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Jim Russell Lancer Evolution Experience: Because Oversteer Kicks Ass
2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI: First Drive
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coupeZ600
11/09/09

In reply to Jim Russell Lancer Evolution Experience: Because Oversteer Kicks Ass
I've spent 25+ years as a tractor-trailer driver doing everything in my power to stop the rear (or any, for that matter) axle from breaking loose, so this would be a good thing for me. Feeling the ass-end come round is a horrible feeling and instinct almost always takes over and stops it, even when I'm in a car in the snow and know there's nothing to hit. And like jewce says below, cooking $500 worth of tires and not having the boss come out and fire you is almost worth another $500 in itself. I'm in.
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Edited by coupeZ600 at 11/09/09 4:54 PM coupeZ600 was starred coupeZ600 was unstarred

dal20402
11/09/09

@coupeZ600: I hear you. I spent quite awhile (although nowhere near 25 years) as a bus driver, most of it behind the wheel of 60-foot pusher artics. Feeling that huge engine block waggle that tail around on wet pavement was enough to swear me off oversteer forever... unless I'm on a skidpad with someone else's car. #mitsubishilancerevolution
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coupeZ600 promoted this comment dal20402 was starred dal20402 was unstarred

coupeZ600
11/10/09

@dal20402: One of the most nauseating experiences I've ever had while driving was feeling a big ten-wheel dump truck/snow-plow break loose at about 3mph in a total white-out. That's the crazy/fun/terrifying part of driving a highway plow-truck: the blade makes this totally flat and slick surface right in front of you, and the cinders/sand/salt that you're spreading only helps people behind you. You spend your whole shift working on one of the diciest surfaces possible, and when it comes loose it feels awful. Just the crown of the road had caused it, and after I was sure I was stopped, I just sat there several minutes until it eased up and I saw another plow coming at me. When I got up next to him, I realized it was the driver who had been right behind me, and I had spun a full 180 and was now going the other way. Scary.
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Edited by coupeZ600 at 11/10/09 1:16 AM coupeZ600 was starred coupeZ600 was unstarred

Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet
11/09/09

In reply to Jim Russell Lancer Evolution Experience: Because Oversteer Kicks Ass
Think they'll wise up at the dealer's, if I lace up my driving shoes before the test drive? #mitsubishilancerevolution
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Mobius
08/31/09

In reply to 2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI: First Drive
You can determine how sexy a car is by the amount of innuendo in its Jalopnik review.

And this review is as loaded as it gets.
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Mobius
08/31/09

In reply to 2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI: First Drive
"snick, snick, snick"

Dirty Audi trannies.
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engineerd
08/31/09

In reply to 2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI: First Drive
Does the FSI stand for Fuel Stratified Injection? Because it could just as easily stand for Funky Sex from Ingolstadt.
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Leeeeena a Jalopchick promoted this comment Edited by engineerd at 08/31/09 3:10 PM engineerd was starred engineerd was unstarred

Jbar430
08/31/09

In reply to 2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI: First Drive
So how long till it catches on fire?
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HoonThatFerrari promoted this comment Jbar430 was starred Jbar430 was unstarred

HoonThatFerrari
09/01/09

@Jbar430: It's not Italian, it won't catch on fire.
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Mobius
09/01/09

That's right, they are far less combustible than Gallardos and @Ferraris:

Although if someone sticks their shopping bag in there for real, it might be a different story.
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layabout
08/31/09

In reply to 2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI: First Drive
Yet the R8 still leaves me cold,the kind of car a hairdresser would buy if they won the lotto or for men that wear thongs. Please Audi ditch the tacky as hell LED lights. If you want a V10 Audi then the RS6 is still the one to have.
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Braff
08/31/09

@layabout: you are CRAZY about the LED lights... they look amazing out on the road, even in broad daylight.
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engineerd
08/31/09

@BrAff: Plus they're way better than being blinded by the usual DRLs that always seem to be too bright and aimed wrong.
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Al Navarro promoted this comment engineerd was starred engineerd was unstarred

Mobius
08/31/09

@layabout: I want one, and I'm not a hairdresser and... lemme check... no, I don't wear a thong.

And I have to give Audi credit for LED DRLs, they are heads and shoulders above ignorant high-beams from the Schumacher taxi coming towards you.
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domino
08/31/09

In reply to 2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI: First Drive
i'm in love. in black please!
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.357
08/31/09

@domino: I want mine in Deep Purple.
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Dr.Danger: ::You are awesome: promoted this comment .357 was starred .357 was unstarred

Dr. H. F. Danger
08/31/09

@.357: I would like one in My Driveway.
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RachelSklar
08/31/09

In reply to 2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI: First Drive
Gorgeous car. But will it last past 100,000 miles?
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Tyson
08/31/09

@RachelSklar: With legendary Audi reliability, how could it possibly fail to last 100,000 miles!?
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layabout promoted this comment Tyson was starred Tyson was unstarred

John Krewson
08/31/09

@RachelSklar: Oh, you! Seriously, though, it should... although service is a nightmare. If I recall correctly, they have to pull the engine out for major air-conditioning work. I'm sure our readers will correct me on this.
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layabout
08/31/09

@Tyson: Having worked for Audi i'll assume that was sarcasm
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RachelSklar
08/31/09

@John Krewson: All I'm sayin' is I have it on the highest car-thority that Audis are challenged past 100K miles. You know how those German engines are.
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layabout
08/31/09

