Jan 10, 2016 11:29 AM
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It’s the biggest and best Audi can do. Or at least, it’s the best Audi is allowed to do, lest it step on the toes of more exuberant saloons in the VW Group hierarchy.Audi broke ground with 1994’s first A8 by using more aluminium per car than the average vagrant throws away in a year. Skip to today and the A8 is still a lightweight among heavyweights.Audi has really got a handle on the UK’s disgracefully knobbly roads lately and the A8 typifies that. Every single dial and switch is masterfully engineered, and almost every bit of engine, wind and tyre noise is locked out of the cabin.Regular wheelbase versions don’t have as much rear head- or legroom as a gluttonous rapper might require, and although the long-wheelbase version sees to that, it’s a glaring weakness in a class more focused on who’s sitting behind the driver than the driver himself. Still, if you’re as little as Lord Sugar, there are few places more alluring in which to sit and concoct witty putdowns for besuited simpletons.
The 3.0-litre V6 TDI puts out 258bhp and sprints from 0-62mph in 5.9 seconds, but promises claimed economy of 49.6mpg. There’s a more powerful 4.2-litre TDI V8 on top of this that kicks out 380bhp and a massive 850Nm of torque. This helps it to sprint from 0-62mph in just 4.7 seconds, which is faster than some sports cars.
The top-spec W12 uses the same 6.3-litre engine as in the Bentley Continental GT, detuned here to produce 493bhp. It’s extremely smooth, but not cheap to buy or run.
As a result of its size and strong-performing engines, the A8 features stop-start and regenerative braking in order to keep running costs in check – 40mpg should be possible if you’re careful. These figures can’t compete with the newer S-Class, though.
The S8 and W12 are the two least efficient models in the range – returning best figures of 30.1mpg with 216g/km CO2 and 25.7mpg with 254g/km respectively, budget for high running costs.
