It’s got tech, it’s brimming with
luxury, and with a 0-100kph time of 4.6 seconds, it’s mighty quick too
Power and luxury is an unbeatable combo if
you’re talking limousines. And this one here, the refreshed Audi A8L, is not
for the fainthearted. It’s the ultimate offering from Audi’s stable if you want
a mix of first-class travel and extreme briskness.
What makes it so fleet-footed is the
4.0-litre petrol V8 heart that sits under the long hood of this flagship limo.
Not just that, it’s got a turbo to assist it, so it belts out a massive 414bhp
and 600Nm of pulling power. A tiny dab of the throttle is enough to establish
the fact that this motor has more than enough power to lug this heavy limo
around. How quick is it? Well, it’ll crack a ton before you can to count to
five – in 4.6 seconds, to be precise.
The
Audi A8L is highly capable, desirable and easy to live with, despite its flaws
If you’re expecting a loud roar from this
engine, you’ll be disappointed. Instead, what you get is a muted grunt that
seeps into the well-insulated cabin. Audi’s quattro system ensures that no
power is wasted in burning rubber on the tarmac, and that all of it is
transformed into acceleration. That’s done via an eight-speed automatic
gearbox. It’s not a dual-clutch unit, but a conventional torque converter.
Nevertheless, it’s pretty swift, and sees to it that you’re kept in the
best-suited gear at all times.
Once you’re done driving this super-quick
sedan, and wish to get in the back seat, you’re not going to be disheartened
with the sort of comfort and luxury the A8L offers. You’ve got massage options,
a fridge to chill your drink, reclining seats and obviously, a four-zone
air-con and personal entertainment system. What also comes as standard with the
extended wheelbase is acres of room to stretch your legs.
In
isolation, the cabin of the A8L is a wonderful place to be
The A8L is much sportier than the Mercedes
S-class, but that handling doesn’t warrant a harsh ride. It takes good care of
the potholes and undulations on the road, but it does pitch more than you’d
like. However, the 3.1-metre long wheelbase gives it superb high-speed
stability.
The new A8 is loaded with tech – its space-age
headlamps that offer great illumination to the driver and cut out glare for
oncoming traffic are a fine example of that. Along with that, it’s got a smart
night-vision camera, which detects pedestrians on the road and orders the
headlamps to flash the lights thrice at the individual before alerting the
driver.
The
controls on offer are pretty intuitive
This 4.0-litre turbocharged petrol A8L
rivals the S500 and the BMW 760Li. These are the fastest stock super-luxury
sedans that these companies sell. The 4.0TFSI is the quickest A8 available, and
the most expensive too – the base model (without any additional options) will
cost you $210,965 (ex-showroom, Mumbai). That’s five lakh more than the most
expensive oil-burning variant, the 4.2TDI V8.
The A8 might be a notch below the S-class
in terms of luxury and the feel-good factor, but if you want a bit of
sportiness with comfort and technology, the Audi is the better option.
