Despite a starring role in the chase flick "Ronin"--directed by legendary car guy John Frankenheimer, he of "Grand Prix" fame--Audi's first crack at a full-size luxury sedan wasn't a box office hit by any stretch.
Introduced in Europe in 1994, the A8's biggest news was being the first mass-produced, all-aluminium car on the planet. Other than this recognition for its technological sophistication, and industry-benchmark
interiors, Audi's flagship never made it to the shopping lists of those who may have also been pondering a Mercedes-Benz S Class or a BMW 7 Series.
In the ensuing decade, competition in this big kahuna class has escalated even further.
Let's see... BMW has launched and subsequently facelifted its flagship 7, Mercedes-Benz keeps adding nuclear-powerplant mills and quattro-competing 4MATIC to its S Class, and who would have thought ten years ago that the A8 would be competing for the wallets of those who can afford this class of car with Volkswagen or Bentley?
(With three vehicles in an admittedly small-volume, yet highly profitable, portion of the market, it may appear that the Volkswagen Group is eating its own. But the way parent VW sees it, the Phaeton is the conservatively luxurious model, ready to take on the S Class. The Bentley Continental Flying Spur will be the ultimate in luxury and sport to battle Maserati's Quattroporte and those who can't afford a Rolls Royce Phantom).
So, with these full-size luxury sedan battle lines drawn, Audi launched the new A8 in long-wheelbase format only in 2004, first with a vee-eight, and subsequently, a twelve-cylinder model. For 2005, Audi has released potentially the sportiest A8 of the line-up, my test car, a regular-length A8 4.2 ($93,900) that comes exclusively with the 335 horsepower, 317 pound-feet of torque 4.2-litre vee-eight.
VW positions the Audi A8 4.2 as the "sporty" rival to BMW's 750i ($100,500). That also means you can consider the techno-laden, Bank of
Canada-reliable Lexus LS 430 ($85,300), and the just revamped-in-2004 Jaguar XJ8 ($87,500)--that also happens to be constructed of recycled beer cans--as "sporty" full-size luxury competitors .
The cars from Ingolstadt are already known for their all-planet interiors that balance functionality, fashion, and craftsmanship. Jumping inside the A8 4.2 and you will not be disappointed. It's more modern than the Lexus or Jaguar, and better built than the biggest Bimmer. Despite a myriad of controls that are now required to run any one of these luxo-barges, the layout is straightforward and logical. My car came with the optional (and not very grippy) three-spoke Walnut Wood steering wheel ($700) with multi-function controls, the most useful being shift paddles for the six-speed Tiptronic slushbox that propels the power to all four wheels via the standard quattro all-wheel-drive system. The most useless? For $1,150 the wood tiller can be heated.
The main driver instrumentation sits in recessed gauges, as per Audi's new look. Helping you keep your eyes ahead on the road, between the speedometer and tachometer appears a small digital screen that offers redundant info that can also be viewed on the main screen that pops out from the top of the dash by whoever's called "shotgun". Said steering wheel had powered tilt and telescopic functions, and the 16-way adjustable seats came with optional ventilation and massage capabilities (as a $2,100 option, you do the math on how many "real" massages that works out to be). Needless to say, comfort is easy to find in the new A8.
Introduced in Europe in 1994, the A8's biggest news was being the first mass-produced, all-aluminium car on the planet. Other than this recognition for its technological sophistication, and industry-benchmark
 |
| (Photo: John LeBlanc, straight-six.com) |
In the ensuing decade, competition in this big kahuna class has escalated even further.
Let's see... BMW has launched and subsequently facelifted its flagship 7, Mercedes-Benz keeps adding nuclear-powerplant mills and quattro-competing 4MATIC to its S Class, and who would have thought ten years ago that the A8 would be competing for the wallets of those who can afford this class of car with Volkswagen or Bentley?
(With three vehicles in an admittedly small-volume, yet highly profitable, portion of the market, it may appear that the Volkswagen Group is eating its own. But the way parent VW sees it, the Phaeton is the conservatively luxurious model, ready to take on the S Class. The Bentley Continental Flying Spur will be the ultimate in luxury and sport to battle Maserati's Quattroporte and those who can't afford a Rolls Royce Phantom).
So, with these full-size luxury sedan battle lines drawn, Audi launched the new A8 in long-wheelbase format only in 2004, first with a vee-eight, and subsequently, a twelve-cylinder model. For 2005, Audi has released potentially the sportiest A8 of the line-up, my test car, a regular-length A8 4.2 ($93,900) that comes exclusively with the 335 horsepower, 317 pound-feet of torque 4.2-litre vee-eight.
VW positions the Audi A8 4.2 as the "sporty" rival to BMW's 750i ($100,500). That also means you can consider the techno-laden, Bank of
 |
| (Photo: John LeBlanc, straight-six.com) |
The cars from Ingolstadt are already known for their all-planet interiors that balance functionality, fashion, and craftsmanship. Jumping inside the A8 4.2 and you will not be disappointed. It's more modern than the Lexus or Jaguar, and better built than the biggest Bimmer. Despite a myriad of controls that are now required to run any one of these luxo-barges, the layout is straightforward and logical. My car came with the optional (and not very grippy) three-spoke Walnut Wood steering wheel ($700) with multi-function controls, the most useful being shift paddles for the six-speed Tiptronic slushbox that propels the power to all four wheels via the standard quattro all-wheel-drive system. The most useless? For $1,150 the wood tiller can be heated.
The main driver instrumentation sits in recessed gauges, as per Audi's new look. Helping you keep your eyes ahead on the road, between the speedometer and tachometer appears a small digital screen that offers redundant info that can also be viewed on the main screen that pops out from the top of the dash by whoever's called "shotgun". Said steering wheel had powered tilt and telescopic functions, and the 16-way adjustable seats came with optional ventilation and massage capabilities (as a $2,100 option, you do the math on how many "real" massages that works out to be). Needless to say, comfort is easy to find in the new A8.