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Wanger December 16, 2009 12:05 PM

Erm, isnt the R8 just a blatant copy of the NSX from a decade earlier?

Think the car of the decade has to be the Prius and original Insight that have pioneered the hybrid revolution... A new age of motoring is dawning

VelSatis23 December 16, 2009 12:08 PM

I think a car of the decade has to really define, the way we look at cars, the R8 did nothing in that way, it only shows, that any car company can build a car like this, especially if it has the engineers for it, that know their stuff, Lamborghini? Since this decade has been really bland and actually in a car point of view been really waisted time, the car that defines this most, my choice would be the BMW 7 series, crappy styling, crappy electronics, useless interior appointments, remember the electric seat adjustment. This was the tendency for the whole industry, also the over exagurated styling, rear boot, it even got copied a lot, this car really shows were the industry went in this decade.

ryaner December 16, 2009 12:17 PM

I don't get why the gearlever gate gets so much criticism when every time a journalist drives a ferrari, the say how they adore the open gate. Lamborghini still use it also if I am not mistaken.

I did not like the gearstick however, but they have now started offering a leather one instead if customers prefare it to the steel one.

ThwartedEfforts December 16, 2009 12:48 PM

Surprisingly non-dowdy for an Audi? Yes. Car of the Decade? That's such a goofy statement I don't know where do begin. What does it change? To merely match some ill defined and subjective 'best to drive' benchmark is hardly moving the game along, and particularly when it was so obviously aimed at trend-setter territory - most will be parked outside wine bars or scraping against bollards of some chichi London mews. I doubt David Hasselhoff and Cheryl Cole got theirs out of second gear.

If you want to beat Ruppert on comments there are less obvious ways of doing it...

kcrally December 16, 2009 1:08 PM

i think the tt is more suitable, more affordable. or how about the honda accord.

Wanger December 16, 2009 2:42 PM

kcrally: Honda Accord! erm think you are not being terribly serious? Compotent car in it sector, but?????

tommallett December 16, 2009 3:29 PM

I am surprised also by the manual gearbox criticism. I think its a really good, easy 'box to use and much better than some other open gate 'boxes. It is much better than the ruddy awful r tronic.

I also think that the brakes are more than adequate for most of us on the road although I accept that there may be some criticism on track where i cannot comment.

Agree though, cracking car, just a pity that all lessons from it havent been learnt? If the S5 that followed it had been endowed with the same finesse and agility then there would be a real argument to say that it redefined the Audi experience.

p.s. can we say the same about RS4 and M3?

Geetee40 December 16, 2009 3:33 PM

Sports Car, high performance, car of the decade? For me no; I truly would love to own a R8, 911, Lambo etc etc

I would like to see something like the Honda FCX Clarity nominated, as it the first true production fuel cell vehicle. It really has the potential to move the needle; which whether we like it or not is being moved for us

tommallett December 16, 2009 3:36 PM

Oh, car of the decade from me? Toyota Pious.

phenergn December 16, 2009 5:21 PM

car of the decade?

Rover Streetwise

jl4069 December 16, 2009 6:31 PM

"I think a car of the decade has to really define, the way we look at cars, the R8 did nothing in that way, it only shows, that any car company can build a car like this, especially if it has the engineers for it, that know their stuff, Lamborghini? Since this decade has been really bland and actually in a car point of view been really waisted time, the car that defines this most, my choice would be the BMW 7 series, crappy styling, crappy electronics, useless interior appointments, remember the electric seat adjustment. This was the tendency for the whole industry, also the over exagurated styling, rear boot, it even got copied a lot, this car really shows were the industry went in this decade."

Brilliant! This has been a decade of missed opportunities to build cars that combine hugely better safety, beauty, more interior space and visibility, and of course driving FEEL, and the makers simply went the other way- all building the same basic design recipe of fat, heavy, thirsty and way over the top exaggeration of all major styling aspects. This is/was the lost decade and no car deserves the title of best all are simply decent. J

John McToon December 16, 2009 9:04 PM

Some people could overintellectualise just about anything, eh Thwarted Efforts?

230SL December 16, 2009 10:43 PM

Seems to me a modernised Silhouette with VAG electrics, very forward thinking.

Seems to be the car with the X factor of the noughties was the Mini, selling off the back of its celebrity status

Guess this decade will be remembered as the shallow one for more reasons than insignificant cars.

