Audi R8 Spyder 4.2 FSI quattro S-tronic Review
08 May 2015|16,317 views
Even though the car, in its V10 guise, was featured in the Iron Man 2 movie, you won't be reading about any references to the superhero flick in this story. There're a couple of reasons why we refuse to. Firstly, we aren't your average website where every Audi R8 has to link with Iron Man or every DeLorean DMC-12 has to be a time machine in 'Back to the Future' (although references to these movies have been made before).
Huge round tailpipes help give it a simpler but aggressive rear
Secondly, the car you see here isn't just your typical blonde with an empty head. Specific details have been thought through to ensure the faultless harmonics of the car. And that includes going down to specific details such as shaving off fat from the brake discs without compromising on heat dissipation and having microphones that look like buttons integrated into the seat belts to ensure good voice quality when you are using the mobile phone on the move, even with the roof folded.
The third and probably the most important point to the hardworking lads in sgCarMart's Editorial Team is that the supercar here is more relevant to us than Iron Man himself. Since the launch of the first R8 in Singapore in 2007, the car has been ever-improving, whether it's in terms of weight reduction without 'reducing' the number of features, improving its looks without giving it too much of a good thing or just bumping up the horses without making the car feel like there's too much power for its own good. In case such a vital information or knowledge, if we may, strikes your fancy, then you're obviously reading the right story from the right site.
Secondly, the car you see here isn't just your typical blonde with an empty head. Specific details have been thought through to ensure the faultless harmonics of the car. And that includes going down to specific details such as shaving off fat from the brake discs without compromising on heat dissipation and having microphones that look like buttons integrated into the seat belts to ensure good voice quality when you are using the mobile phone on the move, even with the roof folded.
The third and probably the most important point to the hardworking lads in sgCarMart's Editorial Team is that the supercar here is more relevant to us than Iron Man himself. Since the launch of the first R8 in Singapore in 2007, the car has been ever-improving, whether it's in terms of weight reduction without 'reducing' the number of features, improving its looks without giving it too much of a good thing or just bumping up the horses without making the car feel like there's too much power for its own good. In case such a vital information or knowledge, if we may, strikes your fancy, then you're obviously reading the right story from the right site.
 |
Exterior
What's also vital is the fact that the car's sheet metal has been slightly tweaked in order for it to have a more polished look. Apart from the more obvious changes like the LED head and taillights, more distinctive daytime running lights and the now round tailpipes (used to be oval), subtle details such as the red backing on the 'R8' badge - similar to the S models - can now be found on the Spyder too.
Of course, to the casual observer, these are all but unimportant and, perhaps, unnecessary changes that can be done without. But when you have all these little changes combined on a car, the difference is relatively significant. Plus, buyers of such a car would naturally appreciate these little attention to details that separate this ride from a Gallardo Spyder or the Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet GTS 4.
Fact is, the Audi has got bags of charm. Measuring 4,440mm from tip to tip, 1,904mm wide and 1,244mm in height, this lean machine has got ample presence on the road - more so when you lower the roof (which takes 19 seconds) and chase away pesky slower drivers on the first lane of the highway.
 |
Interior
Everything just seems to fall into place when you're here. The cabin is beautifully crafted and ergonomically unblemished. There are no fancy buttons or switches like what you'd get in a typical Italian supercar but it's also generously equipped enough to make sure you still get the simple luxuries in a car without compromising on weight.
Cabin is driver-oriented without compromising on comfort
Admittedly, there's always a sense of anxiety when driving such a wide and expensive car on jam-packed roads like ours. But knowing that the seating position can be widely adjusted gives shorter drivers like this storyteller a clear view of the road ahead and the necessary confidence when manoeuvring around tighter spaces.
Everything just seems to fall into place when you're here. The cabin is beautifully crafted and ergonomically unblemished. There are no fancy buttons or switches like what you'd get in a typical Italian supercar but it's also generously equipped enough to make sure you still get the simple luxuries in a car without compromising on weight.
