Audi R8 V10 Spyder Review - Power, Sound and Brutal Depreciation

Tougher European emissions rules and modest sales were to blame: in 2019, Audi gave the R8 a facelift that - over here in Germany at least - also brought a gasoline particulate filter along with it. So we decided to take a white Audi R8 V10 Spyder into our rental fleet. Naturally, we put the sports car from Ingolstadt (Audi's hometown) under the microscope and tested it thoroughly. Here's our verdict on power, sound and depreciation.

You can find our YouTube video on this Bavarian sports-car dream at this link. If our review isn't enough for you, you can also rent the Audi R8 from us. We no longer have the convertible from our test, but we do have 5 coupes waiting for your booking all over Germany.

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Heads-up: the video is still in German – the English version is coming soon. Subscribe to our YouTube channel so you don't miss it!

The Audi R8: from concept car to the end of production in 2024

After the success of the concept study - which appeared, among other places, in the movie "I, Robot" with Will Smith - the first Audi R8 went into series production in 2006 with a 4.2-liter V8. In 2009, the Type 42 lineup was joined by a version with a 5.2-liter V10. Then in 2015 came the new Audi R8 (Type 4S), sadly without the V8. Instead, there were now 2 versions of the mid-mounted V10: a more powerful one and a slightly detuned one. Starting out at 540 hp, the R8's naturally aspirated engine was steadily developed further and most recently impressed with 602 hp.

In 2019, regulations forced a facelift that came with the installation of a gasoline particulate filter (GPF) on European cars. The last R8 rolled off the line at the end of March 2024. Audi justified the decision with a new direction for its product range: the focus is set to be on EVs, with the e-tron GT considered the spiritual successor. Rumor has it, though, that an electric version of the R8 is already in the works.

Our V10 Spyder: 562 or 602 hp? And why the Spyder?

Just as with the Porsche 911 and its S version, we noticed no big difference when comparing the engines back to back. Although the dealer assured us that most customers preferred the more powerful model, the drastic €31,500 premium wasn't worth it to us. What's another 40 hp (50 PS on paper) over the base R8 Coupe when that alone already costs €170,000 in Germany?

The decision in favor of the Spyder, on the other hand, was a very easy one. That choice cost us just under €15,000, but it was worth it. For us, the Audi R8 is an incredibly emotional car, and with the top down, the joy of driving rises exponentially with the revs.

There's also the RWD variant with rear-wheel drive, which in our eyes makes rather little sense. In our opinion, the supercar is so brilliant precisely because of its all-wheel drive.

Audi R8 performance: top speed and 0 to 60 put to the test

Manufacturers like to embellish their numbers to win over buyers. Officially, with launch control activated, the R8 needs just 3.5 seconds from 0 to 62 mph. Top speed is 200 mph, at least that's what the manufacturer thinks.

We decided to put Audi's figures to the test: our car was well broken in by then, after all. The data was measured with our GPS box. At a fresh 41 °F and on winter tires, the test conditions weren't the easiest, but the R8 managed to surprise us in a good way: Audi had been almost modest.

In our own test we did 0 to 62 mph in just 3.46 seconds, and reached 124 mph another 7.72 seconds later. We'd urge every sports car fan to experience this acceleration at least once. Launch control winds the car up under a brutal soundtrack. When you finally set the R8 free, the 10 cylinders press every single horsepower onto the asphalt through all four wheels.

First gear revs all the way to 8,700 rpm, and the handover to second works cleanly with no interruption or loss of power. At this point, a heartfelt Bavarian "Vergelt's Gott" (thank you) to the engineer behind the 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. We wrung the engine out all the way to top speed and hit a fat 202 mph.

Does the facelifted V10 still sound right?

Unfortunately, the facelift didn't come alone: in Europe, it brought a particulate filter with a reputation as a sound-killer. Naturally, the topic of "sound" was hotly debated on our end before the purchase, but the losses turned out to be far less severe on the R8 than, say, on the Porsche 911 GT3. (US cars never got the filter, so if anything, yours will sound even better than ours.)

No sooner was the supercar sitting in our lot than the topic was moot. The cold start is still deafenin: early in the morning, you almost feel guilty for basically waking up half the neighborhood by accident.

While driving, the difference to the pre-facelift car becomes more noticeable. In Comfort mode, you can barely hear the engine. But switch to Dynamic mode and the exhaust flaps open, letting the V10 breathe freely. Still, the sound is a bit more muffled than before: beyond 7,000 rpm, the occupants were treated to a concert that gave us goosebumps. So the facelifted V10 is a touch more restrained, but it's by no means short of breath.

Audi R8 Spyder depreciation and price: used vs. new!

Now for a rather depressing subject: the Audi R8 holds its value like a sieve holds water.

An example: we configured an Audi R8 V10 Spyder. Traditionally, we don't pack a lot of options into our cars, because those costs are hard to recoup at resale. We ended up at just over €200,000 in Germany. That in itself wouldn't be a problem: after all, what is basically the same car costs about €100,000 more at Lamborghini; in the end, only the bull makes the difference.

But here comes the big "but": the car loses practically 30 percent of its value the moment the keys are handed to the first happy owner - with 0 miles on the clock. That's how quickly you burn €60,000.

Unlike our Porsche rental cars, which we generally finance ourselves, the leasing option was therefore particularly interesting for us as a rental company. Of course, we still tried to dodge that initial depreciation and focused mainly on one-year-old cars: and we actually found an Audi R8 V10 Spyder that matched exactly what we had in mind. With only 1,900 miles on the clock, it cost €139,000 instead of €197,000 – we're still proud of that bargain today.

The Audi R8 Spyder: a dream in white?

The Audi R8 Spyder polarizes. Munich is so used to Porsches that a 911 barely registers anymore. The car from Ingolstadt gets noticed, and rightly so. The design is aggressively sporty and yet typically Audi. In our opinion, few cars from Germany deserve the title "sports car" as much as the R8 - you can feel the close kinship with the Lamborghini Huracán.

A stiff chassis, gigantic displacement, a mid-mounted engine with a mighty voice and two bucket seats in which you're almost lying on the tarmac: that's the stuff sports-car dreams are made of. Add to that a level of maneuverability that offers even a novice driver a friendly hand, and the quattro all-wheel drive that keeps you on the road better than any lane-keeping assistant.

If you want to buy the car yourself, despite all that we would personally point you to the previous generation to avoid the depreciation.

The only thing you should skip with an R8 is longer road trips, because storage space is a real point of criticism. The front trunk holds a mere 4 cubic feet. We missed storage cubbies and jump seats, despite the R8's stately size and a massive curb weight of about 3,970 lb, the engineers couldn't find room for them.

Want to see the R8 for yourself? You can rent it directly from us on our website. Alternatively, you can give the sports-car experience as a gift voucher to your loved ones.