Published:
8 March 2022To drive, the previous R8 hardly dated at all and remained compelling right up to the knockings of its long lifecycle. But the same could not be said of its interior, which had fallen beneath the high standards of its maker’s reputation.
But that negligible blot on the model’s copybook is wholly eradicated by its replacement. The look and feel of the cockpit, even its smell, have been rigorously updated to produce a clear highlight for Audi’s current line-up.
The R8’s cockpit is spanned by the ‘monoposto’, a large, curved arch of trim that borders the centre console and door trim on either side of the driver’s seat, encompassing the instrument cluster and steering wheel and intended to give the impression of being in a race car.
Really, though, the focus is now on the standard fitment of Audi’s Virtual Cockpit, which replaces the previous R8’s analogue dials with 12.3in of contrast-rich TFT screen.
The display’s flexible, razor-sharp renderings make space for the rest of the interior to maintain its glossy, uncluttered look, with nothing allowed to upset the familiar cohesion of soft-touch furnishings and brushed metal modernity.
The old R8’s steering wheel was a simple, multi-function affair. Now it’s polka-dotted with function buttons. The rather rudimentary S tronic gear selector has been swapped for one with the heft on an airliner throttle.
