Road Test: Audi S8

Review by Feann Torr - 20/Apr/2007

If you strictly adhere to the philosophy of 'bigger is better' you may have found your raison d'être: the Audi S8. It is bigger, and some may argue better, than a large majority of passenger cars - luxury or otherwise.

With the soul of a Lamborghini rumbling away beneath its conservative bonnet, enough leather to spur the bovine protection support group into litigation, and disc brakes so large they threaten to block the sun's rays, the S8 makes a powerful first impression.

A huge vehicle pitched at premium buyers with premium tastes, if you want the best of the best this is a good place to begin your research.

As well as one of the most expensive and desirable engines money can buy - an exotic 10-cylinder motor - the Audi A8 gets an audacious 14-speaker high fidelity stereo system by Danish audio experts Bang & Olufsen, and for fans of the British secret agent 007, there's also things like fingerprint security, while an in-built TV works wonders at easing the pulse rate in bumper-to-bumper traffic snarls.

From inside and out, it's clear that this car is from the very top end of town, with enough bells and whistles to satisfy most driving requirements. Huge 20-inch wheels are the first overt hint that the S8 is a fire-breathing high performance machine, while things like the high-tech LED driving lights and quad exhaust system contribute greatly. Granted, it's got a touch of razzle-dazzle but there's enough German subtlety in its design that it can almost cruise unnoticed through the less leafy suburbs of the Australia's bustling capital cities.

And the crazy part? It's not the most expensive A8 in the Audi garage. No, that honour goes to the $326,000 W12-powered long wheel-base A8 L. But the S8 is arguably the sportiest. While most A8 models are tailored for out-and-out luxury that tends to focus on the rear seat passengers, the S8 is the black sheep of the range, possessing a savage performance hit; when the V10 sparks to life its power is felt as much as it is heard.

But the best thing about the S8? You can roll up to V8 powered cars, luxury or otherwise, and kindly put things in perspective: "Missing a couple of cylinders, mate?"

Indeed, having 10-cylinders under the bonnet gives you almost unlimited bragging rights (except when a Ferrari Enzo decides to intercede), but as we discovered there's plenty more to this colossal German than just 'Bahn-storming power. Let's have a look:

Drive: 4/5

The simple act of walking up the Audi S8, thumbing the immobiliser and settling down into the large leather driver's seat is quite an experience. The build quality is the first thing that strikes you as impressive, from the rubber seals and the timeless bassy 'thump' of closing doors, to the interior carbon fibre accents and the gleaming silver stereo speakers scattered around the car.

Better yet, when the car initially powers up, a pair of hidden front tweeters/speakers rise up out of their recesses to bathe you in high quality audio. Techno overkill? Maybe. But it sure does make an impression.

Even with these unfolding speakers, fingerprint security, and some of the finest leather your back-side is likely to encounter, the S8 was built for performance. Granted, it is a luxury car but like all 'S' models in the Audi garage, the S8 must achieve a certain level of dynamic performance; it's got to be enjoyable to drive.

Thankfully it is.

Words like seamless, effortless, and smooth instantly spring to mind when describing the S8 in motion. This is a large luxury saloon, slightly smaller than a Holden Statesman, and sure, it goes like stink, but it hammers down the road with such a level of fluidity that your passengers will rarely notice.

Even when you floor the loud pedal and the V10 engine begins its long journey around the tachometer towards its 7300rpm redline, the engine control unit ordering the throttle bodies to battle stations, it does so with such fluidity that it's hard to think the engine started life in the single-minded and very exotic Lamborghini Gallardo. The engine note is very evocative too - not quite as rhythmic as a V8, but plenty bassy and with heaps of presence. 

Switch the adaptive suspension from 'comfort' to the 'dynamic' setting, and you'll find that the S8 is far more nimble that it looks. From the outside it has a fairly muscular look, but it's far from arrow-like in its design and the body shell doesn't look particularly aerodynamic. Yet throw it into a corner and you'll marvel at its flat attitude. Body roll, what body roll?

