Audi A8 UK

 

What‘s it?

The facelifted Audi A8 has a tough job ahead, because it arrives arrives shortly following the latest-generation Mercedes-Benz S-class. The new S-class, though, has shaken the establishment towards the core and reasserted its dominance over the remainder of the field, which also includes the BMW 7-series and Jaguar XJ. The facelift is best summed up when it comes to the technology gains – chiefly matrix beam LED headlamps which will shut off or push on combinations of their 25 diodes independently, either to avoid blinding oncoming traffic or to spotlight potential hazards – a line-up of all-Euro 6 compliant engines and it is maker’s claim the Audi A8 is now the sportiest car in its class. There are styling tweaks, too (new bonnet, grille, bumpers etc ) but for many the hoopla surrounding these modifications, it’s still unmistakably an A8, and that is no bad thing, everything considered. Here, we test the Audi A8 on UK roads for the very first time, powered from the 4. 2 TDI. It’s the smallest amount modified engine inside the line up, because of its already competitive figures that strike a decent balance between good performance and running cost claims. What‘s it like? Climb aboard and, in isolation, the cabin is really a wonderful place to become, although that hardly sets it apart during this class, and also the vast array of buttons surrounding the low-slung driver’s seat provide a vast array of controls inside a surprisingly intuitive manner.

The small, stubby gearlever is really a fiddle to labor initially, but this really is only a small quibble. The LED matrix lighting system can be as as impressive because it sounds, providing incredible vision and effectively and automatically sensing and adjusting to what is on an open road ahead in fractions of the second. It‘s a genuine leap forward for lighting technology, although It‘s unlikely to swing the votes of many buyers by itself. The V8 is really a powerful, torque-laden unit that‘s beautifully effortless for town cruising and impressively sharp yet refined under hard acceleration. What’s more, quattro is now standard on several A8s, and also the traction benefits are obvious, especially inside the rain-sodden country lanes we chiefly road tested in. It’s refined, too, and also the claimed economy is noteworthy against competitors. The tweaked suspension offers some cause for hope also. The ride is controlled than upon the pre-facelifted car with pitch and dive under acceleration and braking reigned in and body control in corners decent, otherwise class-leading. The overall impression is that it a quick but secure car during which in order to make progress. But these positives are undone by lacklustre steering feel.

The electro-mechanical product is direct, however the weighting rarely transmits a real sense of what’s happening in the wheels.
Addititionally there is a problem in handling larger road imperfections, which sends everything from your irritating patter to occasional thuds in towards the cabin. Wind noise is likewise a small issue at motorway speeds. Should I buy one? Those shortcomings are sufficient to leave the Audi inside a small hinterland for would-be buyers. This really is not, as claimed, the sportiest car in its class (the soon to become facelifted Jaguar XJ is ), and nor can it be the finest riding or refined (that you suspect matters more to buyers anyway, and it is an area in which the S-class excels ). Ultimately, there’s no escaping that it facelifted Audi A8 sits in a similar class like the new Mercedes S-class, which we recently declared the very best car inside the world alongside the incomparable Rolls-Royce Phantom. In which the S-class is definitely an all-rounder par excellence, the Audi’s attributes hit too few highs and a lot of lows. Even in revised form, the A8 Isn‘t a match to the S-class. Undoubtedly a very good car though It‘s, in certain areas it isn‘t even near the category leader. For several buyers at this rarified end of the marketplace that‘s in which the discussion will begin and – swiftly – end. Audi A8 L quattro SE Executive 4. 2 TDIPrice £75, 970 ; 0-62mph 4. 9sec ; Top speed 155mph ; Economy 37. 7mpg ; CO2 197g / km ; Kerb weight 2095kg ; Engine V8, 4134cc, diesel ; Power 380bhp at 3750rpm ; Torque 627lb ft at 2000-2750rpm ; Gearbox 8-spd auto Audi A8 L quattro SE Executive 4. 2 TDI UK first drive review