Written By Kevin Chen
It’s the "poster child" of what supercars should be. Fast, fun, and sporty - yet reliable and reasonable to maintain.
Over the last few years, Audi has been building their brand under ownership by Volkswagen. It gets the benefit of VW's technology and world-class supply chain, while sharing DNA with Lamborghini's Gallardo and Huracan, also owned by VW.
Unlike other supercars where you'll probably spend more time taking care of it, you'll find yourself actually spending more time driving the Audi R8.
Although it was debuted in 2006 and brought to the states two years later, the R8 really got the spotlight by appearing in the first Iron Man movie in 2008.
The R8 is known as the tamed, well-rounded, do-it-all 2-seater exotic coupe. Fly through a racetrack, rip through mountain roads, or pick up your Starbucks; you'll be grinning from ear to ear while your wallet (and spine) thank you.
Once you've decided the Audi R8 is for you, you'll want to decide on which model year and trim you want.
In the US, the Audi R8 has been in production since 2008. There are two generations from then until now, with respective trims and options available in each generation.
2008 - 2015: Type 42 (Gen 1)
4.2L V8
5.2L V10 (available 2009-2015)
Between both engine sizes, you can pick Spyder (convertible) or Coupe.
There are a few sub-models as well:
Audi R8 GT (333 made, only available 2012)
5.2L V10 Plus (only available 2014-2015)
There was no 2013 model year for R8. Skipped the unlucky 13?
Between the V8 and the V10, there are only a few visual differences.
The iconic sideblades on the V10 are wider, to increase air flow and give it a more aggressive look.
LED headlights (vs bi-xenon) also come standard.
Leather Package comes standard standard. Yes, more leather stitched into the interior.
Magnetic dampers come standard, letting you adjust the stiffness of the suspension.
2014 - 2015 (facelift)
In 2014, the Audi R8 received a facelift after 6 years. Besides the dual clutch transmission being offered, the facelift offered:
new wave brake rotors
re-styled front and rear fascias
new LED headlights (different from the V10 pre-facelift LEDs)
new sequential LED taillights
As mentioned previously, there was also a third trim introduced with the facelift in addition to the V8 and V10 - the "V10 Plus". You get an extra 25 horsepower, carbon ceramic brakes, and some weight savings from additional carbon fiber. You lose the option for magnetic dampers, so stiff, sporty suspension is all you get. For an additional $19,345, it adds marginal value if you're not trying to break that 2-minute lap time at Sonoma Raceway.
The V10 model will typically cost 10-20% more than the V8 model, and you are primarily paying for the engine, which is the same engine you'll find in Lamborghini's Gallardo. The V8 and V10 drive quite differently from one another. The V10 sports 90 more hp than it's counterpart, which is made apparently by the screaming V10 placed right behind your head in the mid-engine configuration.
There will be some critics that claim the V8 is better; "the weight ratio is better and the lap times are faster". Drive them both and decide for yourself - even if the V8 is technically better performing, it will still rate much lower on the fun factor. And fun is what you should be going after anyways.
After you've decided on engine size, think about what transmission type you want.
Manual:
6-speed with a gated shifter (available 2008-2015)
Automatic:
6-speed R-Tronic with single hydraulic clutch (2008-2012)
7-speed S-Tronic dual clutch transmission (available 2014-2015)
If you love driving manual, rowing through the gated shifter with metallic "clinks" is as satisfying as it gets. The 6-speed manual is the most desirable, especially coupled with the V10 transmission. Some will say a low-mile V10 manual is a unicorn, as high displacement manual supercars are non-existent in today's world.
Although the single-clutch automatic transmissions got a bad rap on the R8, it's actually still quite a blast to drive. Yes, there is a small delay shifting between gears (more apparent in the lower gears), - but each shift is exaggerated, engaging the driver much more than a smooth dual clutch will. After getting used to this, driving a dual clutch feels "too smooth" - almost as if there were no gear changes.
To get the most out of your R-Tronic transmission, treat it just like a manual transmission.
Skip the automatic mode, and always drive it in manual mode.
Just like how you close the throttle between shifts on a manual, let off on the gas in between your R-Tronic shifts.
Once you get the hang of it, it will feel just like a manual, except your left foot gets to just hang out.
Servicing of the clutch is almost just like any other manual car. If driven properly, it can last upwards of 75k miles easily. Most R8s on the market do not even have close to that amount of miles.
The S-Tronic dual clutch transmission became available when the Gen 1 R8 had it's facelift, in 2014. Performance-wise, the S-Tronic is all around better. Lightning quick shifts will shave 0.2 seconds off of your 0-60 time from the R-Tronic. Each gear shift is 0.125 seconds - about the time it takes for you to blink.
2017 - Present: Type 4S (Gen 2)
Audi took a break from R8 production in 2016, and released the all-new model in 2017, sharing the same platform as the Lamborghini Huracan.
Although the new R8 was faster and better in every way than it's predecessor, Audi ditched the V8 and the manual transmission as options. Losing the manual was a sad day for many car enthusiasts, but Audi claimed today's engine is too complex for a standard transmission to handle.
You have two trims to pick from:
V10 Base: 5.2L making 540hp
V10 Plus: 5.2L making 610hp
Both trims are available in the Spyder (convertible) or Coupe.
Besides the difference in horsepower, the new V10 plus picked up right where the Gen 1 V10 plus left off. The V10 Plus is the wild one in the family, equipped standard with ceramic brakes, and shorter gearing on the S-Tronic transmission. This delivers the power more urgently than the base model, which is most apparent at higher RPMs. It also loses the option for magnetic ride dampening. Stiff, sporty suspension only.
Cosmetically, they look identical to one another, sans the rear spoiler. The V10 comes with the R8's iconic adaptive spoiler that lifts at 80 mph; the V10 plus comes with a much larger fixed wing.
The V10 Plus is the middle child between the standard R8 and the Huracan, for when the standard R8 just doesn't cut it. Expect to pay 10-15% more.
Also worth mentioning, Audi released a rear-wheel drive variant in 2018, dubbed the R8 RWS. Only 999 were produced in the entire world, and was $30,000 cheaper than the standard V10. Although they were significantly cheaper, the low production numbers makes it difficult to find one.
Audi took yet another break for model year 2019.
2020 - Present (facelift)
Only after 3 years, Audi released the facelift version of the R8.
Similar to the Gen 1 facelift, the current R8 received a more aggressive front and rear fascia, and went back to oval-shaped exhaust tips.
They ditched the name "V10 Plus", and the same trim is now dubbed the "V10 Performance". Strangely, the horsepower was reduced from 610 to 602 - not that you'll be able to tell the difference.
All in all, the Audi R8 is a fantastic choice for your next supercar. Well known for it's tamed-but-still-fun personality, it's something you can just get in and drive. It's everyday usability will make you glad you didn't date that Italian supermodel that you just can't get along with (ahem Ferr-a-ghini).
Check out our pricing analysis on all generations of the Audi R8 here.
Kevin Chen
