Such heavy weight is a bonus when it comes to making the ride more comfortable with the obvious negatives when it comes to maintaining composure during high-speed cornering on winding roads. To improve the ride further while counteracting lateral acceleration Audi equips the new sedan with a sophisticated air suspension system. Adjustable to one of four pre-settings, the Audi flagship can ride tautly when corner-carving or pillowy soft for tackling secondary city streets or poorly paved highways. Due to its increased weight, Audi has improved the 6.0's braking system by installing a new speed-sensitive power steering unit.
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| What makes the A8 L 6.0 quattro special is the one-of-a-kind W12 engine under its hood. (Photo: Volkswagen AG) |
While such refinements are important, what makes the A8 L 6.0 quattro special is the one-of-a-kind W12 engine under its hood. Based off of the W12 unit used in the previous-generation Europe-only A8 W12, for 2004 the engine has been updated and improved. Output is up to an impressive 450 horsepower while torque climbs to 428 lb-ft - up 30 hp and 15 lb-ft of torque respectively. This engine is linked to a six-speed automatic gearbox featuring Tiptronic manual actuation, as well as a sports shift mode.
I have to question the number of top-tier clients who will bother shifting the big car's gearbox manually unless alone on cresting a mountain apex or traversing a two-lane canyon highway, but just the same Audi could hardly build its best car without its top transmission. With the new 6-speed gearbox in place, the engine's overall appetite for fuel has dropped in comparison to the previous generation A8 W12. The new model consumes 13.8 L/100 km (17 mpg) on the mixed cycle (combined city and highway rating), a 0.8 L/100 km (0.34 gallon/100 mile) improvement.
Performance wise, the A8 L 6.0 can keep up with the Joneses. As mentioned, its brisk acceleration may provide stoplight thrills, but passing and overtaking are this engine's forte. With a high 6,200 rpm redline, and then factoring in that 95 percent of tractable torque is available between 2,300 and 5,300 rpm, the naturally aspirated W12 reportedly feels turbocharged. Despite its substantial weight, the ultimate Audi manages a surprisingly quick 5.2 seconds to reach 100 km/h, topping out at an electronically limited 250 km/h. To reach 200 km/h it takes a mere 17.4 seconds, and its top speed can be attained in less than thirty seconds!