Category: Large Executive 
Price Range: £49,995 to £81,100
Refined engines, very good automatic gearbox, excellent seats, good quality interior, ease of use of major controls
Some tyre hum, higher-speed suspension control, functionality of MMI and minor controls, a little conservative on the inside
As the sporting answer to the luxury segment, the A8 doesn't come across as all that sporting, but it is competent and accomplished. As a follow-up to the previous A8, it's the car you could have predicted Audi would make, if not the car you'd hoped it might
The A8 is Audi's flagship model, and as such, it's the one that showcases the company's technological developments. Although it looks very similar to the model it replaced in 2003, under the surface it features the latest-generation aluminium spaceframe construction, plus clever touches such as four-mode adaptive air suspension, the MMI (multi-media interface) system, adaptive headlights and keyless entry with fingertip recognition, as well as Audi's well-proven quattro four-wheel-drive system. It is offered with 3.0- 3.7- and 4.2-litre petrol engines, plus, for the first time in the UK, diesel options, in the forms of a 3.0-litre 'six' and 4.0 V8 TDI. A 6.0 W12 petrol engine will be on offer later in 2004. The A8's main rivals are those from BMW, Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz - the 7-Series, the XJ and the S-Class, as well as cars like the latest Range Rover and other top-end 4x4s.
The A8 is positioned as a sporting alternative to all of the above, as well as being the high-tech option. It is, apparently, the choice of Britain's 'rock aristocracy', the ultra-wealthy and successful businesspeople, all of whom want class and comfort in a discreet, understated exterior wrapper.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Audi A8
wrote on 05 05 2007