Admittedly, there's always a sense of anxiety when driving such a wide and expensive car on jam-packed roads like ours. But knowing that the seating position can be widely adjusted gives shorter drivers like this storyteller a clear view of the road ahead and the necessary confidence when manoeuvring around tighter spaces.
Thus, it's safe to say that the response of being inside this supercar alters a fair bit from your expectations. You get ample confidence instead of nervousness behind the wheel, which certainly helps a fair bit when you decide to practice hooliganism on the road.
100 litres of boot space is a generous helping for a supercar
Just as generous is the 100-litre luggage compartment. As with most supercars with the engine in the 'wrong' place, the front luggage space usually spells trouble when hauling anything bigger than the wife's tote bag. But with the R8 Spyder, the partition is wide and deep, which makes it easier to store bigger items.
Just as generous is the 100-litre luggage compartment. As with most supercars with the engine in the 'wrong' place, the front luggage space usually spells trouble when hauling anything bigger than the wife's tote bag. But with the R8 Spyder, the partition is wide and deep, which makes it easier to store bigger items.
 |
The Drive
At the wheel, the R8 Spyder is indeed quite an effective bruiser and an enjoyable cruiser. Understandably, it wouldn't be sensible of us to relate this 4.2-litre V8 drop-top trim to the juicier 5.2-litre V10 Plus because you wouldn't need to check through the spec sheets to know that the car you see here lacks the firepower of the latter. What are less obvious, though, are the subtle differences between the two siblings in the way they drive.
Despite weighing some 65kg more than the V10 Plus, the Spyder feels lighter on its feet, with the sort of adorable agility that makes it such a rewarding and useable companion. We use an expressive word like 'useable' for a supercar because there's simply nothing pretentious about this honest machine. The century sprint timing of 4.5 seconds is only in the range of a hot hatch (the Mercedes-Benz A 45 AMG clocks 4.6 seconds while the BMW M135i takes 4.9 seconds) but the ruckus it can cause from the exhaust is certainly nothing short of boast worthy.
The 4.2-litre V8 powerplant is undoubtedly a screamer
That doesn't mean the R8 Spyder should be underestimated. The power builds up like a never-ending amount of water to a dam and gushes out like a bat out of hell when you floor the throttle, accompanied by the entertaining harmonic sequence of all 'eight chords' behind you. Run it in Sport mode and the music genre changes from Alternative Rock to Heavy Metal as the throttle sensitivity increases and the exhaust becomes a notch wilder - all to get your senses in 'race' mode.
But it's never as scary as it sounds because of the amazingly communicative and responsive steering. Corners are carved with aplomb, thanks to the quattro system that can send up to 30 percent of the power to the front wheels should a slip be detected. While all these 'nannies' seldom take effect in real world driving, it's always good to know that such a key attribute is readily available to help rather than hinder, especially when the car is capable of 424 horses and 430 Nm of torque from the word go.
At the wheel, the R8 Spyder is indeed quite an effective bruiser and an enjoyable cruiser. Understandably, it wouldn't be sensible of us to relate this 4.2-litre V8 drop-top trim to the juicier 5.2-litre V10 Plus because you wouldn't need to check through the spec sheets to know that the car you see here lacks the firepower of the latter. What are less obvious, though, are the subtle differences between the two siblings in the way they drive.
Despite weighing some 65kg more than the V10 Plus, the Spyder feels lighter on its feet, with the sort of adorable agility that makes it such a rewarding and useable companion. We use an expressive word like 'useable' for a supercar because there's simply nothing pretentious about this honest machine. The century sprint timing of 4.5 seconds is only in the range of a hot hatch (the Mercedes-Benz A 45 AMG clocks 4.6 seconds while the BMW M135i takes 4.9 seconds) but the ruckus it can cause from the exhaust is certainly nothing short of boast worthy.
