Audi A8 review

Audi’s journey to this third-generation A8 began in 1988 with the Audi V8, the world’s first pure luxury all-wheel-drive saloon.This unlovely and glacially slow-selling car was, bravely, replaced by a car boasting an aluminium spaceframe and body. The new A8 had looks and technology on its size, a combination that proved sufficiently powerful in the marketplace to ensure an eight-year model cycle, and it was replaced by the outgoing A8 in 2002.

You need very little time in Audi’s latest A8 to confirm the scope of its ambition. Just as Audi itself is throwing model after model at the market in its drive to establish not just credibility amid its more established BMW and Mercedes rivals but something closer to superiority, so too can you detect a change of aspiration for its flagship. 

If the original A8 can now be seen as an admirable first effort and the second a plausible alternative to its opponents, the third has the looks, specification, technology and very demeanour that no longer meekly suggest it might be as good as a Mercedes S-class, but almost dare you to say it isn’t actually a damned sight better.

Most A8s will be seen on the chauffeur circuit with diesel badges on their boot, either a 3.0-litre V6 or 4.2-litre V8. There are also 3.0 TFSI, 4.2 FSI and whopping 6.3-litre W12 petrols to choose from. Then there are either SE or SE Executive trim levels and long or standard wheelbase models. Every version currently gets quattro four-wheel drive.

To achieve its aims, this A8 needed to avoid the trap that snared its predecessors; these were cars whose strongest suit was their styling, meaning you’d savoured the best of it before you set off. This A8 needs to be even better than it looks.

The A8 continues to plough a lonely furrow as the only luxury car to be constructed around an aluminium spaceframe, the argument from Audi being that it’s lighter than conventional steel but easier to manufacture than the aluminium monocoque arrangement preferred by Jaguar.

For this generation, Audi has focused on using aluminium alloys whose extra strength not only makes the A8’s structure 25 per cent more rigid than before but, despite its extra size, also very slightly lighter because less of the metal is needed. The entire car is around 50kg heavier than what went before, a modest increase given its added content.

It sits on multi-link suspension at each end with standard air springing and electronic damper control. So-called ‘dynamic’ steering, which can vary its ratio according to need, is an option and came fitted to our test car.

Horizontal chrome strips that dominate the grille and radar sensors that look like front foglights are intended to emphasise the A8’s sporting credentials by giving an impression of low-slung width. A low-level chrome strip goes around the car and adds a welcome touch of class to the exterior styling.

Among the tech highlights, Audi is following BMW’s and Mercedes’ lead by offering a night vision camera with pedestrian recognition, but it’s another pricey option. Similarly, solar panels in the optional sunroof provide the power to circulate cool air even when the engine is switched off. These gadgets emphasise the car's top-end status - but they are also expensive, and retain a fraction of their value in time.

On first acquaintance, the Audi A8 presents a well ordered, high-quality and businesslike environment to the prospective punter. There’s glossily polished wood in here and brushed aluminium, as you’d expect. But the closer you look, the more bewildering it becomes. There is so much to try to understand as you delve into the capabilities of not just the navigation, entertainment, information and communications systems but also options like the sports seats.

As it is, the A8 is easy enough to operate at a fundamental level. The driving position is pretty much whatever you want and all-round visibility better than you’d expect, given the pillar thickness that usually comes with aluminium cars. But there is so much here to learn. 

Nor is this the most spacious of luxury cabins, even taking into account the long-wheelbase version. The rear seat package, in particular, is surprisingly tight for tall adults, with barely adequate head room and marginal knee room, although at least there is good space under the front seats for your feet to rest comfortably. Likewise, it seems strange that a car this large should have such a relatively small boot.

But it is the ambience of the interior that will play such an important role in the long-term success of the A8, and the way it marries technological know-how with traditional materials so comfortably merits special praise. A pity for Audi, then, that Jaguar’s new XJ has moved the goalposts to the other side of the field. For all of its comfort and luxury, the A8 interior still feels like a place where you pass the time waiting to be somewhere you’d rather be, and you could say the same about the Mercedes S-class or BMW 7-series. The Jaguar’s interior is a destination in itself, a cabin you might actually not want to leave.