The Audi R8 is the premium sports offering from the German manufacturer, but does it come equipped with an all-wheel-drive system?
The Audi R8 has been an all-wheel-drive car since it was first released in 2006, boasting Audi’s patented Quattro AWD system. However, there is a rear-wheel-drive variant available, which was first released in 2018 under the model name ‘R8 RWS’. It is known today as the Audi R8 RWD.
Read on to learn more about the Audi R8, why it’s considered to be such a great car, and the features it comes with.
From Limited Edition To Stock Standard
The first Audi R8 was first revealed way back in 2003, but it wasn’t launched until a short while later, in 2006. It was one of Audi’s most impactful releases, a road car based on a conceptual track-racing car that was built around an extremely powerful engine.
When it first hit the dealerships, the Audi R8 came equipped with a 4.2-liter V8 engine – one of the most powerful engines Audi had ever put in its cars. It was an instant success, and it became prolific almost overnight.
Of course, that profile was helped by the fact that Tony Stark, aka Iron Man of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has favored the Audi R8 since 2008. In the Iron Man movies, the titular character is regularly seen cruising around in the latest R8 model.
The R8 was essentially built to be an ‘affordable’ supercar and an everyday one at that. It wasn’t built to be a half a million-dollar Lamborghini that you couldn’t ever drive, but a functional and more practical vehicle that you could commute in if you felt like it.
It became a focus for Audi, who worked on developing the car as the years wore on, upgrading the engine to a V10 build, and releasing further models. They pushed out the R8 Spyder, a convertible version, and then they design the e-Tron, an all-electric variant.
When 2018 rolled around, Audi announced that they would release an extremely limited run of a rear-wheel-drive version of the R8. Since launch, the Audi R8 had used a permanent all-wheel-drive system, but this run would see cars being powered by a rear-wheel system.
Audi confirmed just 999 of these cars would be produced, and they’d be known as the Audi R8 RWS, which stood for Rear Wheel Series. However, a little over a year later, thanks to an overwhelmingly positive reception, Audi announced the rear-wheel-drive model was there to stay.
They changed the name to the Audi R8 RWD (Rear-Wheel-Drive) and introduced it as a permanent fixture in the Audi line-up. It boasted a V10 engine capable of producing 533-bhp, and it could zip from zero to sixty in just 3.7 seconds.
The Benefits Of Buying The Audi
Allegedly, there’s very little difference in the performance between the standard AWD Audi R8 and the newer RWD Audi R8. However, it is lighter and cheaper, both of which are attractive aspects for a potential buyer.
Although, while it is cheaper, it isn’t cheap – the RWD Audi R8 will still set you back around $160,000 at the lowest end of the spectrum. However, this easily climbs to around $200,000 (and then some) for the top-end Performance models.
There are plenty of motor-mad aficionados who will tell you that the Audi R8 is worth every penny of that initial expenditure. In the words of Top Gear: “… it does drive very well indeed. The V10 is a marvel, simple as that.”
The Audi R8 commands a dramatic presence on the road, and it’s a head-turner for sure. It has sharp lines and a mean facade that is instantly recognizable, regardless of whether or not you’re an avid motoring fan.
For what is essentially a supercar, the Audi R8 has ample storage, including a ‘frunk’ and storage space behind the seats of the car. There are some 112-liters of space behind the seats of the Audi R8 RWD, for example.
Also, if you’re a fan of a nice interior, you won’t need to look any further than the cockpit of the Audi R8. It’s an attractive environment that has been built to give the impression of sitting in a racecar, but an extremely comfortable racecar.
There’s no doubt that the Audi R8, whether RWD or AWD, is a fantastic vehicle. It has a brilliant reputation, and it is getting better with every ounce of innovation that Audi pours into it – it’s definitely a contender for those entry-level supercar stakes.