INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The wisps and growls and gargles
Hit the red Start Engine button on the steering wheel and the world wakes up to the sounds of rumbling V10.
The Audi R8 Spyder is a
marvelous cup of coffee and a great way to start the day
What more, after a week as treating this red R8 as my daily driver, I can plainly state the supercar is surprisingly easy to live with as
long as some concessions are made
Sometimes, when slogging through a daily routine, it easy to forget you&re driving a mid-engine supercar
And then you put your foot down and the sun explodes.
Review
Spring arrived in Michigan just in time for some cruising with the Audi R8
The snow is gone and the trees are budding
The sun is bright and warm and perfect for a bit of driving with the top down on this mid-engine machine.
This R8 packs a 10 cylinder engine
paired to a fantastic 7 speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission that converts the engine raw power into speed
It all-wheel drive and capable of hitting 60 mph in a few ticks over three seconds
And the top folds down, too
To say the previous and then state the R8 Spyder is comfortable is to say the car is special.
This 2018 Audi R8 Spyder is lovely
It not audacious or extravagant
After a week of driving this R8, I find it closer to pedestrian than exotic and I&m okay with that
It a testament to the engineering that went into developing this vehicle
Instead of just stuffing the biggest engine possible into the smallest body, Audi developed a platform that manageable yet capable of
producing intense excitement
It a pleasant blend of Audi refinement and mid-engine driving dynamics
Simply put: The R8 Spyder is an everyday supercar.
Most drivers should be able to jump in an R8 and feel confident
The car doesn&t require extraordinary skill to tap the extraordinary potential
The steering is precise and the ride firm yet not backbreaking
It handled Michigan dilapidated roads with the same amount of confidence as an ordinary sedan
Visibility is good with the top up and spectacular when it down
A person can feel like a skilled driver after just a few minutes in an R8.
I took the R8 on a several hundred mile road trip from Michigan
Detroit region to Traverse City
It was a lovely Spring weekend and I spent most of it finding deserted back roads winding around the cherry farms and wineries in Northern
Michigan.
This is a car of two minds and they&re controlled by a button on the wheel
The drive mode button on the steering wheel allows the driver to select comfort or dynamic modes
The difference between the two modes is profound
When on comfort mode, the R8 is smooth, quiet and capable of a mindless ride in stop and go traffic
Use this mode around town between stop lights and your passenger will forget they&re in a $200,000 car
Click on dynamic and they&ll immediately be reminded by the roar of the engine.
The dynamic mode is where the R8 comes alive
When clicked on, the engine growls and spits, shaking as it awaits instructions
Gear shifts are held longer than when in comfort mode and the ride is stiffened
The steering tightens up and feels as if it could bend time and space
Turn off the traction control to activate the launch control and the car gets even meaner.
Piloting the R8 Spyder in dynamic mode is akin to
making the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs
It turns you into a time traveler.
The car eagerly dives into corners and breathes fire as it exits at full throttle while the AWD system
keeps all four tires planted
Body roll is nonexistent and the brakes feel like they could stop a speeding bullet
When in dynamic mode, the engine screams when the throttle is planted on the floor
The transmission rockets to the red-line of 8.5k and clicks through the seven gears with determined precision.
When the launch mode is
activated, the car computer takes over, and only takes two gears to hit 60 mph in around three seconds; the R8 hits 100 mph in third and
still has four more gears available for use
Launching the car is as easy as drag racing a car on a PlayStation game.
Through it all, the crazy acceleration and hard breaking and
stop-and-go traffic of I-75, I managed an average of 19.6 mpg during my week with the car.
The Audi R8 is appointed in a similar manner as
A large LCD screen is situated behind the steering wheel and is the main screen in the car
To save weight and because space is limited, there is not a second screen in the center infotainment stack
The only screen in the car is behind the steering wheel
Passengers have to look at the instrument cluster to see what song is playing
It slightly odd, but in character for most cars of this caliber.
The car software is impressive considering its age
Audi rolled out this version several years ago and it still holds up as one of the best available.
The familiar interior is what sets the R8
Audi has some of the best interiors of any automaker and the company has wisely equipped most models in a similar manner
Besides some extra carbon fiber, the inside of the R8 looks similar to the inside of a $65k Audi TT RS.
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This is car that a person could drive on most days
As long as they don&t have a family
Or a passenger with more luggage than a carry-on suitcase
Storage space is limited and the car cannot hold more than two people.
The R8 sits on the ground
There just a few inches between the bottom and the road and I avoided aggressive speed bumps during my time with the car
Getting in the car is easy enough
The doors open like on a normal car and there is plenty of room even with the top down to fall into the car
Unlike in other supercars, getting out of the car does not require one to fold in half and roll out with the door open
Just stand up and get out.
The seats are supportive because of course they are
This is a nearly $200,000 race car that a person can drive to the farmer market
The seats are firm yet giving and feature as many adjustment options as any other Audi sports car
Reclining is not an option though
It limited by the firewall located between the passenger compartment and the massive engine.
There is very little storage in the R8
The passenger seat is the only place to store a golf bag
The trunk is in the front as the engine takes up the rear of the car
During my overnight trip with the R8, I took a duffel bag, computer bag, and extra shoes
Inside the cabin is a glove box and a small, lockable compartment on the wall between the two seats
This compartment can hold a cell phone or sunglasses and nothing else.
I have one request for Audi
It not too much to ask for the sun visor to rotate to the left of the driver and to the right of the passenger
You know, like on any other car.
Bottom line
The Audi R8 Spyder feels alive
It feels like a sentient being capable of making decisions quicker than the driver and I&m okay with that as long as I get to go along for
the ride.
To say this is an everyday supercar is to, by definition, say a person could drive this car everyday
For the right person, living in the right area with lovely weather and smooth roads, this could be a car that driven daily
For most others, though, other cars like a Porsche 911 Turbo S or Tesla Model S offer similar speed and excitement while having more
storage space than a carry-on suitcase.
There is no denying Audi made a fantastic machine in the R8
Careful balancing was used to craft the vehicle that resulted in a wonderful droptop perfectly suited for most drivers
