- Delivered across Sydney
- Bond and fees shown before you pay
- Never swapped to a lesser car
The Audi R8 is the mid-engined V10 supercar that asks the least of the person driving it. Two generations were built, the first alongside the Lamborghini Gallardo and the second alongside the Huracan, and production ended in 2024. This review covers both, what each is like on Sydney roads, and which one to ask for. Every R8 is sourced and confirmed by request for your dates, and never promised until the car is secured.
Ask about R8 dates
Tell us the dates, the generation you prefer and where the car should go. We confirm the specific R8 and the full price before any payment.
Specifications
| Model | Audi R8 V10, coupe or Spyder, first and second generation |
|---|---|
| Engine | 5.2-litre FSI naturally aspirated V10, mid-mounted |
| Power, first generation | 386kW (V10, 2009 on); 404kW (V10 plus, 2013 facelift) |
| Torque, first generation V10 | 530Nm |
| 0-100km/h, first generation | About 3.9 seconds (V10); about 3.5 seconds (V10 plus) |
| Power, second generation | 397kW (V10, 2015); 449kW (V10 plus); 456kW (V10 performance, 2019 on) |
| Torque, second generation | 560Nm (V10 plus); 580Nm (V10 performance) |
| 0-100km/h, second generation | About 3.5 seconds (V10); 3.2 seconds (V10 plus); 3.1 seconds (V10 performance) |
| Drivetrain | quattro all-wheel drive |
| Gearbox | First generation: six-speed manual or R tronic, seven-speed S tronic from 2013. Second generation: seven-speed S tronic |
| Seats | 2 |
| Tier | Supercar |
These are Audi's figures, with the generation and version named wherever the number changes.
Early R8s were also sold with a V8, but this page is only about the V10 cars, because those are the
ones we source for this test. Every figure above belongs to a car that drives all four wheels
through quattro, coupe and Spyder alike.
What It Is Actually Like in Sydney
The supercar that does not make you earn it
The R8 has always been the mid-engined car for people who want the shape and the sound without
an apprenticeship. You drop into a low seat, but the pillars are slim enough to see around, the
mirrors show you something useful, and the switches sit where anyone who has driven an Audi expects
to find them. There is no ritual to starting it beyond pressing a button, and on the
second-generation cars no gearbox behaviour to learn either: they pull away from a standstill as
smoothly as a large Audi sedan.
That matters more in Sydney than on a mountain pass. Most of the hours in any hire are spent on
Military Road, in the queue for the Harbour Bridge, or waiting for a gap on Southern Cross Drive,
and a car that stays calm in those places leaves you with the energy to enjoy the parts that are not
like that. The R8 stays calm. It is still low, wide and loud when you ask it to be, but it does not
punish you for the ordinary stretches of a day.
A V10 worth hearing at forty kilometres an hour
Turbocharged engines keep their best for high load. A naturally aspirated V10 works the other
way: it answers in proportion to your right foot from idle, and it sounds expensive while it does
so. In the harbour tunnel with the window down and second gear held, it is a noise people turn
around for, and you have not broken a single rule to make it.
Above 6,000rpm it changes character again, harder and more metallic, and the gearbox lets you
stay up there longer than seems reasonable. The honest note is that very few places around Sydney
allow that legally and safely. The long climbs on the Putty Road and the open sections of Bells
Line of Road are two of them, early, with the surface dry and the traffic gone. The rest of the time
the V10 is a pleasure at a fraction of its range, which is the right way to judge a car you will
mostly drive in a city.
Why quattro matters when Sydney rains
Every R8 on this page drives all four wheels. In practice that means the car puts its power down
on a wet on-ramp to the M1 without squirming, and a summer thunderstorm arriving halfway through the
drive changes your speed rather than your plans. It is the biggest single reason the R8 suits
drivers who have never owned a supercar, and it is why the Huracan we would offer in its place is
all-wheel drive as well.
What quattro cannot do is add grip to the tyres. The R8 wears wide, low-profile rubber, and wide
tyres float on standing water sooner than narrow ones. On the M2 in heavy rain the right approach
is the same as in any car: slower, with more room ahead. Stopping is the other half of it, and in
the wet the brakes can only ever be as good as the tyres they work through.
Coupe or Spyder
Both generations came as a coupe, with the engine on show under a glass cover on most cars, and
as a Spyder with a folding fabric roof. The Spyder's best trick is its rear window, which lowers on
its own so you can let the V10 in with the roof still up on a cold night. With the roof down on a
warm evening along Barrenjoey Road toward Palm Beach, it is hard to think of a better place to be.
