Audi has also given the flagship sports car the S8 a manageable facelift with the digital matrix light. What remains is the driving pleasure, which is also comfortable thanks to the anticipatory chassis.
An Audi A8 with a trailer hitch? It’s not just the disciples of the hot tire who bang their hands over their heads. A look at the price list for the facelifted Audi A8 confirms the fears of the purist speed group. Yes, there is a towbar for the Audi S8. It costs 1,300 euros extra. So you can also travel with a caravan. However, with an output of 420 kW / 571 hp and maximum torque, it is advisable to be cautious with the accelerator pedal if you alienate the Audi S8 as a towing vehicle.
We didn’t venture into that booth, just using the S8 for what it is. A sporty sedan. In view of a length of 5.19 meters and a curb weight of 2,220 kilograms, that is a daring statement per se, but in modern cars all sorts of technical tricks help to push the limits of physics even further. First and foremost there is the all-wheel steering in combination with the anticipatory active suspension and the Quattro drive including a sports differential at the rear, in which two superimposition stages, each with a multi-plate clutch, tease out the extra shot of lateral dynamics from the heavyweight. In addition, thanks to a mild hybrid system with a 48-volt belt starter generator, the doubly charged V8 petrol engine makes the greatest possible secret of the turbo lag.
With this blend of technology, the Audi S8 cuts a really good figure on any terrain and is fun to drive every meter of the way. Extensive combinations of curves on the country road. Here you go. The steering is precise and tells the story of the tyres, steering angle and road surface in a much more relaxed and clear manner than is the case with the standard A8. This shows once again that high restoring forces are not necessarily sporty. The Audi S8 drives like a mid-size sedan and dances around corners so nimbly that you can’t stop grinning. It is pleasant that the eighth fires a few dull salvos when downshifting, but by no means unpacks the riot bags.
The anticipatory active chassis participates in this Bavarian agility tango and has the right answer ready for every question. In dynamic driving mode, the body hugs the ground ten millimeters lower, and beyond 120 km/h it is twice as much. Due to the clairvoyant abilities, the springs and dampers iron out any bumps in the ground much more smoothly than, for example, the plug-in hybrid version of the Ingolstadt luxury sedan does. When it comes to long-distance comfort, the S8 is absolutely competitive. With a sprint time of 3.8 seconds from zero to 100 km/h and a top speed of 250 km/h, you’re also pretty fast on the road. Audi specifies the average consumption as 10.8 liters per 100 kilometers; we needed 1.3 l/100 km more on our test drive.
The facelifted Audi S8 also gets the digital matrix light (1,820 euros surcharge), which illuminates the road and, above all, your own lane even better, so that you can also drive safely at night with the 144,800-euro sedan, which is especially true in narrow lanes and confusing construction sites is helpful. At the rear, OLED rear lights signal to the following traffic which vehicle is driving ahead. Otherwise, the facelift is rather manageable on the outside. The wider single-frame grille is adorned with chromed brackets and the side air intakes are more upright than before in the front.
A total of 40 assistance systems monitor the integrity of the vehicle and its occupants. In the interior, you can travel really comfortably on the befitting good chairs, whether on the left in the front or on the right in the back. So that it doesn’t get boring in the back, two 10.1-inch screens in the rear (1,800 euros extra) provide entertainment.
Source: Stern
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