Audi R8 Spider Review - the last V10!

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It’s time for Mat to say goodbye to his Audi R8 Spyder!
He’s been running this drop-top supercar for almost 9 months now, but sadly, the time has come for it to go back to Audi.
The list of daily drivers that Mat has run in the past is absolutely incredible. From a Porsche 911 & BMW M5 CS through to an Audi RS6 & AMG G63, it’s a list of cars that needs no introduction whatsoever. The question is, can the R8 compare with these supreme machines?
Well, in this video, Mat will run through all the good & bads he’s uncovered with this car. From how incredible the glorious 5.2-litre naturally-aspirated V10 is, through to tiny details like the lack of ISOFIX points, he’ll cover everything concerning this supercar!
If you could pick his next daily driver, what would you choose? Let us know in the comments!

[@Gedalneil]

I’ve owned a V10 Plus for three years. You didn’t XPEL (ppf) protect, you aren’t putting premium fuel in, and you are under valuing an average of 17MPG on a V10. You should launch in sport, not performance. Performance mode takes traction control off. The carbon ceramics grind at slow speeds. If you clean it, the surface needs to be properly lubricated or you will scratch it. Most of your complaints are your errors (respectfully). I replaced my paddles with carbon fiber ones, but agree with the plastic paddles. The reverse camera is garbage, agree. You are putting S class expectations on an entry level super car. Love your spec (mine is Nardo). I wish you’d actually read this.

[@marko_M2003]

Hi, r8 V10 plus (2nd gen) is my dream car and I'm seriously considering owning it one day. Do you think this car is worth that much money? Do you have any advice? Tnx

[@AvocadoAtrocity]

HE DIDNT USE PREMIUM? WTAF 😂😂😂

[@oskarskalski2982]

I bet he didn't ppf it, or put premium gas just because it wasn't his, so he didn't want to add his own money that wouldn't come back. If this was his I think he would do all those things.

[@MitchellS46]

You say you owned the car and I do no think Mat owns these cars. Correct me if I am wrong. Some people want to own a car and some people just want to drive a car. There is also a difference in how people take care of a car and when you have to "give it back" you obviously care less. Same as if you own a house or if you rent one if you ask me. Noneless I own my car and fill it up with E5. I bett my car costs as much as one R8 brake disc.

[@AvocadoAtrocity]

@@MitchellS46 He's a car reviewer. He should be treating these cars like gold to get the most out of them for our sake.

[@soulasssassin]

So, in short, you don't R8 this car very high? 🥁

[@purwantiallan5089]

Lotus Europa S.2 1968 also has better sound than this Audi R8 Spyder.

[@gabriel3192]

Bruh what the damn video, he said that he loved it

[@shakedlevi5686]

You R8!

[@0Y02USH]

Ba-dum tiss...

[@j_k_rz]

This makes me ir8 (irate) 😡😆

[@Vuxchen]

These cheap shiftpaddels confuse me. Audi has original full aluminium paddels in the RS6 and RS7 part number is 4K0951523F and i retrofitted them into my 2.0 tdi a4 :D And they would just work plug and play in the R8...

[@daritter]

youve launched the car in manual mode every race, then it forced itself to shift, unlike the launches that worked the dash said M1S which means the gearbox is in sport, in the launches that have bugged you it was in M1(you need to shift the car) and then when you redlined it the gearbox shifted itself to M2S

[@simondale3980]

Agreed that is what it looked like to me too. Short shifted into second, probably because all four wheels span up.

[@purwantiallan5089]

​@@simondale3980did he short shifted it into 4th gear straightaway?

[@dsung7986]

yup, the green "shift up arrow", which would only appear in manual mode is right there, what other cues are needed? he's done this with other cars as well in previous videos, they all magically "get bogged down" in a drag race...

[@lalinisatoryt]

Yep, I agree. Seems like it

[@goatmonkey2112]

Loses a race to a Lamborghini, badly. Two weeks later...

[@HandleHandleson]

It wasn't the loss, it was how it happened. I haven't seen Matt so angry, ever.

[@rhino69420]

he wasnt lauching it correctly anyways

[@radiotrancegaming4089]

​@rhinorl2934 you launched that car??

[@rhino69420]

@@radiotrancegaming4089 i have a friend who does, he says if traction control is off the car bogs. also, I noticed that Matt launched it manual and then the car redlined and shifted into the next gear prematurely.

[@NabiL_Lam]

I was very disappointed with how it performed that day

[@houserhythm]

That low rumble is what I always loved in the old 6.2L NA AMGs. Ever since I was a kid I liked that kind of sound way more than the high revving, high-pitched Ferarri kind of sound.

