With sharpened design, particularly in the front and rear, and innovative technologies, Audi is ensuring the increased presence and sporty elegance of the A8. For that reason, the company with the four rings is even more intensively working out the confident and progressive character of the active luxury sedan. The new high-end headlights and taillights inspire innovative functions and form the apex of the A8’s established technology portfolio. The flagship of the brand thereby creates a contemporary and user-oriented experience – whether for passengers or drivers.
Even more prestige and authority: the exterior design
The Audi A8 is a sedan that represents status and exudes authority – now that it has been reworked, its exterior is even more representative, confident, and athletic. The base of the Singleframe grill is now wider and chrome angles that increase in size from bottom to top adorn its grid. The side air intakes are more upright and just as freshly styled as the headlights, whose lower edge on the outside creates a distinctive contour. To summarize, the newly designed and precisely orchestrated design elements in the front area significantly increase the A8’s presence and authority and sharpen the profile of the brand’s top model.
Digital Matrix LED headlights and OLED rear lights
The Digital Matrix LED headlights use DMD (digital micromirror device) technology. Each headlight has approximately 1.3 million micromirrors that break down the light into tiny pixels. This allows it to be controlled with maximum precision. One new function that this makes possible is lane and orientation lights for highways. Here, the headlights emit a carpet of light that illuminates the driver’s own lane particularly brightly. Above all, this orientation light helps drivers intuitively stay in their lane at road construction sites. The digital Matrix LED headlights can generate dynamic coming home/leaving home functions upon unlocking and getting out of the car. They shine like projections on the ground or a wall.
The enhanced A8 comes with digital OLED rear lights (OLED = organic light-emitting diode) as a standard feature. When ordering the car, there are two rear light signatures to choose from – three with the S8. When the “dynamic” Audi drive select mode is chosen, the lights change to a wider signature that is only available in that mode. Additional functions include dynamic turn signals as well as coming home and leaving home sequences.
Reduction as a design medium
The interior of the A8 is comparable with a spacious, widely tailored lounge – it offers open, feel-good space. Its architecture is strictly horizontally oriented to emphasise its width. The high-quality workmanship underscores the A8 interior’s workshop character. That goes for the precise perforations in the seat covers, the electrically opening and closing decorative trim, the air vent doors, or the velvety leather in the comfort headrests. The seats are upholstered with Valetta leather as a standard feature. Alternatively, Valcona leather is also available as an option with the possibility of choosing the new colour cognac brown. Newly introduced, is the sustainable microfiber material Dinamica for the door panels, which can also be used for the pillar trim or the roof lining as an option.
Another characteristic of the enhanced A8 is the wide selection of interior configurations. They include an Audi design selection in pastel silver and the S line interior in black, merlot red, or cognac. Several leather packages and leather equipment from Audi exclusive round out the selection.
Sovereign and efficient: the engine range
To begin with, the enhanced Audi A8 is available with three motorisations. As a V6 engine, the 3.0 TFSI draws its power from three liters of displacement. The 4.0 TFSI, which is available for the A8 and the S8 in various output levels, distributes its four liters of displacement to eight cylinders with cylinder on demand technology.
The 3.0 TFSI powers the Audi A8 55 TFSI quattro with 250 kW (340 PS). From 1,370 to 4,500 rpm, it pumps 500 Nm of torque into the crankshaft. From a standing start, it reaches 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.6 seconds (L model: 5.7 seconds).
In the version for the A8 models, the 4.0 TFSI generates 338 kW (460 PS) and 660 Nm of torque, which are available between 1,850 and 4,500 1/min. These create very strong performance: the A8 60 TSFI quattro and the A8 L 60 TFSI quattro both sprint from zero to 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds. One highlight of the V8 is the cylinder on demand system (COD), which temporarily deactivates four cylinders for moderate driving. In brief, the A8 is also available as a Diesel engine; a plug-in hybrid model (PHEV) will follow.
The Audi S8 – inspirational performance in the luxury class
The Audi S8 TSFI quattro is the top performing model in the series. The biturbo V8 generates 420 kW (571 PS) of power and 800 Nm of torque from 2,050 to 4,500 rpm. It does a standard sprint in 3.8 seconds. The COD system also increases efficiency in the S8. Sound flaps in the exhaust system sharpen the sound, when desired. Additionally, the strongest model in the A8 family comes off the assembly line with particularly extensive standard equipment. Among other things, it comprises a unique combination of innovative suspension components.
Tiptronic, quattro and the sport differential: the whole gamut of driving experience
All engines in the Audi A8 are connected to a fast and gently toggling eight-step tiptronic. Thanks to an electric oil pump, the automatic transmission can change gears even when the combustion engine is not running. The constant all-wheel drive quattro with the self-locking center differential is standard, optionally supplemented with the sport differential (standard in the S8). It actively distributes torque between the rear wheels during fast cornering and thereby makes the handling even sportier and more stable.
Predictive active suspension
The highlight of the enhanced A8 is the predictive active suspension. It can load or unload each wheel with additional power individually via an electric motor and thereby actively regulate the position of the chassis in any driving situation. Predictive active suspension gives the driving experience in the Audi A8 a fascinating range. When dynamic mode is on in the Audi drive select system, the large sedan shows its sporty side. It firmly turns into corners, the roll angles are small, and the body hardly dips when braking. In comfort+ mode, by contrast, it smoothly breezes over unevenness. Here, the steering works in conjunction with the front camera, allowing it to recognize unevenness within the system limitations and predictively regulate the actuators.
In comfort+ mode, the predictive active suspension has a special feature: its integrated curve tilting function reduces the lateral acceleration that acts on the occupants. Upon entering a curve, it elevates the side of the body on the outside of the curve and lowers the other side, thereby tilting it into the curve up to three degrees. At speeds between 80 and 130 km/h (59.7 to 80.8 mph) and lateral acceleration of up to 0.4g, cornering is scarcely noticeable. While driving straight in comfort+, the predictive active suspension compensates for pitching movements in the chassis. To help with getting in and out of the car comfortably, the body raises and lowers itself by up to 50 mm (2 in.).
The wheel range for the enhanced Audi A8, which goes from 18 to 21 inches, includes six new designs from Audi and Audi Sport. In top versions like the Audi S8, Audi offers carbon fiber ceramic brake disks as an option.
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