We do have a few gripes about life in the R8. We don’t like the open gate gearlever one bit, for example. It looks corny and, worse, also means the gearshift itself is more ponderous than it could be. We’re also not convinced by the position of the brake pedal. You have to stab down on the pedal rather than use it intuitively. Apart from this, though, it’s hard to find fault with the R8’s interior.
All round visibility is exceptionally good for a mid-engined car, the quality of the standard fit Napa leather is superb and the clarity with which the controls operate is a lesson all other sports car makers should learn from, including Ferrari.
The seats are also beyond criticism. They offer fine support, look good and – for an extra £830 – adjust electronically in every which direction. Apart from the brake pedal positioning, the driving position itself is close to perfect, and the level of build quality entirely justifies the price. Indeed, there are plenty of cars costing more than the R8 that aren’t anywhere near as well made as this. Buy one and we've no doubt that your R8 will go on as long as long as you'd want it to.
However, as it stands, Audi UK has sold out of its allocation of R8s until mid-2008. That means you’re not going to get much of a discount on an R8 (early cars are changing hands at well above the £76,825 asking price), unless Audi decides to build more than the 15 cars a day it is currently producing, and that’s not especially likely to happen soon. For the lucky few who got their name down early, residual value will be excellent.
Servicing your R8 is no more stressful than it would be on an RS4, the only key differences being the tyres and brakes. Fuelling it, on the other hand, will be a little more pricey; on average we recorded 16.4mpg on test with best and worst figures of 8.6/21.9mpg. It’s thirsty, in other words, and the 70-litre tank means the real world range is not great at 240-250 miles.