Probably the most disappointing factor in regards to the Audi S8 is that Australia is undeserving of one thing this good.

Our roads – and extra poignantly, our velocity limits – merely don’t enable a driver to expertise this automotive’s potential and credentials.

So, this factor? It’s distinctive. Ridiculously luscious and opulent, alarmingly highly effective and frightfully costly. 

I don’t know why you’d purchase it, however I completely perceive why you’d wish to contemplating there isn’t more likely to be one other petrol S8 mannequin like this, because of the inevitable push in the direction of EVs.

So, if you happen to can, must you? Let’s discover out.

How a lot does the Audi S8 value?

The asking worth is $273,400 earlier than on-road prices. Let that sink in.

It’s not as costly as a V8-powered Mercedes-Benz S-Class – the S 580L model of that limousine is an eye-watering $332,760. And there’s no V8-powered 7 Sequence from BMW provided in Australia anymore – even so, a turbo-six 740i is $272,900.

So, whereas it’s costly, it’s not that costly in comparison with its rivals. Actually, the subsequent closest factor to this can be a Porsche Panamera GTS, which additionally has a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 funnily sufficient, nevertheless it prices $317,900. If it had been my cool three-hundred grand, I’d be sooner spending it on an Audi RS6 Avant ($232,200), which is faster, extra sensible and extra raucous to drive. Hearsay has it, that’s why it has an R in its title.

You’ll discover out beneath what you get in your hard-earned, however simply know that the usual vary of paint choices no-cost – so, Good Black Strong, the metallic selections of Mythos Black, Firmament Blue (pictured), Extremely Blue, District Inexperienced, Vesuvius Gray, Florett Silver, Glacier White and in addition Daytona Gray pearl are $0 choices. There’s additionally a broader vary of Audi Unique Exterior paint finishes for $7500.

This explicit check car was additionally fitted with the Sensory Bundle, a $19,000 possibility that includes full leather-based trim with distinction stitching, Bang & Olufsen encompass sound system, heated rear seats, cooled rear seats, massaging rear seats, and electrical rear seat adjustment with lumbar help. 

Worth as examined? $292,400 plus on-road prices – eep!

What’s the Audi S8 like on the within?

Earlier than you even get into the automotive, it rises as much as greet you – with the air suspension growing the peak of the automotive by as much as 50mm to make ingress and egress a contact simpler.

Nevertheless, this automotive has exceptionally massive door sills, and each myself and my accomplice tripped over them no less than as soon as whereas stepping in. As soon as in, you’ll be able to shut the door (which has mushy shut performance) and settle into the luxurious house on supply. 

The cabin design might finest be summed up as opulent with out being ostentatious, although some might discover the carbon trim a bit excessive for his or her tastes.

Nevertheless, it’s an S mannequin, so it ought to have sporty bits in equal measure to luxurious stuff, and it performs each components of that argument fairly nicely. 

It’s not as blingy as a S-Class inside, however I truly suppose that performs to its benefit, as a result of there are some understated however wonderful inclusions on the know-how entrance, together with a high-resolution 10.1-inch color show up high, which covers smartphone mirroring (wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto), sat nav and media controls (together with a digital TV for whenever you’re sitting round ready for passengers), and there’s a decrease 8.6-inch contact display with local weather buttons and different controls, and it has a stunning haptic suggestions – as long as you hit the button you plan to, which will be laborious whenever you’re driving. 

The seats are exceptionally comfy, and the therapeutic massage operate – with a number of totally different modes, together with issues like Waves, Circles, Revitalise and Stretch – makes lengthy distance driving a breeze. Belief me, I did a visit from Sydney’s west to Orange and again in a day with this automotive, and bought out feeling bodily high quality.

I’ve come to essentially recognize the ambient lighting throughout the cabin, and it’s pleasant in the way in which that it illuminates the color that you just modify the temperature (blue for colder, pink for hotter). The lights on the edges of the dashboard and onto the doorways will even flash pink if there’s something in your blind spot, or if the automotive is attempting to stop you from exiting into the trail of oncoming visitors. 

Additional, there’s matrix lighting know-how on supply within the cabin as nicely, and it actually does make for an easy automotive to extract a small youngster from at night time, as I did a couple of instances throughout my week with it. 

And one other function that I wasn’t certain about at first however got here to understand over the week was the door handles, which function a easy light-touch motion to open the door, so that you don’t must reef the deal with. Very civilised. 

The supplies are of an especially prime quality, and the contact factors are all fantastically completed. There is a wonderful degree of consideration to element, and nothing actually appears or feels misplaced. Nevertheless, I do discover it to be an fascinating quirk of the A8 and S8 household is that the driver-side entrance door has a unique design to the passenger facet, with out as helpful a seize deal with. That’s as a result of it has extra controls on supply, however it’s just a bit bit bizarre.

