I hope I don’t often have cause to start a review talking about how well a car performs in a crash but, having aquaplaned into the central reservation while driving a £161,000 Audi R8 V10 Plus Spyder, I’m going to do just that.

Admittedly, my accident wasn’t on the same scale as The Grand Tour’s notorious crashmeister, The Hamster, when he was racing a Rimac One Concept up a Swiss mountain and barely escaped with his life but, even at a relatively modest – in comparison – 70mph, it’s reassuring to know that the vehicle you’re travelling in can more than adequately protect its occupants in a real-world situation.

And, considering that I emerged from my encounter with the crash barriers unscathed, I’d say that the R8 has more than demonstrated its credentials in that department.

Fortunately, I had several days getting to know the R8 before I had to forlornly wave off its twisted, crumpled form atop a recovery truck and, I have to say, it’s a belter of an automobile.

The seats are snug, sculpted to hold you firmly in place while you put the chassis through its paces. There’s not a great deal of flexibility but, at 6ft 1in, I didn’t have any trouble getting comfortable. With the roof in place the top of my head brushes the lining – even without a beehive – so anyone taller might have to make some compromises to squeeze in.

The delightfully tactile steering wheel is bound in soft leather. It’s also adorned with a myriad of buttons and rotary switches that allow you to control the most important functions without the need to take your hands off the wheel.

There are three buttons that, perhaps, catch the eye most. The first is the bright red starter button, the second changes the tone, and volume, of the exhaust note from standard to sport, while the third allows you to switch between drive modes.

There are four modes to choose from – Comfort, Auto, Dynamic and Individual – that change the characteristics of the car by adjusting the throttle, steering, gearbox and, if you’ve opted for Audi’s £1,600 Magnetic Ride, the suspension.

Comfort is just that and does surprisingly well to live up to its billing, making the R8 a car you can use as your daily driver if you want, although don’t expect to squeeze a week’s shopping in the froot (front boot for those not in the know).

Auto will adjust the parameters, er, automatically while Dynamic ups the ante considerably, adding more weight to the steering, firming up the suspension and sharpening up the throttle and gearbox.

Individual allows you to change each of the settings separately.

The cabin is impeccably Audi. The instrument binnacle is dominated by Audi’s stunning virtual cockpit, which puts all the crucial information front and centre on a high-res 12.3 inch TFT display.

The centre of the fascia houses the air con controls which are magnificently simple in their design and function and beautifully conceived in their construction.

For pure driving experience it would be hard to argue a case for the Spyder against its Coupe sibling. Despite the necessary structural changes – the increase in weight and loss of rigidity – the Spyder’s dynamic ability is just a hair’s breadth away from the fixed roof R8 but those small margins will make a big difference to the keenest of drivers.

However, if you can make do with a scientifically proven 99.73 per cent of the performance of the Coupe, can cope with the loss of the luggage space behind the seats that now accommodates the folding roof and aren’t too precious about your hairdo, then that very narrow gap between the two models is quickly eradicated.

It’s not all about making sacrifices if you opt for the Spyder however. For a start there’s the exhilarating pleasure you’ll get from hearing that glorious V10 bark and snarl and spit just behind your ears. That naked exposure enhances the visceral sensation of forward momentum, everything seems to flash past just that little bit quicker.

The rear windscreen can be raised to act as a windbreak and, on the whole, it does a very effective job. Taller drivers will, of course, still endure a degree of buffeting but nothing that elicits immediate regret at having dropped the roof.

And don’t imagine that, when the elements conspire against you, forcing you to journey with the fabric roof in place, you won’t enjoy levels of refinement comparable with the Spyder’s fixed roof sibling, because the cabin is just as well insulated, just as cosseting and just as comfortable. In every respect it’s a win-win.

Let’s start with what is, unarguably, the centrepiece although unlike the coupe the 5.2-litre V10 is hidden beneath a carbon fibre – to help keep the weight down – engine cover. The distinctive sound of a V10 is a result of two sound waves, one low frequency and the other an octave and a third higher. You didn’t know that? It’s true.

The first thing you must do is find yourself a tunnel and then follow these simple steps remembering, at all times, to remain within speed limit. Floor the throttle, listen as the engine roars and snarls and growls, smile broadly and then slow. If safe to do so repeat.

What you may also notice as you revel in what is one of the automotive world’s finest soundtracks is how brutally efficient the power delivery is. No turbocharger means no turbo lag. Instead there’s an immediacy about the power delivery. It’s linear too, building steadily and predictably as you squeeze the throttle.

It’s easy to relax into the moment, to give the car its head and let it thrust you, potentially, straight into the arms of the law. This is a car, after all, that takes just 3.3 seconds to hit 62mph and barely a blink of an eye later you'll be travelling at speeds well beyond those permitted anywhere other than a race track.

The suspension rates have been tweaked, rather than softened, which would be the usual approach to help compensate for the additional mass. That tweaking has helped the soft top retain much, though not all, of the Coupe’s majestic body control without wholly sacrificing the R8’s impeccable manners. The ride isn’t perfect, however, with surface imperfections feeling marginally more intrusive compared to the coupe. It is only marginal, however, and only evident if you’re driving in any mode other than Comfort.

One of the R8's great attributes is its usability. If you want to tear up the countryside, throwing it through bend after bend, hunting for apexes and pushing adhesion to the limits the R8 can do that. If life dictates a lengthy trek across Britain's motorways well, it can do that too. A quick run down to the supermarket? Not a problem sir.

It's this breadth of abilities that makes the R8 such an enticing proposition. That, and it's rock solid performance in a dust-up with the central reservation. Now I know how a Crash Test Dummy feels...

Audi R8 Spyder V10 Plus

Price: £147,135

As tested: £161,285

Engine: 5.2-litre V10

Transmission: 7-speed S tronic driving all four wheels

Max power: 610PS @ 8,250rpm

Max torque: 560Nm @ 6,500rpm

Max speed: 204mph

Acceleration (0-62mph): 3.3sec

Urban: 15.9mpg

Extra urban: 29.7mpg

Combined: 22.6mpg

Emissions (CO2): 292g/km

For more information visit www.audi.co.uk