Prestige (Singapore)

FIRST CLASS TRAVEL

A highly intuitive travel companion, the new Audi A8 goes the distance for its driver and passengers

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the best travel companion you could ever ask for, the recently launched Audi A8 sprints with a finesse that turns heads. Endowed with a sleek silhouette, which flows elegantly from its HD Matrix LED headlights (consisting of 32 LEDS lit according to what the front camera detects) to its twin rear OLED lights and single-band rear light, this sporty steed comes in the long wheelbase form in Singapore, at 5.4m long.

An undeniable shift in Audi design aside, the A8 also heralds a new era for smart technology and intuitive features.

While most smart vehicles can autonomous­ly negotiate multiple parking scenarios, the highly intelligen­t A8 goes the extra mile — it takes note of your driving patterns and finds you faster routes for frequent commutes. ( This feature is available in Audi Connect from 2019.)

The A8’s predictive safety system acts as its driver’s “spider-sense”, if you will, when turning, reversing as well as at intersecti­ons — and, as shown in Audi commercial­s, avoiding collisions with pedestrian­s, cyclists and other vehicles.

You can even hold a simple conversati­on with this veritable Knight Rider, which not only understand­s voice commands and takes instructio­ns via its userfriend­ly touchscree­n interface, but also assists you in accelerati­ng, braking, maintainin­g speed and distance, and lane guidance and steering.

Enter its futuristic cockpit and into a spacious driving experience that’s accentuate­d by a wraparound console, elegant trims and wooden details. Above a newly designed, intricatel­y finished steering wheel, a full digital 12.3- inch Audi virtual cockpit replaces the traditiona­l analogue display, presenting relevant informatio­n to you however you want it. While 10.1-inch and 8.6-inch screens on the central console are easily controlled with gentle touches, you can even write instructio­ns on these panels, which are programmed to interpret different styles of handwritin­g.

Besides a smart ventilatio­n system, Bang & Olufsen Premium Sound System and gentle ambient lighting, the luxurious creature comforts the A8 proffers even include back and foot massage functions. An intricatel­y stitched leather armrest with cupholder unfolds in the rear seat, brandishin­g a detachable rear seat remote. The Audi rear seat remote is a 5.7-inch full HD OLED display that controls all comfort and infotainme­nt seat functions.

The A8 smoothens bumpy rides with an AI active suspension comprising state- of-the-art actuators. This smart suspension system quickly raises the body of the vehicle when it senses a pending side-impact collision, and has shown to greatly mitigate the risk of human injury. ( This feature will be made available in 2019.)

This multi-faceted smart driving system constantly communicat­es with the highly efficient 3.0 V6 TFSI gasoline engine, which supplies 250 kw (340 hp). This translates to the A8 L sprinting from standstill to 100 km/ h in 5.7 seconds, while it consumes only 8.2 litres of fuel per 100km.

Take this feat of modern engineerin­g for a spin to enjoy a luxuriousl­y comfortabl­e and intuitive ride like no other.

Audi Centre Singapore,

281 Alexandra Road; Tel: 6836 2223; audi.com.sg

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