George is the only town in South Africa where the old-style car registration plate accurately described it – where the CAW stood for ‘cold and wet’. However, for non-golfers and petrolheads it is a singularly important place as it provides the start point for some of the most glorious driving roads the country has to offer.
Audi – wisely – chose this as the venue for the launch of its all-new A8 but after some vigorous motoring up the Montegue Pass and back down via Robinsons Pass, my driving partner for the day and I remarked we could not remember a single corner on either pass.
Analysing this a bit further, we both agreed had we done the same route and at the same pace in a full-blown sports car such as Honda’s exquisite S2000 we probably would have scared ourselves once or twice – the same in a ‘lemon’ and we would have been terrified.
So, the question begged is whether a car can just be too good?
The new A8 is longer and wider than its predecessor although, at first glance, it does not appear markedly different to the outgoing car. A second – and closer look – reveals a raft of fine-tuning to the exterior styling that gives the car more presence and an understated new level of elegance.
The Audi A8 glides quietly through the wind. The V8 4.2 FSI version – more derivatives to follow in 2011 – has a drag coefficient of 0,26, with the frontal area measuring 2,41 m2. Laborious fine tuning reduced the drag coefficient compared to the previous model sufficiently to offset the increase in size. Low lift coefficients at the front and rear axles ensure confident stability at highway speeds.
Audi design is always fascinating in its complex intelligence. With the Audi A8, the designers have refined the elements typical of the brand and brought them into an exciting balance. The result is an automotive personality with a strong presence – a flagship that represents the brand and its values at the highest level.
The original A8 was ‘ revolutionary’ in the use of aluminium for the bodywork. Now more commonplace and accepted the new A8 takes the technology even further and the low weight of 231 kilograms is a key factor of the high driving dynamics and exemplary efficiency of the Audi A8. In steel, the body would weigh approximately 40% more. Including the standard quattro all-wheel drive system, the Audi A8 4.2 FSI weighs in at only 1 835 kilograms, well less than its competitors.
The ASF (Aluminium Space Frame) body has been stiffened by 25% in comparison to its predecessor.
The interior of the Audi A8 is wider, airier and more open than its predecessor, built around the ‘wrap-around’ – a wide arch spanning the entire cabin. It integrates both the rear shelf and the instrument panel. The ‘wrap-around’ forms a beltline as on a yacht.
The large curve integrates the instrument panel that begins well below the base of the windshield and angles slightly downward toward the seats. Although the seats in the Audi A8 are mounted low, most drivers can see the entire hood thanks to the low front end.
The standard high resolution driver information system (DIS) has an all new layout. The display located in the centre of the driver’s field of view between the instrument dials grew 40% and the main menu bar with tabs for vehicle functions, audio, telephone and navigation is permanently displayed here.
Every new Audi A8 comes equipped with shift paddles for the new eight-speed Tiptronic transmission mounted directly behind the steering wheel spokes.
Since its debut in 2002, the Multi Media Interface has evolved and this A8 features the third-generation MMI, which features a laptop style touchpad. To enter a destination or even a phone number, you simply draw the letters or numbers on the touch-sensitive control panel with the index finger of your left hand.
The comfort seats offer 22 adjustment parameters to match the seat to your body. The inclination of the head of the backrest, the depth of the seat cushion, the inclination and height of the headrest – which is equipped with side bolsters that can also be adjusted – and the width of the seat and the backrest can all be finely adjusted here. Like the four-way lumbar support, this latter function is pneumatic. Front seat heating and ventilation is standard on the Audi A8 4.2 FSI.
The Audi A8 offers 510 litres of luggage space, 10 litres more than in the previous model. However, should a full-size spare wheel be specified, be prepared to lose a bit of that boot space.
The 4,2-litre FSI draws 273 kW of power from a 4 163 cm3 displacement, generating a maximum of 445 Nm torque at 3 500 r/min. It accelerates the Audi A8 from zero to 100 km/h in 5,7 seconds on its way to an electronically governed top speed of 250 km/h. Audi claims 9,5 litres/100 km – a reduction of 1,4 litres or 13% compared to the previous model despite a 16 kW increase in power. The CO2 emission rate is 219 g/km.
Like all of the engines in the Audi A8, the 4.2 FSI is a long-stroke model with a 90 degree cylinder angle and a cylinder spacing of 90 millimetres. A two-stage chain drive, placed at the back of the engine to save space, drives the four camshafts, which can be continuously moved through 40 degrees of crankshaft rotation to ideally fill the combustion chambers. A fourth, particularly quiet running chain drives the ancillaries.
The eight-speed Tiptronic transmission is a torque converter transmission that has been newly developed from the ground up. Its key strength lies in the high overall gear ratio of 7.0:1 between the shortest and longest gear ratio.
The new transmission reduces fuel consumption by roughly 6% over the six-speed Tiptronic in the previous model. Its eight speeds keep the jumps in engine speed between gears low, and the engine always runs in the vicinity of its ideal operating point.
All Audi A8 versions leave the factory with servotronic power steering, which adapts its power assist to the speed being driven to further enhance both comfort and the sporty character. The steering is precise in all situations while at the same time communicating finely differentiated feedback from the road.
The Audi A8 comes standard with the comfortable adaptive air suspension. When integrated into the Audi drive select system, this combines a high-end air suspension with controlled damping.
It goes without saying the safety and driver aid systems in the car are extensive, really extensive. The full detail and operation of all of these could be the subject of a book that would make ‘War and Peace’ look like a brochure.
Boringly technical to describe, they need to be felt and experienced and our introductory drive simply did not allow anywhere near enough time to appreciate them all, or to do what we do best – play!
For example – the radar-aided automatic proximity control system, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, regulates the speed and the distance to the vehicle ahead by accelerating and braking in a speed range from 0 to 250 km/h, and brakes automatically within certain limits. It brings the Audi A8 to a stop roughly four metres behind the vehicle ahead with no intervention on the part of the driver.
Also debuting in the Audi A8 is the night vision assistant, which is activated via a button at the light switch. As a far infrared system (FIR), the camera reacts to the heat radiated by objects. A computer transforms the information from the camera into black-and-white images and displays them on the central display located between the instruments. The view continuously tracks the road and the course of the Audi A8.
The image processing software can detect persons at a range of 100 metres for even greater safety. When analyzing the data, it specifically seeks out human contours and objects that are bright and round – their heads. If the control unit assumes a hazard because a person is walking on the road close to the car, for example, the person is highlighted in red and a warning gong sounds.
So, back to the question – can a car be too good? The answer, sadly, is yes. While I am all in favour of safer cars and safer roads, the massive levels of driver assistance available in this car (and from other manufacturers) has the potential to create a new generation of even more appalling drivers – people so convinced the car will simply handle anything, they forget physics will actually win in the end.
Our first drive was totally unremarkable because the car was so good. Always poised, always serene it handled what we we were asking with no tyre squealing, no body roll, no nervous moments – and that is the point at which blind overconfidence steps in!
| Price |
|
| A8 4.2 FSI quattro Tiptronic | R1 096 000 |
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