Okay, that's stretching it a tad - I did note a touch of body roll affecting the car through tighter, faster corners, but for something of this stature (it's almost 5.2 metres long and weighs more than 2 tonnes with driver) the S8 has impressive chassis dynamics. You can't really flick it through flip-flops like you would a 4-cylinder hot hatch - inertia plays against it - but I found it to be quite precise one it's line was set through a corner. 

Everything on this car is bolted to a rigid aluminium structure, the ASF or Audi Space Frame to give it the official billing, and this not only gives the car its low weight, but also ensures high levels of torsional rigidity. The front and rear independent suspension rigs are also aluminium, which again helps to reduce weight and improve stiffness. 

There is a certain level of understeer that affects the S8 when you start to push harder and increase the throttle mid-corner but the quattro all-wheel drive system and huge tyres (265/35 R20s!) ensure that grip levels are rarely wanting. 

When it does push slightly wide of a corner, exhibiting understeer, you can lift off the throttle slightly and the car resumes a more neutral attitude, and bang it up to full power and again and it usually holds its line after a minor adjustment. The Torsen (torque sensing) differential is a real work of art, and the 40:60 front to rear torque split means that you get a fairly positive feel under medium throttle inputs through corners.

Huge 385mm front disc brakes and 335mm rears do an unbelievable job of decelerating the car from the high speeds it's capable of reaching, too. They are astonishingly reassuring and slow the S8 ridiculously quickly, which helps build the confidence to push the car's limits. You can even order the ceramic composite brakes if you want the best of the best, but these don't quite offer the 'feel' of the standard steel discs and need to be worked hard before they get up to optimum operating temperature.

With surprisingly good handling for something so large, the S8 reacts like a true performance car, and even when we steered it through the many hairpins of Arthur's Seat on the Mornington Peninsula, it tracked well through the uphill corners, able to increase speeds past the apex without pushing dangerously wide. The levels of grip this thing has are gob-smacking, and at the same time the ride remains quite composed at all times and mid-corner bumps and lumps don't affect its line greatly. The combination of these things results in reliable and linear handling, and the adaptive air suspension and the advanced air 'springs' are big contributors.

The only thing that's not great about the way the car handles is the steering feel. The power steering system seems to have reverted to the light and somewhat detached feel of past Audi's, and in our test car we heard the power steering motor whining in protest when reverse parking and turning the wheels to full lock. Clearly the front wheels are under a lot of pressure. The RS 4 was pretty good in terms of steering feedback and feel, but the S8 seems to have taken a small step backwards.

Audi's S8 is a large car - but surprisingly light for its size. Most 8-cylinder S-Class models from Mercedes-Benz tip the scales at around 2450kg+ and some go as high as 2700kg, but this thing comes in at under 2000kg, which is one of the reasons why it's able to attack corners with such vigor. Its 1940kg kerb weight means that the engine has to shift left mass, which benefits acceleration as well.

According to the official figures, the Audi S8 can charge from 0-100km/h in 5.1 seconds. We did some of our own timing runs with the S8 and they ranged between 5.2 and 5.9 seconds from standstill to 100 clicks, but the strange thing was the car never felt rushed or even quick. The adaptive suspension has various modes to suit most driving scenarios, whether hard driving or quiet cruising, and it also helps reduce rear end squat under hard acceleration, which masks the sensation of rapid acceleration from standstill.

Find a clear stretch of road, line up the S8, and slam the accelerator pedal and while you won't be greeted with wheel spin or any such fireworks, you will be awestruck by the intensity of the S8's pulling power. It is, in a word, glorious.

From 0-100km/h the car doesn't feel quite as quick as the 5.1 second time that Audi claims, but from above 80km/h the car is a veritable road rocket with levels of thrust that are normally only experienced in jet airliners during take-off.

