After my experience with my former employer’s Audi A8L, I thought I’d had enough of AUDI. Considering the A8 L at the time – along with the W12 – was Audi’s top of the line sedan models, I felt that my disappointment with the vehicle would carry over to their other models such as the A4, the A6 and any other model they introduced.

The only reason I found myself enticed to try out the new Audi S8 was because, when I heard about it, the promise of 450 horsepower sounded too good to be true. My Boss’ A8L only had 350 horses, my father’s S550 had about 380 and the Lexus LS460 I drove had about 380 too. The S550 and the LS460 were the fastest full-sized sedans I’d ever driven. The Lexus had much higher acceleration than my Father’s Benz but I’d basically fallen in love with the S550’s elegance and comfort. The Need For Speed was what brought me into Audi’s showroom. Could Audi show me a vehicle that would steal my gaze from the 550?

In short… No they couldn’t.

INTERIOR and EXTERIOR STYLE UNCHANGED

Since the S8 is mostly a high performance tunner version of the A8, it is roughly the same vehicle I reviewed here:
http://www.epinions.com/content_254135406212 .

The only fashion changes I noticed in the S8 model I tested were seats with two tones of leather. White leather for the inner, Black (or Grey) leather for the outside rims. There were also a few chrome plated additions for the speaker covers.
Basically, in comparison to the A8, wherever the A8 had wood trim, the S8 has chrome plated trim. I liked this addition slightly more than the wood of A8 simply because I’ve never really been a “wood trim person”. To me, a car should be metal and plastic. Some people love wood grain though and there are options available to replace the chrome with wood if so desired.

The multimedia computer system which governs the radio, navigation system and some features of the car such as lighting options, and driver preference is about the same I remember from the A8 too. The FM/AM tuner has been retooled slightly to allow easier radio tuning and the backlighting is now more blueish than redish.
It is slightly easier on the eyes I think.

Some people might like the auto retracting navigation screen that rises from the dashboard when the car is activated. Now that screen may be accompanied by tweeters that rise up out of the dashboard – which are part of a $6300 Bang& Olufsen audio system option. Its cool to watch the tweeters ascend and descend but the sound quality is not much better than the S550’s or the Lexus’ Mark Levinson audio system.
At the highest volumes, they are quite clear though.

The exterior of the car is exactly the same to my eyes as the A8. The luxury of the car is downplayed by relatively muted light fixtures and curved surfaces typical for a sports car. The A8 does not turn my head with its understated exterior unlike the S550 and even the BMW 750li. What is nice about the car is its gigantic front air dam which looks like a giant intake and dips real low to the ground. The S8 has small badges placed in the front grill and next to the rear light to allow other drivers to know you’ve got an S8 and should thereby have more power under the hood.


ENGINE POWER

Volkswagon has dropped a 5.2 Liter version of the Lamborghini Gallardo’s 5.0 Liter V10 engine in the S8. Now before you start thinking “WOW, A LAMBORGHINI ENGINE IN AN AUDI” you should know that the 450 HP on the car’s factory sticker is quite misleading.

First of all, the S8 generates 450HP at 7000 RPM wherein the Gallardo generates 520HP at 8000RPM. The Gallardo has higher acceleration and has been tested to go 0 – 62mph in 3.8 seconds [Wiki] wherein the S8 ‘s 0 -60 is claimed by Audi to be 4.9 seconds. After doing some research online, I found at Car& Driver that the tests for the S8 claimed the S8 was slower than the A8 L W12 (5.1 seconds vs. 5.3 for the S8).

Driving the S8 on Sunrise Highway (long and flat road) I did'nt get the feeling that the S8 was much faster than the S550 though it felt slightly more powerful than the LS460 (the Ls460’s 0-60 is 6 seconds). When you squash the pedal, the car does force your butt into the seat giving you that “warp speed” feeling. It was definitely more enjoyable than my Boss’ A8L but, I noticed it was the noisiest of the current luxury flagships I’ve toyed around with.


Ride quality was quite good in the S8. Of course, most of the roads I tested the S8 on were good roads; flat, no potholes to speak of. The only bumps I came across were speedbumps and the higher pavement of the dealers shop. The car handled these well with a very soft*thu-whoomp* resonating in the distance. I think a passenger would love to ride in the back of this car. Its quiet back there and there are even optional power sunshades to allow for road naps without bother of that pesky sunshine.

The vehicle handles corners well – as well as a luxury vehicle for this much should, but, you simply can’t argue with the S550’s standard driver’s chair which inflates airbladders to bolster body support around corners and its overall softer ride.

The 6-Speed automatic transmission feels about the same as it did in the A8L. The gear shifts are soft, as they should be, and controlling the car is fairly simple.



I still was not impressed with the car’s driver/passenger interior space and the backseat still looked small. I sat in the back of the Lexus LS 460 and enjoyed it much more. If you’re buying a car for luxury chauffeuring, consider the S550 or the LS460 first.



PRICE and OPTIONS

The S8 Quattro I observed in the dealership’s lot had a factory sticker slightly over $100,000. This included the extravagant audio system, Phantom Black Pearl paint, the Premium package (keyless entry fobs, power close/open trunk, heated rear seating and power sunshades) and just 16 miles on the odometer (mostly due to testing and certification the dealer claimed). This vehicle also included a carbon fiber trim package ad a chrome appearance package for the exterior. It was a beautiful car with all that chrome on it. Slightly sexier than my boss’ ride.

The dealer seems to order the S8 with all the options already installed so when you see this car new, the sticker will usually be over $105,000. Also look forward to paying the Gas guzzler tax and higher maintenance fees as the brakes and wheels parts for the S8 cost about the same as they do for the A8L W12.

If you desire a luxury car with power for this price, I’d really recommend the S550 or the LS460 over the S8 simply because I found the car’s power offerings to be not much better than the other big bodies I’ve driven. In fact, for just $40,000 you could get a Chrysler 300 SRT-8 with its 0-60 in 4.7 second sprints and its cheaper to maintain 425HP monster block. The 300 series has more driver space and passenger space despite its cheaper interior . The 300 also stops slightly shorter than the S8 (162 feet versus 164 feet. Barak Obama drives one by the way.



OVERALL

I was expecting the S8 to blow me away (literally) with its Gallardo engine, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. The S8 might as well be called the A8 Limited cause its pretty much the same vehicle minus some fancy trim and gadgetry.

I’m still a fool in love with the S550 which so far is the best luxury car under $110,000 you can lay your hands on. The S8 just doesn’t have much more than the A8 to make it as great as it could be. Audi: might I recommend making the vehicle 5 inches longer, increasing driver’s side seat space, making the roofline 2 inches higher, adding a larger navigation screen, and adding an engine with as much power as the SRT-8?

Some people who are brand loyal to AUDI will disagree with me but I’m just not feeling this ride as much as I thought I would be. If you really want to make an argument with me that the AUDI is better, I suggest you drive the S550, the LS460 and the 750li for about 5 – 10 miles each before you make your final decision.


If you can get one used for about $85,000 then go for it. I really don’t feel this car is worth much more than that.



OTHER INTERESTING WHIPS


MERCEDES BENZ S550 http://www.epinions.com/content_252095073924

BMW 750Li http://www.epinions.com/content_252534754948

AUDI A8 L http://www.epinions.com/content_254135406212

CHRYSLER 300C http://www.epinions.com/content_249811668612

LEXUS LS460
http://www.epinions.com/content_278165753476
Amount Paid (US$): 106,000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2007
Model and Options: Quattro w/ Premium Package