Test drive Audi R8 V10 Spyder: one of the best convertibles in the world

I still remember the first time I was behind the wheel of a Audi R8, and that was with the successive evolutions that have changed it quite a lot. The one we tested is the latest, and it’s true that aesthetically its appearance changes quite a bit. Sharper, more aggressive, more aerodynamic. And also more luxurious, with a better feel.

What doesn’t change is the pleasure of use, the efficiency on all kinds of roads and that hard-to-explain sensation that on a winding section reminds us of a powerful competition kart, even more so if we have the roof folded down and feel the strong breeze on our face, which is its ideal state.

Thanks to its mid-engine layout and a fast, terribly effective front axle, the R8 feels very distinctive. It has that point of excessive understeer, thanks to the quattro all-wheel drive, which saves you a million times from a scare. The aluminium, the all-wheel drive and the exquisite weight distribution are the secret of the R8. The structure is aluminium with a magnesium beam in the subframe that supports the engine. The body is also aluminium, and the central engine position allows a weight distribution of 44/56 percent across both axles.

The years have gone by and almost none of that has changed: older, calmer, perhaps slower but surely more effective. The car too. The one we’re dealing with is the Audi R8 V10 Spyder with “only” 570 hp, because the range also has an identical body, also 2020 model year, which under the “performance” nickname puts 620 hp under the bonnet.

The Drive Select system lets you choose different driving programmes to enjoy the Audi in every moment.

I must admit, between 570 and 620 hp… if it were for competing it’s very clear. But for enjoying a leisurely drive, on long trips in great cars or the occasional track day, that difference matters little to me, and I confess it’s hard to make use of it at all. Only a few will be able to. That said, the Performance also has equipment details with a more racing-oriented touch that may justify it.

Best convertible… if it’s a cabrio like this R8

The fact that the roof is fabric seems really attractive to me, and of course it’s a roof with the quality needed for a supercar made by Audi. It’s no ordinary roof. It weighs 44 kilos, it folds or opens in twenty seconds via an electro-hydraulic system, and it can be operated even at a speed of 50 km/h.

Raised it’s attractive, and lowered it’s sculptural, because it accentuates the design of the R8’s bodywork, which engulfs it completely without leaving any trace of its presence. The design effect the fabric roof achieves is very distinctive of this car. So too is the rear window, which is independent of the roof and can be raised, completing almost a closure together with the side windows, of a completely open cabin that stands out for the few turbulences generated inside. Something very much appreciated that increases the sensation of comfort at all times.

And then there are the roll bars hidden behind the seats, which are best never to show. But not everything about the roof is perfect… and this is, I think, the only “but” that can be put to the car. The cabin is a little smaller than in the coupé body version, and the rear wall is also more upright.

The Spyder’s extra weight is because points such as the sills, the A-pillars and the windscreen frame have been reinforced.

This means that a tall driver, at 1.80 metres, is just enough; if they want to drive with their legs stretched out and the seat position as low as possible, they will have to keep the backrest very upright. So much so that it can be somewhat uncomfortable. It’s a shame, and as I say, I think it’s the only drawback to this car, which technologically is outstanding. The same goes for dynamic matters, as we will see next.

Naturally aspirated V10 engine: impressions

The engine is incredible, both in the way it sounds and the way it delivers power. Progressiveness and explosiveness define it. The architecture is the 5.2-litre naturally aspirated V10, capable of delivering those 570 hp of pure racing spirit at 8,100 rpm. And it keeps climbing beyond 8,700 rpm, when the necessary and restrictive fuel cut arrives. That moment comes with a musical crackle, very exciting, which reminds you that you’re overdoing it when squeezing the potential of an engine that, with 560 Nm of torque at just over 6,000 rpm, feels very comfortable yet furious, right between six and eight thousand revs.

To keep the engine in that range there’s nothing easier than resorting to a gearbox inspired by the world of competition; this is not a line from the marketing department, it’s completely true. And not only because of the technology, but also because of the tight gear ratios and the incredible speed at which gear changes are made. Yes, it’s true, the engine is impressive, but the gearbox is the perfect and indispensable complement to get the most out of it.

It is the seven-speed S tronic gearbox, a dual-clutch transmission that the driver or pilot operates via the paddles behind the steering wheel. There’s also the gear lever, but it’s slower and almost seems absurd to take your hands off the wheel. I like the gearbox, and driving aimlessly I find myself changing up and down sometimes, unnecessarily, just to hear the moment of the shift, the sound effects of the automatic heel-and-toe, the small detonations of the engine and the roars of the V10. It’s perfection.

The traction capability is surprising. The experience of the quattro all-wheel-drive system is overwhelming, with the ability to send up to 100% of the torque to one axle or the other depending on the car’s needs, while the rear limited-slip differential works at 25% under traction and 45% under deceleration

Furthermore, it’s the gearbox and its complex electronics that are also responsible for managing quattro traction, which uses an electronically controlled multi-plate clutch that distributes torque according to what the car needs to keep moving in the direction the driver wants to go. It can send up to 100% of the torque to a single axle… so that on certain occasions you can drive a ¡front-wheel-drive R8!

Joking aside, that isn’t entirely the case, and I can’t imagine in what situation you’d have to send all the torque to the front axle; well, yes: with the rear on ice and the front on dry tarmac. It also has a mechanical lockable differential on the rear axle, which distributes torque between the wheels on each side to improve traction.

Once you understand all this and how it works, what you realise is that you don’t need to be a steering-wheel virtuoso to go fast with such a work of art and technology… the car does almost everything, including braking like a true F1 car, because its brakes are impressive, not so much for their short stopping distance as for being inexhaustible. They are large ventilated and drilled carbon-ceramic discs with imposing eight-piston calipers at the front and four at the rear.

Light weight… with nuances

If we were going to compete, weight would be a handicap, but I wouldn’t dare to suggest that in this car, a weight of 1,720 kilograms is excessive. Compared with the R8 Coupé, this one has new reinforcements simply to achieve the same or even greater structural rigidity than the model it derives from. Everything has been reinforced, especially the A-pillars and the windscreen frame, which serve as a roll bar, far more streamlined and beautiful than that of any racing car.

In the end, so much reinforcement makes it 208 kilos heavier, in exchange, yes, for increasing the aforementioned and decisive structural rigidity by more than 50 percent compared with the previous Spyder. Without doubt it’s more than justified, and rather than a drawback I see it as something absolutely favourable, because that rigidity multiplies the composure, the dynamism and, ultimately, the pleasure of driving.

To have fun at the wheel, the engine, gearbox and transmission combination also features the Audi Drive Select system located on the steering wheel itself, as well as the engine start button, which offers up to four different driving modes, from the most sporty and radical to the most comfortable, quiet and even economical in its operation.

Talking about running economy with such a car is a bit twisted. But if we consider that it’s a car perfectly usable day to day, simply by not having to look for petrol stations all the time is very much appreciated.

The sculptural V10 engine incorporates systems such as sail-mode coasting, which activates automatically when you’re not accelerating and the engine disconnects from the transmission. It also has the cylinder deactivation system, which can deactivate one bank of cylinders when driving at low revs. And all this is complemented by the start-stop system, which makes it possible to achieve average consumption below eleven litres per 100 km… with a 570 hp V10! Incredible.

We’re talking about its consumption rather than the performance, which is what everyone asks about. According to official data, the limit is set by a more than attractive 322 km/h, with a 0 to 100 km/h acceleration for which 3.5 seconds is enough. We have tested the acceleration on occasion and the neck suffers; the top speed we’ll leave for another time.

Audi R8 V10 Spyder image gallery

Photos: Pedro Morera and Audi