. Audi’s done a wonderful job of giving it an aggressive yet balanced stance. Lets just put it this way, you’d look as much at home with this car when wearing a pair of shorts as you would when wearing a business suit.

The getting in and out part is a bit tricky. It’s not rocket science exactly, but the car is pretty low. So it can be a chore at times. Once you’re in, you’re surrounded by a classic Audi black interior. I’ve got a thing for how Audi designs its car’s interiors. The quality of the plastics is absolutely brilliant. Every surface feels soft to the touch, but rock solid at the same time. It just feels as though a lot of thought has gone into the material selection. And that’s always a good feeling when you’re buying a product this expensive. I was however disappointed by the interior as a whole. Granted it has been 10 years since Audi released the R8, but improvements can always be made to equipment such as the entertainment system (Audi MMI) as well as the layout of the buttons. The screen is woefully inadequate, and is a complete waste of centre console real estate. During my two days with the car, I hardly used it at all. What was also baffling was the lack of in car bluetooth. If you’re touting this to be an everyday sports car, these things matter.

All of those gripes amount to nothing when you put the key into the fob and start the car. You’re made aware of that monstrous engine at the back as it lets out a slightly muted growl and then settles down into a soft purr. On the way back from Amby Valley, I pushed the car to its limit, and there were two things that I was truly impressed with. The first is the level of grip on offer. Audi’s Quattro system works full time in the R8, inspiring tonnes of confidence and allowing you to go much faster around the corners. The other thing that I absolutely loved about the car was the engine. It’s schizophrenic. It’s calm and collected in the city, but it’ll blow your head off and push your eyes into the corner of their sockets every time you step on the accelerator. It’s loud too, and while I’ve heard better soundtracks, it does sound pretty meaty.

The problem with the R8 is that virtually all of its strengths are also its weaknesses. The rear engine layout does give it much better balance, but it spoils the ride to an extent where I can’t imagine driving this car around on everyday basis on Mumbai roads. The docile supercar image it carries around makes it more approachable, but then you find out that the entertainment system is seriously flawed and that virtually all of the interior is 10 years old and not particularly ergonomic. It’s the same thing with the way it makes you feel too. A sports car or a supercar is an occasion, it’s meant to be an event. The R8, in this avatar, just isn’t!

There is a brand new R8 around the corner. It looks a lot like the current one. But it rids itself of the current car’s flaws. It’s more approachable then this car too. Audi had a choice to make with the R8’s successor. They could have either gone a lot more hardcore, or they could’ve gone towards a more usable car concept, and they chose the latter.

All said and done, the V10 Plus is still a good car. But I’d suggest you wait for the new one to arrive before you sign that cheque.