Talking of controls, I like that there’s a quantity dial, and the carbon inlay on the gear selector is gorgeous to behold.

I additionally actually appreciated that on one of many very chilly days that I drove this automotive, the central armrests function heating – one thing that I by no means knew that I wanted, however it’s a actually welcome addition. 

As for storage within the entrance, there’s a break up lid coated centre console bin with a wi-fi cellphone charger cradle (nice for maintaining your cellphone out of sight and out of thoughts – when it really works, which it did intermittently fail to do with my iPhone 14 Professional), whereas close to the gear selector is a pair of cupholders. The doorways have massive bottle caddies, and there are small coated storage bins within the armrests of the entrance doorways as nicely, nevertheless it definitely isn’t setting any requirements in terms of storage.

Nicely, regardless of the actual fact this can be a very massive car, it isn’t the roomiest automotive on the earth for taller rear seat occupants. At 182 cm or 6’0”, I had sufficient house to take a seat behind my very own driving place, however some a lot smaller autos as of late have significantly more room on supply. And that was with the rear seat set within the ‘sitting’ place – if I hit the recline button, I ended up with my knees laborious towards the seat forward, or splayed both facet of it.

The plain answer, after all, is to rent a small statured driver. Not an issue that I’ll ever have in my life!.

There are three seats within the again, though it’s positively designed as a four-seat car. The outer seats with their adjustability are very a lot sculpted to go well with particular person occupants, and anybody sitting within the center shall be uncomfortable. There’s a large transmission tunnel intrusion as nicely.

The centre console space does fold right down to reveal extra seat changes and a touchscreen for a number of the automotive’s consolation controls (lighting, media, local weather, shades and so on). There’s additionally a pair of USB-C ports in there, and if you happen to want it, the center part may push right down to accommodate load-through entry to the boot.

Within the backseat, you additionally get – unusually – a pair of 12-volt shops in a flip-down part within the centre console zone, and so they look very very similar to they’re designed to harness cigarette lighters. There’s quad-zone local weather management as nicely, with directional air vents between the entrance seats, and within the B pillars.

There are storage pockets on the backs of each seats, and bottle holders within the doorways, in addition to a pair of come out cup holders in that centre console fold down part (which is fantastically damped when opening and shutting, by the way in which). 

And if in case you have (very fortunate) youngsters, they’ll recognize that there are ISOFIX factors within the window seats and three top-tethers as nicely.

Now, boot house is sweet for a sedan, with 505 litres of cargo house for the sneaky weekend away. There’s a hump in the direction of the entrance of the cargo space, which does eat into the house a little bit bit, and within the S8 you miss out on a spare wheel – only a restore package, right here.

What’s beneath the bonnet?

A heavenly symphony of combustion.

That’s one option to describe the 4.0-litre bi-turbo V8 petrol engine beneath the bonnet of the S8, which produces 420kW (6000rpm) and 800Nm (2050-4500rpm). That’s sufficient to propel it from 0-100km/h in a claimed 3.8 seconds – almost as quick because the bonkers Audi RS6 Avant, which claims 3.6 seconds.

It additionally incorporates a 48-volt mild-hybrid system, which may shut down the engine when coasting; in addition to a cylinder on-demand operate that may reduce it again to 4 cylinders beneath gentle hundreds.

It has an eight-speed computerized transmission with paddle shifters, and naturally quattro all-wheel drive which, in regular driving, splits 40:60 entrance:rear, however can ship as much as 85 per cent of engine torque to the rear.

In the case of gas consumption, the official mixed cycle determine is 10.5 litres per 100 kilometres, and over an intensive check drive (greater than 500km) I noticed a real-world return of 12.2L/100km, which I used to be high quality with contemplating the efficiency potential of this automotive.

Within the phrases of Snake from The Simpsons, “she wants premium, dude!” – 95 RON minimal, thanks, however as if you happen to’d put something aside from 98 RON in a automotive like this (it’s complicated, as each requirements are listed on the within of the filler cap). Gasoline tank capability is 82 litres.

How does the Audi S8 drive?

As I stated in the beginning, this automotive is arguably an excessive amount of for Aussie roads.

Autobahn luxo-barges like this are made for powering down the freeway at speeds that might see you locked up for a decade in Australia – in lots of methods, it appears a waste to purchase one thing like this.

However that’s a dumb argument, as a result of if you’d like good issues which are quick, enjoyable, make you are feeling good and you’ll afford them, good for you – devour, my pretties!

Anyway, it’s a dreamy drive. There’s mammoth ranges of grunt from this powertrain, which is employed in quite a few different Audi (and VW Group) fashions, and it truly is a improbable factor, whenever you’re driving it the way it desires to be pushed.

