Audi A8 L 3.0 TDI quattro Tip Review: The luxury of torque

What we like:

Relentless torque

superb fuel consumption

well-damped ride

superbly executed interior

refinement

What we dislike:

That dreaded diesel tax

steering lacks linearity

lacks road presence

Two years after it was first introduced, the A8 still wears the crown of having the best cabin among its competitors. In fact, the A8’s cabin is so good that it could well be one of the best of any mass-produced model out there. It feels expensive, exquisite and special in here thanks to choice materials and surfaces that not only look good but also are tactile and soft to the touch. One look or touch and you are immediately aware that the interior boffins at Audi spent sleepless nights to deliver a cabin worthy of a flagship saloon model – everything just looks and feels so much more exquisite than even the cabins of the rest of the Audi range. Ambient lighting by LED strips further enhance the A8’s cabin atmosphere – the colour of these lights can even be changed to suit each individual tastes. No one does interior ambient lighting better than Audi does.

With the additional 30mm of wheelbase over the standard wheelbase model, the stretched A8L offers its rear occupants even more legroom and an even more luxurious accommodation. Towkays seated in the rear are spoilt by the electrical adjustment for the rear seats, separate controls on the centre arm rest for the four-zone climate control, electrically operated sunshades for the side and rear windows and so on.

Despite diesel models being more expensive than petrol powered equivalents in Europe, the 3.0 TDI is priced similarly to the 3.0 TFSI variant here in Singapore. The pulling power of the diesel motor also makes more sense for a big and relatively heavy limo like the A8L. Moreover, the TDI will be significantly cheaper to fuel thanks to is superior fuel consumption figures.

The biggest deterring factor of the diesel here though is the high diesel passenger tax on top of the regular road tax. This equates to more than $4k per annum for the A8L 3.0 TDI, which is silly when considering that the diesel model emits even less CO2 into the air than the petrol model, which means it is actually greener and kinder to the environment. But if you are a high mileage driver though, the cost of the additional diesel tax can easily be cancelled out by the potential lower fuel costs for the TDI model over a petrol powered A8.

Credits: Story by Raymond Lai Photos by Yang and Raymond Lai