That doesn't mean the R8 Spyder should be underestimated. The power builds up like a never-ending amount of water to a dam and gushes out like a bat out of hell when you floor the throttle, accompanied by the entertaining harmonic sequence of all 'eight chords' behind you. Run it in Sport mode and the music genre changes from Alternative Rock to Heavy Metal as the throttle sensitivity increases and the exhaust becomes a notch wilder - all to get your senses in 'race' mode.
But it's never as scary as it sounds because of the amazingly communicative and responsive steering. Corners are carved with aplomb, thanks to the quattro system that can send up to 30 percent of the power to the front wheels should a slip be detected. While all these 'nannies' seldom take effect in real world driving, it's always good to know that such a key attribute is readily available to help rather than hinder, especially when the car is capable of 424 horses and 430 Nm of torque from the word go.
The car also comes with magnetic ride suspension, which explains its ability to iron out road imperfections without holding back on any form of effective communication to the driver and its cossetting nature. It also means it's a supercar you can use on a daily basis without feeling tiresome of getting too much of a good thing.
The R8 Spyder is a smooth operator even at high speeds
Conclusion
The R8 Spyder is hardly an ostentatious car if you were to park it beside a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder or the Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet GTS 4. In a way, it's not the type of car you'd see and immediately judge the driver's bad taste in cars and women for that matter.
But at $778,200 (as of 24th April 2015), the roof installation is impeccable, with no indication of rattling and ample signs of refinement that's hardly associated with supercars. More relevantly, it's a moving work of art, which makes it that much more desirable to own one.
So the next time someone makes Iron Man references to you when he sees you with an R8, give the hyperlink of this story to him. We'll educate him for you.
Conclusion
The R8 Spyder is hardly an ostentatious car if you were to park it beside a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder or the Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet GTS 4. In a way, it's not the type of car you'd see and immediately judge the driver's bad taste in cars and women for that matter.
But at $778,200 (as of 24th April 2015), the roof installation is impeccable, with no indication of rattling and ample signs of refinement that's hardly associated with supercars. More relevantly, it's a moving work of art, which makes it that much more desirable to own one.
So the next time someone makes Iron Man references to you when he sees you with an R8, give the hyperlink of this story to him. We'll educate him for you.
Even though the car, in its V10 guise, was featured in the Iron Man 2 movie, you won't be reading about any references to the superhero flick in this story. There're a couple of reasons why we refuse to. Firstly, we aren't your average website where every Audi R8 has to link with Iron Man or every DeLorean DMC-12 has to be a time machine in 'Back to the Future' (although references to these movies have been made before).
Secondly, the car you see here isn't just your typical blonde with an empty head. Specific details have been thought through to ensure the faultless harmonics of the car. And that includes going down to specific details such as shaving off fat from the brake discs without compromising on heat dissipation and having microphones that look like buttons integrated into the seat belts to ensure good voice quality when you are using the mobile phone on the move, even with the roof folded.
The third and probably the most important point to the hardworking lads in sgCarMart's Editorial Team is that the supercar here is more relevant to us than Iron Man himself. Since the launch of the first R8 in Singapore in 2007, the car has been ever-improving, whether it's in terms of weight reduction without 'reducing' the number of features, improving its looks without giving it too much of a good thing or just bumping up the horses without making the car feel like there's too much power for its own good. In case such a vital information or knowledge, if we may, strikes your fancy, then you're obviously reading the right story from the right site.
Secondly, the car you see here isn't just your typical blonde with an empty head. Specific details have been thought through to ensure the faultless harmonics of the car. And that includes going down to specific details such as shaving off fat from the brake discs without compromising on heat dissipation and having microphones that look like buttons integrated into the seat belts to ensure good voice quality when you are using the mobile phone on the move, even with the roof folded.
The third and probably the most important point to the hardworking lads in sgCarMart's Editorial Team is that the supercar here is more relevant to us than Iron Man himself. Since the launch of the first R8 in Singapore in 2007, the car has been ever-improving, whether it's in terms of weight reduction without 'reducing' the number of features, improving its looks without giving it too much of a good thing or just bumping up the horses without making the car feel like there's too much power for its own good. In case such a vital information or knowledge, if we may, strikes your fancy, then you're obviously reading the right story from the right site.
