The upgraded Audi A8.
06-02-2022 14:19 - CAR NEWS
The base of the single-frame grille has become wider, and its grille is adorned with chrome-plated brackets that get larger and larger from bottom to top. The side air inlets are arranged more upright and have been redesigned, as have the headlights, whose lower end creates a striking contour in the outer area. All in all, the newly designed and precisely orchestrated design elements in the front area significantly increase the presence and sovereignty of the A8 and sharpen the profile of the brand's top model.
The progressive character of the luxury sedan is particularly striking when viewed from the side. The roof dome runs flat. Stretched lines in the body emphasize the length of the car, wide wheel arches indicate the standard quattro drive. In all model variants, the sill area is shaped as a groove, with a blade closing it off towards the road. Wide chrome clasps, a customizable signature of the tail light with digital OLEDs and a continuous, segmented light strip dominate at the rear. The diffuser insert in the bumper is finely accentuated and redesigned with horizontal bars.
Around 40 driver assistance systems are available in the revised Audi A8. Some of them – including the safety systems Audi pre sense basic and Audi pre sense front – come as standard, while the optional equipment is clustered in the “Parking”, “City” and “Tour” packages. The assistance package plus combines the packages. Features such as the night vision assistant and the area cameras are available individually. The highlight of the "Parking" package is the remote parking assistant plus : It can automatically drive the large sedan into and out of parallel and end-on parking spaces. Drivers don't even have to sit in the car.
With five engines, the upgraded Audi A8 offers customers a wide range of drives. From the V6 TFSI and V6 TDI engine, each with a displacement of three liters, to the TFSI e plug-in hybrid drive, which combines the V6 TFSI engine and electric motor, to the 4.0 TFSI engine. It distributes its displacement of four liters across eight cylinders in a V arrangement and is equipped with cylinder on demand technology .
The 3.0 TFSI drives the Audi A8 55 TFSI quattro and the A8 L 55 TFSI quattro with 250 kW (340 hp). A variant with 210 kW (286 hp) is available for China. From 1,370 to 4,500 revolutions, it applies 500 Nm of torque to the crankshaft. From a standstill, 100 km/h is reached in 5.6 seconds (L model: 5.7 seconds).
In the version for the A8 models, the 4.0 TFSI develops 338 kW (460 hp) and 660 Nm of torque, which are available between 1,850 and 4,500 rpm. They result in very sporty driving performance: the A8 60 TFSI quattro and the A8 L 60 TFSI quattro all sprint from zero to 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds. A highlight of the V8 is the cylinder on demand (COD) system, which temporarily switches off four cylinders when driving in a moderate manner.
The 3.0 TDI works in the Audi A8 50 TDI quattro and in the A8 L 50 TDI quattro The unit has an output of 210 kW (286 hp) and 600 Nm of torque. The diesel engine accelerates the A8 and A8 L from zero to 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds and further to the electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h, which is the same for all A8 models.
The Audi A8 60 TFSI e quattro and the A8 L 60 TFSI e quattro are the plug-in hybrid models (PHEV) in the series. A compact electric motor supports the 3.0 TFSI. The lithium-ion battery in the rear can now store 14.4 kWh net (17.9 kWh gross) of energy. With a system output of 340 kW (462 hp) and a system torque of 700 Nm, the Audi A8 60 TFSI e quattro accelerates from a standing start to 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds (A8 and A8 L).
The drivers of the plug-in hybrid model can choose between four driving modes. "EV" stands for purely electric driving, "Hybrid" for the efficient combination of both types of drive, "Hold" for the conservation of the existing electrical energy. In “Charge” mode, the combustion engine charges the battery. When charging via cable, the maximum charging power with alternating current is 7.4 kW. In the garage at home, customers can use the compact e-tron charging system for this purpose, and the mode 3 cable on the go.