Test drive Audi A8L. Three opinions on a car that warms the feet
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Test drive Audi A8L. Three opinions on a car that warms the feet

Touchscreens, heated feet, many, many tablets and a special place on the market. In the notes of AvtoTachki.ru employees, we talk about one of the most expensive sedans on the market.

Much has been written about the struggle between the Audi A8 and its competitors in the class of executive sedans. Some 20 years ago, no one took this model seriously at all, but now it is one of the undisputed leaders of the class, with an attractive entry threshold of almost $ 20. less than the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

However, if you get carried away with filling the car with additional options, then you can easily spend another $ 19 - $ 649. Although, of course, it's not just about money. The main question is how exactly the A26 has evolved over the years and what the model is right now.

Ekaterina Demisheva, 31, drives a Volkswagen Tiguan

I used to live with the prejudice that a big business sedan is only needed to drive in the second row. That is, brands focus on the comfort and desires of only important passengers, but not the driver - a silent performer. The Audi A8 not only broke this stereotype, but also completely changed my attitude towards the philosophy of the executive sedan.

Test drive Audi A8L. Three opinions on a car that warms the feet

One hour behind the wheel of this model is enough to get used to the wide bonnet and the length of the car. Then comes the realization that this habit will only come in handy in a parking lot or in narrow passages, because on the road, the A8 body is sensitively guarded by your downstream neighbors.

Every day the huge sedan, like a flash from "Men in Black", erases from memory the information that it is possible to change seats. Why do you even need these tablets with internet access, your own climate control and even a sofa bed with a foot massage and heated feet when you really enjoy the way a car is driven? On how smooth and sporty it is at the same time, or on the suspension that adjusts instantly depending on the driver's wishes?

Test drive Audi A8L. Three opinions on a car that warms the feet

Seriously, if you close your eyes (never do that while driving), you might think for a second that you are driving an R8. In general, I will repeat once again: I absolutely do not want to get out from behind the wheel of this car. But standing in traffic jams is very comfortable (hello, R8)!

I also remember in this car a voice assistant that is capable of conducting an intelligent conversation. The program asks clarifying questions, offers different options, and yields to the speaker when interrupted. The list of equipment of the Audi A8 is generally very rich: it is a fully digital dashboard, a navigation system, an access point with LTE support, heating and electric adjustment of all seats, automatic seat belt and door closers.

Test drive Audi A8L. Three opinions on a car that warms the feet

Only two facts can confuse, and they are probably the most important. Fuel consumption, which is unlikely, with such dynamics, will ever be able to drop below 15 liters per “hundred”. And the cost of the Audi A8 is not basic, but real, with all the options, including adaptive air suspension and full-steering chassis. The main clientele of this car, of course, knows what they are paying for. But it will be very difficult to come to terms with the fact that the hired driver will receive more in this car than its owner.

Nikolay Zagvozdkin, 37 years old, drives a Mazda CX-5

Already in March, on Autonews.ru, you can read a triple test drive in which the A8 will clash with the Lexus LS and BMW 7-Series. I can't give away all the secrets yet, but I still want to say something.

In general, I absolutely agree with Katya. In this car, you don't want to climb back at all. Unless for one day to play with tablets, massage and heated feet. In all other cases, the place of any person who loves driving is definitely behind the wheel.

Test drive Audi A8L. Three opinions on a car that warms the feet

Seriously, everything is great here: from the helpful air suspension that can lift the body up to 12cm, to the classic quattro all-wheel drive and motor. And this is not a top-end unit yet. This one - with a capacity of 340 liters. with. - capable of accelerating the car to 100 km / h in 5,7 seconds. The one that develops 460 hp. sec., - in 4,5 seconds. And I'm talking about the extended version, which we had on the test. Variants with a normal base are always 0,1 seconds faster.

And if you are such a fan of tablets and love to slide your finger across the screens, then there is something for you to do in the front. As many as two screens with a touchscreen, on which you can flip through the menu quite in the spirit of tablets. Well, a separate entertainment for the driver - two types of dashboard. Large scales, small - and an abundance of any passing information around.

And yet I am still sure that most people choose such cars with their souls. Perhaps childhood or adolescent addictions come into play, perhaps something else. I would probably choose according to some "chips" and would have settled on the A8. It remains to find 142 501 $. That is how much the model that we had on the test costs.

Roman Farbotko, 29, drives a BMW X1

You can't just get used to the Audi A8. The office interior is indecently official, so in my sweatshirt and sneakers I feel out of place here. I first met the A8 in the new D5 body in the summer of 2018. Then the G7 struck me with a calm interior, organic light-emitting diodes and impenetrable tranquility. Now, a year and a half later and after the release of the updated BMW XNUMX-Series, the most expensive Audi sedan already looks like a trend maker: it was in Ingolstadt that this slightly haughty image was invented.

Test drive Audi A8L. Three opinions on a car that warms the feet

Audi has never had a problem with charisma. Even in the days of the "barrel" and "slab" it seemed that the Germans had some special designers capable of setting fashion for years to come. Now, obviously, completely different people are working on the new Audi, but the rules have remained the same: imperturbable calmness, shocking in the details and endless functionality. Now, however, hi-tech has also been added to these points - it was the A8 that became the first car to have more screens inside than you have at home.

One is responsible for the multimedia system, the second is for the climate, the third is instead of the tidy, the fourth is projection, and the fifth and sixth are installed at the back. And all this works in an exemplary way: no freezes, slowdowns and false positives for you. The system does not torment with endless update requests and does not go into reboot due to a clogged cache.

Test drive Audi A8L. Three opinions on a car that warms the feet

On the move, the A8 is composed, unwavering and precise in German. But in the class of executive sedans without direct comparison with competitors - nowhere. So I, hoping to figure out who is the best here, changed several times from the Audi A8 to the BMW 7-Series, and then to the Lexus LS and back. And I was surprised to find that in terms of comfort and excitement behind the wheel, the Audi A8 does not surpass its competitors in everything. But this requires a more detailed analysis. Read a comparative test drive with the participation of Audi, BMW and Lexus on AvtoTachki.ru in March.

Test drive Audi A8L. Three opinions on a car that warms the feet
 

 

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