Audi RS range drag race: Is the R8 really the fastest Audi you can buy?
Audi’s top-of-the-range RS performance models have developed a reputation as rocketships that can trounce almost anything away from a set of traffic lights. Thanks to the firm’s quattro all-wheel-drive system and monstrously powerful engines.
The current range of very-very-fast Audi models stretches all the way from the £39,000 RS3 hatchback, past the roomy £79,000 RS6 estate up to the range-topping £135,000 R8 two-seat supercar.
Race 1: RS2 vs S1
To say Audi is precious about this particularly gorgeous RS2 is a bit like saying bears occasionally defecate in forests so, once its fluids were warmed up, we merely submitted it to a rolling-start quarter-mile drag race – giving the RS2’s original clutch an easy a time as possible. We also started the race with the RS2 at about 3,500rpm in first gear, so the turbo was already spooled up ready to fire it down the runway.
On paper, the RS2 should have won – a claimed 311hp and reputation for beating its contemporaries made it the hot favourite. In reality, the S1 stormed off the line – its 230hp 2.0-litre, four-cylinder engine outpunched the RS2’s venerable 311hp, 2.2-litre five-cylinder turbocharged unit. You can thank improvements in turbocharging technology for the S1’s superior acceleration lower in the rev range. The RS2’s 1,600kg weight also held it back against the relatively flyweight 1,300kg S1.
In the end, the S1 took the win by about two car lengths so, yes, Audi’s 2016 entry-level performance car is faster than 1994’s hottest offering. Time to send the aged RS2 back to its hangar and ramp things up with some more modern metal.
Race 2: S1 vs RS3 Sportback vs RS6 Performance vs R8 V10 Plus
This was the big one. Despite Audi’s clearly defined model hierarchy, there were a few surprises here – we expected the 360hp RS3 with its weight advantage to keep the RS6 in sight for at least the first stage of the quarter-mile race but, in reality, the S1 was its closest rival, keeping almost level with the RS3 until two-thirds of the way down the drag strip.
The other big shock was the close finish between the 610hp RS6 Performance and the R8, which packs roughly the same power as the RS6, albeit without the estate car’s two turbochargers and far less weight. The RS6 was quicker off the line thanks to its simple torque converter auto gearbox – the R8’s dual-clutch system has a launch control function but, until you balance the brake pedal perfectly, it bogs down for a split-second on launch – enough time to let the RS6 get the upper hand and pull out a couple of car-lengths.
Once we’d learnt the idiosyncrasies of the R8’s launch control system, the supercar just romped off down the runway, its lightweight construction helping it fly through the quarter mile while the RS6 sledgehammered its way through the air around a second behind. Third place went to the RS3 narrowly ahead of the S1.
The lesson here is that, if you’ve spent £135,000 on your Audi R8 supercar, you only enjoy a slight straight-line advantage over someone in an RS6 Performance – and they’ll be able to terrify the entire family and dog at the same time. Given a long enough runway, the R8 would go on to more than 200mph, whereas the RS6 would hit its limiter between 155 and 190mph, depending on whether you’ve bought the optional – and pricey – speed limiter increase from Audi.
Audi you like that?
Unsurprisingly, the overall winner of the day was the R8. Its exotic lightweight chassis, vocal high-revving V10 engine and all-wheel drive propel it well north of 120mph over the quarter mile. It’ll comfortably do it over and over again, and you’ll never tire of its V10 howl in the process.
In fact, we launched each car more than a dozen times on a very hot day and we didn’t hear a whimper of complaint from a clutch, gearbox or engine. Even the ‘baby’ RS3 is capable of such strident off-the-line acceleration that you’re left feeling a little queasy if you’re not prepared for the violence of the launch.
In conclusion, what we proved is that Audi’s fastest four-wheel-drive cars are, indeed, very fast, and you don’t have to spend six-figures to get truly stomach-troubling acceleration. But, if you can afford the R8, you should buy one immediately.
VIDEO
(race 2 start at 6:34)
Video by : carwow via youtube
Car information by : carwow.com