Audi R8 V10 (Type 4S) — the mid-engined coupé left without a successor

The R8 is the only production supercar in Audi’s history and the brand’s last model with a naturally aspirated FSI V10. Production ended with a final special edition of 333 cars, and the model has no direct successor with an internal combustion engine. Everything written below about sound and response refers to a design that is no longer built.

In short. Audi R8 V10 Type 4S — mid-engined coupé, 2 seats, 2 doors. V10 5.2 FSI, naturally aspirated, mid-mounted, 570 hp (419 kW). Rear-wheel drive. 0–100 km/h in 3.7 s, top speed 329 km/h.

What this car is

The first generation (Type 42) appeared in the mid-2000s on a lengthened version of the ASF aluminium platform — the same one as the Lamborghini Gallardo, with a wheelbase 90 millimetres longer and a 30/70 quattro torque split copied from the Italian layout. The launch engine was a naturally aspirated V8 4.2 FSI; the V10 5.2 FSI was added above it later.

The second generation, Type 4S, arrived in 2015 on a platform shared with the Lamborghini Huracán. The V8 was dropped from the range entirely: from that point on, any R8 is a V10. Assembly takes place at Böllinger Höfe near Neckarsulm, at the Audi Sport GmbH site.

There are two further turns in the model’s history that explain what car is in the fleet. The first is 2017 and the RWS version: for the first time in Audi’s history, a production model got rear-wheel drive. The propshaft, the multi-plate clutch and the centre differential were removed, and the dampers and electric power steering were retuned for the changed weight distribution. The run was 999 cars. The second turn is the 2018/2019 facelift, after which the rear-wheel-drive version stopped being a limited edition and joined the permanent range as the V10 RWD, with its uprated variant rated at 562 hp in British units.

The 570 hp and 419 kW in this car’s specification correspond precisely to the uprated rear-wheel-drive version after the facelift.

Technical details

The V10 5.2 FSI is older than the R8 itself: the family debuted in the D3-generation Audi S8 in 2006. It is naturally aspirated, with no forced induction of any kind, and that is the main thing to know about it. Throttle response here is direct, with no turbocharger as an intermediary, and the power is gathered high up the rev range — the uprated versions peak at over 8000 rpm.

The 329 km/h here is the model’s official figure. Nobody has touched the electronics, so the caveat about a removed limiter does not apply to this number.

The layout is mid-engined, with the engine behind the seatbacks. Hence the characteristic weight distribution, the front boot instead of a rear one, and a sound that in this car arrives literally from behind your head. The flip side is that less structure separates the cabin from the engine’s vibration and heat than in a front-engined coupé.

Known weak points according to the specialist press: first-generation FSI engines had recorded timing-chain problems, and the single-clutch R-tronic automated gearbox was considered a weak link and was replaced by the S tronic back in 2012. None of this applies to a second-generation car with the seven-speed dual-clutch.

How it drives

Reviewers write about the rear-wheel-drive R8 in two minds, and both halves are worth taking on board.

The first: at sensible speeds the car feels almost like an all-wheel-drive one — composed, confident, without nervousness. The naturally aspirated V10 is described as intoxicating in sound and throttle response, and it is the one characteristic of the R8 on which nobody disagrees.

The second half is more serious. With the stability control switched off, the transition from grip to slide in the rear-wheel-drive version is abrupt, and there is no all-wheel-drive safety net — this version demands concentration where the quattro forgives. Reviewers also note that rear-wheel-drive R8s come with non-adjustable dampers, and on an uneven surface mid-corner they lose some precision compared with the all-wheel-drive cars. On broken tarmac this is noticeable.

There is also a complaint common to the whole second generation: the steering has not become more communicative. Reviewers believe the optional active steering trims some of the sharpness that characterised the first generation, and the second-generation steering itself is accurate but taciturn. Compared with the Huracán on the same technical base, the R8 is called more composed and predictable, but less memorable.

What follows from this in practice: the R8 is not a car for exploring the limit. It is a mid-engined coupé whose main argument is the engine, and on the public road that is more than enough.

Interior and practicality

There are two seats, and that is not a caveat about a cramped rear row but the design itself. The boot is at the front and limited in volume: two small weekend bags will go in, full-size suitcases will not. Planning a week’s trip with luggage in this car is not a good idea.

Inside: Audi’s virtual instrument cluster, a modern multimedia unit with smartphone connectivity, sport seats with side support and parking assistants. Some equipment depends on the specific car: adaptive dampers and ceramic brakes were options, and whether they are fitted is something to confirm when booking.

The open version of the same generation, the Spyder, loses less rigidity than you might expect: the load-bearing carbon-fibre centre section and the aluminium frame compensate for the cut-out roof, and the soft top itself weighs 44 kilograms and folds in under 20 seconds on the move at up to 50 km/h. That has no bearing on the coupé, but it explains why the difference in behaviour between the R8’s versions is smaller than with most rivals.

Practicality is exactly what the genre implies. Two people, minimal luggage, short hops or one long run. The body is red, the car is conspicuous, and in town that draws more attention than some renters would like.

