![]() The slick shifting eight-speed torque converter automatic gearbox and fast acting quattro four-wheel drive system also play an integral part in the explosive accelerative and top shelf cruising ability. The brawny engine is the undisputed star of the show, with the sort of sledgehammer performance to propel it from standstill to 62mph it in a scarcely believable 3.9sec. In the right conditions, the big Audi is brutishly potent with earnest step-off qualities and unrelentingly urgent in-gear traits. But with unique carbon fibre and aluminium trims the new S8 manages to provide added appeal.Įxpensive looking and agreeably tactile materials combine with crisp and clear digital instruments as well as a standard 10.1-inch touch display for the infotainment functions, a lovely multi-function steering wheel and highly supportive sport seats to provide a truly first class driving environment. Subjectively, there’s precious little room for improvement in what remains one of the best interiors in any car at any price. Inside, it’s a similar story to the exterior, with subtle updates to the standard Audi A8 interior. It’s a nice touch that showcases the advanced underpinnings of the new Audi every time it is driven. As the door is closed, the air springs return to their nominal setting as the body is lowered again. When you open the driver’s door the S8’s active suspension automatically raises the ride height by 50mm to ease entry. Among the unique touches is a new front bumper housing an S8 specific double louvre grille, wider sills beneath the doors, aluminium-look mirror housings and Audi’s signature S-model quad tailpipe treatment at the rear. At standstill, the new model looks pumped but subtly so and without any obviously contrived design elements. Audi has a long history of delivering some of the most sought after understated performance saloons, and it is successfully employed here. ![]() In Dynamic, body roll is reduced to around half of that of a standard steel sprung suspension, according to Audi.Īs always, there’s little to tell the fourth-generation S8 apart from its less sporting A8 sibling. In Comfort+, the suspension tilts the body into corners to reduce lateral forces. Each wheel can be separately loaded or relieved depending on the road conditions across five driving modes. The new system, known as Predictive Active Suspension, uses a camera to scan the road and electro-mechanical actuators to constantly vary the ride height. It’s the suspension, though, that Audi is relying on to allow the new S8 to successfully achieve it dual roles. Yet despite the impressive energy-saving technology, combined cycle fuel economy is reduced from a previous 29.4mpg to 24.8mpg, giving the new S8 an average CO2 rating on the NEDC cycle of 260g/km. Together, they are claimed to reduce consumption by almost 0.2mpg. It boasts both a cylinder on-demand system that automatically closes down one bank of cylinders on light throttle loads at urban driving speeds and a new belt-driven 48-volt starter motor that operates in combination with a 0.47kWh lithium-ion battery and a recuperation system capable of harvesting up to 8kW of energy during braking and coasting. Alternatively, 85 per cent can also be apportioned to the rear wheels.Īudi makes big claims about the new S8’s efficiency. Depending on the conditions, up to 70 per cent of drive can be delivered to the front wheels. The stronger reserves are sent through an upgraded eight-speed torque converter equipped automatic gearbox with a manual shifting Tiptronic function and Audi’s quattro four-wheel drive system with a so-called sport differential that constantly varies the amount of drive sent to each individual rear wheel. But with up to 1.8bar of turbocharger boost pressure, torque has increased by 37lb ft, now peaking at 590lb ft on a band of revs between 20rpm. With 563bhp, power has wound back by 34bhp over the ultimate version of the third-generation S8 – the S8 Plus, which used a less heavily developed version of the same engine. Not only does the new S8 get a heavily reworked twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 petrol engine featuring new mild hybrid properties but also the most advanced suspension Audi has ever placed in a production model. It’s a balancing act previous incarnations of the S8 attempted to achieve but arguably failed to pull off with quite the same level of success as the high end competition.įor this new one, Audi has left nothing to chance. But at the same time, the most outwardly sporting variant of Ingolstadt’s flagship four-door saloon is also expected to offer supercar-like performance while engaging the driver with the sort of dynamic qualities to see off its premium brand rivals - all in a package stretching to over five metres in length and weighing all of 2230kg.
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