Preview: 2015 Audi A8 and S8

Article and photos by Jacob Black

2015 Audi A8. Click image to enlarge

For any other company, in any other segment, and in any other time, a tagline like, “The best headlights in the world” might have drawn chuckles. If such a claim had come from any other brand you might dismiss it as a PR department grasping at straws – but with Audi, and the A8 in particular, the claim actually resonates.

Audi is the brand most closely linked with LED headlights – I know, I know! Lexus had them first – but it was Audi who made them famous. And now the 2015 A8 can be fitted with Audi’s new Matrix headlights, which not only shine around corners, but automatically dim high-beam when another car is ahead or oncoming [and probably cost about as much as a Toyota Matrix… –Ed.].

“With these headlights, the high-beam unit is made up of 25 individual segments,” an Audi press release explains.

“The small light-emitting diodes, which work in conjunction with lenses and reflectors connected in series, are activated and deactivated or dimmed individually according to the situation.

“This enables the system to react precisely to other cars, which it recognizes using a camera, and always illuminate the road brightly. Additional features of the new headlights are the intelligent cornering light, new-look daytime running lights and dynamic turn signals.”

2015 Audi A8 & S8. Click image to enlarge

This also allows the headlights to aim the high-beam during cornering, without the need for a pivot mechanism in the headlight itself.

The top-down shot of the car driving a winding mountain road in the release video showed impressive illumination – and it remains to be seen if that video matches reality – but after watching the short clip I was a believer in LED-only lights. Audi claims there are 1 billion light points in the system based on the available diodes, mirrors and lenses. I don’t know what that figure actually proves, all I know is they look sensational, and lit up a darkened stage brilliantly.

Speaking of big claims, Audi poked its compatriots with a cheeky claim that the A8’s sport variant, the S8, is the “sportiest premium sedan in the luxury class”, citing its 4.2 second 0–100 km/h time, sports suspension and the 520 hp, 4.0L TFSI engine.

2015 Audi A8 & S8. Click image to enlarge

The last standout claim from the launch was slightly watered down. “The Audi A8 3.0 TFSI with the normal wheelbase has a curb weight of just 1,830 kilograms (4,034 lb) – best in class for models with all-wheel drive,” Audi says. Not a bad number for a car like this, but A8 scale readings see-saw like a bridesmaid with a KFC addiction in the months before a wedding; 1,830 is the lowest they go but the long wheelbase W12 comes in at 2,165 kg. That’s not an entirely fair comparison though; the W12 is only available in long wheelbase trim.

“Big Range” is really an excellent way to explain the A8. Engine sizes range from 3.0L V6 to 6.3L W12, and fuel economy runs from 5.9 L/100 km to 11.7 L/100 km.

2015 Audi A8. Click image to enlarge

There is a wide range of performance options too. The 4.0L TFSI engine propels the A8 from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds (0.3s slower than the 520-hp S8) despite producing ‘only’ 425 hp. That figure is up by 15 from the previous figure.

The base-spec 3.0L V6 TFSI engine gets an increase of 20 hp to 310.

The A8 boasts two TDI options, the A8 3.0 TDI Clean Diesel packing 258 hp and a tidy fuel economy figure of just 5.9 L/100 km. That engine is dwarfed by the 4.2L TDI Clean Diesel, which thrusts forward on the crest of 627 lb-ft of torque and an increased 384 hp, all driven through the standard sport differential. That trick diff is standard on the S8 and TDI versions of the A8, but is an option on the rest of the range.

There is also a 6.3 L/100 km hybrid option on its way. Coupled with a 2.0L petrol engine the hybrid A8 is good for 245 hp and 354 lb-ft.

. Click image to enlarge

Fuel-saving Cylinder on Demand technology is available in the W12, S8 and 4.0L TFSI models, with the W12 also getting Active Noise Cancellation for the first time in 2015. ANC sends sound waves through the speakers to counteract those made by the engine in reduced-cylinder mode. The effect is a quieter cockpit and cabin. Aficionados will know that the S8 runs a similar system in conjunction with Active Engine Mounts – Audi effectively mounts the S8 engine on oversized speaker coils which feed a resonance back through the engine to cancel out vibration and sound. No word yet on whether that system will expand through the range.

Definitely not expanding through the range is a limited-edition cosmetic package offered with the W12.

“The A8 Audi exclusive concept is intended for customers looking for something very special,” says Audi.

“The limited-edition package (50 cars) is available for the A8 L W12 Quattro. Leather from Italian furniture manufacturer Poltrona Frau in the color Agatha Cognac dominates the interior. The inlays are made of fine grain olive ash natural silver brown. Its gray-brown shade harmonizes with the granite gray piping on the seats. Audi recommends the color Tierra Del Fuego for the exterior finish.”

That option is excessive really as the interior of the A8 is already stunning. I was enamoured with the grey ash inlays in the demonstration car at the show, and the leather is so aromatic I could hear the Old Spice guy in my head: “I’m on a horse”.

I was also overwhelmed by the controls available to the rear-seat passengers. The person being chauffeur-driven in an A8 is very much in command, with almost everything but the steering-wheel and pedals under their control.

Fold down the console and you’ll find a household power-outlet (European 220V on this car), power controls for the memory seats (all four outboard seats are memory seats in the A8), audio and media controls for the sound system and headrest-mounted DVD screens, and climate controls. There is even a button to send cool air into the compartment formed by the center armrest-cum-mission-control centre – I imagine that is so one can keep one’s champagne glasses chilled.

Should you still have the champagne in hand when it comes time to retrieve one’s belongings from the boot, no problem. The A8 has a power opening and closing boot lid, probably because boot lids are so enormous and heavy.

2015 Audi A8. Click image to enlarge

Visually the A8 gets a subtle facelift, with the Matrix lighting system providing a more simplistic headlight, which sets off the larger grille opening. The whole effect is more assertive and leads to a car with greater gravitas. Except to say that it feels like it has more substance, I was hard-pressed to pick the physical differences, so I’ll let Audi summarize the design changes:

“Dynamic, yet harmoniously elegant – the big sedan’s design has become even more expressive. The engine hood, the single-frame grille and the front bumper are even more sculptured and precise.”

“The LED lights at the rear have also become flatter and are joined together by a continuous chrome strip. Chrome strips in the lower section of the body, fine inserts in the door handles and high-gloss black window frames round out the distinctive features.”