Exterior
What's also vital is the fact that the car's sheet metal has been slightly tweaked in order for it to have a more polished look. Apart from the more obvious changes like the LED head and taillights, more distinctive daytime running lights and the now round tailpipes (used to be oval), subtle details such as the red backing on the 'R8' badge - similar to the S models - can now be found on the Spyder too.
Of course, to the casual observer, these are all but unimportant and, perhaps, unnecessary changes that can be done without. But when you have all these little changes combined on a car, the difference is relatively significant. Plus, buyers of such a car would naturally appreciate these little attention to details that separate this ride from a Gallardo Spyder or the Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet GTS 4.
Fact is, the Audi has got bags of charm. Measuring 4,440mm from tip to tip, 1,904mm wide and 1,244mm in height, this lean machine has got ample presence on the road - more so when you lower the roof (which takes 19 seconds) and chase away pesky slower drivers on the first lane of the highway.
Interior
Everything just seems to fall into place when you're here. The cabin is beautifully crafted and ergonomically unblemished. There are no fancy buttons or switches like what you'd get in a typical Italian supercar but it's also generously equipped enough to make sure you still get the simple luxuries in a car without compromising on weight.
Admittedly, there's always a sense of anxiety when driving such a wide and expensive car on jam-packed roads like ours. But knowing that the seating position can be widely adjusted gives shorter drivers like this storyteller a clear view of the road ahead and the necessary confidence when manoeuvring around tighter spaces.
Everything just seems to fall into place when you're here. The cabin is beautifully crafted and ergonomically unblemished. There are no fancy buttons or switches like what you'd get in a typical Italian supercar but it's also generously equipped enough to make sure you still get the simple luxuries in a car without compromising on weight.
Admittedly, there's always a sense of anxiety when driving such a wide and expensive car on jam-packed roads like ours. But knowing that the seating position can be widely adjusted gives shorter drivers like this storyteller a clear view of the road ahead and the necessary confidence when manoeuvring around tighter spaces.
Thus, it's safe to say that the response of being inside this supercar alters a fair bit from your expectations. You get ample confidence instead of nervousness behind the wheel, which certainly helps a fair bit when you decide to practice hooliganism on the road.
Just as generous is the 100-litre luggage compartment. As with most supercars with the engine in the 'wrong' place, the front luggage space usually spells trouble when hauling anything bigger than the wife's tote bag. But with the R8 Spyder, the partition is wide and deep, which makes it easier to store bigger items.
Just as generous is the 100-litre luggage compartment. As with most supercars with the engine in the 'wrong' place, the front luggage space usually spells trouble when hauling anything bigger than the wife's tote bag. But with the R8 Spyder, the partition is wide and deep, which makes it easier to store bigger items.
The Drive
At the wheel, the R8 Spyder is indeed quite an effective bruiser and an enjoyable cruiser. Understandably, it wouldn't be sensible of us to relate this 4.2-litre V8 drop-top trim to the juicier 5.2-litre V10 Plus because you wouldn't need to check through the spec sheets to know that the car you see here lacks the firepower of the latter. What are less obvious, though, are the subtle differences between the two siblings in the way they drive.
Despite weighing some 65kg more than the V10 Plus, the Spyder feels lighter on its feet, with the sort of adorable agility that makes it such a rewarding and useable companion. We use an expressive word like 'useable' for a supercar because there's simply nothing pretentious about this honest machine. The century sprint timing of 4.5 seconds is only in the range of a hot hatch (the Mercedes-Benz A 45 AMG clocks 4.6 seconds while the BMW M135i takes 4.9 seconds) but the ruckus it can cause from the exhaust is certainly nothing short of boast worthy.
That doesn't mean the R8 Spyder should be underestimated. The power builds up like a never-ending amount of water to a dam and gushes out like a bat out of hell when you floor the throttle, accompanied by the entertaining harmonic sequence of all 'eight chords' behind you. Run it in Sport mode and the music genre changes from Alternative Rock to Heavy Metal as the throttle sensitivity increases and the exhaust becomes a notch wilder - all to get your senses in 'race' mode.