[@anony-mousex]

7:55 well Matt maybe if you put the 'good stuff' in when you fill up it might actually perform up to spec when launching!

[@Taylor___]

I reckon you'd lose a minimum of 30 horsepower running E10 vs Shell V power.

[@purwantiallan5089]

​@@Taylor___30bhp? Thats quite few then man.

[@ethop8273]

The bad launches seem to be an issue with the gearbox shifting too early or late. the "good stuff" does not have a noticeable impact on how the car performs. it does aid in engine health especially in bigger engines like these as it lowers the risk of engine knocking so he should still be buying it.

[@robinnautica9773]

That's to expensive it's not his car and you can tell

[@dobermankd]

It’s a press car loaned by Audi.

[@GameRiot]

Put E10 in that car ...

[@shizz7le489]

It's probably why its not launching correctly

[@RWoody1995]

@@shizz7le489 Guarantee it has nothing whatsoever to do with it, not just because you can clearly tell it's 100% down to the car automatically shifting to 2nd 1000RPM early because the wheels spun up and it thinks he's forgotten to shift but also because E10 has the same octane rating as regular fuel had before it went from E5 to E10 and all modern cars are designed to run on regular just fine, not only that but the car's designed to run on E10 anyway, it will just get slightly lower MPG (usually a smaller drop than the difference in cost between the two) because the ethanol has a lower energy density than pure petrol

[@zanthony1286]

@@RWoody1995 Well actually you need to run 98 octane without ethanol for max performance.

[@user-fd6hl2zq4y]

Your audi R8 was my faveroute of your daily drivers oh i loved it but the only problem was the soft limiter ❤

[@purwantiallan5089]

Did Lotus Elise 2011 has soft limiter too??

[@gullible119]

⁠@@purwantiallan5089stop meat riding your lotus

[@ralphkbauer]

The soft limiter turns off, as soon as you do what the car is build for, driving and not disturbing your environment.

[@rasherbasher8203]

@@gullible119 it's not got one. It's a bot I think. Messages/comments complete and utter nonsense .

[@v-klasse9448]

*Favourite

[@jonathan9380]

Mat expects us to believe that he pays for his own petrol 😂

[@shakers4u]

I like the way he still thinks like someone on an average salary.

[@R8FKL]

The magnetic paddles I installed on mine are so satisfying… and only cost £100.

[@purwantiallan5089]

£100? Wow. Thats very cheap. Its also on par with ECU tuning parts.

[@R8FKL]

@@purwantiallan5089 ECU tuning parts for £100? Where from? People charge upwards of £200 for copy-paste remaps.

[@rayhan4502]

@@purwantiallan5089 no it's not on par

[@beccagrace99]

Details?

[@richardkeane3051]

What long-term car is next, if at all?🤔 Love Audi’s and this R8 looks and sounds great. Not sure about the colour but it’s good. Good review.👍👍👍

[@PalpatinesPlumber]

Haven't thought of this before, but this video made me think how much the different octane fuel impacts the drag races. Especially in turbocharged cars, that can make quite a difference.

[@juan-carlosfrancois8498]

You're Mat Watson and I'm watching Carwow 😂🔥

[@kofiaddo-oc4kt]

Mat's impression on how the R8 launches is top notch😂😂

[@user-jq1uz8ei7x]

I think becose that he sold tha car

[@MDavzn]

Wonder where that scratch came from, 7:07 maybe something to do with just wiping the dirt off to stick a GoPro on it😂

[@bigphilswheels]

My Golf convertible does the same heater trick. When you lower the roof, it remembers the last heater settings you had with it down, hot or cold! Brilliant. 👍👍

[@purwantiallan5089]

Is the Elise 111R 2004 has the same heater trick?

[@rayhan4502]

@@purwantiallan5089 No it doesnt, even the heater quality is sub par

[@Carenthausiast]

(1st) nice audi r8 sadly it got out of production but I did see 3 in my 10 years of car spotting (2008,2020,and another 2020)

[@dieselhead999]

Bro ur 6

[@ScotRail380018]

The R8 is such a special thing. Perfect combination of understated design with an absolute gem of an engine. It'll be sorely missed. As for a new daily driver, if it's another convertible, probably either a Mercedes-AMG SL 63 or an Aston Martin DB12 Volante.

[@davidwhiteley3879]

What a great video! Agree 100% Non-adaptive cruise control is worthless - rarely use mine. Ah, memories of the Audi engine bogging down - about the most irritated I've seen you in video.

