Audi A8L 4.0 TFSI qu tip Review: Black beauty

What we like:

The incredible handling and performance from something so large and stately. Having an intoxicating V8 rumble under the bonnet doesn’t hurt either.

What we dislike:

Modest boot size when compared to the overall length of the vehicle.

Powered by a V8 under the bonnet, the A8 leans closer to a muscle car than a lumpy luxury sedan. Pulling at 420bhp with 600Nm from 1,500rpm, its pace is hardly leisurely. With a century sprint time of just 4.6 seconds, it gets quite entertaining when the Audi leaves two door coupes behind at the lights. The ZF 8-speeder augments the engine’s power well and its presence is never felt when in automatic. In manual mode, the gear box shifts decently quick and adheres quite well to demands of downshifting quickly before a turn.

Its sprightly pace is coupled with decent handling that seems quite other worldly considering the proportions we’re dealing with here and more importantly, the weight. At nearly two tons, you are going to feel the weight when dashing from bend to bend but the chassis manages this immense weight shift well when the adaptive dampers are set to ‘Dynamic’ mode. The steering appears accurate in this mode though the added weight doesn’t quite equate to greater feel.

The stately ride of its air suspension is excellent both around town and when cruising on the highway. In comfort mode, a speed bump at 40kmh is hardly noticed with the dampers dissipating the discomfort nearly 100%. More impressive is the way the air suspension keeps the car level even when driving over awkwardly paved roads.

Dynamically, the flagship A8 appears superior over the S-class we reviewed a couple of weeks back. But more importantly, when it comes to craftsmanship and technology, it matches the Mercedes-Benz point for point.

Though it fits the role of a chauffeur driven limousine, we’d rather be driving than to be driven in this Audi.

Credits: Story and Photos by Benjamin G. Kline