Audi S8 2006-2010

With a charismatic lamborghini v10 engine under the bonnet the audi s8 packs a 444 brake horsepower wallop other super saloons may be slightly quicker but few other packages gel together as beautifully as this one with an impeccably finished cabin sleek styling and effervescent driving dynamics the s8 is a class act what’s your favorite driving movie bullet

The italian job the cannonball run vanishing point all are legendary but all also feature cars that unless stored in a dehumidified garage would be pretty doggied by today’s standards the exception is 1998’s ronin starring robert de niro ronin features some of the best car chases ever filmed now they were so great because they were filmed in real time and at

The beginning of the movie wilman for hire larry is asked what kind of motor he needs for a risky job something very fast audi s8 something that can shove a bit he replies the s8 that flagship without his a8 luxury saloon range has always been able to shove a bit however the first generation 340 brake horsepower v8 version wasn’t quite enough for our larry

So he decided to add a dual tank nitrous oxide boosting system to a gorgeous black s8 then used to run down baddies a power slide around the streets of paris and monster are about at ridiculous velocities among the back streets of nice presumably he’d be much happier with this second generation version equipped with a mighty 444 brake horsepower v10 borrowed

From lamborghini’s gallardo and more than ready to take on any bmw 7 series amg mercedes or jaguar xj that comes its way nitrous oxide who needs it now it’s easy to quote power figures with big performance saloons like this but the massive weight that some of these models have to lug around can often make such figures somewhat irrelevant the acid test

Of a car’s potency is really its power to weight ratio and it’s rather surprising to find that despite its not insubstantial 1940 kilogram curb weight the s8 does rather well in this respect outperforming something like porsche’s 911 carrera 4s for example now add that go to a tiptronic automatic gearbox quattro four-wheel drive and some of the most advanced

Traction control software yet devised and you have a car that would be tough to beat at a traffic light grand prix add rain to the equation and the audi’s advantage would be even greater perhaps this model’s greatest draw the fitment of that v10 lamborghini engine has to be qualified a little lamborghini actually used this engine in 520 brake horsepower 5 litre

Form in their gallardo supercar and though audi who developed the unit for the italians in the first place thought it a good fit for the s8 the presence of 500 kilograms of extra weight in their luxury saloon meant that this engine needed to develop a bit more pulling power so this s8 uses a 5.2 liter version of the engine with slightly less power 444 brake

Horsepower that’s sacrificed at the altar of greater torque 540 newton meters now that means that this engine can drag this audi from rest to 60 in just 5.1 seconds with a lovely metallic howl all the way up to 185 miles an hour or at least you would be able to achieve that were the unit not artificially restricted to 155 early first generation s8 models

Were very impressive but driving one often felt like being seated in a very plush cinema you relaxed in comfort watching an awe-inspiring display of dynamic and technical fluidity but you never really felt part of the action now stung into action by such criticism audi’s engineers made more of an effort with this second generation version equipping this four

Wheel drive brands hatch boardroom with a more enthusiastic orientated torque split putting 40 percent of the drive to the front and 60 to the rear then they took the sports air suspension system that’s an option on standard a8s and tweaked it further giving a 20 millimeter height reduction to the current each of its four driving modes on the suspension setup

Also firming up the dampers giving the system much less body roll yet still enabling the car to glide over speed humps around the twisty stuff you’ll be glad that the speed-dependent servertronic power steering has been sharpened up over standard a8s and there’s peace of mind in knowing that massive brakes 15 inch at the front 13 inch at the rear sit within

The enormous 20 inch s design alloy wheels now this particular car features the expensive option of high performance ceramic brakes which feature a very high temperature tolerant tolerance to guard against brake fade and also give you a a huge 186 000 mile operating life in everyday use that’s about four times the lifespan of normal steel discs just make sure

That you budget for replacements weight is the main enemy of the luxury high performance saloon that’s the main reason why audi went to all the trouble of borrowing lamborghini’s v10 for this car when they already had their own six-litre w12 engine that matched its 444 brake horsepower output the v10 is after all relatively light weighing kilograms which is

Just as well because although audi goes on and on about the a8s lightweight uh space frame and body the fact is that this model is hardly any lighter than its steel-bodied rivals but is it classier most will agree so i can’t completely put my finger on what it is but there’s something about this car that makes you feel better a more tasteful more accomplished

Person simply by being in its company there are showier faster flashier rivals but none has uber coolness down to such a fine art as this s8 audi s cars have a reputation for styling subtlety and this s8 is no exception a lot of it’s in the details the gorgeous 20-inch alloy wheels the v10 emblems on the front wings the aluminium look door mirrors at the rear

The subtle rear tail spoiler the quad tail pipes around a redesigned rear apron most people won’t know what’s just blown by them interior is similarly restrained with full leather upholstery and alcantara roof lining there’s an s quattro three spoke steering wheel that’s also leather trimmed and nicely judged face here inlays that are either brushed aluminium

Or as in this case carbon fiber recent legroom is of course abundant and as the sleek elongated styling suggests there’s plenty of room back here for shoulders head and legs and of course there’s a huge boot at the back with 500 liters available now you’ll pay over 70 000 pounds to own a new audi s8 but if it’s any consolation you’d pay nearly 100 000

Pounds to go not very much faster in a comparable new mercedes s63 amg the only real alternative to offer a better value though certainly less subtle proposition is jaguar’s 503 brake horsepower xj super sports model yes you could conceivably choose a cheaper super saloon like bmw’s m5 or mercedes e63 amg but these are a smaller less luxurious alternatives that

Aren’t really aimed at the same boardroom orientated market in fact the s8 value proposition is pretty simple just one engine one trim level one body style now we don’t have all night so i won’t trouble you with the full equipment list but i will pick out a few highlights the nine speaker 230 watt sound system with built-in 6cd auto changer is complemented by

A dab digital radio module for ultra clear digital reception of an expanded number of stations owners of s8 also get a more sophisticated four zone climate control system with individual temperature and air distribution controls for rear seat passengers as well as those at the front plus s8 owners also enjoy heated front seats and bluetooth connections for their

Phones you can even specify a starter button that recognizes your fingerprint gadget heaven the s8 might be many things but it’s certainly not an inexpensive car to run combined fuel economy is rated at 20.9 miles per gallon but 15 to the gallon would probably be a more realistic day-to-day average are pretty hefty too at 321 grams per kilometer although come to

Think of it that’s probably not too bad for a car this big and powerful one area rather surprisingly where you might save a few more bob than you expected is with tyres owners have reported that due to the slight uh weight advantage of the aluminium body load spread via the quattro four wheel drive system and smart traction management it’s possible to get around

20 000 miles from a set of rubber the big ticket item with any car of this kind remains depreciation and 34 of original purchase price after three years is not the kind of bulletproof figure that we’ve come to expect from audi no wonder then that an s8 makes a very canny buy two or three years down the road even if there is a little bit of italy beneath the

Bonnet of this audi s8 it still feels nothing but resolutely german it’s beautifully finished rides imperiously isn’t falsely modest and is backed by a sledgehammer punch of acceleration this strange fusion of audi and lamborghini had the potential to work but few expected it to but it has and this super saloon is the magnificent beneficiary you

Transcribed from video
Audi S8 2006-2010 – FULL REVIEW By Car and Driving – Car Reviews