[@EWL-55]

Saw this coming after you lost those drag races last week 😂😂😂

[@lastword4316]

I’ve had a Gen 2 for 7yrs and it’s been a perfect car. Didn’t kerb mine either, hard to see how that could be dragged into a negative about the car

[@anthonylloyd8366]

The variable temperature climate based on the roof being up or down seems to be a VAG feature, Wife's 2013 Beetle Cabriolet had it aswell.

[@cbotten106]

The click of those GT3 paddle shifters seemed quite, er, very gratifying. And I absolutely love that green, but many do not.

[@HJW018]

6:30 Jo, Mat spent all of the holiday money on petrol. 😂😂😂

[@purwantiallan5089]

Or perhaps on V6 TDI Petrol engine.

[@rasherbasher8203]

​@@purwantiallan5089tdi petrol engine.. you come out with some utter shit😂

[@timfagan816]

​@@rasherbasher8203 😂😂😂😂😂

[@rayhan4502]

@@purwantiallan5089 What do you mean spent money on an engine

[@davehemmerman2749]

I wonder how our us mere mortals without adaptive cruise and matrix lights manage our day to day lives. Glad the car helps you out after your long shift at Carwow 😂😂

[@mddah01]

I have ACC on my Hyundai and have to travel long motorway distances for work. I could not live with a car that doesnt have it. The R* engine sounds great but this is not a daily driver in my world

[@luxelist]

Laughed so hard at the segment where you were describing how you damaged the car! Great video.

[@clivehunte3026]

I love the AA wireless, my car only has wired Android Auto and I have to leave the phone on the car seat while using this feature. Thanks for the heads up on this device Matt.

[@Scottnikki88]

“Its an old car now” 😂

[@VailingGoose]

Roof down and the sound alone must be a satisfying experience.

[@sickset]

Shoot I didn't know about the ISOFIX being removed. I didn't check my 2023 before storing it and had planned to take my 4 year old for her first spin after winter is over. I wonder if they removed them from Canadian models also. Agreed with all the good and the bad. Have an RWD and have thought about switching to an AWD, but I have enjoyed the RWD and can barely find enough open road to put the power down as it is, lol.

[@jayt9661]

👌 video! Make me want a R8 I wish I met you in down town Denver when you were here. Mat which watch are you wearing 20:19? IWC ?

[@cyyxls]

I hope Mat is getting another green 💚Audi

[@iantownsend500]

Mat you chose the best spec for that R8

[@WPD77]

Is it Mat's or a long term loan from Audi.

[@vladislavdimitrov4646]

​@@WPD77Long term

[@rrj1977]

Magnetic dampers (adaptive dampers) are indeed available for the R8 V10 Performance

[@simmysekhon7052]

Nice

[@rahimsmohamed]

Its keyless so keep the key in your pocket or man bag!

[@philippestrickler3461]

I understand that you will regret the V10 (awesome) the quattro transmission . Your configuration green car , gold or bronze wheels and the full interior in habana leather is amazing .

[@fenrirslip]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm assuming that he didn't get this car PPF'ed? I get that getting PPF can be costly, but it does wonders since seeing all the scratches on this beautiful exterior spec hurts my soul. xD

[@SR-sw5ih]

His complaints that it’s got no adaptive cruise control for (long journeys) and it’s not comfortable enough. It’s a supercar it’s not made for that. That’s your fault if you drive it as a daily driver

[@deima5589]

me and my friends, whenever we see this shade of green. We just call it Mat Watson green with Mat Watson brown interior :D

[@purwantiallan5089]

Or Matt Watson Black Interior. :D

[@rasherbasher8203]

@@purwantiallan5089 what the f#ck are you on about 🤔

[@rayhan4502]

@@purwantiallan5089 It's brown not black

[@sarielle85]

Cognac colored

[@davidgraham6872]

Hate Adaptive cruise in my rsq3 but love it in hgv.

[@GreggCesaroni]

I had the opportunity to drive one a few weeks ago. So glad I did. Bucket list item for me weirdly. I own an RS3 because of the engine. My friend let me drive his R8 and the sound of both my car and his, identical, but his is wayyy better haha!

[@Somebodystolemytoastt]

cool vid

[@purwantiallan5089]

10/10 in fact.

[@peterwoodcock8464]

Yeah, funny this. I've literally just sold mine this morning back to the dealership. I was amazed that they took it back. I've had it for 2 years and the last 6 months. It was nothing but a problem build ECU Lights Tyre pressures always going funny engine not working properly during cold start, turning itself off. And I think the one that ignored me the most of the paintwork, constantly getting chips and scratches. And you thinking to yourself? Wearing Earth a vacant from I know. The car is low, but it shouldn't be that bad on the front end..

[@bravosava]

10:35 it's called magnetic f1 shifter paddles. You can even buy it for a golf.

