In case you didn’t know, the Audi R8 is the latest line of sports car unveiled by the German car manufacturer in 2006. The car was designed, developed and manufactured by the same team that was also responsible for the Lamborghini Gallardo.

Since the first time R8 was launched, the company has been renewing and adding R8 with the latest technologies. Now, continuing its success, Audi unveiled the latest variant of this head-turning sedan — the R8 5.2 FSI Quattro. This 2010 edition of the R8 is a fantastic sports car, and probably the best Audi has ever made.

Design-wise, the 2010 rendition of the R8 still uses the same model as the base. Audi didn’t even develop a new engine for it — the car uses the same V-10 model as the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 that was launched last year, but with improved intake and exhaust system and electronics. It is also added with a dry-sump lubrication system.

With such powerful engine under its hood, the R8 is fast. The powerful 5,204cc 40-valve engine produces up to 525 bhp around 8000 rpm, and top speed is 316 km/h. it goes from 0 to 100 km/h in a 3.9 seconds. The car has been praised for its acceleration and handling.

Interior-wise, the R8 is beautiful, elegant and comfortable. The cockpit is designed to accommodate all the needs of the driver, with the high centre console and the instrument panel at easy reach. The flat-bottomed steering wheel makes it easy to enter and exit the car. The seats are trimmed with leather, a standard in all R8 models. The car is quite comfortable and spacious, which maybe uncommon for a sports car, with plenty of room for two. There is also enough room behind the seats for luggage.

The Audi R8 has safety features that are standard in sports cars: ABS, traction control and antiskid system. It also comes equipped with side airbags and knee airbags. It also has a built-in navigation system, obstacle detection at the front and rear, and a rear-view camera. There is also an option for high-end Bang and Olufsen audio system.

Debuting in the US at the 2009 New York International Auto Show, the new 2010 Volkswagen GTI features an all-new exterior design as well as improved interior design. The hatchback now sports 17-inch alloy wheels and fully-independent sport suspension with six-speed automatic transmission with Triptonic and sport mode.

The new GTI comes with an engine that produces 200 HP at 5,100 rpm, which is quite difficult to achieve during tight maneuvering. The maximum torque produced is 207 foot-pound at a range of 1,800 rpm to 5,000 rpm. Unfortunately, testing has proven that sometimes the engine speed drops to low for the twist to come right away.

Perhaps the most welcomed improvement is the modernized cabin. The GTI now supports digital audio hook-ups like those we usually found in Audis, and there are also several connectors for USB, mini USB and iPod. It also has the standard 3.5mm audio plug. Volkswagen also introduces an touch-screen interface specially made for browsing music on your iPod, which is quite simple to use. The amount of storage available is quite large — 20 gigabytes, or approximately 5,000 mp3s.

The Volkswagen audio system also allows user to copy MP3 files from various sources, which is quite different from other cars with onboard music storage. Interestingly though, the interface for the hard drive doesn’t show MP3 files by their ID3 tags. Thus you can only choose songs by folder and file. There is also an option for connecting Bluetooth devices as an alternative music source and also a Bluetooth phone system.

The 2010 Volkswagen GTI is a definite improvement over the old model. It comes in two models: 2-door and 4-door. The 2-door is sold at $23,664 and the 4-door at $24,269.

A few moons ago, the original Wagon R and Santro were locked in a titanic tussle for supremacy in India’s family car hatchery. Both evolved with styling updates, refreshed interiors and new engines. That was then. Now in 2010, we have the all-new Wagon R that once again faces a traditional rival from Hyundai. The i10 is the spiritual successor of the Santro nee Atos, which it has replaced worldwide. On the other hand, Maruti persists with the Wagon R brand and it has good reason to do so. It is a brand that has endeared itself to lakhs of Indian family car buyers. Here, we’ll evaluate the new Wagon R and pit it against its obvious rival. This is going to be a pitched battle.

When launched in 2007, VW Passat, true to the German marque’s traits, boasted of one of the best oil burners we had ever tested. Ditto for its six-speed direct shift gearbox that redefined the way we Indians looked at and thought about automatics. Two and a half years after its initial debut, VW decided to pit their premium saloon slightly differently in the market. Both its strong points have been given a miss and the Passat will now only be sold in one trim level with the 1.8-litre petrol engine and a six-speed manual gearbox. Hold on. The good thing is that this is the same engine that also powers Skoda’s Laura and Superb with 160 horses on tap. To say the least, we have been mighty impressed with the motor on both the previous occasions, thanks mainly to its blistering performance.

The all new Skoda Superb 1.8 TSI came to us in April last year. Not only did it impress us with its drive, safety, electronics, space, comfort, etc., but it also beat its competition hands down. Skoda upped the game with this luxury saloon to a great extent. The 160PS motor powering the Superb is more than just a sporty mill and can give you all the excitement you crave for, that too from a luxury car. The car’s powerplant was mated with an awesome seven-speed auto ‘box. The DSG ‘box created a benchmark in the field of modern day cars’ transmissions and it still is one of the best on offer. However, the company has now introduced a new transmission option on the Superb 1.8 TSI model while still keeping the DSG option available.