The acceleration levels of most cars begin to wane after certain speeds are reached, but the S8 maintains stunning levels of thrust even in the higher gears. Indeed, the only time you really get that "Oh my god, this thing is completely insane" feeling is when the 5.2-litre engine hits its stride in second or third gear, and this is at speeds that are viewed by most as antisocial. But I have to tell you, it's stunning how quick the big Audi is at freeway speeds and beyond. If it wasn't electronically governed to go no faster than 250km/h, I reckon this thing would break the triple tonne. I was completely blown away by its ability to keep pouring on speed.

It's an Autobahn cannon, a highway howitzer - there's no other way to describe it. 

If you think the HSV Grange or FPV Force 8 are quick sports luxury vehicles, you'd be right. They are. But in comparison the Audi S8 is a jet-propelled rocket with capabilities that go far beyond the legal road speeds in Australia.

Aside from the S8's dynamic abilities, which are well and truly impressive for something so big, it's also a double deluxe means of transport. Sure, the engine drinks a lot of petrol, almost 14 litres per 100 kilometres on average, but if you've got $270k burning a hole in your wallet the cost of petrol may not be such a big issue. There's ample seating for five passengers, and the levels of luxury can be touched and seen but also felt, and the way the engine can purrs along quietly at low revs is almost as rewarding as when its going at it hammer and tong. 

The power delivery is creamy smooth, the adaptive air suspension supremely pliant when set to the 'comfort', and the interior room copious. With these features you'll rarely feel the sharp intrusion of the outside world, particularly as your 1100 watt Danish stereo gently massages your ear drums. The soft touch controls of the centre console are effortless to work, and there are enough gadgets and features in here to ensure the neighbours/relatives/colleagues will be green with envy. 

In and around town, the car's large size doesn't do it any favours when lining up parking spots or coming out of underground garages, but the steering is very light which does make manoeuvering the vehicle fairly trouble free. There are front and reverse parking sensors, but if you want a reversing camera, you'll have to pay extra, which I thought was a bit lax. But it's got a V10. Have I mentioned that yet? 

Sound damping in the cabin is above average, and the ride quality is superb even on the rough stuff, which is surprising considering the German vehicles' totally mad 20-inch wheels with low profile tyres. In addition, its 90 litre fuel tank and relaxed interior are well suited to grand touring and if travelling long distances in comfort is high on your list, the S8 won't disappoint. Basic car controls are easy to understand and the operation of the cars systems - including the adaptive suspension - through the MMI (multi media interface) is fairly intuitive, and most controls are easy to find and easy to use. Ergonomics have rarely been a problem for Audi, and like most models we've tested everything is within reach and usually where you expect it to be. 

After spending many hours behind the wheel of the Audi S8, something occurred to me. Most performance cars are fairly mundane to drive in everyday conditions, and only become involving when you get to hammer the tripe out of them through fast, sweeping corners up in the hills or down by the coast. And a lot of them make compromises in ride quality when skewing the chassis towards the pointy end of performance. 

The S8 is different. 

I had a great time driving the Audi S8 - and rightly so, considering the eye-watering asking price - but I was honestly expecting this powerful German to be have at least one or two compromises. Apart from the lack of feedback through the steering wheel that occurs during highly spirited driving, there's very little to complain about. 

It is such an involving car to drive, even at slow speeds and in trying conditions; if it's raining, the AWD system ensures your safety and there's always lots of grip, and there's something about the engine's V10 thrum that stirs the soul from idle to redline.

Simply put, I never thought a car so large could be so rewarding to drive.

Engine: 4/5

There's something inordinately strange about having 331 kilowatts (or 450 metric horsepower) available to you, and being able to floor the throttle with not even a squeak from the wheels. In a BMW or a Benz with more than 300kW of power the rear wheels would begin to spin, and then ESP would cut in and end the party by reducing engine power or secretly initiating an ABS pulse.

