The four-door sedan still rules the roost when it comes to upper-luxury 'executive'-style transport, and Audi's flagship A8 is a prime example. Lining up against established and respected rivals like the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class it's all about refinement, comfort and premium efficiency. We've spent a week living at the top of the Audi pyramid.
Does it represent good value for the price? What features does it come with?
With an entry price of $202,700, before on-road costs, the A8 is in the thick of it amongst its full-size primo sedan competitors from Europe and Japan. Specifically, BMW’s 740i MHEV ($272,900), the Lexus LS500h ($195,920), Maserati Quattroporte GT ($210,990), Mercedes-Benz S450 ($244,700) and Porsche’s Panamera ($207,800).
By definition, a luxury car should be loaded to the gunwales with features that make life on the road that little bit easier. And aside from the performance and safetytech we’ll cover shortly, the highlights from a very lengthy standard equipment list are - 20-inch alloy rims, metallic paint, adaptive cruise control, digital matrix LED headlights, digital OLED tail-lights, full keyless entry and start, power-assisted door closing, power boot lid (with gesture control), a panoramic sunroof, heated, ventilated and massaging electrically adjustable front seats, heated front armrests and extended leather trim (centre console, door rails and armrests, steering wheel and upper dashboard).
The A8 has an entry price of $202,700, before on-road costs. (Image: James Cleary)
Also included are ambient interior lighting (with 30 colours and six colour profiles), four-zone climate control, electric sunblinds for the rear and rear side windows, ‘Audi Connect’ navigation and multimedia (with voice and handwriting recognition), wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, 17-speaker 730-watt Bang & Olufsen audio (with digital radio) and a colour head-up display.
There’s a lot more, and the A8 can hold its head high in terms of pricing and features relative to its $200K price tag and the competition.
The A8 is close to 5.2 metres long, yet instantly recognisable as an Audi thanks mainly to its evenly weighted proportions, gently curved roofline and overall high-waisted design. Worth noting its drag coefficient (Cd) is an impressively slippery 0.25.
The characteristic look is accentuated by the brand’s signature, six-sided grille, in this instance highlighted by a matrix of high-relief chrome accents. And typically angular LED Matrix headlights sit either side.
Check out our video review for the carefully orchestrated animation they run through when the car is unlocked.
The A8 is close to 5.2 metres in length. (Image: James Cleary)
The car looks equally svelte and contemporary from the rear, with just the right amount of chrome lifting the tone and multi-spoke 20-inch rims filling the wheel arches nicely.
As you’d expect, the top-shelf look and feel continues inside with the seats trimmed in aniline leather, perforated on the front and outer rear positions, with genuine hide also covering the centre console, door rails and armrests, steering wheel and upper dashboard.
Fine grain ash wood inserts sit alongside brushed metal elements and a meticulous attention to detail is obvious… everywhere.
The top-shelf look and feel continues inside of the A8. (Image: James Cleary)
For example, the interior door handle design has been thoroughly thought through, requiring a simple underhand tap to open the door, rather than the more conventional, and ergonomically convoluted, ‘over the top’ movement.
Three sleek screens dial up the tech - a 10.1-inch multimedia interface at the top of the centre stack, an 8.6-inch display below it for heating and ventilation, and a 12.3-inch version of Audi’s ‘Virtual Cockpit’ in the instrument binnacle.
And the spacious rear is the epitome of cool, calm Teutonic form and function. You feel relaxed the moment you get in, and isn’t that the primary aim of a car like this?
How practical is its space and tech inside?
Space is luxury, be it a large house, a first class seat or a spacious car, and at nearly 5.2 metres long with a close to 3.0m wheelbase the Audi A8 measures up.
Even before you get in, the doors have an amazing sense of solidity and quality. It’s like opening and closing a bank vault… if that huge circular door had a power-assisted soft-close function.
There’s copious amounts of space for the driver and front passenger with lots of storage including a lidded box between the front seats, complete with a two-piece longitudinally split top design, so you can sneak your half’s open without displacing your neighbour’s elbow.
There’s copious amounts of space for the driver and front passenger in the A8. (Image: James Cleary)
The door bins are decent but there isn’t a specific cut-out for bottles, so it’s more a case of laying them down than standing them up. There’s also a handy covered cubby at the end of the door armrests.
The glove box is a good size and there are two cupholders under a pop-up cover in the centre console.
Of course, the back is where space really counts, and there’s as much room as you’d find in, well… a limo.
The A8's fold down centre armrest features a 5.7 inch OLED display. (Image: James Cleary)
Sitting behind the driver’s seat, set for my 183cm position, I enjoyed copious amounts of head, shoulder and legroom.
There are electric sunblinds for the rear and rear side windows, controlled by buttons in the door as well as the rear seat remote, a 5.7 inch OLED display housed in the beautifully trimmed fold-down centre armrest (which also has a soft close function!). The remote also allows adjustment of the lighting and climate control. Classy.
There’s a shallow storage box and twin cupholders in the armrest, medium size door bins and hard shell pockets on the front seat backs. The rear armrests also feature a small lidded cubby.
The A8 has 505 litres (VDA) of boot capacity. (Image: James Cleary)
Storing the bulky CarsGuide pram in the boot was no hassle for the A8. (Image: James Cleary)
There’s a handy netted section behind the left wheel well and a cargo net is included. (Image: James Cleary)
In terms of connectivity and power options there’s wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a USB-A and USB-C in the front, and an identical pair in the rear, as well as a 12-volt socket in the front and two in the back.