[@MrTzekov]

@1:27 careless driver mate haha 😜 Can you do an updated review on a C238

[@Thatcardude207]

I think it's an amazing car and I owned three different R8 for a total of almost 3 years. I didnt like the understeer especially at high speeds but other than that its a pretty solid car

[@hassyg4083]

lease years , you rented it not owned it

[@Thatcardude207]

@@hassyg4083 No I bought all three. had to return the second one as the warranty was voided due to prior owner putting a tune on it and the dealer didnt disclose it to me. I dont lease cars.

[@Thatcardude207]

@@hassyg4083 I dont lease cars its a bad idea. No all three were purchased. all three of them are on my channel. I had to return the second one though as the warranty was voided due to the prior owner putting a tune on it and the Audi Dealer didnt disclose it to me.

[@hassyg4083]

@@Thatcardude207 how much did you loose after 3 years?

[@Thatcardude207]

@@hassyg4083 I never kept the car 3 years. the first one ownership was about 9 months. The second one was just a month and returned it to the dealership. The third one (ara blue) I kept for 2 years. so the Ara blue one I put 5K miles on it and kept it for 2 years but during this time due to COVID the prices went up so I actually made 13.5K dollars but if you consider the cost of PPF film and tax it was a 4K loss.

[@scy59]

It's skipping a gear in launch control. The display says it's in 2nd, but the drop to 3000 rpm says it's actually in 3rd. My guess is the gearbox firmware is immediately short shifting as a safety measure to prevent overtorque, and the dash display doesn't get updated when it does this. Software update required?

[@joebot2127]

That's cool. You should do a Seat/ Cupra generation drag race.

[@adamberry7240]

I knew this was going when it wouldn't launch properly in the last video it featured in 😂

[@hassyg4083]

The loaner is going back so sad since Audi have discontinued the R8

[@chefkoch7342]

The e-tron GT is a worthy replacement for it so don't worry

[@ericship8383]

Evs are trash and unreliable kid

[@MadaraU808]

Show us ur private cars, Mat.

[@NabilAhmed-dm5bu]

He does. On his own channel.

[@09_Cristian]

Matt, do you still have the Suzuki Jimny? Could you show us another video like this? Please.

[@mobinmobaseri]

I just love the noise of that engine ❤

[@purwantiallan5089]

The noise of that engine reminded me a lot to Audi Le Mans Quattro and BMW M3 GTR.

[@rayhan4502]

@@purwantiallan5089It is the same car as Audi Le Mans Quattro bruh

[@stanielmary3714]

Next can you do aston Martin or rolls Royce spector

[@purwantiallan5089]

Or TVR TAMORA.

[@v-klasse9448]

Spectre*********

[@ceejutrillo4252]

Every time i see this video it changes its thumbnail

[@Alquanole]

That heating thing... My 2010 A3 does the same. So I guess it is the same on all convertible Audis. ;)

[@ZiggyLaCont]

Jesus Matt even my old Mk2 TT roadster does that with the temperature! 😂😂

[@kaybe3044]

I don't think having non-adaptive cruise control is that bad. You have more control of the car. When you need to slow down because someone is infront of you, just use the throttle pedal.

[@ChronicBintX]

That's entirely the point of it, adaptative cruise is awesome. 😅

[@Moumeta1981]

Original hurricane

[@wydryfly]

I like the screamers, because they're usually screaming for more. 😁

[@AM_9924]

Can’t go wrong with an R8 really. Brilliant car 🚀

[@theusefulchannel]

It's hugely disrespectful not to put premium fuel into a supercar you were lent and at no cost to yourself.

[@RWoody1995]

why? it's not going to do it any harm the car is literally designed to run on E10 just fine. No one builds cars that wont operate perfectly within their design intended limits on the lowest quality fuel available in the UK, it's not the 90's anymore.

[@BiRRdYYChannel]

Actually some manufacturers explicitly recommend using premium fuel for their sports cars. Just because it can run on lesser fuel, does not mean it should

[@theusefulchannel]

@@BiRRdYYChannel Exactly.

[@AMG2100]

The best coupe❤

[@quagmiretoiletgaming78323]

@@the_art_of_perfectionIt’s a Spyder

[@purwantiallan5089]

Its R8 Spyder Prototype.

[@PROFESSOR_TV]

if i see mat roaming around in France i WILL say hello to him, love that man

[@julianhawkins9423]

So Matt convertible 911gts or v10 spyder which one would you pick ?

[@alkiza8481]

He's selling his audi after losing to that lambo 😭😭😭

[@hassyg4083]

it has to go back to Audi

[@Keplaves]

Not selling it is a loaner.

