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Nargess Shahmanesh-Banks test drives the new Audi A8
As Audi's top luxury model,
the A8 has much to live up to. Fellow Germans, BMW and Mercedes, are masters
at making the top exec feel at home behind the wheel, and in the ever
competitive motoring world, one must keep up with the Joneses. Nargess
Shahmanesh-Banks put the new A8 to test.
The 6 litre 12 cylinder quattro engine drives the first A8 to sport the new look |
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Audi has added three new petrol and diesel engines to the A8 range. Available
in standard or long wheelbase body styles, the lightweight 3.0 litre V6
six-cylinder petrol engine offers 220 ps (170 kW) at 6,300 rpm and a maximum
300 Nm (221 lb ft) of torque at 3,200 rpm. The car is capable of accelerating
to 100 km/h in an impressive 7.9 seconds and can reach a top speed of
241 km/h (150 mph).
This is the first ever luxury saloon to feature continuously variable
automatic transmission (CVT), promising major gains in performance, fuel
economy and emissions.
Uninterrupted by conventional automatic gear changes thanks to its continuously
variable gear ratio, and unhindered by a power and fuel-sapping torque
converter, the multitronic transmission plays a key role in maximising
the performance of the responsive V6 engine, while also delivering exceptional
smoothness. The unit also produces outstanding fuel economy, which rates
at 29.1 mpg on combined cycle.
The star of the show, however, is the new 3.0 litre six-cylinder Tdi quattro.
A rational choice, it is unusually compact at just 440 mm in length. The
new turbocharged and twin-intercooled 24-valve unit employs common rail
injection with the what claims to be the world's most advanced piezo injection
technology for the first time in an Audi. It develops 233 ps (171 kW)
at 4,000 rpm and an exceptional maximum torque figure of 450 Nm (331 lb
ft) from just 1,400 rpm through to 3,250 rpm.
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The new 3.0 litre six-cylinder Tdi quattro is perhaps a rational choice for a business car |
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Power output is helped further by an all-aluminium body shell that is
50 per cent lighter than an equivalent steel body and 60 per cent more
rigid. 100 km/h is reached in a reasonable 7.8 seconds and a maximum speed
of 242 km/h (151 mph) is achievable with exceptional fuel economy of up
to 31.7 mpg.
It's the first engine to use a completely revised Audi four-valve concept.
Familiar star pattern of the valves has been modified so that each camshaft
actuates two in let and two exhaust valves.
In conjunction with the controlled swirl flap, this permits the level
of swirl to be extended, in other words the minimum and maximum degrees
of swirl are further apart.
Last but not least new to the A8 range is the potent and powerful 6.0
litre 12 cylinder quattro. It is the first A8 model to incorporate the
new provocative design language with its proud and masculine single frame
grille, as seen on the A6.
It features a unique twelve-cylinder power unit with cylinders arranged
in the form of a double "V", or "W". The W12 unit
is as compact as a V8 (513 mm in length) and therefore frees up enough
space to accommodate the quattro permanent four-wheel-drive system.
The W12 engine brings 450 ps (331 kW) and a mighty 580 Nm (428 lb ft)
of torque, more than 95 per cent of which is available between 2,300 and
5,300 rpm, making for supreme throttle response. This outstanding output
gives the new 6.0 litre saloon the potential to power to 100 km/h in a
tiny 5.2 seconds and to an electronically limited 249 km/h (155 mph) top
speed in around 30 seconds.
Compact dimensions, combined with a mass of lightweight aluminium and
magnesium contribute to a very low weight for a twelve-cylinder engine.
This in turn helps to produce an unbeatably low total vehicle weight of
1,995 kg.
The new engines complete the line-up of refined petrol and diesel engines
that includes 3.7 litre and 4.2 litre, 40-valve V8s with 280 ps (206 kW)
and 335 ps (253 kW), and a more recently introduced 32-valve V8 Tdi combining
275 ps (202 kW) with an exceptional 650 Nm (479 lb ft) of torque and 29.4mpg
economy.
The A8 3.0 litre models measure 5,051 mm long (5,181 mm for the LBW, 1,444
mm (1,455 mm on LWB and Tdi) high and 1,894 mm wide, with wheelbase of
2,944 mm (3,074 mm LWB). Length on the 6.0 litre quattro rates at 5,192
mm, width is 1,894 mm, height 1,455mm and a wheelbase spanning 3,074mm.
Luggage capacity is 500 litres.
The original A8 was born in 1994 and by 2002 had established the Audi
name in the luxury segment and the new range continues to help maintain
the high standard set by Audi with its top level executive car. By adding
a whole range of new engines as well as an array of technology, the German
carmaker has introduced more choice for more customers.
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