Audi R8 Coupe 2020 Review

The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Take the facelifted 2020 Audi R8: there’s a lower entry price, new technology and added appeal, yet the rationale for purchasing Audi’s mid-engine supercar over rivals is the same as it was back in 2009 – a glorious 5.2-litre naturally-aspirated V10 engine.

Thing is, however, with impending emissions regulations set to impose an expiry date on Audi’s popular supercar (reportedly 2023), the V10’s point of difference has probably never been greater.

Audi tinkered with its R8 formula in 2018 with the introduction of a limited-edition, rear-drive R8 RWS (Rear Wheel Series).

So popular was the limited run of 999 cars that, for 2020, Audi has made the rear-drive R8 a permanent member of its supercar portfolio.

As such, the point of entry is now set at $295,000 (plus on-road costs) for the rear-drive V10 and $395,000 plus ORCs for the more powerful, all-wheel drive V10 Performance.

We’ll get to the nuts and bolts of each in the next section, but essentially both feature a 5.2-litre naturally-aspirated V10 and seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, with the V10 Performance offering a higher state of tune.

Standard Australian features for the 2020 Audi R8 includes 20-inch alloy wheels – with specially-developed lightweight milled wheels reserved for V10 Performance quattro models – along with heated sports seats, a full Nappa leather interior, LED headlights and tail-lights, reversing camera with park assist, cruise control and electric/heated/folding mirrors.

The Audi R8 V10 Performance also comes with an exclusive gloss carbon exterior styling package that includes inlays throughout the cabin as well as Alcantara headlining. The changes complement gently revised exterior styling that helps to mildly sharpen the R8’s street presence.

Inside the cabin, the R8 gets the German maker’s MMI Navigation plus system, comprising dual touch-screens, Audi’s virtual cockpit digital instrument cluster, a 13-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system and a new wireless smartphone phone charging pad.

The 2020 Audi R8 is backed by Audi’s three-year/unlimited kilometre factory warranty. It is also offered with a complimentary three-year Audi service plan package and the choice of nine exterior and interior colour options.

Underneath, Audi’s mid-engine sports flagship remains fundamentally unchanged since the second generation was released in 2016, including its aluminium spaceframe chassis, double-wishbone suspension and nearly fully-sealed underbody.

The glorious 10-cylinder engine now pumps out 449kW of power at 8250rpm and 560Nm of torque at 6500rpm in the V10 Performance, while rear-wheel drive R8 models are detuned to 397kW at 7800rpm/540Nm at 6500rpm. Both are paired to Audi’s seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch automatic transmission as standard.

It’s the same engine that’s been used since 2009 in Audi’s LMS GT3 race cars, with which the road-going R8 shares 50 per cent of its DNA, says Audi, including its dry-sump lubrication, 12.7:1 compression ratio, dual-injection and lightweight internals.

The mid-mounted V10 also comes with a cylinder-on-demand system, which shuts down half of its cylinders under light throttle loads, enabling the V10 to run on just five cylinders to improve fuel efficiency, claimed to be 12.2L/100km in the case of the RWD and 13.4L/100km for the quattro.

R8 RWD models get stopping power from large 18-inch brake discs up front, offset by red eight-piston callipers, while sport suspension, tyre pressure monitoring and anti-theft wheel nuts also come standard.

V10 Performance models get larger (and lighter) ceramic brakes, including 19-inch discs clamped by six-piston grey, red or blue callipers up front. Along with its extra-large stoppers, the V10 Performance also boasts magnetic ride suspension.

As for performance, the quickest variant is the R8 Coupe performance quattro, which is able to sprint to 100km/h from a standstill in just 3.2 seconds. The rear-drive Coupe will do the same in 3.7sec.

Like the RWS, the RWD is 50kg lighter than the all-wheel drive R8, at 1590kg (or 1665kg on the EC standard), with the weight savings mostly coming from dumping the front driveshaft, differential and centre differential.

It retains electronic stabilisation skid-control, plus 245/35 front tyres and 295/35 rears on their 20-inch rims.

The Audi R8 V10 RWD is produced, largely by hand, at Audi’s Böllinger Höfe production facility in Neckarsulm.

We’ve covered the Audi R8’s highly visceral driving experience on these pages many times before. But it would be remiss of us not to do so again.

In the increasing age of forced induction and electrification, the R8 stands strongly as both an elder statesman and a firebrand. Its V10 engine is remarkably engaging, visceral and tactile all at once, with those traits heightened as it approaches its circa 9000rpm.

In short, there are faster supercars out there, but few will enlighten your senses in the way the R8 does.

The engine’s naturally-aspirated virtues are signalled initially by crisp and unimpeded throttle response and an ability to rev freely along the tacho; almost akin to a supersport 1000cc motorcycle.

Applying the engine’s surfeit of riches to the bitumen underneath is decidedly more efficient with the all-wheel drive quattro system at play; whereas the RWD R8 navigates its way with some occasional nipping from the stability control system, the V10 Performance marches on confidently, plying its power and clawing out of corners with barely any semblance of hesitation.

At the same time, past experience shows the regular rear-drive R8 is a joy on circuit, exhibiting lurid oversteer characteristics borne from a communicative chassis and an engine free from forced induction.

In either case, the Audi R8 doesn’t telegraph its movements as honestly as McLaren’s latest and greatest, nor does it feel up to the high lateral loads of a well-honed Porsche 911.

But the counterpoint here is the R8 does everything remarkably well, offering a reassurance and gentle assistance in the form of electrical steering and a communicative chassis.

In either variant at launch, the suspension breathes over rough bitumen, especially with speed, and there is a tangible user-friendliness on offer. Driving the R8 fast doesn’t induce sweaty palms in the same way as a Lotus or a Ferrari – the engine is raw, but there is a digital buffer to its ancillaries, primarily in the form of an excellent skid-control system.

In daily conveyance, the R8 is a cinch too. It doesn’t impose many of the typical supercar idiosyncrasies – namely, limited vision, a contortionist’s idea of ingress/egress or terrible storage options.

Instead, you could easily confuse the driving experience with Audi’s lesser TT, thanks to ample incidental storage, open cubbies, handy technology including two USB ports and cup-holders.

Furthermore, the steering is light at low speeds, the V10 engine happily doddles about town with no unnecessary fanfare, while the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic doesn’t bind or jerk at low speeds. Ditto the all-wheel drive system in car parks.

If we had any complaints about the cabin, it would have to be the absence of a centre infotainment screen. Even for a car that is so driver-focussed, it would be nice to offer users the option of a display to compliment the excellent virtual cockpit instrument cluster.

Few buyers of supercars would claim to be pragmatic purchasers, but that’s the real selling point of the R8.

Furthermore, the latest model is cheaper and has more to offer, yet it also resembles the last of its kind with a V10 engine that leaves an indelible smile.

There are faster, more ostentatious supercars, and then there is the race-proven, brawny coupe from Ingolstadt that gets about its business.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

How much does the 2020 Audi R8 Coupe cost?
Price: V10 $295,000, V10 Performance $395,000 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 5.2-litre naturally-aspirated V10 petrol
Output: 397kW/540Nm (V10), 449kW/560Nm (V10 Performance)
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 12.2-13.4L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 280-314g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not rated