Though there is that bloke on here who rants about his Aygo but that is a common sense car.

JoeF December 16, 2009 11:06 PM

Yes, the R8 is a great car, but the best of the decade?

The 1980s had the F40, the 1990s the F1, the 2000s had the Veyron... Its the benchmark car of the decade, the one that will be remembered and compared against.  

I suppose it depends what you mean by car of the decade, but it does seem that choosing the audi over the bug is like choosing the F355 over the F1 in the 1990s...

TheOmegaMan December 17, 2009 12:27 AM

^Finally some sense

jl4069 December 17, 2009 4:25 AM

In no important way does the R8 move the art of the Automobile onwards from the

NSX

especially the type r

Most drivers would actually choose a Type r nsx over a R8 for pure driving fun/enjoyment etc.

The R8 was not and is not a landmark car in any way. j

autohead December 17, 2009 9:32 AM

I think it's a reasonable choice given that it took the fight to an automotive icon (Porsche 911) therefore it must be of some merit. Audi will let you drive one for three days unaccompanied and put you up for two days in a luxury hotel for 600 euros which isn't bad at all. I found it to be an epic car, flat out at 190mph it felt incredibly stable and forgiving and the brakes are mighty (mine had carbon ceramic discs however but well worth it for German driving).

I also drove it through the Tyrol and did the Stelvio pass too and it was superb with great exit speed from corners and a tremdously good ride (unusual for an Audi). So epic as it is I would choose something different I think that the Veyron, Prius, Clarity FCX or Nano are true landmarks either because of their technology or the direction they have taken the industry. I personally would choose the Prius/Clarity fcx as propulsion systems are the key source of debate rather than any sort of packaging, performance or cost. These other issues will be addressed once we get propulsion tackled.

amble December 17, 2009 10:05 AM

Heart says Veyron, head says another Audi the A2.  Light, aerodynamic and economical.  Simple, clever engineering solutions to bring about better economy rather than heavy battery packs or the problems with hydrogen.  

Also a bespoke Audi product, showing how clever the bods at Audi really are, rather than an interpretation of a VW or Lambo.

Unfortunately also a bit of an acquired taste to look at, expensive to build and too far ahead of its time  (premiun supermini buyers bought Mini's instead!).

Cheltenhamshire December 17, 2009 10:51 AM

Car of the decade?  You are kidding .... this is a lower priced Lambo with a few bespoke bits.  Yep Audi could not have made this car a decade ago because they did not own Lambo ....

Ironic car of the decade is the Mini, it has really come into to its own and shown that with the right image people will buy anything for any price .... so all the excesses of this decade are represented by this car.  

Real car of the decade, no idea really .... people talking of the Prius ... yes it is technically interesting but no more frugal or clean than a TDI.  I think the Bugatti Veryon is the car of the decade simply because we will never see anything quite so outrageous and over engineered ever again.

ThwartedEfforts December 17, 2009 11:28 AM

If you think me calling the author goofy or indeed that anything in my post was "over intellectualising" things, John McToon, perhaps you would care to explain to everyone assembled here - most of whom have argued along exactly the same lines - why you think we're wrong?

In a non-intellectual manner of course.

underdog December 17, 2009 3:46 PM

For me its the new Jag XK which is a really good piece of repackaging, design and innovation on a budget just about big enough to develop an Audi windscreen.

But hey that's just my opinion.

vidgena December 17, 2009 4:25 PM

If you're going to pick a supercar for COTD I think it has to be cheltenhamshire's choice of the Veyron, although my budget wouldn't cover the cost of the pedastal on which it sits

sportwagon December 17, 2009 8:33 PM

It may have moved the game on for Audi, but that isn't enough; it has to something more than just be a bit better than a 911. It has to be groundbreaking, Tata Nano and Prius do it in one way, or the ultimate in its class, the Phantom and Veyron do it in another. There are several other criteria that have been mentioned here, which are all worth thinking about, but I just can't see the R8 coming out on top, whichever one you choose

Plunkers January 1, 2010 12:06 PM

"Since then, however, Audi's consolidation as a major premium car maker has been combined with such careful manipulation of its image that today it is able to successfully launch a car into any market sector it chooses. The R8 represents the pinnacle of that evolution."

This is the reason I don't like the R8. It's not so much a product of great engineering, more a product of marketing genius. The GTR by contrast is the complete opposite of this, its definitely my car of the decade.

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