The coupe is the one to ask for if the car has to live outside, if the hire includes a long
motorway run, or if the forecast is poor. It is quieter at speed, stiffer in the body and a little
more secure in a public car park. The Spyder is the one to ask for when the booking is a single
summer day and the drive is the whole event. We confirm which body the car we secure for you has,
and we ask you before committing if only one of them is possible for your dates.
Choosing the Generation
There are two R8s, and the gap between them is bigger than a facelift. The first was Audi's
opening move in the supercar world; the second was developed with the Lamborghini Huracan and closed
the line. Tell us which you want when you ask about dates, or tell us how you plan to use the car
and we will recommend one.
First generation, 2009 to 2015
The original V10 makes 386kW and 530Nm and reaches 100km/h in about 3.9 seconds. Its 5.2-litre
engine is a close relative of the one in the
Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4, which is no
coincidence: Audi owns Lamborghini, and the two cars were developed side by side. If you are
weighing one against the other, our
R8 and Gallardo comparison sets out what separates
them.
The first generation is also the R8 with a choice of gearbox, and the choice matters. Cars built
before the 2013 facelift came with a six-speed manual moving through an open metal gate, one of the
most satisfying gearchanges ever fitted to a road car, or with R tronic, a single-clutch automated
manual that is quick when you are pressing on and hesitant when you are not. The facelift replaced R
tronic with a seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch and added the V10 plus at 404kW, good for about 3.5
seconds to 100km/h. For most people the facelift car with S tronic is the one to ask for. For
anyone who wants the gated manual, this is the only R8 that offers it.
First-generation cars are priced for this test from $1,200 a day. The cabin shows its age, with a
small screen and dated phone integration, but the materials have worn well, and the side blade
behind the doors, often finished in a contrasting colour, is the detail people photograph.
Second generation, 2015 to 2024
The second R8 shares its platform and its V10 with the
Lamborghini Huracan, and the family resemblance
shows in the way it drives: tighter, quicker to respond and more precise than the first car. Every
version uses the seven-speed S tronic. The 2015 launch V10 makes 397kW and reaches 100km/h in about
3.5 seconds; the V10 plus makes 449kW and 560Nm and does it in 3.2; the V10 performance that
arrived with the 2019 update makes 456kW and 580Nm and needs 3.1.
Inside, the instruments and the navigation share one screen behind the steering wheel, and there
is no display in the middle of the dashboard at all. It works well for the driver and leaves the
passenger with nothing to look at, so reading the map becomes your job. The start button and the
drive mode switch sit on the wheel itself, which feels theatrical for about a day and then simply
feels correct.
Audi ended R8 production in 2024, which makes this the last one there will be. Second-generation
cars are priced for this test from $1,500 a day. If the plan runs longer than a weekend, this is
the generation we would point you toward, for reasons covered in our guide to
hiring an R8 for a week or longer.
Things You Should Know
Every R8 is confirmed by request
We find this car for your dates; it is not parked somewhere waiting for you. When your dates
arrive we look for a car that matches the generation, body and gearbox you asked for, then confirm
the specific car and the full price in writing before a card is touched. If we cannot find the
right R8, we say so and offer a car from the same tier, never something lesser. The same honesty
covers the details: colour, options and the exact version are confirmed for the car we secure
rather than promised in advance.
The nose, the width and the wheels
The R8 is low at the front, wider than most family SUVs, and its wheels sit close to the edge of
the bodywork. Three things follow. Steep driveways and car park ramps want a slow approach at an
angle, because the front splitter is the first thing to touch. Kerbs in tight parallel parks want
care, because a wide wheel on a thin tyre sidewall scuffs easily. And the older shopping centre
bays, painted for smaller cars, are a squeeze you may prefer to skip in favour of a space further
from the lift.
None of this is difficult, and all of it is why the photographs we take with you at handover
include every wheel and the underside of the nose, so the condition of both is agreed before you
leave.
Luggage, fuel and the kilometres
A compartment under the front bonnet takes a soft weekend bag, and in the coupe a shelf behind
the seats holds a jacket or a second small bag. Two people away for a couple of nights is the
practical limit. The V10 wants 98-octane premium unleaded and drinks it freely when driven the way
it invites. The kilometre allowance is written on the booking before you pay, and if the plan is a
long loop through the Southern Highlands or up to the Hunter, tell us at the start so it is set to
match. Circuits and track days are ruled out entirely. The bond and excess reflect what the car is
worth, so expect both to exceed what cheaper tiers carry, and expect both in writing, for the actual
car, before you commit.