@RachelSklar: "You know how those German engines are"

Please explain......
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Ben Wojdyla
08/31/09

@RachelSklar: Mine didn't start throwing fits till 125k, guess I'm "lucky."
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Braff
08/31/09

@RachelSklar: my wife's old A4 was a hunk of crap... so yes we know how those German's used to be... they seem to have gotten far better though since about 2001...
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HoonThatFerrari
08/31/09

@RachelSklar: Lemme guess... Phil Taylor, right?
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Mobius
08/31/09

@RachelSklar: Are you the same Rachel that didn't know anything about cars? :)
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Mobius was starred Mobius was unstarred

HoonThatFerrari
08/31/09

@Mobius: No, she's the same Rachel that realized that Ray linking her here got her about five-tuple the pageviews that her articles normally get... so the questions are:

1.) Is Rachel Sklar perhaps a true newly-converted Jalop? Or...

2.) Did she enjoy the challenge of the shredding she received here by some, along with subsequently defending herself, as opposed to the (I'm guessing) usual fangirl/fanboy/nothing but postive reinforcement-type comments on the sites she writes for?

3.) Is she just loving the newfound attention? Let's face it, her article on Mediaite got three comments... the thread on her linked article here on Jalopnik got 17,315 pageviews and 189 comments (as of my writing this), and it's still going.

4.) Is there a clause in her contracts that gets her an extra hundred bucks for every 10,000 pageviews her articles receive, and now she's all of a sudden posting on a half-dozen threads here, trying to cultivate her new-found Jalopcrowd? Hmmmm....?

Stay tuned... film at 11.
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Edited by HoonThatFerrari at 08/31/09 11:39 PM HoonThatFerrari was starred HoonThatFerrari was unstarred

brownie has no witty phrase to add
08/31/09

In reply to 2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI: First Drive
I seem to be alone in this feeling, but I'm still vaguely disappointed to see Audi offering the R8 with anything other than the (incredible) V8. I recall reading that when engineers designed the R8, they had their choice of Audi family engines and opted for the V8 over the V10, since (a) it is an amazing powerplant, and (b) it "felt" right for the car they were trying to build. Why give the car more than it needed? And sure enough, they went out and built a universally loved and unabashedly German supercar - understated everything, outstanding handling, polite road manners, all the power you could ever realistically need and not a bit more. It was a supercar that was destined to be revered by generations of car nuts while being completely underappreciated by your average supercar shopper in search of stats, status, and attention - a stunning engineering accomplishment and a sales disappointment. It was the heir to the NSX, in many ways.

I'm sure it's still a great car with the V10, probably even a better car in all the ways that matter in this market segment and many more. Audi will undoubtedly reach a whole world of buyers who don't care about the V8 R8, and of course Audi's goal is to make money, so good for them. I'll probably never own an R8 in any configuration, so what business is it of mine? Nonetheless, I wish Audi had taken a page from Honda's NSX playbook and said "no" to upsizing the engine - they had it right the first time.
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Sloop_John_B promoted this comment

Velocitré
08/31/09

In reply to 2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI: First Drive
This is just the latest application of More's Law:

If some is good.
And more is better,
then too much is just right.
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vwminispeedster, pronounded Si-trow-in promoted this comment Velocitré was starred Velocitré was unstarred

Turbineguy - now with reheat!!
08/31/09

In reply to 2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI: First Drive
$146k for the Audi? I read the 2010 Corvette Grand Sport matches its 3.9 second 0-60 time - for almost 100k less. Now which is the supercar?
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wohho
08/31/09

@Turbineguy: Very true, but would you use the same reasoning when comparing a Rolex to a Timex?
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vwminispeedster, pronounded Si-trow-in promoted this comment wohho was starred wohho was unstarred

vwminispeedster, pronounded Si-trow-in
08/31/09

@wohho: The timex still tells time just as good as the rolex so i'm thinking the less expensive alternative wins here too. A rolex doesn't tell the time any better/faster, just more expensively. The Vette gets you there in the same quickness with a thick wallet at the end of the day. Vette and Timex win.
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wohho
08/31/09

@vwminispeedster, pronounded Si-trow-in: and thus you prove my point. Based on your standard, a junker camaro with a supercharger, an intercooler and some fat mickey thompsons will get you to 60 MPH in the same time as a Vette, so obviously the Vette is overpriced - right?

No. When the monied by cars, it's about the experience as much as the performance. You and I might not be in that market, but you have to recognize that market exists.
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Hello Mister Walrus
08/31/09

@wohho: You're assuming that quickness is the only thing that matters to buyers of >$100,000 cars. In general, it is not.
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Ben Wojdyla
08/31/09

@Hello Mister Walrus: I thought that was the exact point being made.
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Hello Mister Walrus
08/31/09

In reply to 2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI: First Drive
Another way for children of Russian oligarchs to kill themselves?
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Miscellanea
08/31/09

In reply to 2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI: First Drive
The whole video I'm screaming "Shift Dammit!" I love how you really start to get on it once you get passed. That looks like an incredible experience. Lucky bastard!
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GasGuzzler
08/31/09

In reply to 2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI: First Drive
"Is the extra performance really necessary?"

Is that question really for real?
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Dr.Danger: ::You are awesome: promoted this comment GasGuzzler was starred GasGuzzler was unstarred

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