[@DanielHernandez-uq4dw]

@@hassyg4083get a life

[@maxjohn9241]

Well it's not his car, just a press car.

[@dobermankd]

Funny how he doesn’t mention it, makes it seem like it’s his personal car.

[@booyaahJay]

Is it not his personal car?

[@badgasaurus4211]

@@booyaahJayNo

[@necatiyalcin077]

We expect you to compare the performance of the S63 with its counterparts. You are amazing, good luck 🙏🏻

[@ForzaDriven]

A few episodes ago when he was embarrassed in the drag race I commented to sell it on car wow. I even quoted him by saying “IT’S COMPLETELY FREE!” 😂.

[@TravelCameraOnHand]

Audi gets worse every year

[@Trinny1751]

Agree about worse that everything is becoming electric and discontinued some great cars. Disagree about performance.

[@whoisthis5723]

Yeah but nowhere as much as BMW

[@hassyg4083]

Japanese ,Tesla, Chinese and Korean coming back strong now. Germans can't make good EV's

[@sumirat6888]

Stfu… until they go 100% EV

[@Does_it_come_in_black]

RS7 is looking at this comment like 🤨

[@_haru007_]

Only 176 view in one minute bro really fell off

[@landrover5386]

Their last video got almost 300k

[@hassyg4083]

people saw through the German sales

[@sashamedic613]

That noise was just like the Sukhoi SU 57 aircraft noise. 😂😂

[@huineman]

11:20 "Anyway, that brings onto what has been great about livinK with this Audi R8."

[@Manicslothtube]

Surprised you didn't know about the ac switching between roof open and roof closed mode. My 15 year old A5 convertible has this even. It goes back to the settings you had when you closed or opened the roof last.

[@louislol1174]

FYI there are two settings for the temperature one for when the roof is up and one for when the roof is down whatever you make those settings at that's what they'll be at

[@Aarongfrench]

After that last race, I knew you would sell this one. :)

[@kxplay]

Damn!!! Well after that drag race i think everyone would have expected to see this car for sale

[@michaelmottlau5941]

Awesome video, thanks👍

[@Zhequirinal]

Thanks, just ordered the AA wireless 🎉

[@chatgpt94274]

Great review ❤

[@peterpage7322]

I’m glade you had a better experience than I did with my RS GT. It spent most of its time in the dealership sorting out faults! I’d never buy another Audi again!

[@SuperErwinos]

Petrol in the UK is so cheap. In the Netherlands we pay roadtax per quarter what you pay per year in the UK and the petrol is 2,20 euro a liter

[@xIcarus227]

3:32 had it for 9 months and the leather at the edge of the passanger seat is already creased? I mean that's one of the turn-offs for when I was looking at an RS5, but didn't expect this in an R8.

[@peoplehear]

3.33 internal moral dilemma kicking in haha - love cars and yes love my child!

[@PhillyDee215]

Cool car

[@Ar1AnX1x]

isn't that bad Launch Mode issue where it does a bad job of gearing, because of the old software? I remember watching one other car channel that had the same exact issue happening to an R8 and it was fixed after they updated the car's software

[@fahadl786]

Yeah since my R8 had a software update the launch is hit or miss

[@casualbreakin]

Amazing.... for the 2 weeks in the uk a year you can actually get it to hook up.

[@Quidproquo07093]

Surely, you figured out how to make the exhaust crackle and pop!!!

[@grigorenicusor9278]

try to tune it , will work much better with a stage 1 on engine and gearbox!

[@justinlevitt5523]

I reckon you should do a drag race with all the ford focus models including the standard all the way to the rs models

[@cjdj1993]

Those pictures at end 😂

[@TJWCars]

I can't see another gen 2 R8 spyder today after one crashed at the trackday I was at earlier this afternoon

[@georgemwaniki]

Everyone called it after that drag race hahaha

[@Dan-xh6td]

I was honestly waiting for him to say I sold it through Carwow! 😂

[@Yosuf06]

Matt. are you made a review for the Beautiful little 308?! or not yet??? am waiting to see the video about it. and about the launch system in the R8. you should talk with Audi about it. maybe something wrong with it!!

[@juanpablozawadzki306]

Audi's are cars that in general you will like / love until you reach certain time / mileage where the car starts failing or breaks badly, you spend tons of money and then you start hating it (my personal story with my A4 that had a big engine failure at 60k miles)

[@vindevhunta4905]

R8 coupe for me Like that green paint though ❤

[@slam2610]

Matt who is the face of a 9m subscriber youtube channel: I get constant attention and people get level to wave hi on the motorway. Because of the car!