In Czech conditions

Speed. The permitted maximum rises in steps: 50 km/h in built-up areas, 90 outside them, 110 on a road for motor vehicles, 130 on the motorway. Against that, the official 329 km/h stays a line in the specification.

Alcohol. Czech law has no numerical limit at all — driving is prohibited with any alcohol whatsoever in the driver’s blood.

Lights. Headlights or daytime running lights must be on at all times, regardless of season, weather or time of day.

Motorway vignette. Since the start of 2021, payment for Czech motorways has been recorded in an electronic register against the car’s registration number; paper stickers are no longer issued.

Winter. From November to March, winter tyres are required whenever the surface is snowy, icy or frosted, or the weather is heading that way. Tread depth: no less than four millimetres. For a rear-wheel-drive mid-engined coupé, winter use is a separate conversation, and one better not started.

Where to go. The direction in which this car makes sense is Nuremberg along the D5. To the border at Rozvadov there are 150.989 kilometres of Czech motorway with a 120 km/h limit and practically no exceptions: the official source lists no permanent reduced limits on this stretch. The motorway climbs to 601 metres near Přimda and drops to 230 metres near Beroun, with one tunnel on the way — Valík, 380 metres long. The German section of the A6 from Waidhaus to Nuremberg is not confirmed by an official source; as a guide, it is another 90–95 kilometres of flat Upper Palatinate.

The German part is what the route is chosen for. A passenger car needs no vignette in Germany: the road toll there applies only to heavy vehicles from 3.5 tonnes. The Federal Statistical Office puts the figure at around 70% — that is the share of autobahn without a permanent speed limit, where an advisory speed of 130 km/h applies instead. The point of the advisory is legal: there is no penalty for exceeding it, but in a collision a driver who was going faster loses the ability to plead that the accident was unavoidable, and case law confirms this.

Two practical points. Germany periodically reinstates temporary border controls on the Czech border — checks are random and are extended every few months, so it is best to check the status just before the trip and keep documents to hand. And at the Rozvadov–Waidhaus crossing, queues build up on peak weekends that no speed-limit arithmetic accounts for.

Who it suits and who it doesn’t

It suits those who want a naturally aspirated ten-cylinder engine — a design no longer in production and with no replacement. A good choice for a run into Germany, where the official top speed stops being an abstraction. And for those to whom sound and response matter more than steering sharpness.

It doesn’t suit you if you need luggage space: two seats and a front compartment of limited volume are the whole resource. It doesn’t suit broken surfaces — rear-wheel-drive versions lose composure over bumps, and reviewers say so plainly. And it is a poor choice for winter and for a driver planning to drive with the stability control off: the rear axle breaks away abruptly here.

The closest alternative in genre, but with a different layout, is the Porsche 911 Carrera. If you want an eight-cylinder sound and four seats instead of two — the Mercedes-AMG C63 Coupé. Current terms for the R8 itself are on the model page.

FAQ

Is the R8 a rebadged Lamborghini? The kinship is real, but not literal. The first generation shares the ASF aluminium platform and the 30/70 quattro layout with the Gallardo; the second shares its platform and V10 engine with the Huracán, and both models are built within the same group. But the steering tuning and the character differ: reviewers consider the Huracán sharper and more vivid, and the R8 more composed and better suited to everyday driving.

Why does this car have rear-wheel drive if the R8 is known for all-wheel drive? The rear-wheel-drive version appeared in 2017 under the name RWS — the first rear-wheel-drive production model from Audi, in a run of 999 cars. Its propshaft, clutch and centre differential were removed, and the suspension and power steering were retuned for the new weight distribution. After the 2018/2019 facelift the rear-wheel-drive R8 became a permanent version of the range.

What does 329 km/h in the specification mean? It is the model’s factory top speed, with no intervention in the electronics and no removed limiter. In the Czech Republic it remains a reference figure: the 130 km/h motorway limit applies across the whole network. The nearest stretches of autobahn without a permanent limit are in Germany — for example, beyond the Rozvadov–Waidhaus crossing on the route to Nuremberg.

How much luggage fits in the R8? The car has two seats and a small front boot. Two compact weekend bags are enough; full-size suitcases will not go in. This is a limitation of the mid-engined coupé design, not a quirk of this particular car: the space behind the seatbacks is taken by the engine, and the transmission hides under the rear lid. Planning a week’s trip with full luggage in this car is not a good idea.

Can you drive the R8 in winter? There is no ban: fit winter tyres for the November-to-March period and keep an eye on tread depth. In substance it is a bad idea — the mid-engined layout, rear-wheel drive and low ground clearance add up to a combination that needs dry tarmac. For a winter trip an all-wheel-drive car is the more sensible choice.

How does the V10 differ from rivals’ turbocharged engines? By the absence of forced induction. Throttle response is direct, with no wait for a turbocharger to spool up, and the power is gathered high up the rev range — the uprated versions peak beyond 8000 rpm. The price is less low-down torque than turbocharged engines of similar output. It is precisely for this character that naturally aspirated V10s are valued, and the end of R8 production closed that line at Audi.