12/10/10

• Price£66,450
  
• We like...Power; economy; refinement
• We don't...Looks just like a big A4

If life’s dealt enough of a winning hand for you to drop upwards of £60,000 on a really special luxury five-seater, then the choice spoils. But until of late, Audi’s A8 was unlikely to be a front-runner among your picks. With Mercedes-Benz’s S-class, BMW’s 7-series and the Jaguar XJ around, it didn’t stand much chance.

But Audi developed this newly minted, all-new A8, determined to earn a place on many more shortlists. Has the company done enough? Having spent a week in the car, we think they have.

First impressions underwhelm, though. Clap eyes on the car for the first time and resembles a jumbo-sized A4 saloon. Now that’s a good look. But when a kitted-up A4 is yours for £30,000 or cheaper, the similarity doesn’t encourage you to spend more than twice that much.

Spend more than a moment in its glorious cabin, though, and it will win you over. Wherever you look or touch, you’re drawn to think that all is as well made as it could be. It’s darned near un-improvable.

Start it up, too, and you’ll be amazed. Could a diesel engine run that quiet? Yep, here it does. It is also amazingly quick pumping out 344bhp and dashing from a halt to 62mph in 5.5sec. But it’ll also run up to 37 miles on a gallon and keep emissions at 199g/km of CO2, a terrific achievement for such a big, heavy car running on all-wheel drive.
True, extensive use of aluminium in its build saves weight but at around 2000kgs, it’s no light-weight.













A three-mode suspension, throttle and steering set-up means you tailor the car’s feel to your choice. Leave it in ‘comfort’ and it eases off the gas, cushions the ride and lightens the steering. ‘Pick ‘dynamic’ and the opposite happens. Choose ‘auto’ and the car ‘watches’ how you drive and sets itself up to suit. You can also, if you want, set the car to your own preferences – the ride to ‘comfort’ and the steering and throttle to ‘dynamic’, and so on.
It’s very roomy inside and a superb companion on any trip, whether or not you opt for seats that heat, cool or even massage you (and three other passengers) as you whiz along the motorway. Double-glazed side windows, meanwhile, ensure that the cabin remains remarkably hushed even if it is noisy outside.

The car’s right where it should be on safety, too. In addition to the airbags, anti-lock brakes, stability and traction controls you’d expect, you can choose to add a system that watches your blind spot while overtaking or another that uses thermal imaging to help you spot pedestrians (and other animals) on a country road at night.

There’s also intelligent cruise control that keeps you a pre-set distance from traffic ahead, braking or accelerating the car as conditions demand.

Should you buy one? Well, a Jaguar XJ is more visually dramatic and is a more focused driver’s car, too. But if you like your transport to be understated, elegant and very capable, then the A8 is as good as it gets right now.

And if second-hand suits your wallet better, this is a bargain in waiting - because you'll pick up a three-years-old one for little more than a third of its original invoice price.

• Engines4.2 V8 diesel
• Power344bhp
• 0-60 mph5.5secs
• Economy37.2mpg
• CO2g/km199
• Insurance groups47E
• EuroNCAP
• Airbags8
• Seats5

Motors.co.uk value verdict: