Audi A8

The Mercedes S Class has a reputation for being the most technologically advanced executive saloon in the world – for good reason too. There’s not a bit of kit in any car you’ve ever driven that wasn’t in the S Class first, except for disc brakes and those headlights that go round corners. It’s a techno-geek’s wet dream.

The BMW 7 Series has never had the same reputation as the Merc. Yes there’s a whole bunch of impressive technologies, which currently may even outperform that on the S Class, the difference being that technology isn’t at the top of BMW’s to do list. Drivability is. While you’d probably want a chauffeur for the S Class, the BMW is a car you’d drive yourself.

To the Audi A8 then, a car that has always been in the background of the executive saloon debate – much like Saab, only Saab is in the background of the entire world of motorised transport. Its drivers likely mimic this reputation, as I imagine the A8’s customer base is majority accountants and actuaries…and golfers.

Therefore I think understated is the best word to describe the new A8. While the BMW and Merc are distinctly 7’s and S’s respectively, you’d be forgiven for believing Audi put an A4 in traction to stretch it out a bit. Well, a lot really, because the A8 is quite massive. Kids, if they were allowed in such a car, could have a game of miniature cricket in the back to keep them occupied. Or if you aren’t cheap, which you can’t be if you’ve just bought a car for R1,100,000, they’d have a sound system capable of inducing ear bleeds and individual TV screens with better picture quality than the one in my house.

Enough of the rear section though. Up front you’re cocooned in a world of sumptuous leather, wood and aluminium. The word “elegant” seems inadequate when trying to describe the level of care Audi have put into the design and finish of every surface and each bit of equipment in the A8 – even the L-shape shifter on the eight-speed automatic gearbox is so perfectly crafted it wouldn’t appear out of place alongside Michelangelo’s David.

Audi’s Multi Media Interface (MMI) appears to have a setting for every adjustable item in the car’s make-up – the optional heated and ventilated sports seats alone are 22-way adjustable. If you buy the A8 I’d suggest you set aside a weekend to go through the manual, select your preferences then tape down all the buttons. Your patience will be rewarded.

It seems this level of engineering is engrained in the A8’s DNA. The entire car, for example, is built around an aluminium space frame that saves weight, 231 kg over the outgoing model to be exact. This has a pervasive effect throughout all five-odd-metres of the A8’s body.

Take the vehicle’s dynamics for example. Less weight allows the multitude of driver aids to act more effectively in making the A8 feel incredible solid on the road, nimble even. Three pre-programmed and one user defined mode allows you to select handling characteristics to suit the situation, while Audi’s Quattro system does an admirable job of limiting body roll through corners.

A 4.2 litre V8, kicking out 273kW and 445Nm, propels the A8 from 0-100km/h in a respectable 5.7 seconds and on to a top speed of 250km/h (limited of course). Unfortunately from behind the wheel it doesn’t feel at all brisk; sometimes even a bit sluggish – a fact that causes real concern when you consider that this is the flagship model. Put next to the big 760 from BMW the Audi looks like it could do with one of those little blue pills old Hugh Hefner uses.

An even bigger problem is that at the end of the day I never felt like I was behind the wheel of a car worth the price tag. It was a very, very nice place to be, but can’t match the “wow” factor of the equivalent BMW or Mercedes. Yet maybe that’s exactly what Audi want from the A8 – a car that doesn’t attract louts, footballers and rockstars, but rather the more respected members of society. 

Price: R1,105,905
Engine: 4163cc V8
Power: 273 kW
Torque: 445 Nm
Acceleration (0-100 km/h): 5.7
Top speed (km/h): 250 (limited)
Fuel consumption (l/100km): 9.5 (claimed)

Miles Downard
Photo Credit: Motorpics