There’s a subdued warble that offers option to a extra attractive in-gear wail as you speed up, and it actually does discover the horizon quicker than you’d suppose. This automotive gathers tempo so effortlessly it would make you would like you had the old school velocity alert system like my dad and mom had of their VR Commodore.

I imply, there’s a system like that if you happen to’re actually apprehensive, and you’ll set the velocity limiter so that you gained’t lose your licence if you happen to get caught letting this factor get the higher of your sensibilities; nevertheless it actually is supremely quick, and it by no means feels such as you’re going as fast as you’re.

The eight-speed computerized is clean and shifts well, although I did discover that in light-throttle conditions that the powertrain could possibly be a little bit lazy to re-engage, because of the 48-volt mild-hybrid system making the automotive coast every time doable to assist save gas. You’ll be able to simply go away it in Dynamic mode if that’s not your bag.

The predictive adaptive air-suspension, which makes use of a digital camera system to ‘learn’ the highway forward and modify the suspension to supply the perfect experience consolation and management doable, is a improbable little bit of tech. You’ll be able to really feel the entrance finish stand up and prepared itself for a velocity bump, and the rear juts up and aligns as you crest the rise. It’s an odd sensation, as if the automotive is hovercrafting its approach over obstacles.

But it surely’s additionally very efficient when it really works. It’s finest at coping with raised components within the highway forward, however doesn’t achieve this nicely in terms of adjusting for deep divots or ruts. Even so, the experience in these conditions remains to be excellent for a automotive that’s this large, this heavy (2295kg incl. 75kg driver), and is driving on 21-inch wheels with licorice-like 35-profile tyres.

One factor that’s seemingly at odds with the sheer measurement (5190mm lengthy, 2998mm wheelbase) is the four-wheel steering system, which makes it really feel unnaturally agile in tighter corners.

It virtually feels just like the automotive pivots approach before you suppose it ought to, and it’s not the ‘purest’ of driving experiences.

Nevertheless, that four-wheel steering system does allow it to show in a tighter radius at decrease speeds, which means you’ll be able to full U-turns and parking strikes in far much less house than you’d suppose, for a automotive this huge.

What do you get?

S8 highlights:

• Matrix LED headlights
• Evening imaginative and prescient help with marking lights
• OLED tail lights
• 21-inch alloy wheels
• Rear privateness glass
• Pink brake calipers
• Configurable twin exhaust
• Predictive Lively Suspension 
• Air suspension
• Dynamic all-wheel steering
• Semi-automatic parking help
• Wi-fi Apple CarPlay, Android Auto
• 12.3-inch Digital Cockpit Plus cluster
• Head-up show
• 10.1-inch + 8.6-inch touchscreens
• Twin 10.1-inch rear shows
• Digital TV
• Heated, leather-wrapped steering wheel
• 23-speaker 1920W Bang & Olufsen 3D sound system
• Valcona leather-based upholstery
• Heated, ventilated, massaging entrance seats
• Color-adjustable ambient lighting
• Carbon vector and darkish brushed aluminium inlays
• Stainless-steel pedals
• Prolonged leather-based upholstery bundle
• Matrix LED rear studying lights
• Energy outboard rear seats
  • Heated rear seats
  • Reminiscence operate
• Energy sunblinds
• Electrical sunroof
• Rain-sensing wipers

Is the Audi S8 protected?

Identical to the A8, there’s no official crash check security ranking for the Audi S8.

But it surely has an intensive listing of security know-how fitted:

• Autonomous emergency braking
  • Low, excessive speeds (as much as 250km/h)
  • Pedestrian detection
  • Bicycle owner detection
  • Intersection help
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Lane hold help
• Protected exit warning
• Rear cross-traffic help
• Encompass-view cameras
• Encompass parking sensors
• Adaptive cruise management with cease/go
• Visitors jam help
  • Steering, accelerating and braking in visitors jams
• Emergency help
  • Can monitor and react to an unresponsive driver
• Evening imaginative and prescient assistant
  • Can detect people, massive animals

It additionally has twin entrance, entrance facet, rear facet, full-length curtain and front-centre airbags.

How a lot does the Audi S8 value to run?

There’s a five-year, limitless kilometre guarantee plan.

Audi will cowl upkeep for 5 years or 75,000km if you happen to pay for a five-year service plan, which is $4520. Intervals are 12 months or 15,000km – whichever comes first. 

In case you keep your automotive with Audi’s vendor community, additionally, you will obtain annual top-ups for roadside help.

CarExpert’s Tackle the Audi S8

I feel I’ve made it clear that that is an exceptionally good luxurious quick machine.

It’s plush, highly effective and potent, and whereas it might not completely nail the “limousine” a part of the temporary when it comes to outright rear-seat house, it actually is a superb automotive… and certain the final of its sort.

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