Audi R8 Spyder

Audi gave its flagship sports car, R8 an update with changes primarily restricted to exterior makeover and mechanical tweaks. While the 5.2-litre, V10 engine continues to power the supercar, it has been tuned to put out increased power. The Audi R8 Spyder is essentially a convertible with some different bits, which sets it apart from the coupe version. Chances are that the thunderous V10 engine could go into oblivion post the second-generation model which will be on retail at least for a couple of years. It could be replaced by either a fully-electrified system or a plug-in hybrid set-up. Coming to visuals, the new set of upgrades incorporate an aggressive and sharper stance to it. Also, it now seems to offer improved traction opposed to its predecessor, albeit advanced safety tech and interior flexibility remain a huge miss-out. As for Audi R8 price, it is available at an estimated premium of $20,000 over its coupe version. 

The exterior sport a larger grille which covers a large part of the bumper. It also gets a single-frame grille and segmented headlamps that inject aggression to the face. Not to be missed, is the large bonnet with sharp lines flowing all over it. The chunky air-inlets, sporty skid plates and sculpted elements round up the front styling. Moving to the sides, it gets meaty alloy wheels that give better grip on roads, also the chunky wheel arches reinforce the sporty look. The sloping roof meets seamlessly with the steeply raked in windshield at the rear, highlighted by a large lip-spoiler, lofty rear diffusers, sleek tail-lamps, and air-intakes that cover up a large part of the rear.  

The interior of the Audi R8 Spyder convertible remains largely unchanged with the comfortable seating position retrained. This two-seater gets a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster instead of a central screen. The virtual cockpit, as Audi calls it, is driver-friendly with controls for most of the features placed well within the reach. However, getting used to the controls could take some time. Additionally, it gets Audi’s MMI rotary dial with touch controls for air-conditioning, gear selector, switchgear and push starter. In terms of comfort, the fixed bucket seats cannot be adjusted, besides the R8 Spyder’s cabin is a bit cramped. There are some utility points as well such as cup-holders, door pockets and other storage points in front of the shifter and on the armrest. One must note though, the Audi R8 Spyder offers less storage space than the coupe which has an under the bonnet area along with the 226L cargo space. 

This mid-engined supercar derives power from the renowned V10 unit. The 5.2-litre V10 (FSI), naturally aspirated unit has been carried over from the previous version which has been tweaked to put out increased power. It makes 419 kW against 560 Nm torque and gets a seven-speed S-Tronic dual-clutch automatic transmission with Audi’s Quattro all-wheel drivetrain. The 0 to 100 km/h sprint is achieved in 3.5 seconds, just 0.1 seconds behind its coupe version with speed topping out at 322 km/h.