• Decent safety systems as standard
• Lots more available for extra cash
• Very latest driver assistance tech not offered 

While it only has two seats, the Audi R8 Spyder doesn’t fare badly in the safety stakes.

Standard Audi R8 Spyder safety equipment

On all R8 Spyders you’ll find:

• Driver and passenger airbags, with the latter able to deactivate
• Side front airbags
• Integrated head restraint system
• First aid kit

How many Isofix child seat mounting points are there on the Audi R8 Spyder?

There’s an Isofix lashing point on the passenger seat of the R8 Spyder, and Audi will also sell you a range of branded child seats to use with your car. Notable by their absence here are the suite of driver assistance features available on other Audis, such as adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking and active lane-departure tech.

Optional Audi R8 Spyder safety kit

You can pay extra for a number of safety systems. The ceramic brakes are expensive and we’d suggest not worth the cash unless you’re going to drive the R8 about as hard as it’s possible to.  

If you do a lot of driving at night, particularly in the countryside, then the Laser Light headlights could be a wise choice. Again they’re expensive, but deliver illumination that’s more intense (in terms of range and brightness) than LED, halogen or xenon options. Automatic high-beam headlamps are also available.

Other optional equipment includes cruise control and a reversing camera. 

• Wide, powerful two-seater sports car
• Not much cabin storage or luggage space
• Automatic parking helps with tighter spots

Inside the cabin has minimal space for detritus, with a glovebox only really fit for a pair of gloves and a small cubby between the two seats. There’s some room in the door pockets for a large drinks bottle. 

The R8 Spyder isn’t the easiest car to manoeuvre or park thanks to its combination of poor visibility (with the roof up) and sheer size. You’re perfectly able to park with the roof down, but do ensure there’s enough room left to close it afterwards.

Also be wary of sharp bends, because the wider back end of the car will get closer to objects than you’re expecting.

These downsides to the R8 Spyder are mitigated somewhat by the availability of acoustic sensors and automatic parking systems along with rear-view cameras and this car’s surprisingly small turning circle for a machine of this type. 

Being kind, we’d say that storage space in the Audi R8 Spyder is at a premium. The front boot, which is the single largest luggage area, is only good for a few soft bags. You can buy some branded Audi tailored cases that fit in the R8 specially, though.