Leaner And Meaner 2019 Audi R8 Is Here

Just when you thought Audi’s fastest road car ever couldn’t get any better, the new 2019 R8 has arrived with an edgier design, updated suspension setup and an amped up motor. The new updates will be available on both the Spyder and the Coupe versions in the first quarter of 2019 in Europe, with a likely launch in India soon after.

Borrowing design cues from its race-specced LMS GT3 and LMS GT4 siblings, the new R8 is all about an aggressive road presence and enhanced focus on drivability. Now the R8 is already a great handling supercar with its low centre of gravity and mid-engine setup, but the engineers back at Ingolstadt seem to have taken it up another notch on the 2019 model.

Audi claims that modifications to the suspension setup of the new R8 provide even more stability and precision, with much better feedback and steering response as well. Addition of new sensors onboard equip the R8 with terrain-specific modes to tackle dry, wet and snowy surfaces as well.

Audi has also enhanced the ESC program on the new R8, which now allegedly allows the top-of-the-line model to come to a stop from 100 kmph to a standstill almost 1.5 metres (or 4.9 ft) earlier; the stopping distance from 200 kmph is up to 5 metres (or 16.4 ft) shorter – in each case depending on the exterior conditions.

The sharper handling on the new R8 is matched by an equally potent mix of sleek lines and a wider front grille, accompanied by all new air inlets positioned right under the bonnet, that give the R8 an angrier front facia.

New R8 customers can also choose from up to three exterior packages, depending on the engine variant; these packages add various highlights to the front splitter, the side trims and the diffuser. Additionally, you could also customise the Audi rings and badges on the exterior with different paint options.

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Under the hood, Audi claims to have beefed up the new R8 but hasn’t released any info on the specific power output figures. What is for certain, though, is that the 2019 R8 will still continue to be powered by the naturally aspirated V10, (one of the last of a dying breed). The current gen R8 makes 532PS under the basic V10 guise, while the power is bumped up to 610PS in the V10 Plus version.

Overall, the 2019 R8 gets only minor tweaks on the design and engine fronts, but it does look like a more aggressive transformation over its predecessor. Now, only once Audi releases the power figures for the car would we have a fair understanding of how it fares against its competition from the Lamborghini Huracan, Nissan GTR, Porsche 911 GT3 and the Mercedes AMG GTS -- all of which, like the R8, carry sticker prices of well above Rs 2 crore.

So, what do you think of the transformed R8? Do let us know in the comments and keep watching this space for more details on the 2019 Audi R8.