Gun the throttle with this big-bad German and it's brilliant quattro AWD Torsen-equipped system puts all of this power to the ground where its needed, and there's never any power retardation or tyre slip. 

When you want full power, you get it.

This superb AWD system - arguably one of the best in the world - deals with a huge surge of power from an exotic 5.2-litre engine that started life as the 5.0-litre 90º V10 from the Lamborghini Gallardo. There are, however, major differences between what Lamborghini drivers and Audi S8 drivers get.

Audi takes the 5.0-litre engine and - befitting the S8 - makes it bigger. Both the bore (width of the cylinder) and the stroke (distance the piston travels inside the cylinder) have been increased and this takes capacity to 5.2-litres. What was once 4961cc is now 5204cc. And though the engine doesn't make as much power as the Lambo's, it makes more torque available at lower revs. In essence, it's more drivable.

At 3500rpm a peak of 540Nm of torque is developed, but even from low revs the car pulls strongly, and this is due in part to variable valve timing (on the intake and exhaust valves) that ensures some 90 per cent of this 540Nm torque is on tap from 2300rpm.

It's an FSI (fuel stratified injection) engine, like the 4.2-litre V8 in the Audi RS 4, which basically means it uses direct injection to squirt the fuel into the combustion chambers, which gives it a nutcase 12.5:1 compression ratio. It's also got some motor sports items, such as magnesium twin stage variable intake manifolds with electronically controlled tumble flaps. Hmmm, mechno-babble.

On the road, the experience of drilling a 5.2-litre V10 engine is addictive. Even in something big and heavy like the S8 it delivers magnificent levels of drive. This V10 engine originally meant for an Italian exotic in a luxury German limo like this may sound a bit daft, but in practice it works brilliantly.

And the sound? Somewhat restrained through the myriad exhaust silencers, but very stirring nevertheless, and with a presence like no other V8 I've heard. It's not quite as brawny sounding and outright loud and barky as some V8s, but the extra two cylinders in there create a purposeful sound, one that starts off as quietly menacing and transforms into a far richer sound, one with vehemence and a resonance more akin to that of a dedicated race car in that it's somewhat electronic and perfectly ordered. There's an unmistakable vee configuration thrum somewhere in there, but it's spinning so fast that you don't so much hear it as feel it.

What I mean to say is that it sounds very tasty and unlike most cars on the road.

I did note that the throttle can be a bit touchy, particularly during takeoffs, but the 6-speed automatic transmission is very smooth, affording the S8 with quick and fairly seamless gear changes that suit its sports-luxury persona rather well. It's a tiptronic 'box too, so if you want to pretend you're driving a manual, you can give it a dip and there are steering wheel paddles too, which didn't do it for me. I guess I'll never break in to Formula One...

If you floor the throttle the S8 responds with alacrity: the thing just leaps out of the blocks with a harmonised bark from the engine. But if you try to use, say, a third throttle the S8 will take off very slowly, which I found annoying. And then if you request a bit more (which often happens because you didn't realise how slowly it would begin accelerating) it jerks into super-quick mode. I found that it took time time to be precise with the throttle.

I tried to drive the car slowly, I really did - I wanted to see if the 5.2-litre engine could offer a glimpse of fuel efficiency - but as it turns out the engine seems to drink about the same amount of fuel whether you're cruel or kind with the accelerator pedal. Even when I lumbered about at slow speeds the fuel efficiency didn't seem to drop on iota, and when I gave it heaps it didn't seem to skyrocket either. You're damned if you do, and you're damned if you don't...

If Audi could dial out the touchy throttle response and develop a cylinder deactivation system for this V10 engine, like the systems used by Chrysler and GM/Holden in their big V8s, this engine would be a world beater. As it is in the 2007 model S8, it's merely very good.

