Practicality is not a word one would usually link to something as large as the A8 L, but it does make a lot of sense if you want a quick car with all the luxuries in the world and, of course, can afford it. The boot is a large 490 litres and there are loads of storage spaces within the cabin as well. The ride-height control lets you raise the car a good 45 millimetres, taking the clearance up to 165 mm; just right for those annoyingly tall speed-bumps which threaten to disintegrate your transfer box from the underbody.
Speaking of which, this is a 4WD Audi and anyone who knows quattro knows that it delivers in dry and wet conditions and gives exceptional grip. In this turbo-diesel-V8, 2,170-kg A8 L, it rockets to 200 km/h in just 19 seconds. Given the freedom, it will do an electronically-limited 250 km/h; just right for meeting those deadlines then! The handling is excellent and even when taking sweeping corners at speed, there is hardly any perceptible body-roll. The ride quality from the air suspension, even with the 19” wheels and 45-profile tyre set-up, is also very good, and the car wafts over undulations, eliminating them at highway speeds.
We were driving around the IT district, and, well, one would expect the folk there to be smart. But, alas, every traffic rule was being flouted several times a minute by those professionals turned moronic pedestrians who had no clue to what a roundabout was – and there were several of those – or how to go around one. Thankfully, the braking is exceptional too. Coming to a standstill from 100 km/h takes just over 2.6 seconds and the big Audi needs just about 36 metres (or 120 feet) to shed all of that speed. If you were wondering, the V8 TDI motor doesn’t drink as much diesel as we were expecting either. With about 10 km/l on the highway and 7km/l in the bustling city traffic, it isn’t half bad.
The A8 L 60 TDI quattro makes perfect sense for someone powerful who loves power and the feeling of being in control. The Rs 1.23 crore price-tag is the only deterrent, but when you compare the price you pay for other similar offerings from the competition, which feature two less cylinders in diesel guise and are just rear-wheel driven, it stands out; and it stands out like an 850-lb Rottweiler, doesn’t it?
