Audi A8: New Look, New Engine

Motoring Channel Staff - 8/August/2007

Ingolstadt, Germany — Audi has just launched its new mid-life update for the Audi A8, which involves a restyled front end, a new 2.8-litre V6 engine, and things like a lane-change warning system.

Audi says the new model offers the sportiest performance of any luxury-class saloon, but has worked hard to keep emissions down by offering a new engine type. 

The new A8 2.8 FSI has 280Nm of torque for strong performance excellent driving comfort, but also offers fuel consumption of 8.3L/100 km and just 199 g/km of CO2 output - some of the lowest figures in its class.

2.8-litre V6

Outputting 154kW (210hp) and delivers maximum torque of 280 Newton metres over the broad rev band of 3000 to 5000rpm, the Audi A8 2.8 FSI can accelerate from zero to 100km/h in 8.0 seconds and has a maximum speed of 238km/h.

It's above average performance is largely due to the cars low weight, just 1,690kg. This is due to the vehicle's lightweight aluminium design which is based on Audi Space Frame (ASF) technology.

The new 6-cylinder engine also gets a nice new feature, a valvelift system. This new technology adjusts the valve lift, varying it between two levels by using sliding cam units mounted on the intake camshaft, which are moved by an electronic control mechanism.

The new A8 2.8 FSI is equipped with front wheel drive and the multitronic continuously variable transmission (CVT). One of our road testers sampled the front-wheel drive layout with the CVT in the Audi A6 2.0 TFSI earlier in the year and reported that the system works very well, giving the car seamless and smooth 'unstepped' acceleration. 

Audi explains that the new A8 model series features major advancements across the range, which includes the top models Audi A8 W12 and Audi S8 (tested here), and offers a new driving feel whilst building on traditional strengths.

Improved Comfort

While Audi has made some major changes to the new model, including adding a new engine type and the restyling of the front end, it has also made minor changes that will improve the cars road manners and ease of use.

More direct steering and re-engineered running gear have produced even more exact handling explains Audi, while the large luxury limousine's overall travelling comfort has also been enhanced by the modified adaptive air suspension and extensive improvements to noise insulation.

To underscore the unique character of its luxury saloon, Audi has confirmed the rack-and-pinion steering has been optimised and engineered for a more direct feel. Furthermore, the steering also benefits from a variable steering ratio and servotronic speed-dependent power assistance for improved ease of use.

The air suspension has also been tweaked: the dampers, supports and tuning of the adaptive air suspension have all been revised. As a result, the A8 shows an even more spontaneous response to steering input, tightly follows winding country roads and effortlessly maintains a smooth straight line at high speeds according to Audi.

The standard-specification adaptive air suspension is now even more sensitive in responding to fine bumps claims Audi, because the electronically controlled variable dampers are now fitted with new seals to reduce friction. These are combined with new valves that have optimised characteristic curves, and the entire hydraulics have also been retuned. 

In short, the A8 offers a smoother ride when the suspension is set to 'comfort', by absorbing more bumps in the road. With the addition of an insulation package to reduce rolling noise and road noise, the luxury saloon from Audi offers outstanding comfort.

Even the complete acoustics of the A8 have been optimised with the use of innovative materials – after all, Audi approaches noise insulation as a component of its intelligent lightweight construction. The result: without gaining weight, the Audi A8 achieves the lowest rolling, road and ambient noise levels in its class.

Updated Exterior Design

The clear and progressive design idiom of the Audi A8 stands out for its timeless quality. The exterior design has thus only been accentuated at carefully chosen points – from the modified single-frame grille and new exterior mirrors with integrated turn signals to the new wheel designs and LED tail lights with their innovative night design. 

To complete the range, the A8 is available in new paint finishes and with sophisticated aluminium trim inserts plus new interior colour schemes and inlays. You won't need an aftermarket tuner to customise one of these vehicles.

Improved Driving Aids

To enhance comfort and combat driver fatigue on long journeys, the new Audi A8 makes use of intelligent radar technology, called side assist. The system is especially designed for lane-changing manoeuvres and warns the driver of dangerous situations: whenever there is another vehicle in the critical zone, a yellow LED display in the exterior mirror lights up and remains on.

If the driver of the A8 activates the indicator to change lane even though the warning display is lit up, the LEDs become brighter and flash more quickly at shorter intervals. Audi says this signal is almost impossible to miss as the peripheral vision of the human eye is extremely sensitive to changes in contrast.

Audi lane assist warns the driver to prevent an unintentional departure from the lane. A small camera positioned above the interior mirror on the windscreen observes the road ahead of the car and a high-speed computer detects the lane marking lines. If the driver moves towards one of these lines without indicating, Audi lane assist makes the driver aware of this by a vibration in the steering wheel.

In Germany the Audi A8 2.8 FSI with its extensive standard equipment starts at €61,900 (A$99,301).

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