Test drive the new Audi A8

Audi A8 is the most sensory model of the German brand. And this is not all that she has to offer in the frantic race of technology.

Painted Audi A8s rode across the tables. Visitors pressed their fingers on the button projections to identify the most interesting presentation topics and dinner menus. Behind were the white, futuristic buildings of the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia. Where is it if not in the future? And here we arrived in the back seat of the newest Audi A8.

The sedan has only slightly grown in length, but in profile it does not look as massive as the previous generation A8. First of all, due to the more embossed body panels. For example, under the unbreakable line, the tornado sent a few more strokes. At the same time, the A8 still looks impressive in the rear-view mirror: the spaced headlights and strips in the side air intakes make the car visually wider. After overtaking, Audi will show a red bracket - the headlights are connected by a bar, just like on new Porsches. It seems that this feature has every chance of becoming a brand for other cars of the Volkswagen Group.

Audi has always proudly displayed the A8's fishnet power cages. Aluminum was a feature of the company's flagship sedans - because their bodies were much lighter than the steel ones of competitors. Already in the previous generation, for the sake of safety, the A8 had a steel B-pillar, and the new sedan of various steels in the power structure of the body has a record amount of 40%. The rest is aluminum and one piece each made of magnesium and carbon fiber. The strut is cast from magnesium alloy between the front suspension struts, and the panel behind the rear seats and the shelf under the glass are one carbon fiber part responsible for the rigidity of the load-bearing structure.

The body of the new A8 turned out to be the heaviest in history and the most complex - the parts are connected in all known and unknown ways. But this is the only way to achieve rigidity and security. Crash tests, including the most insidious one with little overlap, are unlikely to be a problem for the new A8.

Tesla's avaricious interior lines for Audi are more expensive and closer than the lush baroque Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the sophisticated "techno" of the BMW 7-Series. Naturally, the quality of the finishing A8 surpasses Tesla, and in high technology the new Audi sedan, perhaps, will not be inferior. This is the most sensory model of the German brand. There are a minimum of physical buttons, and there is a plug in place of the autopilot button: in order to use it on the road, changes in legislation are needed.

Even the control of the blowing intensity is made touch-sensitive, but also the emergency gang button. The entire center console is occupied by two touchscreens: the upper one is responsible for music and navigation, the lower one is for climate control, driving modes and handwriting input. Yes, you can write your destination here with your finger. The response of the screens is good, in addition, the virtual keys click funny. Audi is making a revolution here, although not long ago it, like BMW and Mercedes-Benz, used bulky combinations of washers and buttons to control multimedia.

As a compromise for the rear passengers - the most important in such a car - Audi has provided large buttons for adjusting the seats. But again, you can turn on the massage, move the front seat, raise the curtains on the windows only through a small removable tablet in the armrest.

Despite the fact that the wheelbase has increased by only 6 mm, the overall length of the cabin has increased by 32 mm. The previous Audi A8 in terms of space in the back row was slightly inferior to both the new S-Class and BMW's "seven". In the new sedan, this is not felt, especially in the L version with an increase in the 130 mm wheelbase. The expensive versions have a footrest that reclines from the back of the front seat like the BMW, but the A8 has a heated foot massage and a foot massage. Door locks with electric drives willingly open doors, just pull the handle. But if the A8 sees a danger, for example, a cyclist approaching the car, it will not let you open the door from the inside.

In addition to sonars and cameras, the Audi A8 is equipped with a laser scanner, but has yet to show all its talents. A full-fledged autopilot will be available later, but right now the car only knows how to keep within the markings, slow down according to signs and slow down before a roundabout. The A8 does not let you take your hands off the steering wheel, and after sound warnings, it starts to "wake up" the driver, tightening the belt and intermittently braking.

Engines are also traditional: gasoline and diesel. The most modest 2-liter will be available later, but in the meantime, the V8, V6 and W8 units from Bentley are offered for the A12. All of them are with four-wheel drive and automatic transmission. And all are equipped with a 48-volt power grid and a powerful starter-generator, which allows you to turn off the car when coasting, even at high speeds, which saves 0,7 liters of fuel. Not much, but even such achievements are important for the VW concern, whose image has suffered greatly after the famous scandal.

The big sedan turned out to be unexpectedly nimble and agile. First of all, due to the fully steerable chassis and active steering. That is why both the driver and the passenger feel unusual when cornering. At the training ground, we turned off the electric actuators that turn the rear wheels at an angle of up to five degrees, and then the A8 could hardly turn around where it had easily passed before. In any case, the declared turning radius of the short-wheelbase version is less than that of the A4 sedan.

The Germans did not release vehicles with a W12 engine (585 hp) and an active chassis beyond the range. With the help of a camera, they read the road ahead and, thanks to special electric motors, can lift the wheels when passing obstacles. The system works six times per second and dissolves road waves with virtually no trace. In addition, the active suspension raises the body for a more comfortable seating position. In the event of a side collision, it will expose a powerful threshold for impact. Like autopilot, this option will have to wait - it will be available from next year.

One of the test cars with a V8 4.0 TFSI engine (460 hp) was equipped with an active suspension, but without a camera. Deprived of her sight, she no longer worked as efficiently as at the test site. In any case, the air suspension must cope with the road trifle, the engineers explained.

On Spanish roads, the A8 rides smoothly even in Dynamic mode, while seams and sharp edges feel stronger than desired. Especially on a diesel car with a V6 engine (286 hp) and on 20-inch wheels. The Audi A8 with 19-inch wheels and a gasoline engine is softer, but in any case, the rear passengers do not feel the road defects so much. The V8 version was not quite as balanced - perhaps because of the experimental suspension.

Audi's motto is “Excellence through Technology”. But it is in this discipline that competitors have advanced quite far. The A8 comes after the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7-Series, and therefore must be the coolest. It looks like Audi has overtaken its time and even its capabilities in the technology competition. They promise to bring the car to Russia early next year.

A type	Sedan	Sedan
Dimensions: length / width / height, mm	5302/1945/1488	5172/1945/1473
Wheelbase, mm	3128	2998
Ground clearance, mm	No data	No data
Cargo space, l	505	505
Curb weight, kg	2075	1995
Gross vehicle weight, kg	2700	2680
engine's type	Turbodiesel B6	Turbocharged petrol V6
Working volume, cubic meters cm	2967	2995
Max. power, h.p. (at rpm)	286/3750-4000	340/5000-6400
Max. cool. moment, Nm (at rpm)	600/1250-3250	500/1370-4500
Drive type, transmission	Full, 8АКП	Full, 8АКП
Max. speed km / h	250	250
Acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h, s	5,9	5,6
Fuel consumption, l / 100 km	5,8	7,8
Price from, $.	Not announced	Not announced