But it's never as scary as it sounds because of the amazingly communicative and responsive steering. Corners are carved with aplomb, thanks to the quattro system that can send up to 30 percent of the power to the front wheels should a slip be detected. While all these 'nannies' seldom take effect in real world driving, it's always good to know that such a key attribute is readily available to help rather than hinder, especially when the car is capable of 424 horses and 430 Nm of torque from the word go.
At the wheel, the R8 Spyder is indeed quite an effective bruiser and an enjoyable cruiser. Understandably, it wouldn't be sensible of us to relate this 4.2-litre V8 drop-top trim to the juicier 5.2-litre V10 Plus because you wouldn't need to check through the spec sheets to know that the car you see here lacks the firepower of the latter. What are less obvious, though, are the subtle differences between the two siblings in the way they drive.
Despite weighing some 65kg more than the V10 Plus, the Spyder feels lighter on its feet, with the sort of adorable agility that makes it such a rewarding and useable companion. We use an expressive word like 'useable' for a supercar because there's simply nothing pretentious about this honest machine. The century sprint timing of 4.5 seconds is only in the range of a hot hatch (the Mercedes-Benz A 45 AMG clocks 4.6 seconds while the BMW M135i takes 4.9 seconds) but the ruckus it can cause from the exhaust is certainly nothing short of boast worthy.
That doesn't mean the R8 Spyder should be underestimated. The power builds up like a never-ending amount of water to a dam and gushes out like a bat out of hell when you floor the throttle, accompanied by the entertaining harmonic sequence of all 'eight chords' behind you. Run it in Sport mode and the music genre changes from Alternative Rock to Heavy Metal as the throttle sensitivity increases and the exhaust becomes a notch wilder - all to get your senses in 'race' mode.
But it's never as scary as it sounds because of the amazingly communicative and responsive steering. Corners are carved with aplomb, thanks to the quattro system that can send up to 30 percent of the power to the front wheels should a slip be detected. While all these 'nannies' seldom take effect in real world driving, it's always good to know that such a key attribute is readily available to help rather than hinder, especially when the car is capable of 424 horses and 430 Nm of torque from the word go.
The car also comes with magnetic ride suspension, which explains its ability to iron out road imperfections without holding back on any form of effective communication to the driver and its cossetting nature. It also means it's a supercar you can use on a daily basis without feeling tiresome of getting too much of a good thing.
Conclusion
The R8 Spyder is hardly an ostentatious car if you were to park it beside a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder or the Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet GTS 4. In a way, it's not the type of car you'd see and immediately judge the driver's bad taste in cars and women for that matter.
But at $778,200 (as of 24th April 2015), the roof installation is impeccable, with no indication of rattling and ample signs of refinement that's hardly associated with supercars. More relevantly, it's a moving work of art, which makes it that much more desirable to own one.
So the next time someone makes Iron Man references to you when he sees you with an R8, give the hyperlink of this story to him. We'll educate him for you.
Conclusion
The R8 Spyder is hardly an ostentatious car if you were to park it beside a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder or the Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet GTS 4. In a way, it's not the type of car you'd see and immediately judge the driver's bad taste in cars and women for that matter.
But at $778,200 (as of 24th April 2015), the roof installation is impeccable, with no indication of rattling and ample signs of refinement that's hardly associated with supercars. More relevantly, it's a moving work of art, which makes it that much more desirable to own one.
So the next time someone makes Iron Man references to you when he sees you with an R8, give the hyperlink of this story to him. We'll educate him for you.
Photos by Low Fai Ming
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Car Information
Audi R8 Spyder 4.2 FSI qu S tronic (A)
CAT B|Petrol|7.9km/L
Horsepower
316kW (424 bhp)
Torque
430 Nm
Acceleration
4.8sec (0-100km /hr)
This model is no longer being sold by local distributor
All Used Audi R8 Spyder
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