Video: 2011 Audi R8 Spyder

Now I'm coming to you from inside on an iPhone because video cameras, well, they don't work so well when it's 19 degrees outside. One of the coolest features on this Audi R8 is a six speed manual shifter, which you can see is awesomely metal, which is very cool unless it's 19 degrees outside, even garage. This thing is so cold I got to wear a glove. I must say, if you have to have a convertible super car in a cold climate like Chicago in the winter, Audi R8's not too bad a choice because trust me, this heating system works phenomenally. The convertible operations pretty easy. It's controlled with these two buttons right here in the center console. I'm not going to do it right now, but check out some B roll. So I just drove into work in these icy conditions and it shows off how easy a car the R8 is to drive every day. And the number one thing that makes it easy to drive is the steering, it's not too heavy. Some BMWs out there that aren't even performance have the heaviest steering you've ever encountered. Not so with this Audi R8 and just makes it a joy to drive. And the very first time I drove an Audi R8 was actually on the track and it was a coupe version, but Audi didn't let journalists drive it on the track with a manual transmission. They're probably afraid we'll destroyed it, but this V10 Spider they gave me actually does have the six speed manual transmission in it, and let me tell you, it is phenomenal. The clutch is so smooth. It actually has kind of a high point of engagement, so you have to have your foot really high up before it engages, but it's so smooth. And it just really, again, makes it an easy car to drive. I got to say my commute in this morning, even though it was bumper to bumper traffic, it wasn't as bad as some other high-performance cars I've tested recently. I see an exotic sports car drive by me on the road that I know costs a couple hundred thousand dollars, I kind of wonder, does that guy know how to drive that car. Does he know what he's doing or did he just have the money to afford it. Well the nice thing about this Audi R8 is, you can just have the money and you'll be able to drive it just fine, and you're gonna have a lot of fun doing it. <v Narrator>For more car related news, go to cars.com or our blog KickingTires.net.