FIRSTDRIVE - AUDI A8:The Audi A8 is agile, focused and impressive – Paddy Comynputs the new flagship through its paces
AUDI’S A8 HAS been the luxury car of choice of many motoring hacks, myself included, for years, ever since its first appearance in 1994. The second-generation model, in particular, became a favourite of the critics, for its good looks, agility and superb engines, most notably the V8 diesel.
The thing is that critics – myself included – often don’t have anywhere near the means to buy an A8 and the wealthy, often older, buyer tends to buy a Mercedes-Benz S-Class without thinking too much about it, because that is what they associate with luxury.
It is what the company owners drive and it is what dignitaries get chauffeured around in. In the minds of Irish buyers, there is still the association of S-Class with luxury and success.
This has clearly been to the detriment of the A8. While buyers might have been drawn to the car’s good looks and handling ability, the reality was that early models were just a little too firm. The addition of optional air suspension in second generation introduced in 2003 went some way to giving the car a dual personality, but Audi did and still does, have a way to go to convince buyers that they can do opulent luxury.
However, that day may have arrived with the new, third-generation A8. Having witnessed the glitz and glamour at the preview of this car in Miami late last year, we travelled to a rain-sodden Malaga to put the theory into practice.
The A8 is once more constructed from aluminium around what the firm refers to as the Audi Space Frame, and this weighs about 40 per cent less than a steel equivalent.
The styling of the car has evolved from the more sober current generation car into something more in keeping with the Audi’s current styling palette.
The front of the car is dominated by the LED headlights. They give what is an otherwise sober front end a very distinctive appearance. It might not be to everyone’s taste – perhaps a bit flash for some – but it is certainly visibly arresting.
The design at the rear is much more restrained, bearing visual similarities to the latest Audi A4. In fact, the whole car does look a little bit like a dramatically upscaled A4, albeit infinitely wider and longer. The initial reaction from the public has honed in on this but, in its defence, Audi is aware of the conservative nature of these flagship buyers. So, instead of doing a radical reworking on the exterior, they’ve concentrated on honing innovation in the interior. It’s really nicely put together. There is genuine feeling of proper craftsmanship inside, with plenty of hand-finished wood and leather throughout and, despite all this, they have managed to seam in state-of-the-art technology too.
Audi’s multimedia interface (MMI) is generally regarded as the best of the luxury car computer interfaces – and it is even easier this time around and clever too. The MMI touch system allows the driver to control functions quickly and easily and you can enter navigation destinations by tracing the letters on a pad with your fingers.
You can even have a version of Google Maps integrated into your navigation, which will search for hotels, restaurants or anything else you can think of.
As you might expect with flagship models, the options – from massaging seats to DVD screens – are limited only by your bank account.
The engine line-up is, as is often the case these days, both cleaner and more powerful. Fuel economy is improved by up to 22 per cent. Initially, the engine line-up will consist of 8-cylinder petrol and diesel engines, with 372bhp in the case of the 4.2-litre FSI petrol and 350bhp in the 4.2 TDi. This will be followed by the six-cylinder 3-litre TDi with 250bhp.
All of these versions come with Quattro all-wheel drive. A front-wheel drive 204bhp 3-litre TDi will follow at a later stage, with emissions of 159g/km. We drove both 8-cylinder engines, the petrol being silent and potent, while you feel largely irrelevant, followed by the epic 8-cylinder diesel, which has 800Nm of torque – enough to pull down the average semi-detached house.
These employ an 8-speed tiptronic transmission, with paddles behind the wheel and a gear level that looks like it came off a yacht. You can adjust just about everything about the way the car drives, from the weight of the steering to the firmness of the suspension, allowing you to vary the car between soft and floaty to focused and agile. It truly is a remarkable car.
The star of the show for us was the 3-litre TDI, which had more than generous reserves of power and, unless your daily commute is between Munich and Berlin, it would be more than enough power for even the most time constrained executives.
Naturally, there will be some who will want their A8 to have eight cylinders – for €106,900, they can have a petrol one and €110,170 will net them a diesel V8. We would, however, advise them to wait for the 3-litre TDi, which could be significantly cheaper.
Out of the box you will get things like Navigation Plus, MMI touch, Valcona leather upholstery, adaptive air suspension, xenon lights and a Bluetooth interface as standard.
The V8 petrol and diesel models can be ordered now, with deliveries beginning in May, with the 6-cylinder version likely to be in the fourth quarter of 2010. The front-wheel drive 3-litre 204bhp diesel will arrive in 2011.
Factfile
A8 4.2 TDI QUATTRO
Engine:4,134cc 8-cylinder turbo diesel putting out 350bhp and 800Nm of torque
0-100km/h:5.5 seconds
Top Speed:250km/h
L/100km:7.6
CO2:199g/km (tax band F)
Annual road tax:€1,050
Price:€110,170
On sale: order now for May delivery
A8 3.0 TDI QUATTRO
Engine:2,967cc 6-cylinder turbo diesel putting out 250bhp and 550Nm of torque
0-100km/h:6.6 seconds
Top Speed:250km/h
L/100km:6.6
CO2:174g/km (tax band E)
Annual road tax:€630
Price:TBA
On sale:last quarter of 2010
