2008 Audi A8L quattro AT6

2008 Audi A8L quattro AT6 Quick Facts

Base Price:	$74,690
Price as Tested:	$98,665
Horespower:	350 Hp @ 6800 rpm
Torque:	325 lbs.-ft. @ 3500 rpm
0 to 60:	5.9 secs
ABS Brakes:	Standard
Side Curtain Airbags:	Standard
EPA Fuel:	16/23 m.p.g. city/highway
Towing Capability:	Yes
Off-Road Capability:	No
First-Aid Kit:	Not available
Notes/Additional Info.:

I like to think of Audi's flagship sedan as a very big sports car. It combines the performance and handling driving enthusiasts look for with a spacious cabin that gives second-row passengers as much room to stretch out as those riding in front.

Rear passengers in the upscale Audi enjoy comfort and convenience features normally reserved for the front row: dual-zone climate control, cupholders, storage bins, and power lumbar controls. The optional Bang & Olufsen audio system provides symphony quality surround sound throughout the cabin.

Uncompromised Driving Experience

Despite its size, the Audi A8L has the ride and handling characteristics of a sports car. Curb weight is extremely low for a seventeen foot-long sedan: just over 4400 pounds. The 4.2-liter engine is also quite powerful. Direct injection feeds fuel directly into the cylinders for instant throttle response. Zero-to-sixty acceleration is 5.9 seconds.

A standard six-speed automatic transmission with manual shift option closely matches the gears to the driver's style and road conditions. Average fuel economy is about eighteen miles-per-gallon.

An aluminum frame saves weight and enhances torsional stiffness, to improve steering feedback at speed. Weaving through traffic, the sedan reminds me of a wide receiver: big, light on the feet, and fast as spit. Think Larry Fitzgerald, but with twenty-inch rims and low-profile tires in place of feet.

Get Dirty

While I wouldn't recommend taking the A8 on the Rubicon trail, an adaptive suspension system gives the luxury sedan additional ground clearance for driving through snow or on unimproved roads.

Normal ground clearance for the car is just under five inches. The driver can modify the car's ride height using a mouse on the center console. At speed, the adaptive suspension automatically lowers the car to improve its aerodynamics and handling.

A lift mode raises the car up an inch, giving it enough ground clearance for the average graded dirt road. The only caveat is the car's length. Its 121-inch wheelbase gives the Audi a lower breakover angle than a short wheelbase car. In other words, it will be more likely to become high centered when trying to crest a steep hill.

A Mouse That Roars

Years back, BMW's iDrive system opened the door for car operating systems that look and function like personal computers. The system got a lot of negative feedback: drivers were reluctant to give up traditional knobs and buttons. But now that everything from cell phones to television controls have computer-inspired designs, mouse-based systems in cars have gained greater acceptance.

Audi's multi-media interface system consists of a mouse in the center console and a pop-up screen above the center stack: the mouse controls a variety of functions: navigation, satellite radio, CD or MP3 audio, Bluetooth telephone, and suspension settings. It's a very intuitive system to use, and combines a lot of functions in an uncluttered format.

The steering wheel has redundant audio and cruise control settings, to minimize driver distraction. Paddles on the back of the wheel allow the driver to shift F1 style, or he can use the shift lever in the floor console.

Separate controls on the center stack regulate temperature. Both rows of passengers have dual-zone climate controls. Controls for the front seat heater and ventilators are also on the center stack. The seat ventilators with massage are a $1500 option.

Segment-leading Active Safety

Audi is an industry leader in both active and passive safety. As its flagship, the A8 is a showcase for emerging occupant protection technologies. All models come standard with front, side, side curtain and front knee airbags. Engineers minimized the number of castings and weld spots in the body structure to give the safety cage around the passengers better integrity.

In a side collision, a high-strength aluminum front pillar braces itself against the other vehicle, while an aluminum roof frame, seat cross members , roof posts and floor panels, work together to resist intrusion.

Audi's permanent four-wheel drive system, called quattro, can send up to a hundred percent of the engine's power to a single wheel to maintain traction. A radar based adaptive cruise control option on the test car ($2100) allows the driver to maintain a preset distance from the car in front.

Standard electronic stability system integrates antilock braking, traction and yaw control. The driver has the option of disengaging the system to permit wheel spin in certain situations, such as climbing out of a rut or driving the car for sport.

At night, adaptive bi-xenon headlamps illuminate dark spots the road by following steering movements. The system enhances pedestrian safety, since the headlamps illuminate the corners of intersections where people may be waiting to cross.