Who Books This Car
Drivers who want a mid-engined supercar that does not announce itself as loudly as a
Lamborghini. The R8 has the proportions and the V10, yet in a car park it reads as an Audi first,
which some people want and others do not. It suits a birthday drive, a wedding exit, and anyone who
has owned a fast Audi and wondered what the flagship is like to drive.
It also suits people who want the car for longer than a day, because it is the rare supercar that
is still pleasant on the fifth morning, and buyers: with production over, every R8 on sale is used,
and a hire tests ownership far better than twenty minutes with a salesman in the passenger seat.
If you are torn between the R8 and its Italian cousin, start with the Gallardo comparison above.
If you would rather have the current Lamborghini, the Huracan is the one to ask about, and it is
the car we offer first whenever an R8 cannot be confirmed.
If the Audi R8 is booked
We never move you down a tier. If your dates are taken, these are the supercar cars we will offer instead, and we will tell you plainly if none of them is free rather than substituting something lesser on the day.
Lamborghini Huracan
- 449kW
- 3.2s
- AWD
- 2 seats
- $2500/day
Naturally aspirated V10 and all-wheel drive. The most dramatic car we run and the most forgiving supercar in the wet.
McLaren 650S Coupe
- 478kW
- 3.0s
- RWD
- Carbon tub
- $2600/day
Twin-turbo V8 in a carbon chassis. The quickest car on the list and the one that feels most like a racing car with number plates.
Want a V10 on a live calendar?
The Lamborghini Huracan shares the second-generation R8's platform and engine, and it can be booked directly. The McLaren 650S is the alternative if outright pace matters more than the V10.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Audi R8 actually available to hire?
Only by request, and we would rather be upfront about that. We source an R8 for your dates rather than holding one on a forecourt, so send us the dates, the generation you prefer and where the car should go. We confirm the specific car and the full price in writing before any payment. If no suitable R8 can be secured, we say so immediately and put the Huracan forward, since it shares the later car's V10 and platform.
What age do R8 drivers need to be?
Twenty-five. Every car on the Supercar tier carries that floor, and the R8 is no exception. We sight a full unrestricted licence face to face at handover, and the rule does not bend for experience or a spotless record. A second driver is welcome if they are listed on the booking and clear the same bar; somebody who is not listed has no cover whatsoever.
Can I choose between the first and second generation?
Yes. Ask for either and we will look for it. The first generation is the cheaper way in and the only one offered with the open-gate manual. The second is quicker, more modern inside and easier in traffic. If you have no preference, tell us how you will use the car and we will suggest one, then confirm the exact car before you pay.
Can you deliver the R8 to me?
Yes. The delivery fee depends on the distance and appears beside the hire price before payment. Rose Bay, Balmain and Castle Hill are all straightforward drops. Because the nose is low, a flat driveway or a level street makes a better handover spot than a steep basement ramp, so tell us where the car will be parked and we will plan the delivery around it.
How do the bond and excess work?
The bond is an amount reserved on the named driver's card, never taken, and the reservation lifts after the car is back with us and inspected. The excess is the most you could be asked for if the car is damaged. Neither figure is generic: both depend on the particular R8 we secure, both reach you in writing before payment, and both sit above what everyday cars carry.
Is the R8 a sensible first supercar?
It is one of the easiest. All-wheel drive keeps it composed in the wet, the view out is better than from most mid-engined cars, and the second generation's dual-clutch gearbox pulls away as smoothly as an automatic. It still has a great deal of power and a low nose, so give it respect and extra time on steep ramps, but it does not demand expert hands.
Is the R8 related to the Lamborghini Gallardo and Huracan?
Closely. Audi owns Lamborghini. The first-generation R8's 5.2 V10 is a close relative of the Gallardo LP560-4's engine, and the second-generation R8 shares its platform and engine with the Huracan. The Audi versions are tuned differently and wear a quieter body, which is much of their appeal for people who want the engineering without the Lamborghini attention.
Can I hire a manual R8?
Possibly. The six-speed manual with the open metal gate was only offered on the first generation, and manual cars are scarce, so it is the hardest R8 to source. Mention it with your dates and you will get an honest answer about whether one can be found. If it cannot, a facelifted first-generation car with the S tronic gearbox is the closest alternative.