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"         A more refined Lamborghini? The V-10 of this R8 isn&amp;#039;t identical to the raucous unit the Italians use in the Gallardo. It&amp;#039;s toned down and refined like the car itself. This German exotic is high-tech with low-tech character. Its gated shift lever is borrowed straight from Italy. The clink-clink of each shift is a familiar sound that we&amp;#039;ve grown to love, having racked up thousands of miles in our long-term R8 test car. The addition of two cylinders doesn&amp;#039;t change the car&amp;#039;s disposition but it does smooth out the power delivery, almost to the level of the Aston Martin, and is far superior to the V-8 shake or flat-6 shimmy.   Of the test cars, it is the only one that does without its optional carbon-ceramic brakes. And yet, it is fitted with a multitude of carbon trim pieces adding thousands to the price tag. Yes, they look good, but we&amp;#039;d have preferred the brakes.   Audi&amp;#039;s R8 offers everything one would want in a 525-bhp sports car, except maybe some more storage space. It has sure-footedness thanks to its Quattro all-wheel drive, yet a driving experience that profits from its significantly rear-biased power delivery that makes it fun to toss around on the track or twisty back road. Lapping the track, it was discovered that the Audi reacted to corners similarly to the Corvette, with reassuringly positive turn-in. It lacks the Corvette&amp;#039;s ferociousness, favoring refinement instead. Its V-10 symphony plays in harmony with the rush of scenery as the ribbon of track ahead is consumed. The R8 doesn&amp;#039;t resist a corner, but turns in sharply, sinking into it and giving the impression that there is an immense amount of grip. The sensation is overly reassuring, to the point it becomes second nature to pick up a powerslide on corner exit accidentally because it&amp;#039;s encouraging you to feed in throttle. A graceful drift onto the main straight with the engine singing at 8700 rpm right behind you is part of the car&amp;#039;s charm, but also the reason it didn&amp;#039;t post a quicker lap time.   Around town, the V-10 is a willing partner and feels perfectly mated to the mass of the car, never bogging down or requiring an extra downshift. The V-10&amp;#039;s torque comes on smoothly and doesn&amp;#039;t overwhelm. Twisty mountain roads can coax the rear out, but the R8 can get away with it because the small amount of torque going to the front wheels easily straightens it up when needed. Just keep your foot down, and steer. Automatically adjustable shocks, similar to the ones used on the Z06, provide a good compromise between road comfort and track work and contribute to both cars&amp;#039; excellent cornering response. That same magneto-rheological fluid in the shocks is used in the Porsche&amp;#039;s engine mounts too. Where the Porsche is fighting to control vibration from its relatively large flat-6, the Audi doesn&amp;#039;t seem to worry about it, thanks to its smaller cylinder size. One of the R8&amp;#039;s cylinders is barely over a half-liter\u2014only slightly more than the Aston&amp;#039;s, but considerably less than those of the Porsche and Corvette.   We&amp;#039;ve lived with a V-8 R8 long-term test car and loved it. The V-10 offers more power and some newer technology like the LED headlamps. But in the end, it&amp;#039;s just a faster R8, which is the point we believe Audi wanted to make. Put a bigger engine in an already stellar car and guess what? It&amp;#039;s really hard not to like it even more.   Up next:                                                                               "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/road-tests/reviews/a16656/2010-audi-r8-52-fsi-to-the-power-of-12/>