2019 AUDI A8 RAISES THE BAR
Revised big luxury sedan faster yet more fuel efficient and comes with loads of tech
VALENCIA, SPAIN It was 20 years ago the original A8 debuted with its novel Space Frame concept. It replaced much of the steel body with lightweight aluminum. The all-new fourth-generation again emphasizes lightweight construction, but it also keys on technology — and there is a ton.
The new look and sophistication is joined by a new naming strategy. In Canada, the V6 model will be badged as the A8L 55, while the V8 will wear A8L 60 badging. While Europe will see regular and long-wheelbase versions, Canada will only get the latter, which puts an extra 130 millimetres between the wheels. The reality is the stretched vehicle has nicer proportions, as it makes the car look slightly lower and sleeker.
When it lands in the third quarter of 2018, the A8L 55 will sport a reworked 3.0-litre turbocharged V6 that kicks out 340 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque between 1,370 and 4,500 rpm. It proves to have plenty of pop off the line and wafted the large A8 to 100 kilometres an hour in 5.6 seconds, which is more than respectable.
The 4.0-L turbocharged V8 ups the ante to 460 hp and 487 lb-ft of torque. To state the obvious, it makes a big difference to the manner in which the A8 picks up its side sills and gallops forward. On the drive route it pulls effortlessly, while making the right sort of noise. No official time was given for the dash to 100 km/h, but based on the feel it will be around a second faster than the V6. Both engines fire the power to the pavement through an eight-speed automatic transmission and all four wheels. The transmission is seamless in its shifts and it proves to be willing to drop a number of cogs whenever needed. Likewise, the quattro system remains invisible in its action, as it should, pulling the A8 out of a switchback with authority. It has the perfect blend of power and traction.
Both the V6 and V8 engines use a mild hybrid system that gets its power from a 48-volt battery. The belt/alternator/starter (BAS) system combines the starter and alternator into a single unit that’s connected to the engine by a belt. It has a number of advantages. First, it gives faster restarts for the idle-stop control. More importantly, when needed, it can give the engine a helping hand with 16 hp and 44 lb-ft of torque. It also shaves 0.7 L/100 km off the average fuel consumption.
The A8’s suspension and steering also see major overhauls. The first is the addition of optional rear-wheel steering. It turns the rear wheels in the opposite direction to the front wheels at speeds of up to 60 km/h, but turns them in the same direction as the front wheels above 60 km/h. The setup cuts the turning circle by 1.1 metres, to 11.4 m. At speed, it brings faster, more stable lane changes. The optional suspension is radically different: it is now active. Each corner is supported by load-levelling air springs and an electric motor that’s used to control the left and right halves of the front and rear anti-roll bars. This means it can raise or lower each wheel according to need. On the drive route, it delivers a smoother ride by dialing out squat during acceleration and pitch under braking. It also cut the amount of body roll through a fast corner to the merest hint.
The clever part is that at speeds of up to 70 km/h, the suspension employs the camera used as part of the collision-avoidance system to read the road and look for bumps. When the system detects a ripple in the road, it begins to do its thing before the car hits the bump. As a result, the intrusion into the ride quality proved to be very small.
The suspension, as with the engine, throttle and steering, can be tweaked to suit the tone of the drive. Comfort mode saw the car waft down the highway. Selecting Dynamic sharpened the feel and gave more feedback, and as such it delivered the best of two divergent worlds: excellent highway comfort, but with a decidedly sporty feel when strafing switchbacks. The cabin more than lives up to the high standards set by the rest of the car. The materials — everything from buttery leather to real-wood accents — are top notch. Thin pinstripe-like ambient lighting and the double moonroof add to the sense of spaciousness. The look is also off the chart.
As has become an Audi norm, the instrumentation is handled by the company’s virtual cockpit, which allows everything from conventional instrumentation to the map to be viewed as the driver desires. New are two touchscreens that consume the centre stack.
The upper screen looks after all of the infotainment, phone and vehicle settings and navigation functions. The lower screen is for the climate control. However, when inputting a destination into the navigation system, the lower screen becomes a writing tablet. The combination sees all conventional knobs disappear with the exception of one for audio volume and the usual steering-column stalks. The effect is stunning.
Move rearward and things are just as accommodating. The reclining rear seat comes with a massage function and a removable central touch pad that gives the rider full control of everything up to and including the sunshades. It is decadent and then some.
That covers the visual aspects. The underlying technology is bewildering; this is set to be the first production car designed to meet Level 3 autonomous driving. It also comes with all of the usual connectivity and a couple of neat features. If the sensors used to detect another vehicle or cyclist as part of the collision-avoidance package (there are 23 sensors including cameras, radars and ultra-sonic sensors), it delays the opening of the door until the danger has passed. Then there’s the self-parking function, which will eventually include a smartphone app that allows the car to be parked remotely. The list goes on and on and on.
The fourth-generation Audi A8 really does take some big steps in the right direction. It is faster yet more fuel-efficient, it is lighter yet comes with more equipment, and it has one of the nicest interiors to be found regardless of price. As such, it sets a new benchmark for what’s expected of a luxurious limousine.
Full Canadian specifications and pricing will be announced closer to the A8’s launch in the third quarter of 2018.