Fancy a closer look? Check out our New Audi A8 gallery
Every 8 years Audi releases a car that sets the tone for the rest of the range and that car despite no longer being the most expensive in the range, is the A8. Apart from the German company’s usual attention to detail and unquestionable build quality, this third-generation car boasts an even greater level of technical specification. Will all the advanced features be enough against strong rivals such as the new Jaguar XJ (due in the Summer) and existing rivals such as the BMW 7- Series and Mercedes S-Class? We headed to Spain to find out.
Even lighter Aluminium construction
An all-new model rather than a significant face-lift, the A8 still features lightweight Aluminum construction (Audi Space Frame) but this time it’s 6.5kg lighter and 24% stiffer than the out going car. The big news this time round is that the new car is based around Audi’s new longitudinal powertrain layout (which sees the engine sitting a little further back, between the front wheels) which was first debuted in the A5 in 2007. The new car goes on sale in May with prices starting at £61,640.
Drive Select and sport differential available for the first time
Other changes for the new A8 include revised air suspension and the fitment of ‘Drive Select’ tuneable chassis electronics. There’s three modes (Comfort, Auto and Dynamic), all of which make subtle changes to the steering, damping and acceleration map. Finally, Audi’s active sport differential, which was originally debuted on the S4 Quattro, is fitted as standard on the 4.2 TDi and is an option on the other models.
Finest Audi interior yet?
Audi has built a reputation for producing the best interiors and the new A8 doesn’t disappoint. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that this is Ingolstadt’s finest work yet Highlights include the wraparound dashboard, the gear selector for the eight-speed automatic transmission that looks like it should be more at home on a speed boat, the hand-finished wood veneers and the angled instruments with useful TFT display. In fact the only downside of the new A8’s interior is the lack of rear legroom, but long-wheelbase versions will be announced later in the year.
Send your own routes to the car sat-nav
The navigation system is one of the cleverest features of the new car and includes a touch pad, allowing the driver to search for destinations by drawing out individual letters with his or her forefinger. Audi is also the first manufacturer to incorporate Google search into the navigation and as an option, a GPRS module can be fitted. Fed with news and weather information from the Web by Google, the system enables A8 owners to plot detailed routes on their home computer and download them to their car.
