2010 Audi R8 Buying Advice

The attention-grabbing 2009 Audi R8 is an immensely capable supercar that's docile enough to be driven every day. However, it's far from the quickest car in this segment, and the price of entry is steep.

Pros

Fantastic V8 engine, world-class handling, comfortable cabin, easy to drive, slick gated manual shifter.

Cons

Relatively pricey given its performance numbers, clunky R tronic automated manual transmission, scant cargo space, a few chintzy interior plastics.

2010 Audi R8 Buying Advice

As noted, the R8 was a fast first-year sellout--in fact, the waiting list now runs into 2009--so there's bound to be a scramble for the convertible and V10 models, too. As usual with rare objects, you'll need to heed the old maxim about hesitation and loss.


2010 Audi R8 Release Date: Audi says the V10 coupe will start sale in Germany during the second quarter of 2009, and early reports have the Spider following in summer 2009. U.S. arrivals might not happen until 2010.


2010 Audi R8 Test Drive : There's nothing on the calendar yet, but media previews could occur in spring 2010 for the V10 coupe and summer 2010 for the R8 Spider.


2010 Audi R8 Prices: They're tough to predict, what with the unstable currency fluctuations between the dollar and the euro. But with the V8 coupe already starting at $114,200, we'll guesstimate a minimum $150,000 for a V10 coupe and $180,000 for a V8 Spider