Audi A8

Audi A8 – Flagship Audi is adding hybrid power to its arsenal of advanced technology – but is it enough to dethrone the excellent Mercedes-Benz S-Class?

It’s been almost three years since the fourth-generation Audi A8 arrived as the brand’s latest superlimousine and technology flagship, but we’ve yet to give the Audi a full road test.

Audi A8

Although this week we were told that the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class will enter the frame this calendar year. No matter what the verdict is today, life is sure to get tougher for this big and impressive looking Audi. .

Audi A8 Specs, Trims & Colors

The partially electric A8 cuts a subtle profile among its classmates, but gets a perforated LED badge in the front bumper that gives it its integrated stance in Volkswagen Group style. Richard Lane Assistant Road Test Editor

This version is the latest 60 TFSIe quattro, the first A8 plug-in hybrid powertrain in the model’s 32-year history. It adds an efficient and intelligent petrol-electric powertrain to a long list of technical innovations, including third-level automation (ie the car can control its direction and speed in its lane); Each wheel is loaded using individual actuators, smoothing out the ride on uneven roads.

Both features are made possible by Audi’s new zFAS neural system, which connects 24 car-related sensors and cameras and performs several additional tricks, such as the ability to quickly tilt the body in the event of a collision. The severity of the blow on its strong thresholds like doors. These are not small improvements.

The basic requirement of any limousine aiming to dethrone the S-Class – the A8 has never quite succeeded, but in Ingolstadt it must be highly desirable – is world-class isolation and subtle refinement. It’s time to find out about Audi’s situation in 2020.

New Audi A8: Facelifted Limo Introduces Horch Spec For China

Audi flirted with four-cylinder power in its flagship sedan (for the hybrid model) during the previous generation from 2010 to 2017. The minimum number of cylinders available this time around is six, rising to eight in the range-topping S8.

As a luxury limo below, the A8 uses our subject’s electric motor in a box with a smoother-shifting torque converter without Audi’s dual-clutch gearbox.

We’re not holding our breath, but the A8 receiving Bentley’s W12 is said to make around 600 horsepower.

Both this Audi A8 60 TFSIe plug-in hybrid and the 563bhpV8-powered Audi S8 are three years into the sales cycle, so Audi is definitely saving the most interesting A8 derivative for the foreseeable future. 443 hp and 516 lb ft. In terms of performance, it’s also not the most fuel-efficient car of the S8.

Audi A8 Autonomous First Drive

That’s a 134-horsepower electric motor and Audi’s current 335-horsepower turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 mounted in an eight-speed torque converter gearbox. The torque is variable, but it is always shared between the axles.

The electrical part of the powertrain, supported by a 14.1 kWh lithium-ion battery, is located under the floor of the luggage compartment and is first presented to the driver. Fire up the 60 TFSIe and it calmly wakes up, pulls under the power and hits the gas pedal and stays there all the way to its top speed of 84 mph.

The A8 60 TFSIe should have no trouble driving the A8 60 TFSIe even with a fully charged battery, which delivers an official 28.6 miles on electricity, although the engine requires more thrust than the engine alone can provide. – An electric car.

There are disadvantages to combining two power sources in the same car. 2330 kg. This long-wheelbase plug-in hybrid A8 weighs 335kg more than the V6-only model, making it significantly heavier than its main rivals, the Mercedes S560e L and BMW 745Le xDrive.

Audi A8 L W12 (2005)

The air-sprung Audi is also the longest of the three, which makes it surprising that it has the smallest wheelbase and cargo space.

Like its competitors, Audi wants to spread the same cabin architecture to its sedans.

This is due to our test car’s solid and sturdy dashboard, which is full of digital displays in the center console and instrument cluster. The corporate geometry is recognizable from the less prestigious A6 and Audi A7. It’s more aggressive than the stylish interiors of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class or 7-Series. The deep, formal seating position is also evident, so it appeals more to driver-driven companies than owner-drivers. .

A big wheel is suitable for a limousine like the A8. Messing mercilessly with the buttons.Simon DavisRoad tester

Audi A8 Priced From $78,295

The A8 comes alive at night when it glows warmly in the color of your choice.

The A8 passenger in particular will not miss space or comfort; It beats the Mercedes and BMW, especially if you drive the long wheelbase, which adds 130mm of legroom for rear passengers. Four-zone climate control and heated adjustable seats are standard, even in the rear, which gets its own screen control panel.

The long-wheelbase model has electric Sun Shades and a number of driver-assisting features, such as predictive navigation, intersections, Automatically slows the car down when approaching roundabouts and low-speed zones. Like many electric cars, the A8 can preset its interior before setting off and control it via the myAudi smartphone app.

As is common for plug-in hybrids that mount their batteries under the boot floor, the A8 60 TFSIe has a significantly smaller boot volume, 390 compared to the standard model’s 505 litres. This is relatively small. As offered by the Audi A4, the A8’s rear seats cannot be folded forward to free up space.

What We’re Driving: 2019 Audi A8 L Quattro

Audi’s latest MMI system blows minds, and for good reason. An 8.6-inch screen (for the weather) and a 10.1-inch touchscreen mounted directly above the other will please a magpie on anyone, but the paucity of physical button gear makes it difficult to fly and quickly command with a glass that attracts the invisible. fingerprints like no other. The 7-series command wheel is easier to use.

In fact, the pin-sharp graphics and helpful haptic feedback can’t hide the fact that it’s even less intuitive than BMW’s iDrive system. Comprehensive.

Our test car was also equipped with the Comfort and Sound package; The Bang & Olufsen sound system that comes with this option is definitely worth getting.

For luxury cars, the word “performance” refers not only to cooling and braking, which define acceleration and braking, but also to the nature of the delivery. The latter is more consistent.

Audi A8 History: Models And Generations Timeline

With the turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 and electric motor working at their maximum, the A8 60 TFSIe can hit 62mph in less than five seconds despite its 2330kg curb weight if the experience is unruly competition. The reason for the car is; It grows below the water line.

In this spacious car, it is missing too often, so you should turn off the lane keeping assist. There is a button on the end of the wiper arm to do this.Matt SaundersRoad Test Editor

Fortunately, the way this new drivetrain utilizes its vast reserves of power and torque is always elegant and controlled. With the healthy help of an electric motor; Throttle response is quick and subsequent thrust is predictable and quick if you want it to be. Combined engine and engine output is just 516lb ft at 1370rpm, and the strong peak boost has little reason to push the engine past 2000rpm, making it almost undetectable at the engine’s limits. – Double room.

If you tear it apart, it’s surprisingly, if not as pleasing to the ears as the straight six found in the 745Le, and it’s sweeter than its diesel sibling.

Emotional Premium Mobility: Interior Of The Audi A8 Offers A High Quality Experience

However, most of these cars drive chauffeur-like, and Audi has done its job right by feeding electric power to the transmission, and the smooth acceleration – then pulled back – is a masterpiece. . Due to the complexity of the operation, there are no hiccups. There are very few audio cues that don’t delay or complicate surgery. The gears of the eight-speed automatic transmission are also managed well, without noticeable flow interruptions.

Meanwhile, fuel economy depends on how you use the car’s 28-mile electric range, but with a dead battery in eight gears, our test car returned 35 mpg highway.

Seamless performance is what you expect from any fine limousine. It is a life or death quality as a concept.

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