Boot volume is a useful 505 litres (VDA) and the lid is electric, with gesture control. It’s able to easily swallow our three-piece luggage set or the bulky CarsGuide pram. And while the rear seats don’t fold there’s a ski port door to accommodate long items. Just make sure you use the tie-down anchors in the boot to ensure they’re properly secured. There’s a handy netted section behind the left wheel well and a cargo net is included.
Maximum towing capacity, for a braked trailer, is 2.3 tonnes (750kg unbraked) and in more good news, the spare is a space-saver rather than the increasingly prevalent inflator/repair kit.
What are the key stats for its engine and transmission?
With energy recovery of up to 12kW from regenerative braking, it enables the A8 to regularly coast with the engine switched off and helps the extended stop-start system to operate smoothly.
The Audi A8 50TDI is powered by a 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 engine. (Image: James Cleary)
What is its fuel consumption? What is its driving range?
Audi’s official fuel economy number for the combined (ADR 81/02 - urban, extra-urban) cycle is 6.6L/100km, the 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 emitting 175g/km of CO2 in the process.
Over a week of city, suburban, and some freeway running we averaged 11.1L/100km, which is acceptable for a 2.1-tonne luxury sedan.
Also worth noting the standard stop-start system works beautifully thanks to the 48-volt starter/generator.
You’ll need 82 litres of diesel to fill the tank and using the official number, that translates to a range of just over 1240km, which drops to around 740km using our real-world figure.
Audi’s official fuel economy number for the combined cycle is 6.6L/100km. (Image: James Cleary)
What's it like to drive?
Despite extensive use of aluminium in the ‘ASF’ platform and body panels, the A8 tips the scales at a sturdy 2095kg, yet Audi says the A8 will accelerate from 0-100km/h in just 5.9 seconds. And with 600Nm of peak torque available across a flat plateau from 1750-3250rpm this big four-door gets up and goes hard when asked to.
At more sedate speeds you’re occasionally reminded there’s a diesel engine under the bonnet, with that characteristic engine and exhaust noise only making their presence felt under pressure.
In fact, under normal circumstances, noise, be it the engine, tyres or wind is minimal, thanks to a combination of the car’s aero-efficient shape, thick acoustic glass and other sound-deadening measures throughout the car.
The A8 50TDI wears 20-inch alloy rims. (Image: James Cleary)
The eight-speed auto transmission is suitably smooth, with the central shifter or wheel-mounted paddles able to make snappy sequential ‘manual’ shifts.
There are four drive modes in the ‘Drive Select’ system - ‘Comfort’, ‘Auto’, ‘Dynamic’ and ‘Individual’ - enabling tweaks to the steering, transmission, throttle and suspension. Comfort felt most appropriate most of the time, although dialling up the throttle and transmission to more aggressive modes in Individual adds an enjoyable edge.
Push into a corner and the A8 feels nicely balanced, its wide track, sophisticated suspension, plus the quattro AWD system seamlessly distributing drive between the front and rear axles, keeping the big body under control. In fact, you feel the ‘big car shrinking around you’ syndrome from the get-go.
The A8 has a mix of digital and physical controls. (Image: James Cleary)
The steering is precise without being overly sharp and road feel is good. Again, with that 2.1-tonne kerb weight in mind, braking is appropriately powerful with big ventilated discs front (350mm) and rear (330mm).
It pays to remember the turning circle is 12.5m, and it’s worth picking your spot for a U- or three-point turn.
Although there’s a lot going on for the driver in terms of screens, buttons and switches it all makes sense ergonomically. The head-up display is helpful and there’s a common sense mix of digital and physical controls, the latter including an audio volume knob. Yes.
Warranty & Safety Rating
Basic Warranty
3 years / unlimited km
warranty
ANCAP Safety Rating
What safety equipment is fitted? What safety rating?
Even though the A8 hasn't been assessed by ANCAP, as you might expect, it goes to town when it comes to active safety tech, the car’s standard crash-avoidance features including auto emergency braking (AEB) (pedestrians/cyclists - 5.0-85km/h, vehicles - to 250km/h), ‘Active Lane Assist’, blind-spot monitoring, a reversing camera and 360-degree view (including kerb view function), front and rear parking sensors, ‘Collision Avoidance Assist’ (steering assistance in critical situations), ‘Turn Assist’ (monitors incoming traffic when turning right), and rear cross-traffic alert.
There’s also ‘Intersection Crossing Assist’, ‘Attention Assist’, tyre-pressure monitoring and an ‘Exit Warning System’ (detects cars and cyclists when opening doors).
The A8 is yet to be ANCAP tested. (Image: James Cleary)
If all that isn’t enough to avoid a crash the airbag count runs to nine, including front and side bags for the driver and front passenger, side airbags covering the outer rear passengers, full length curtains and a front centre airbag to minimise head clash injuries in a side impact. A first aid kit, warning triangle and high visibility vests are also on-board.
Paint defects are also covered for five years, with rust (to the point of perforation) covered for 12. Nice.
Service is required every 12 months or 15,000km with a five-year capped-price plan for the A8 coming in at $3830, or $766 per year. That’s a fair wedge but not outrageous for the category.
Verdict
The Audi A8 swims in a luxury car shark tank where those paying the big dollars expect top-shelf everything. It delivers a serene driving experience whether you’re in the front or the back, in a superbly engineered and executed luxury sedan package. Not perfect, but very, very impressive.
Disclaimer: The pricing information shown in the editorial content (Review Prices) is to be used as a guide only and is based on information provided to Carsguide Autotrader Media Solutions Pty Ltd (Carsguide) both by third party sources and the car manufacturer at the time of publication. The Review Prices were correct at the time of publication. Carsguide does not warrant or represent that the information is accurate, reliable, complete, current or suitable for any particular purpose. You should not use or rely upon this information without conducting an independent assessment and valuation of the vehicle.
