The updated Audi A8 luxury saloon driven in Germany
Being pampered in the Business Class of the flight to Düsseldorf spoils you to no end. There are few things that can really match the five-star service offered on board. Thankfully for me, the indulgence continued. No sooner I landed in the renowned fashion and financial centre of Germany, I was ushered into a highly opulent Audi A8, which has been timely refreshed for 2014. The new A8 comes with a selection of delectable visual updates and enhanced engines that offers better efficiency and power, and cleaner emissions.
The exterior design upgrades on the revised A8 are subtle, with the most prominent change being the introduction of completely new Matrix LED headlamps. In this high-tech setup each light uses 25 individual LEDs, where the inbuilt cameras scan the road ahead so it can automatically turn off sections of the high beam to avoid dazzling other drivers or pedestrians. What makes this system ideal for India is that it still keeps the area around the oncoming car illuminated, giving clear visibility of possible road irregularities. Furthermore, it also uses information from the satellite navigation system to anticipate a turn and accordingly turn the focus of the headlight towards the corner. This is one safety function the affluent will surely consider while upgrading to a new luxury saloon.
The revised front end includes a new bumper and tweaked bonnet and air intakes, which look modern. New tail-lights and exhaust pipes keep the design interesting at the back of the saloon. These fine enhancements and especially the new Matrix headlights complete the subtle facelift of the 2014 A8, while preserving the confident élan the largest Audi sedan has been associated with over the years.
The cabin quality and level of comfort has been the A8’s biggest attraction, making it a high-selling model in its flamboyant segment. And as always, the Audi does not disappoint. Though I never thought it to be possible, the standard of finish seems to have been taken up a notch. The interior is beautifully appointed and crafted with utmost care. For the facelift the choice of body colour, leather, wood and other materials have been widened further. What caught my fancy were the matte-finished ash wood accents which looked delectable as the A8’s dashboard adornment. As in other Audis, the new A8 also comes with the MMI infotainment system, which is user-friendly and easy to navigate through. There are several function buttons and also a touchpad which make the centre console layout appear quite busy. However, the switches and controls are well weighted and impressively solid.
Comfortable like a couch is what best describes the large and well-bolstered seats, while rear head- and leg-room are rather good, especially in the long-wheelbase A8. These add up to offer hours of fatigue-free cruising in ultimate comfort and exquisite luxury.
Audi’s advancement in diesel engine technology has been proved over and over again in the 24 Hours of Le Mans races in the recent years. Some of this expertise has now been employed in the new A8, which makes it as frugal as much smaller cars, along with strong performance. Not that there ever existed an under-powered A8, Ingolstadt still went ahead and bumped up the power output across the range in the 2014 version. The popular-in-India long wheel-base A8 L 3.0-litre V6 diesel now produces 258 PS (up by eight PS) and 580 Nm (up by 30 Nm), which make for effortless acceleration at all times. Driving on the excellent roads on the outskirts of Düsseldorf it didn’t feel too off the claimed 6.1 seconds to 100 km/h. While my personal favourite, V8 powered 4.2 TDI now whips out 385 PS (increased by 35 PS) and a stunning 850 Nm (50 Nm more), hitting the tonne in a supercar-matching 4.7 seconds! In the petrol line-up are a V6 3.0-litre TFSI, now capable of 310 PS and 440 Nm; 435-PS and 600-Nm 4.0-litre TFSI and the 500-PS 6.0-litre W12 beast. The sporty S8 is powered by a 4.0-litre TFSI V8, but here churns out an impressive 520 PS and 650 Nm, dashing from zero to 100 km/h in just 4.1 seconds.
No matter which engine option I drove, the common attribute across the range was the unparalleled refinement, as hardly any noise from the engine bay filters into the cabin. And now adaptive suspension becomes part of the standard fitment, giving the A8 a rather settled ride. Only severe road imperfections, which by the way were difficult to find on these European roads, do find their way through the saloon. But overall the suspension does an excellent job of dealing with undulations. The occupants are perpetually shielded from the outside dissonance, chauffeured in the lap of luxury and bringing them as close to the state of zen as possible on four wheels.
