Can forgoing performance-enhancing technology such as an auto gearbox or four-wheel drive make for a more engaging car? The new manual Aston Martin Vantage and rear-drive Audi R8 hold the answer -
. This too comes with a weight saving of around 60kg, which, again, does not translate into a reduced 0-62mph time. In this instance it’s because the deleted parts that save this weight – the centre diff, driveshafts and front diff – are the parts that help the all-wheel-drive R8 put down all of its power off the line. Again, what we’re being sold is a car that’s not faster or more capable, but one that’s more engaging and rewarding.
unintuitive seven-speed SMG III automated manual, it might still have made the V10 M5 more appealing. First impressions of the manual? Boy, they don’t make liking this car easy. Given that it has a thundering, torque- rich V8, why does it need seven gears? And why is the gate ‘upside down’, with the odd gears – 1-3-5-7 – at the bottom ? Go to engage first out on the dog-leg and, oh dear, it feels like you’re articulating a leg attached to a chicken carcass. And the clutch seems short-travelled. First is a long gear too, so you will need to use it.
The R8 LMS is cited as the inspiration for the road-going, rear-drive R8 and that’s fair enough. As a bonus, the 533bhp R8 RWD is also the entry-level model, costing £114k, about £14k less than the basic 562bhp all-wheel-drive model. As well as body-colour sides, the RWD comes with gloss black, 19-inch forged wheels that look quite small in the arches, while inside, the uniformly grey trim is neat if a little plain.
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