Exterior: 3.5/5

Audi's S8 is very big, and very imposing. Getting back to that 'bigger is better' ethos, there's not many cars built outside of Germany that can match the way the S8 sits on the road. Even if the huge 20-inch alloy wheels and V10 badging don't scare you, the front end with its subtly sporty apron that quietly but sincerely whispers "I'll hurt you" just might. 

The massive single frame grille festooned with chrome mimics a giant metallic mount, while the combination LED and adaptive xenon headlights give the car's face a technical edge. The car is based on the A8 model, and many passers by will probably think it's just that. It has an ability to fade away into the crowd of cars on the highway at normal speeds, but it's one scary looking car when you see it your rear view mirror approaching at warp speed. Which it does with alarming ease.

From the side, the S8 is distinguished by its long bonnet, gigantic 7-spoke 20-inch alloy wheels, deep side skirts and small V10 badges. The Audi's profile is made sporty by the lower stance and large wheels that almost completely fill out the large wheel arches, and the slim-ish window line gives over much surface area to metal, providing the car with a very solid, very stocky look and feel.

At the rear the only giveaway that the S8 is carries an exotic engine of mass acceleration are the quad exhaust outlets. Other than the acoustic quartet, there's no rear diffuser, no overbearing rear wing, no vortex generator on the roof. Just the four ringed Audi badge, LED brakes light clusters and a small S8 badge.

Our silvery-gold coloured S8 looked quite nice on the road, but for some reason we had an inordinate amount of people cutting us off in traffic. Cylinder envy?

It certainly didn't turn as many heads as I had been expecting, but when you look at the car from more than a dozen yards it's hard to pick it from any other large German luxo cruiser. Until you get up close and identify the badges, catch sight of the large wheels, or see the profusion of exhaust pipes, it does tend to blend into the crowd. But at the end of the day, that's pretty much what Audi was aiming for: mission accomplished.

Interior: 4/5

The Audi S8 is a showcase of automotive technology - the sports adaptive suspension, the hard-charging FSI engine, and yes, even the interior is hard to fault. This is a pretty special car, and you feel pretty special driving it, but you'd want to hope so when forking out more than 250 large. 

Before we go any further I can reveal that the interior score would have been slightly higher, were it not for a few choice omissions. 

The S8 is a luxury German car, and befitting such a title it gets plenty of bells and whistles, yet misses out on radar-based adaptive cruise control, a reversing camera, quad-zone climate control, plus there's no massage function or DVD entertainment system for the rear seats. These features should be par for the course on a car of such prestige, as they are some Lexus and BMW models, but instead these items are cost options and will take the price to around $300,000 when you factor them all in. But it's got a V10. Have I mentioned that yet? 

The standard features list is by no means weak, starting with soft Valcona leather upholstery throughout, a finger-print security system and one-touch engine starter, plus a premium 14-speaker Bang & Olufsen stereo with 1100 watts of audio power. The stereo is very classy piece of kit with pop-up front tweeters and a dynamic noise compensation system where you can focus the sound on the driver, or the passengers and other areas. In plain stereo system terms, it has impressive clarity with virtually no distortion at all and is easily the best standard car audio system I've tested.

There's an electro chromatic (auto-dimming) rear view mirror, climate control air-conditioning, and a multipurpose dash-mounted flip-out LCD screen with TV, DVD satellite navigation and MMI-based applications. The MMI (multimedia interface) is a fairly easy-to-use system, controlled by a large dial below the gear shifter and because there's no traditional hand brake - it's an electronic button-operated system - there's plenty of room for extra 'quick menu' buttons. These allow users to instantly jump to different menus in the MMI, such as the sports adaptive suspension system, or the TV, or the CD changer menus.

Other standard features include the 3-spoke multifunction leather sports steering with gear shift paddles and electric height and reach adjustment, plus there's a large centre armrest to help you relax, within which resides a hands-free dual-band/GSM car telephone, with cordless handset. You can put your own SIM card in this and use it as your main phone through the car systems. There's also a neat voice-activated system that's initiated from a button on the steering wheel. And it works!

