The German premium car manufacturer Audi took its time with the unveiling of the rejuvenated A8 flagship sedan and its derivative variants. She has been bothering us for a long time with the gradual release of piecemeal information, but that is over now and we have the A8 facelift in all its glory!
The appearance changes of the flagship sedan are quite significant and extensive in the Audi tradition. The entire front end was completely redesigned and the car received completely new headlights, bumper and radiator grille. The aforementioned headlights have LED technology, or for an additional fee, the more advanced Matrix LED . The most eye-catching change at the rear is the new shape and internal arrangement of the taillights.
The automaker's press release describes the car as the sportiest and most technologically innovative in the segment. We have no problem believing the technical part, but we will have to wait for the first road tests to show the sportiness.
Dimensionally, the A8 has not changed in any way after the facelift, but the offered engines have been significantly improved. All of them provide increased performance, reduced consumption and comply with Euro 6. The petrol base is a turbocharged 3.0 TFSI with an output of 310 hp , while the twin-turbo V8 4.0 TFSI with an output of 435 hp is more powerful. The latter has a COD (cylinder on demand) system, which disconnects four of the eight cylinders if necessary.
The diesel units are represented by the economical 3.0 TDI engine, which offers an output of 258 horsepower , a stated combined consumption of 5.9 liters per 100 kilometers and CO 2 emissions of 155 grams per kilometer . Above this engine is a 4.2 TDI unit with a power of 385 hp and a mammoth torque of 850 Nm .
The extended A8L has a petrol W12 under the hood driving all four wheels. The volume of this engine is 6.3 liters and the output is equal to 500 horses . The stated combined consumption is 11.7 l/100km , emissions of 270 grams of CO 2 per kilometer and this unit also uses a COD system capable of disconnecting up to six cylinders.
The S8 model with a V8 4.0 TFSI under the hood is designed to satisfy more sport-oriented drivers. The power of this model is 520 hp and the acceleration from rest to 100 km/h takes 4.2 seconds with the help of the quattro all-wheel drive. The stated combined consumption is 10.1 l/100km and emissions of 235 grams of CO 2 per kilometer .
The last interesting version of the A8 model is the hybrid . It combines a four-cylinder 2.0 TFSI and an electric motor. The power of the system is 245 horsepower , torque 480Nm , average consumption 6.3 l/100km and emissions of 147 grams of CO 2 per kilometer . The A8 hybrid is capable of fully electric driving at a maximum speed of 100 km/h, and the battery will last you a maximum of approximately 3 kilometers.
The interior of the car has hardly changed in terms of appearance, but it has received new equipment. The MMI multimedia system can be paired with a smartphone, a WLAN hotspot is installed enabling wireless Internet connection, and the driver can use online traffic information , Google Earth or Google Street View using the multimedia screen. Also new is the head-up display , which displays the most important data on the windshield in the driver's field of vision.
Electronic safety assistants have been updated, represented by, for example, Active Cruise Control with Stop&Go and collision avoidance. There is also a system that keeps the car in a given lane if the driver is not paying attention, a parking assistant with 360° camera coverage or night vision, which can now recognize larger animals in addition to pedestrians.
The rejuvenated Audi A8 will arrive in stores in its home market of Germany in November 2013. The brand's press release says that prices for the significantly improved car will rise only minimally. Specifically, in Germany, the price of the basic model will start at 74,500 euros , i.e. roughly 1.9 million crowns.
Source: Audi
