Used 2020 Audi R8

After skipping the 2019 model year, the 2020 Audi R8 Coupe and Spyder return with updated looks, more power and a reputation as being an easy-to-live-with exotic. While certain high-performance coupes can rattle one’s teeth and deafen the ears even when driving over the most mundane pavement, the R8 feels very much like one of Audi’s performance sedans, and that’s a saying a lot.

With all the high-powered straight-line performance expected of a car costing nearly $200,000, the R8 runs comfortably with the Acura NSX and Porsche 911 Turbo, two cars that also share a more comfortable daily driving attitude.

The R8’s standard all-wheel drive may not appeal to die-hard enthusiasts, nor will its lack of a manual-transmission option, but for just about everyone else, the R8 makes an impressive statement at both the office and the track.

In the 2020 Audi R8, one can cruise the highway with all the comfort and confidence of an RS sedan, or tear up records at the local track, leaving lesser car owners slack-jawed and drooling. Thanks to a marvelous suspension setup and remarkably responsive steering, the R8 requires minimal driver input to achieve maximum performance. Give the R8 about three seconds and it will be exceeding the legal speed limit. Give it a few more, and the R8 will be racing through triple-digit speeds on its way to the Holy Grail of top speeds: 200 mph.

In everyday traffic, a simple tap on the throttle is all that is required to leave clusters of cars in the rearview mirror. The V10 engine and 7-speed automatic work brilliantly at any speed, fully capable of handling the R8 V10 Performance’s 602 horsepower without hesitation or rudeness.

High-tech helpers like Audi’s launch control help improve the driving experience, while the R8’s standard all-wheel drive (AWD) ensures maximum grip and stable cornering.

Audi interiors are always top-notch, and as the top-notch Audi, the R8 boasts a beautifully styled and intuitively laid-out cockpit. There’s the 13-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system, in case the V10 Performance’s song somehow bores you. The supportive and comfortable seats are covered in Nappa leather, and the R8 comes with Audi’s MMI navigation system, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. The multi-function steering wheel incorporates many of the street/track functions, and Audi’s excellent Virtual Cockpit replaces physical gauges with a high-res 12.3-inch display that shows information chosen by the driver. The R8 V10 Performance comes with racing-shell seats.

The 2020 Audi R8 doesn’t have the immediate emotional impact of exotics from Italy or England. Yet its newly redesigned grille and headlights make it unmistakably Audi. This generation R8 uses almost 50 percent of its parts with the R8 LMS race car, yet it’s visually similar to its predecessor. The low, wide stance and choice of hard or soft top remain, although Audi has reduced the profile of the signature "blade" on the side to a more subtle contrasting air-intake panel.

Opt for V10 Performance over V10, and you get ceramic brakes, a sport exhaust, LED headlights with Audi laser-light technology, carbon-fiber rear diffuser and fixed spoiler. The R8 Spyder features an acoustic folding cloth top that retracts in just 20 seconds and can be operated at speeds up to 31 mph.

R8 V10 PERFORMANCE
While the standard V10 in the Audi R8 puts out a very respectable 562 horsepower, the V10 Performance model ratchets it up to an insane 602 horsepower. Along with its added ponies, the Performance gets more mode choices for its Drive Select program as well as a sport exhaust, unique performance seats and ceramic brakes.

AUDI VIRTUAL COCKPIT
Without question one of the best digital-instrument clusters on the market, the R8’s Virtual Cockpit can be configured to display three modes: Infotainment, Classic or Sport. The screen also displays information for the navigation, rearview monitor and Drive Select settings.

Only a supercar could offer a 5.2-liter 562-horsepower V10 as the "base" engine, here connected to a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic and quattro AWD. In addition, you get Audi’s Drive Select variable drive modes, magnetic shocks and Audi’s very cool and useful Virtual Cockpit in all R8 models.

Audi’s MMI infotainment interface also comes standard, as do Audi Connect and Google Earth-powered navigation. Even the side mirrors are high-tech: They’re power-folding, power-adjustable, auto-dimming and heated. Also standard is a spoiler that rises (depending on speed) and 19.5-inch wheels. A 13-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system is standard on the R8 V10.

Some people don’t want a "base" anything, even if it’s a supercar, so Audi provides the R8 V10 Performance. Its V10 engine puts out 602 horsepower, it boasts a top track speed of 205 mph, and it comes with all sorts of racy equipment: racing-shell seats, ceramic brakes, sport exhaust and enhanced aerodynamics. You can also get Dynamic Steering, which offers a variable steering ratio. Drive Select in the V10 Performance adds a performance mode that optimizes the car’s performance based on dry, wet and snowy conditions. Also available are diamond-stitched leather, contrast stitching, 20-inch wheels, and of course the drop-top R8 Spyder.

The 2020 Audi R8 offers one engine in two flavors. The base model produces 562 horsepower from a 5.2-liter V10 driving all four wheels through Audi’s quattro AWD. The R8 Performance uses the same engine but tuned for 602 horsepower and 7 more lb-ft of torque. Both engines are mated to Audi’s 7-speed S tronic dual-clutch automatic transmission complete with steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters. However, less than impressive fuel economy numbers result in a gas-guzzler tax being applied to both models.

5.2-liter V10
562 horsepower @ 8,000 rpm
406 lb-ft of torque @ 6,300 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 13/20 mpg

5.2-liter V10 (Performance)
602 horsepower @ 8,250-8,700 rpm
413 lb-ft of torque @ 6,500 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 13/20 mpg