Push the button and then state "navigation" or "CD" and you can switch through the cars various systems without taking your hands off the wheel - or even moving your fingers. As well as a 500 litre boot - ample room for most golfing needs - the front seats are not only supremely comfortable, but also easily configured thanks to the 14-way adjustable electric cushions. I found the lateral support in the front seats to be a little lacking, particularly as the S8 is more than capable of generating very respectable corner speeds, but on the whole the big leather pews provide good support and excellent comfort.

Audi has always been considered one of the safer global car makers, and the S8 does nothing to tarnish this reputation. Beginning with the interior, there's active front head restraints and 10 airbags in total, with six covering the front occupants and four covering the rear passengers. ESP makes a strong showing, and coupled with the quattro AWD system and grippy 20-inch tyres you can be sure that the S8 will always stick to the road, and there's also EDL, which stands for electronic differential lock, and a tyre pressure monitoring system. 

Another important safety feature is the frame of the car, which as I mentioned in the Drive section is a highly rigid network of aluminium beams that as well as making the car more responsive to steering input also provides a strong safety cell that protects passengers in the event of a collision with a solid object. It's a well built and very large car and when you drive it there's a sense of safety and protection that seams to pervade the vehicle.

There is also a sunroof that comes as standard (but the solar sunroof is a cost option), and at the end of the day the interior of the S8 lives up to expectations. It may not have adaptive cruise control or some of the other über-luxury fittings, but that's not to say it doesn't impress. The feel you get sitting in the drivers' seat and being in the cockpit is a mixture of dignity, luxury, and performance.

Overall: 4/5

The S8 was launched in Australia late in 2006, and is part of Audi Australia's rapidly expanding vehicle range. The German luxury car maker has seen solid global growth in its new cars in the last two years, but Australia has exceeded all expectations, with sales up a whopping 41 per cent for the first quarter of 2007 compared to 2006. 

As such, you'd think BMW and Mercedes-Benz - whose growth hasn't been quite as lofty - would be doing everything humanly possible to stymie Audi's increasing market share.

Yet neither BMW or Mercedes-Benz have a car to compete in this category at this price in Australia. The S8 - while indubitably costly - is without direct rivals. It's got a niche market seemingly all to itself. For instance, the $232,500 BMW 750i comes close in price, but doesn't offer a 10-cylinder engine and can't match the S8 in performance terms. BMW does have a 12-cylinder 760Li that is closer in terms of raw power and performance, but it costs $346,000, which significantly more than the S8's $259,900.

And what about Mercedes; surely it's got all bases covered? Not quite. The S 500 is closest in price to the Audi S8 but only makes 285kW compared to the Audi's 331kW, and as such it can't match it terms of performance and dynamics, which is often how these modern cars are categorised. Mercedes' 5.5-litre S 500 model costs $253,900, and the next model up, the S 600L - while quicker thanks to its twin turbo V12 engine - costs $363,900 which is another hundred thousand above the S8.

This is one reason to like the S8. Compared to its rivals it offers a very good deal in monetary terms, but it's also got a great name. The Audi S8. Four syllables, no fuss. Forget your Subaru Impreza WRX STI 22B - takes too long to say. Another reason I personally like this car is build quality. It's feels bulletproof. We thrashed it senseless for days and its nonchalant attitude didn't waver. Save for the whining of the power steering pump when you crank the wheels to full lock when slow speed parking, there was nary a rattle nor squeak from the car.

And it's got a V10. Have I mentioned that yet? With a subdued and somewhat synthesised rumble, the engine makes noises that made this road tester grin like an idiot almost every time. It's an addictive engine on two fronts - audibly and physically. When you stick the boot in, the S8 is thrust forwards with so such subdued force it's eerie.

The S8 is very accomplished in many respects. It's roomy, powerful, exclusive, and has an all-important luxury German badge. If you subscribe to the philosophy of 'bigger is better' the S8 has your name written all over it.