2012 Audi A8 Verdict

Long Term:

The Thinking Person's Luxury Sedan

By Angus MacKenzie | Photos By Motor Trend Staff | From the April 2013 issue of Motor Trend  |  

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It's sobering to realize you've been in the business long enough to have run two different generations of the same car as long-term testers. As editor-in-chief of Britain's CAR magazine, I put more than 20,000 miles on a D3 Audi A8. Eight years later, I've just handed back the keys to the 2012 D4 that's been my daily driver for the past 12 months. I liked that D3, with 20-inch wheels and a 4.0-liter twin-turbo diesel V-8 under the hood,a lot. But I must say that parting with the D4 has been an even sweeter sorrow. My gripes with the D3 were its numb steering and arthritic ride. The D4's steering is a lot more precise, though there's still a remoteness to the conversation with the front tires. (A coming upgrade to the electromechanical steering system should help.) The ride, however, is in another league: Even with the shocks set in sport mode, there's an oily nuance to the body motions that the previous generation car lacked. I ordered the $ 79,625 standard wheelbase model because I liked the proportions, didn't need the extra rear legroom of the LWB version, and wanted more agile handling. Among the $ 21,365 worth of extras I added was the $ 5900 Sport Package, which gave me a sports rear differential, 20-inch five-spoke wheels and summer tires, adaptive air suspension, and sport dynamic steering. The idea was to create a stealth sport sedan -- something that was quiet and comfortable after a hard day in the office, yet quick and entertaining in the twisty bits. After a hugely enjoyable 1300-mile run to Seattle over Thanksgiving, hugging the serpentine Pacific Coast most of the way, I think it worked.

Poised, elegant, understated. The thinking person's alternative to an S-Class or a 7 Series.

One year on, I'm still not a fan of the monstrous, glittery grille -- I think it overwhelms the otherwise beautifully tailored exterior -- but the gorgeously tasteful interior raised a smile every time I slid behind the wheel. No automaker this side of Rolls-Royce or Bentley mixes and matches colors and materials with as much flair as Audi. Spending $ 6300 on the Bang & Olufsen Advanced Sound System was an indulgence, but I do like my music when I'm driving; I usually reach for my iPod and my radar detector, in that order, as I'm heading out the door on a road trip. Audi's MMI system made switching among audio sources a breeze, though searching for an album in my 7000-song iPod library wasn't as intuitive as it should have been. Setting up the Bluetooth connection to my iPhone was simple, however, and the hands-free dialing and talk functions worked perfectly. The A8 comes standard with Audi Connect, which enables Google satellite imagery on the sat-nav screen, lets you use Google Search on the go, and sets your car up as a mobile hotspot. A six-month subscription is complimentary, but after that you'll pay $ 324 for a one-year subscription You'll wonder how you ever lived without it. Running costs were minimal. All services were covered under warranty, and apart from a mandated ECM upgrade at the 5000-mile service to improve transmission shift quality during cold running, nothing needed replacing. Overall fuel consumption was 18.7 mpg, pretty reasonable for a 4402-pound, all-wheel-drive luxury sedan. Loping along the Interstate in eighth gear, the big Audi had no problem returning 23-25 mpg. Around town, in stop-start traffic, 13-15 mpg was the norm. Unfortunately, the car incurred $ 10,000 worth of damage when an unseen concrete block destroyed the right front wheel and crushed the lower front fender and sill panel. Mea culpa. A few months later, the left rear quarter panel and rear door were dinged by a drunk driver in a Neon. The all-aluminum body means the A8 can't be taken to just any body shop -- there currently are 38 Audi-certified shops in the nation, with plans to add more -- but in both cases the car returned from Audi's specialist repairer looking as good as new. Audi's full-size luxo-cruiser has come a long way since the bland, understeering V8 launched back in 1988. Though sales are still only a fraction of the segment-leading S-Class', the A8 is a worthy alternative, especially as Ingolstadt now offers a choice of engines -- 3.0-liter twin-turbo V-6 or a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 -- for 2013 models. If you don't want to follow the herd, and want an accomplished, elegant, and understated luxury car, the Audi A8 is a compelling proposition.

Our Car
Service Life	12 mo/17,641 mi
Base Price	$ 79,625
Options	Bang & Olufsen Sound System ($ 6300), Sport package ($ 5900: adaptive sport air suspension, 20-inch wheels w/summer tires, Audi adaptive air suspension, sport dynamic steering); Driver Assistance Package ($ 3000: adaptive cruise control, lane assist, side assist), Convenience Package ($ 2900: keyless entry, power trunk, parking system), LED Headlights ($ 1600), Solar Sunroof ($ 790)
Price as tested	$ 100,115
EPA City/ Hwy/Comb Fuel Econ	18/28/21 mpg
Average Fuel Econ	18.7 mpg
Avg fuel economy	18.7 mpg
Problem areas	None
Maintenance cost	$ 0 (2-oil change, inspection)
Normal-wear cost	$ 0
3-year residual value*	$ 46,296
Recalls	None
*Automotive Lease Guide data

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