Skip to main content

Audi A8

Audi hasn’t wasted any time with its mid-term update for the A8, which arrives just a few months after the launch of the new Mercedes-Benz S-class. In an effort to keep its flagship sedan competitive, Audi has given the A8 upgraded powertrains, more equipment, and a fresh new look.
Believe it or not, the brand’s trademark "Singleframe grille" has gotten smaller. The unit’s height has diminished, now sporting seven horizontal blades rather than eight, but it does hang over a singular lower air intake that stretches across the width of the car—except for the S8, which keeps its pair of intakes. The headlights feature a new, less aggressive contour, and, in Europe, customers get their choice of xenon, LED, or Matrix LED headlights—the latter's high beam is emitted from 25 single diodes on each side, which are individually dimmed or switched off to avoid blinding drivers in oncoming vehicles. (Unfortunately, because of 1960s legislature banning active headlamps, those Matrix LEDs won’t be coming to America.) The taillights are restyled as well; they’re now connected by a horizontal strip of chrome.
The A8 W12 is less differentiated from lower-grade A8s than before, and, of more importance, it doesn't receive any engine upgrades. The naturally aspirated 6.3-liter W-12 remains unchanged, still churning out 500 horsepower—and in terms of torque, it can't hold a candle to the twin-turbo 12-cylinder units from BMW and Mercedes. While the W12 continues atop the A8 hierarchy, performance enthusiasts likely will opt for the S8 anyway—its 520-hp, 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 carries over unchanged, too.

The supercharged 3.0-liter V-6 jumps from 290 horsepower to 310 in European specification, and we expect that its 333-hp rating stateside will remain. Europe’s non-S twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 gets a bump in power from 420 to 435 horses, a change that is likely to be mirrored in this market. And the 3.0-liter V-6 TDI, rated at 240 horsepower in the U.S., now makes 258 horsepower.
Every A8, except for the not-for-American-consumption hybrid, comes with all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic as standard. And all versions of the A8—again, with the exception of the hybrid—can reach a governed top speed of 155 mph. (Well, in Europe, anyway; U.S.-market A8s, bar the S8, currently are limited to a slightly bizarre 130 mph.) We’re hopeful Audi will reconsider such an odd limit when the updated model comes to market.

Apart from the updated powertrain and looks, there's not a whole lot that’s new with the A8. Audi says that the trunk now is easier to load, there’s an Active Lane Assist that grabs the steering wheel to correct your driving should you meander into other lanes, and a self-parking function. Oh, and, just as has been recently added to the new S-class lineup and available in a number of BMWs for some time, the A8 will be available with a head-up display.
Audi says the upgraded A8 will be available in the U.S. "at some point," likely as a 2015 model. There is no definite word yet from Audi of America on the powertrain choices and the availability of goodies, apart from those trick Matrix LEDs, of course. U.S.-specific details should be available closer to the car’s on-sale date.

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Maserati Ghibli vs BMW 6 Series : Which Will You Buy?

When considering vehicles like Maserati Ghibli and the BWM 6 Series Gran Coupe, both reflect an effort toward blending dignified luxury with exhilarating performance. Though beholding vehicles of this caliber is always an exercise most fruitfully left to the natural eye, the image above serves as a simple example of each sedan’s inherent dignity. In lieu of experiencing each vehicle’s performance profile from behind the wheel, the table provided similarly works to demonstrate what both Ghibli and BMW’s 6 series have been engineered to accomplish. Comparing the Maserati Ghibli vs. BMW 6 Series in this regard yields a number of important emphases. Local clients will notice that both vehicles develop their identity around six-cylinder engines with a pair of strategic turbochargers. Yet regardless of identical displacement and analogous induction technology, Maserati serves its Ghibli clients with significantly greater quantities of horsepower and torque. In addition to t...
Read more

McLaren 650S Sprint

McLaren’s new 650S model now comes in three flavors, the standard road going 650S, the competition-spec 650S GT3 for serious racers, and now there’s the 650S Sprint which is aimed at track enthusiasts who still want a little bit of comfort. The 650S Sprint also replaces the MP4-12C-based 12C Sprint as McLaren’s track toy for the super-rich. Compared to the road model, the 650S Sprint features increased downforce and better cooling airflow to the 3.8 litre twin-turbocharged V8. It also features a competition-spec fuel tank and quick-fill cap, a larger radiator borrowed from the GT3 car, a new hood with additional cooling ducts for the radiator, front wing louvres for improved airflow, reduced ride height and recalibrated damping and spring rates, 19-inch center-locking race wheels with either Pirelli slicks or wet tires, onboard air jack system, and an upgraded braking system. On the inside the McLaren 650S Sprint features a stripped-out design with a FIA-approved rol...
Read more

Mercedes-Benz SL550

Of all the Mercedes-Benz models that could be accused of being born with a silver spoon in its mouth, the SL arguably tops the list. Unlike many grand-touring cars, the Mercedes SL has never been forced to compromise its blue-blood personal-luxury/sport ideals with feigned attempts at practicality to please executives or attract buyers. It has, more or less, remained an unapologetic take-it-or-leave-it proposition since it debuted nearly six decades ago, and the 2013 SL550 does nothing to alter its course. Cool, Quiet Confidence Every move the 2013 SL550 makes is steeped in a competent, laid-back confidence; pin the throttle, and the car takes a moment to gather itself, as if saying to the driver, “Okay, dude, you ready? This is gonna be pretty awesome.” And with that, the seven-speed automatic downshifts, the twin turbos gorge themselves on air, and the whole shebang takes off, pulling hard to an observed 159-mph top speed (Mercedes claims an electronically limited 155). Life in th...
Read more