Old-fashioned but also tech savvy
The flagship Audi luxury car is still a sedan, not an SUV, writes Richard Bosselman.
New-age ga-jiillionaire arrives at futuristic secret lair or world headquarters to lay out world-altering grand plan. This is the car he rolls up in. Meted every advanced technology Audi can lay hands on, with luxury and a quality of finish befitting the price tag, the A8 is a pinnacle of achievement.
Um, why’s a sedan the flagship when we all prefer SUVs now?
Yes, huge high-stepping wagons are top status symbols in many parts, New Zealand included, but in the really key markets – Europe, North America and China – large limos retain higher kudos, so remain first for latest, glitziest tech. Audi is not alone. BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus also stick to this tradition.
This will restrict appeal, Audi New Zealand agrees, yet while expecting the annual count will be modest, it still reckons the car earns its keep.
This is genuinely premium, operating with quiet yet absolute authority. We see only the longwheelbase edition, 167mm longer than its predecessor, yet appearance is so balanced it is neither overly ostentatious nor in need of ‘‘Beast’’ plates.
It’s a whole new model, not a facelift?
Confusion understood. This fourth gen is something of a fourth revision of a formulaic shape, but it has changed massively.
It looks properly expensive, even in tiny details. The body length ‘‘tornado line’’ gently blending into the boot is a wee yet assuredly complex, costly detail.
The interior astounds. Buttons, dials physical switches … pah, who needs those? Instrumentation represents on massive high definition colour haptic touchscreens, the largest for the infotainment, satellite navigation and various connected services, along with controls for the car’s setup; the lower containing comfort controls. When not required, the biggest display can be switched off and its black panel technology makes it blend almost invisibly into the panel that surrounds it.
Touch-sensitive buttons mean adjusting the ventilation is done by just sliding a digit along a bar and lights are activated by a finger brush.