It is hard to believe that the Audi R8 is almost 15-years-old, seeing the first generation V8 on the road is still a treat – few cars have aged as well. Since its inception, the R8 has morphed from a mid-engined sports cars battling the likes of the Porsche 911 Carrera range, into a red blooded supercar with a heart shared with a Lamborghini and a price tag that makes it a very different proposition from the car Tony Stark used to daily. The current R8 range has shrunk to just three options, gone are the V8 or manual options. All powered by 5.2-litre V10 engines and available in Coupe and Spyder forms, perspective buyers can have the full fat Performance Quattro with 612bhp, the semi-skimmed 562bhp V10 Quattro or the entry level model that is the subject of this review, the V10 RWD with \u2018just\u2019 533bhp. The difference is price between the range topper (\u00a3144,950) and the RWD (\u00a3114,435) is noteworthy and arguably makes the RWD on of the most attainable entry level supercars on the market, but does it make it any less desirable?<\/p>\n
To me, the R8 RWD is the most compelling R8 in the current line up. The Performance variant is great, but to me it was too easy to find the limits, something I discovered just a handful of laps into my stint putting it to the test at the fearsome Ascari Race Resort in Spain in 2018. With all of the driver aids disengaged understeer would creep in earlier than expected before suddenly transitioning into snap oversteer. Admittedly, things were much better when pushing the AWD car when fitted with Cup 2 Michelins and not the PS4S.<\/p>\n\r\n