2004 Audi A8 - Styling Worthy of Its Refined Character
Will the 2004 model year be Audi's opportunity to gain substantial ground on its arch nemesis BMW? Truly, the 7-Series hasn't received the warmest reception by its usually loyal crowd mostly due to Chris Bangle's controversial redesign. This may have a few Bavarian fence sitters searching out an alternative vehicle to invest this year's executive car allowance. Audi's flagship A8, on the other hand, will follow the marques contemporary evolution from soft and round to sharp and edgy. With the next-generation A8, Audi will have managed to incorporate this tech-art transformation across its full line of models in a most satisfying way. The A4, A6 and TT are widely accepted as the style leaders in their respective categories, with admirable performance to match.
Like the tasteful exterior there are no surprises under the hood. While it's been reported the 3.7-L base European market V8 is being considered for Canada, don't hold your breath. More likely a new massaged 4.2-L, the same displacement of the current model, will be the prime force for forward momentum. It incorporates a two-stage variable intake manifold, dual overhead cams, five valves per cylinder, fully electronic sequential injection, coordinated torque control, hot-film air-mass measurement, drive-by-wire throttle control, mapped ignition with solid-state high-voltage distribution, cylinder-selective knock control using two sensors and adaptive lambda control. If you don't understand half of what all this techno-jargon means, you're not alone. Suffice it to say it's now tuned for 330-hp, so 6.3 second 0 to 100 km/h sprints are expected. That's fast for a 1,826 kg (4,026 lb) car! How do they do it? For starters Audi has combined its efforts with transmission wizards ZF (who supply the 6-speed in the 7-Series) to produce a new 6-speed automatic, geared for quick take-off. The additional traction of quattro AWD makes for instantaneous launches wet or dry. Last but not least the A8 is relatively light.