2011 Audi A8 Review

2011 Audi A8 Super Luxury Cars. The automotive press loves the 2011 Audi A8’s good fuel economy, excellent suspension, standard Quattro all-wheel drive and opulent, tech-heavy interior. It ties the Mercedes-Benz S-Class Hybrid and the V6-powered Porsche Panamera in terms of fuel economy, but it’s more powerful than either and features standard all-wheel drive.

Many reviewers say that Audi offers some of the highest quality interiors available today, and as the company’s flagship the 2011 Audi A8 features the automaker’s best materials and available cabin tech. Audi’s MMI electronics interface has also garnered positive reviews. Despite all this interior room and comfort, reviewers say that the trunk of the Audi A8 is lacking. At just 13.2 cubic feet, the A8’s cargo hold is small, not only compared to other super luxury cars, but also compared to the 15.9 cubic feet in the smaller Audi A6. To match the A8’s grip, you’ll pay about $9,500 less for an all-wheel drive LS. The LS also can’t match the A8’s fuel economy. According to the EPA, the base LS gets 16 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway, which is less impressive than the A8’s 17/27 mpg city/highway.

If the LS doesn’t fit the bill, the BMW 7-Series might. The 750i xDrive starts at $85,500, while the extended-wheelbase 750Li xDrive costs nearly $89,500. Additionally, the all-wheel drive 7-Series can’t match the A8’s fuel efficiency.

Order the long wheelbase version and it becomes, well, longer still. Various options can place all of these cruisers north of $150-large.

Built around an aluminum space frame, the Audi A8 offers the advantages of lighter weight as well as a 25 percent increase in rigidity and strength, which in turn results in improved handling and fuel efficiency. Technology is everywhere in this new sedan including an available Driver’s Assistance Package, which includes radar/Night vision assistance located in the Audi linked rings logo in the grille, and a forward-looking camera located in the center rearview mirror. Add to that an adaptive cruise control with stop and go functions, lane assist, and Audi side assist for blindspot detection.

There’s also Pre Sense rear protection, which senses a rapidly approaching vehicle from the rear and pretensions the seatbelts, raises windows and brings seats back into an upright position for better crash survivability.

A new version of Audi’s ESP with torque vectoring Quattro all-wheel-drive is now in place, helping to keep the car within the proper lanes, and offering haptic feedback if the car should start to stray.

Audi of America VP for Corporate Communications, Jeff Kuhlman relayed to us how the take rate for the previous (3rd Generation) A8L was 90-percent versus 10-percent for the A8 NWB – or normal wheelbase, as Audi prefers – and he expects that will continue to be the case here. Coincidentally, the European consensus is about 90-percent for the normal wheelbase, and 10-percent for the long wheelbase model. Incidentally, a W12-powered version will be available in Spring 2011, but only in A8L trim.

Panel fit and finish were as tight as one of Joan River’s facelifts, and placement of everything once again confirms that Audi builds a driver’s car. Our tester was fairly well loaded with driver and front passenger seats offering full adjustments including thigh and side bolsters, heating and ventilating, and five-way full massage controls, which were adjustable in intensity as well as location.

A center console is the main input area for driver controls involving climate, audio, navigation, and in-car entertainment (if equipped). Bang and Olufsen engineered the A8’s available high-line 1400-watt, 19-speaker audio system. An eight-speed Tiptronic transmission with paddle shift levers gets the V8’s power to the Quattro all-wheel-drive system. We struggled several times finding the proper “touch” required to place the car in reverse. The Quattro provides for an asymmetric rear-biased torque split of 40/60. Speed dependent power-assisted steering offered excellent driver feedback without giving the feeling of being too boosted. Audi’s standard adaptive air suspension is integrated with the A8’s drive select dynamics system. Otherwise the car felt otherworldly in its abilities.

We've driven the 2011 Audi A8. Bluetooth? iPod? Audi now understands the technology demands of today's luxury car buyer, which is why it has outfitted its all-new 2011 Audi A8 with an arsenal of electronics from a laptoplike touchpad to a Bang & Olufsen sound system.
For the fourth-generation Audi A8, Audi stuck with a winning formula but added a significant new feature: MMI touch, a touchpad controller on the driver side of the center console. The Bluetooth system can also be programmed so that critical numbers stay with the car instead of following the phone. Steering-wheel controls cycle through navigation, phone, audio and vehicle information in the IP display, and each subset is color-coded to help clue the driver to what's being presented.

Myriad Music Options
If there's a way to access and store music in a car, the 2011 Audi A8 has it completely covered.
VIP Lounge
The 2011 Audi A8 offers a refined rear-entertainment system that's more suited to spoiled execs than rich rug rats.