Seconds before abject terror reduced my sister to a vegetative state she asked me ‘what’s the point of building a car that will do 200mph?’.

It wasn’t an unreasonable question, posed as it was from the passenger seat of the R8 Plus that I was testing, given that motorists are restricted to a maximum of 70mph, even on our fastest roads.

It is a question that I’ve pondered before and I keep coming back to the same answer: There is no point. None whatsoever. At least, not a logical one.

However, when people think about buying a Porsche, or a Lamborghini or even the R8, it’s rare that logic has a hand in that decision.

After all, no one in their right mind would buy something so impractical, so uneconomical and so unforgiving. Would they?

The truth is, I believe, that buyers aren’t thinking, they’re feeling. It’s emotion that drives purchases of exotic cars and a car that looks like a Ferrari but goes like a Fiat won’t get those juices flowing.

Decisions to buy high-performance, exotic motor cars exist in a reality where the mundane really won’t cut it.

It’s a reality where Audi’s new R8 V10, is very much at home.

The new model is lighter, stiffer, faster yet more economical, something that possibly won’t be troubling buyers in this market, but is commendable nonetheless.

There’s no V8 model, just two V10 versions offering different outputs. The ‘entry level’ R8 costs just south of £120,000 and produces 532bhp while the Plus, which I drove, starts at £134,500 with 602bhp on tap.

While the basic shape remains largely untampered with, the styling has been tightened up and thoroughly modernised. The huge blades ahead of the rear wheels, which feed welcome air to the radiators, are carried over from the first generation but the horizontal slats that decorated the intakes below the front and rear lights are gone. The circular exhausts have been replaced with a quad set of oblong outlets.

The V10 Plus is also equipped with a large fixed carbon fibre spoiler, rather than the retractable device which still adorns its lesser sibling.

Under the skin greater use of carbon and aluminium has helped reduce the weight – I’d have to make do with a gastric band – and tighten up the chassis while the four-wheel-drive system is smarter and more efficient.

Climb inside – if there was a Richter scale of inelegance I would figure somewhere about a 9.6 – and you’re greeted with a typically beautifully put together cabin.

Fine Nappa leather dominates the cabin, covering the seats and a lot of the other surfaces while the fact that my carefully coiffured hairstyle was constantly compromised by contact with the roof was tempered by the knowledge that at least it was luxurious Alcantara doing the damage.

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.

A glance at the steering wheel reveals the true nature of the beast, however. As well as the more typical cruise control, audio and telephone controls there’s a selection of other buttons that, notwithstanding the physical impact they have on the driving experience, just make life better.

First, and most obvious, is the start/stop button. This is, arguably the best button in the car because it gives life to the magnificent V10 perched behind your left shoulder.

You can choose between four modes – Comfort, Auto, Dynamic and Individual – with Audi’s widely used Drive Select via another button on the steering wheel but, in the Plus model, you are blessed with a mysterious-looking button marked only with a chequered flag.

Press it and you’re presented with three options – Dry, Wet and Snow – selectable using the bezel. These tailor the mapping of the engine, transmission and driver aids, effectively leaving you to your own, crazy, devices.

There’s also a button to open up the exhaust system – because the standard mode just isn’t noisy enough – that when combined with Dynamic or Sport mode throws out wonderful cracks, bangs and snarls on the overrun.

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.

Behind the gear selector is Audi’s multimedia interface (MMI) which uses a touch sensitive jog dial to facilitate sat nav inputs – you simply spell out your destination on top of the dial – unless you’d rather use voice input, of course.

Foot on the brake, press the starter button and the 5.2-litre V10 rumbles into life. Sitting in the car the sound from the engine is surprisingly muted but, I’ve been assured, from the outside it is anything but.

Switch the exhaust to sport mode and the noise rises a decibel or three, getting angrier and, apparently, more irritating.

It is joyously loud. Unless you’re a neighbour (who really needs to get out more).

The steering is electro-mechanical but for an extra wad of cash you can opt for the active ratio dynamic set-up that speeds up the response as more lock is applied.

While it’s true, sadly, that there’s little connection between the driver and the huge circles of rubber at the front, the steering is precise enough that you trust the car to follow the path that you prescribe using your eyes.

It corners very flat, even in Comfort mode, and, unless you’re the sort of stupidly fearless person who scales tall buildings just for fun, so much grip that cornering speeds start to verge on the terrifying. It has its limits, but you’d need to be on a race track to approach them.

Squeeze the throttle exiting a bend and the V10 delivers a brutal reminder of its savagery, catapulting you to your next braking point with fearsome resolve, all four wheels biting down so hard into the tarmac that you wouldn’t be surprised to see the road ripped up into a black spiral of rubble behind you.

If you want to experience the R8 at its most visceral, try the launch control. It’s a mind-blowing, butt-clenching, denture-swallowing demonstration of the naturally-aspirated V10’s brutish power. Engage the system, give the throttle some welly and release the brake. Launch is exactly what it does.

The engine redlines at a lofty 8,700rpm and it’s no more than a heartbeat before it’s slipping into the next ratio. Then another. And another. The three or so seconds that it takes to hit 62mph seem so much less as the R8 propels you forward with savage effectiveness.

A surprising degree of delicacy is required to slow the car down thanks to some initial over-assistance that can hamper smooth braking. It’s far from an issue when slowing down from high speeds when maximum stopping power – which is impressive – is required but it can be a bit of a nuisance at lower, urban speeds.

The ride, if you select Comfort mode, is exceptional for a car of this type. You’re always going to be more aware of bumps and potholes in a vehicle as stiffly sprung as the R8 but the fact that the thought of dealing with speed humps or broken surfaces rarely filled me with dread speaks volumes about how well sorted the chassis is.

Keep everything turned down and it’s remarkably refined too. At cruising speeds you’d be hard pressed to tell the difference between the R8 and one of its four-door siblings. Even after several hours behind the wheel there’s no fatigue, even if my laughable efforts at extricating myself from the car might have suggested otherwise.

The ride tightens up in Dynamic and Sport modes but certainly never unbearably so however, if you select Individual mode and then leave the suspension in Comfort but switch everything else to Dynamic, you end up with what is, in my opinion, the perfect compromise.

It’s perfectly possible to maximise the drama without sacrificing comfort.

The R8 is a wonderfully impractical car, if you think about it logically. Don’t. Instead, accept it for what it is: A marvellous, outrageously fast, immensely fun and beautifully engineered missile that just happens to seat two people and carry smidgeon of luggage in the froot (that’s the boot… at the front).

It’s unlikely you’ll ever get anywhere near the limits of its performance – common sense, driving ability and the law will see to that – but that doesn’t stop jaws hitting floors every time you sling the car into a corner and it just grips. Floor the throttle – at any speed – and enjoy the novel experience of all 630 or so muscles involuntarily clenching. Park up – in the middle of nowhere – and rev the engine, letting the raucous symphony of 10 angry cylinders shake you to your bones.

The R8 is as raw or refined as you need it to be. Every second behind the wheel is filled with anticipation, exhilaration rises as rapidly as the noise from the glorious V10 just behind your head. Whether your journey’s 100 yards or 100 miles, it’s never anything less than thrilling.

You might never reach the R8’s limits but that never limits the excitement.

Audi R8 Coupe V10 Plus 5.2 FSI Quattro

Price: £132,715

As tested: £154,695

Engine: 5.2-litre V10

Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch driving all four wheels

Max Power: 602bhp

Max torque: 413lbft @ 6,500rpm

Max speed: 205mph

Acceleration (0-62mph): 3.2sec

Combined: 23mpg

Emissions: 287g/km

For more information visit www.audi.co.uk