Audi A8 review
by David Morgan (17 May 2010)
The lives of luxury saloon buyers are about to get a bit more complicated. The new Audi A8 goes on sale in the UK on May 22 – an aluminium spaceframe bodied saloon that adds a fresh dimension to technological supremacy and qualifies for that exclusive tag as the "best car in the world".
Driving 4.2-litre V8 FSI petrol and TDI turbodiesel models at its international launch in France, it didn't take me long to recognise the latest incarnation of Audi's luxury car is the ultimate expression of Vorsprung durch Technik. This is an amazing piece of automotive technology - very understated, bland even. Design flair is not an Audi strong point, but when it comes to making a conservative statement with a very small "c" the new A8 does it with style.
Many observers will find it hard to distinguish the new car from its predecessor – but that's no bad thing in a market sector where shouting your success from the rooftops is decidedly bad form. The A8 is designed to fit a specific buyer profile and continue to draw buyers who have sampled the A8 in earlier guises while attracting people who appreciate a visual low-key arrival that has less "flash" than a Jaguar XJ, less brutality than a BMW 7-Series and less social stigma than a Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
It's not cheap. List prices range from £54,835 for the 247bhp 3.0 V6 TDI SE quattro that is due to arrive in time for September and will account for 85% of A8 sales, to £63,900 for a 346bhp 4.2 TDI SE quattro that is available now. But that's just part of the story.
While standard specifications are comprehensive and include an astonishingly new fast-changing and clever eight-speed Tiptronic automatic with paddle-shift linked into Audi's most sophisticated quattro all-wheel drive system to date, the options list is breathtaking and can drive up the price to astronomical levels. Two of the test cars I drove were not far short of £100,000 – the most expensive in well-loaded SE Executive trim and powered by a 4.2 litre TDI would have presented me with a bill for £95,050.
A lot of the core technology is carried over from the previous car. But the new A8 is bigger and better in every respect. The car is lighter than before, longer overall and in wheelbase, wider, taller, offers a marginal increase in luggage capacity and more space for passengers.
The quattro system in its basic A8 configuration has a torque-sensing differential, asymmetric torque distribution for perfect balance under power or heavy cornering, a standard 40/60 front to rear torque split with up to 85% able to be routed to the rear axle without ESP intervention and up to 100% with ESP intervention.
What that adds up to is an unforgettable driving experience. For a near two-tonne kerb weight saloon measuring 5.13 metres it drives and handles like a hot A4 – just a lot more refined and with a far enhanced ride and suspension control thanks to standard adaptive air suspension.
The big A8 can be positioned precisely into corners and is so packed with driver aids and intervention systems that balance, power and grip never become issues. The transmission chooses which gear to be in irrespective of your selection to ensure cornering safety and efficiency. There's hardly a hint or roll and not a lurch or dive whether you are heavy on the brakes, the throttle or the wheel.
Audi engineers have moved the front axle forward very slightly. The effects are subtle but coupled to the slightly lighter bodyshell, quattro, four-position adaptive air suspension and a quattro sport differential that's standard on the 4.2 TDI, I could shuffle this large luxury express along the tortuous twists and turns of mountainous Provence roads with as much confidence as if I was driving a TT – but with the ambience and comfort level of a limousine.
The FSI and TDI engines are all up on power – up 17bhp on the 247bhp 3.0 TDI to 22bhp more on the 367bhp 4.2 FSI and 24bhp extra for the 346bhp 4.2 TDI. CO2 levels across the engine range are down by between 15% and 22% with the 3.0 TDI at 244g/km. Fuel consumption is up to 27% better on the three-litre at 33.6mpg overall while the 4.2 TDI and FSI units are more frugal by 24% (30.1mpg) and 17% (25.9mpg) than before.
Equipment levels are too comprehensive to list here and will reach industry-first levels when you specify its new information services option provided by Google and channeled via the internet. Frankly I regard this as a technology leap too far for the average information-overloaded driver, but for those who feel the need there's a high-resolution screen that will be able to deliver three-dimensional aerial and satellite Google Earth imagery.
You can also specify a night vision system, an all-LED lighting pack that "thinks" for itself and never needs to be dipped manually, a seat massaging system and twin radar safety systems that watch front, back and side to keep you away from danger and will intervene to maximise your survival by braking the car when it detects a collision threat.
This is in addition to standard features that include a new cockpit, impeccable quality, supreme comfort, an eerily silent interior, double glazing, a laptop-style touchpad integrated with Audi’s excellent MMI system that allows you to "write" commands with your finger, DAB radio and a gently-lit interior lighting system that allows you to change its colour from warm Ivory to bright Polar and even a seductive Ruby tinge.
The arrival of this breathtaking tour de force underlines Audi's technical supremacy with a discreet style and outstanding driveability – and will leave Mercedes perspiring a bit!
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