If you watch Extra! every night, this is what you think the luxury lifestyle is about. For the self-absorbed starlets of Hollywood, it is. For the rest of us, true luxury is about understatement, not ostentation. It's about appreciating the finer things in life, going about your business quietly, and conducting yourself with dignity, class and elegance. For this kind of life, the Audi A8 is a perfect conveyance. Unfortunately, luxury is also about simplicity, and the A8 is, at times, dangerously complex.
Audi lent us a 2007 A8, the short-wheelbase model instead of the extended A8 L version. Our Quartz Gray Metallic test sample cost $69,620 including the $720 destination charge, a fair sum for a 350-horsepower luxury sedan with all-wheel drive and a gorgeous Amaretto interior. Though expensive, we highly recommend the $6,300 Bang & Olufsen audio system, the $4,000 sport package with adaptive air suspension and 20-inch wheels (our car wore winter rubber on smaller 19-inch rims), and the $1,500 Alcantara Package. Other goodies included the $4,000 premium package, $600 for dual-zone rear seat climate control, and $550 for Sirius satellite radio for a total of $86,970.
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