New audi a8l 4.2 tdi

rotarykid

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 27, 2003
Location
Piedmont of N.C. & the plains of Colorado
TDI
1997 Passat TDI White,99.5 Blue Jetta TDI
Price ~$130k, as tested ~$170k:eek:

37 mpgImp(7.6 L/100km, 31 mpgUS)

Nice ride, I wonder if we will ever see it here???

PistonHeads


AUDI A8L 4.2 TDI: REVIEW

If PH is to drive a diesel Audi saloon it's damned well going to be a V8 and cost over £100K, OK?



Full disclosure and all that. Seemingly on the basis the facelifted Audi A8 has fancy new headlights we got chauffeured to an outrageously expensive restaurant and back home in this long-wheelbase 4.2 V8 TDI. And then woke up in the morning, a little over-indulged, to find it taking up both allocated spaces outside the house, the driver gone and the keys in the basket alongside those to real-world transport like a shed Fiesta and noisy MX-5 with orange wheels. The combined value of which wouldn't stretch to the £3,060 seat ventilation and massage option on this particular car.


Two amazing V8s, for widly different reasons
Guilty at having two tonnes and £105,710's worth of Ingolstadt's finest blocking access to my neighbour's drive I thought I'd better take it out and find out what could, in a few year's time, be a luxo barge edging into Shed's steely gaze. He's already had eyes on older A8s. Give it a decade or two and he might yet be blinded by this combination of LED Matrix headlights and a 4.2-litre V8 diesel.
Cynicism aside both of these features on the new A8 are bloody impressive. We had the Audi in at the same time as the BMW M3 and two more different expressions of eight cylinder motive power you couldn't wish to find. I'm not about to claim a diesel one as better than M's 8,000rpm-plus screamer but it's pretty mighty in its own right.
A bassy rumble at tickover alerts those unfortunates to be on the outside that you're of necessary means to go beyond a mere V6. And there's just a hint of warble under way from the inside to bring a tickle of a smile to your driver's face.


LED headlights work with sat nav
Seamless shifts from the eight-speed auto and a mighty 627lb ft of torque from near zero means it just pulls and pulls ... and pulls. With an additional 35hp over the pre-facelift version (now 385hp) at no cost to CO2 or mpg it's a real monster of an engine also seen in the mighty Cayenne Diesel S. Sure, you can have a petrol A8 or even a hybrid one. But while rivals also do the diesel limo thing Audi manages to make this something to boast about, rather than just expediency. A tip of the chauffeur's cap for that.
And the headlights? Well, they're not the frickin' laser ones of the new LMP car. But they are very, very clever. The spread of LEDs means the beam can be spread, angled and blanked according to need and without the weight and complexity of mechanically adjusted reflectors. You simply leave it on 'full beam' and individual LEDs are switched off, dynamically tracking the position of oncoming cars to spare them a retina scorching as they pass while those facing the kerb can remain at full power. Paired with the navigation it knows the twists and turns ahead before you do and can peer around corners before you reach them.


627lb ft gives the A8 absurd pace
It'll even use infra red to identify heat sources - otherwise known as 'pedestrians' or 'cyclists' - and at the same time pick them out in the beam with quick strobes of targeted light to alert you. It'll also highlight them with a slightly sinister targeting computer style coloured box on the night vision display. Enabling short fused Audi owners like this one the ability to accurately pick out which angry cyclist they need to punch at the next set of traffic lights simply from the incandescent glow of their fury. Scary!
Once out of the urban fisticuffs you can then cruise around the countryside seeking people lurking in the bushes before automatically flashing the headlights at them. Did we mention it's got a capacious and sumptuous rear cabin? Four-wheel drive (as seen on TV!) should avoid any embarrassing entrapments in any grassy car parks you might find yourself in too.


Engine easily the standout aspect of the A8
Audi has a bigger point to prove with the A8 than, say, Mercedes has with the S-Class and as such has been aggressive in making sure it's seen in all the right places and with the right people climbing in and out. Our trip to the aforementioned restaurant was an attempt to impress this upon us. And though it's an entirely pleasant steer from the front seat, the shift in emphasis led by driven cultures like China means a button count in the rear cabin the equal of the front. Happy ending aside the seats will massage you in any which way you desire, subdued lighting will flatter your looks (so much nicer than those paps' harsh flash guns) and if the air sprung ride isn't quite S-Class refined or XJ supple it's pretty damned impressive.
If the A8 suffers in this company it's in those slightly generic looks. Sure, it's huge and the fancy lights glitter impressively but where a Merc, Jag or Range Rover will make a statement outside that fancy night spot to the uninitiated it's just a sodding great Audi.
Will you care as you're wafted home lounging in squishy leather and having your back rubbed by a mechanical masseuse? Probably not. Nor will you moan if you're employed to drive the thing, especially if your employer has been generous enough to tick the box marked '4.2 TDI'.

AUDI A8 L 4.2 TDI SE EXECUTIVE
Engine:
4,134cc V8 twin-turbo
Transmission: 8-speed auto, four-wheel drive
Power (hp): 385@3,750rpm
Torque (lb ft): 627@2,000rpm
0-62mph: 4.9 sec
Top speed: 155mph (limited)
Weight: 2,095kg (EU, plus driver)
MPG: 37.7 (NEDC Combined)
CO2: 197g/km
Price: £74,850 (£105,710 as tested)
 
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