Audi S8
Fast, slick, refined, dull-all Audi's watchwords are present and correct
Think the BMW M5 and Mercedes E62 AMG are the fastest supersaloons out there? Us too, until we started reading the literature on this new Audi S8. Turns out that even without a DSG gearbox for those all-important instant gearchanges, the Audi S8 can dispatch the 0-62mph trot in 4.2secs.
It is, claims Audi S8, both the fastest and most economical car in its class
It is, claims Audi S8, both the fastest and most economical car in its class. But what is that class? With its limo underpinnings, the Audi S8 sits a rung above the aforementioned executive supersaloons, in a rarefied little sector with the likes of the Merc S63 AMG and Jag XJ Supersports.
And we do mean little. Audi S8 doesn't expect to sell many of these anywhere, least of all in Europe, and it shows. The Audi S8 doesn't come across as a product that has spent endless months in testing and development until everyone was happy. It's more like Audi S8 had a new engine and needed to showcase it somewhere, so slotted it into an A8 with added badges and sporty bits.
We'll ignore those and concentrate on the engine, which is undoubtedly the best thing about the whole car. This isn't because it has start/stop and cylinder shut-off that allows it to run as a V4 on light throttle openings, or even that we actually managed 28mpg, but because it's a twin turbo V8 with over 500bhp and a torque "curve" that's completely flat from 1,700-5,500rpm.
It growls nicely in purposeful, yet slightly synthetic sort of way and scorches through the rev band. You get the feeling it has more potential, though-could be more responsive, more tuneful and even more potent. And probably will we when it finds its way into other cars, among them the Bentley Conti GT.
The 4.0-litre makes the Audi S8 one of those deceptively, insistently fast cars that arrive at big speeds all by themselves, without the driver being properly aware of how they got there. But that's no surprise, because this sort of understated, effortless, refined performance is what the Audi S8 sets out to deliver. So why, apart from noise and extra pace, buy it instead of a diesel?
it's a question that the Audi S8 can't really answer, because it's not an interesting car to drive. Sure it's massively capable, ant the suspension is nicely controlled, but the steering is horrible: slow to react and utterly devoid of feel. Inside, it's beautifully trimmed, built and kitted out and even looks reasonable value alongside the M5 et al, but the S in the name stands not for Sporty, Audi S8 but Smooth. (Latest Car News)
