If you're a carmaker, it's a lot easier to get publicity out of a new model than one already in your stable. Incremental excellence isn't nearly as sexy as the thrill of the new.
When a great car gets noticeably better, though, somebody really should take notice because it means money is going to the engineering department and not just TV ads.
I'm reminded of this as I step out of the latest R8 supercar.
I liked the 420hp, 4.2-litre version, which is still a head-turner in Hong Kong on 18-inch wheels and said to sprint to 100km/h in 4.6 seconds en route to a top speed of 301km/h.
But Audi has upgraded the flagship R8's engine with a 525 brake hosepower, 5.2-litre V10 because the 4.2-litre V8's block lacked the abdomen-punching power of a true-blue exotic. Unlike its VW Group cousin, the V10 Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4 (HK$3.38 million), it couldn't blow your Gucci loafers off.
I while away two days with the bigger R8 between northern California's superb back roads and the Infineon Raceway in Sonoma. The test car is faster and more enjoyable on 19-inch wheels.
Among European carmakers, Audi was always more of a character actor than an action hero or a brassy starlet. It showed up on time and remembered its lines, but seemed content to let Brad-Pitt BMW and Meryl-Streep Mercedes-Benz take centre stage.
Only this decade have the company's cars become brasher and brighter, most notably with the 2007 release of the R8. This was Audi's Clive Owen: a mid-engined two-seater with sex appeal, style, and genuine comfort inside.
The new R8 is also a looker. Broad and squat on large wheel arches, the 5.2-litre fastie has air vents that hint at its reported sprints to 100km/h in 3.9 seconds and top speed of 316km/h. The 1,620kg test car's aluminium body was created using Audi's Space Frame technique, and produces downforce that aids stability at high speed. Fitted with a sideblade air intake that also serves as a wind deflector, the new R8 also has the marque's new LED headlights and tail lights and an R-tronic sequential six-speed gearbox with shift-by-wire technology and a sport mode.
The R8's interior is roomy on a 2.65-metre wheelbase, and the marque says there is space for two golf bags behind the seats. The luggage compartment under the bonnet offers an additional 100 litres of storage capacity. The test car's key interior element, however, is a large arc sweeping around the dashboard instruments, with heatable leather seats, the marque's redesigned MMI navigation system and a Bang & Olufsen sound system with 12 speakers and 10-channel amplifier that can belt out Black Dog at 465W.
Optional interior extras include an exclusive R8 leather package - (bucket seats (HK$40,000 plus first-registration tax) without the side airbag and only in black; exclusive Audi carpet and floor mats in nine colours with coloured piping (HK$14,000 plus first-registration tax) and suede fittings to the steering wheel, handbrake grip and gearshift knob (HK$7,000 plus first-registration tax), says the marque's Hong Kong dealer, Premium Motors.
The car's handling is as sharp as it looks. I wrung out the smaller-engined model on the same track and remember wishing for an extra shot of oomph on the front straightaway. That issue has been rectified, and drivers will be doubly thankful for the good brakes, with eight-piston calipers at the front and four-piston calipers at the rear.
Audi has packed the R8 with safety features, including airbags at the front and sides, an electronic stabilisation program and an anti-lock braking system with electronic brake-force distribution and traction control. The car is also fitted with an electronic differential lock and electromechanical power steering with an automatic straight-line correction system. The marque's hill hold assist could also help on The Peak.
On public roads, the R8 has been transformed into a scene-stealing leading man, and needs a firm hand to keep it from chewing through the scenery. While you can pass on demand, the instantaneous, jackhammer power needs to be promptly coaxed back down, lest red-and-blue cherry lights appear in your rear-view mirror.
Despite that, the R8 is the world's most accessible supercar. Passengers won't complain about the seats, you can see out of the back and the navigation system and air conditioner actually work.
Those extra cylinders come at a premium, however. Equipped with an automatic transmission, the V10 starts at HK$2.5 million compared with a bit over HK$2 million for the V8. But it is a sleek and noticeable boast among Hong Kong's supercar set.
Bloomberg; additional reporting by Pixie Zheng
AT A GLANCE Audi R8 5.2 quattro R-tronic
What drives it? A 5,204cc, 525-brake horsepower, V10 mid-mounted engine with petrol direct fuel injection linked to an R-tronic sequential six-speed gearbox with shift-by-wire technology and sport mode. It also boasts permanent Quattro all-wheel drive and Audi's magnetic ride on 19-inch wheels.
How fast is it? It thumps out 530Nm of torque at 6,500rpm, 517 horsepower at 8,000rpm and sprints to 100km/h in 3.9 seconds to a top speed of 316km/h, the dealer says.
How safe is it? It's fitted with dual airbags at the front, side airbags, an electronic stabilisation program, an anti-lock brake system with electronic brake-force distribution and traction control. It is also equipped with Audi's parking system, a front and rear tyre mobility system, a first-aid box and a warning triangle.
How thirsty is it? It drinks an average of 14.7 litres per 100km (19mpg), the dealer says.
How clean is it? It spews 351 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre, like the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4.
Available: HK$2.5 million at Premium Motors (tel: 2528 1862)
