Audi R8 Review 2024

Audi R8 At A Glance

5/5
Honest John Overall Rating
As a daily driver at urban speeds, the R8 is the best in the business and this means it’s one of the best high performance cars for daily driving.

+Astonishingly quick yet easy to use as a daily driver. Comfortable and refined cabin. One of the few remaining V10 supercars.

-Expensive to buy and maintain. Not much room for luggage. Your neighbours will soon grow weary of V10 themed wake-up calls...

New prices start from £141,295
Insurance Groups are between 16–50
On average it achieves 72% of the official MPG figure

At home on track or the supermarket run, the Audi R8 gentrifies the supercar experience by adding welcome helpings of everyday comfort and usability. The naturally aspirated V10 is the highlight of the show though, with its intoxicating vocals and high-revving nature providing a wonderful throwback to the heavyweight supercars of the 1990s. 

Motoring clichés are easy to come by, but every now and again a car comes along that’s so brilliant that it qualifies for every stock phrase you can find. The Audi R8’s one of those cars: it’s revolutionary, a game changer and it really does handle like it is on rails.

On the open road the R8 is scintillating, with outstanding acceleration and a wonderful soundtrack that builds with the revs. The V10 is theatrical, flamboyant and high-revving. It starts up with a chorus of crackles and pops plus it thunders along at sub-30mph with surprising grace

The steering is light and responsive while the large mirrors provide excellent all-round vision. The pedal action is also refined, which means you can apply small amounts of brake or throttle in traffic, without the usual supercar jarring. 

The seven-speed S tronic automatic gearbox works well with the V10, holding the gears in the corners and providing rapid changes as you push it on the straights. The R8 is fitted with a set of driving modes that let you tailor the handling and exhaust note, but there's plenty of fun to be had in even the most sedate settings.  

While the steering impresses, it still lacks the precision of the Porsche 911 or McLaren 570S, which feel sharper. However, the R8 rides extremely well and will easily cope with the roughest of surfaces.

It might not be at the forefront of the supercar pack, but the Audi R8 is a universal starting point for those looking to enter the world of high performance exotica. Noisy, good looking and powered by one of the best engines in the business, the R8 is one of our favourite high performance all-rounders. 

 

What does a Audi R8 cost?