Does the Audi A8L have the most sumptuous interior this side of a Maybach?

The Audi A8 does have an awesome interior. The S8 is even better, it was tested by Road & Track recently and got 0-60 in 4.7 seconds.

BTW, I SAW a Maybach today.

Yes, the Audi is super nice. Although is out of my price range, the Maybach is really nice. But I just don't see it as being that practical. I would choose the Audi over the Maybach. That may sound crazy, but it seems to be just "too much". Who needs that much elegance?

Chewy, is it possible for you to post a link to that Road & Track article where they tested the Audi S8 going from 0-60 in 4.7 seconds?

No, the article is not on the site yet. But when the issue goes up, I will do a write up on the RS4 and the S8 tested in the August issue. The S8 was only .4 slower at 0-60 and .3 and 1 mph slower in the 1/4 mile.

The Maybach that I saw today, was silver on silver on the outside and looked a little "bland". Nothing over the top.

The new 2009 A8L's interior will make the S550 look and feel obsolete in terms of ergonomics, fit & finish, layout and materials quality. So basically, the A8L will once again be superior in interior design. The current A8L interior is already better than the redesigned S-class interior which makes a huge statement for Audi in terms of its title as leader of interior design.

I think the Maybach and the A8 appeal to two different market segments. The Maybach is more old money and chauffer me around types. The A8 is for newer money or old money that likes to drive.

I absolutely agree with Germanut that Audi makes by far the best interior this side of a Maybach. From the look and feel of the materials to Ergonomics, craftmanship, and simply the way the controls feel and operate, it creates a tremendous experience. My understanding is that Haptics is a big component of Audi's interior design. I have a feeling the competition use robots to test their interiors which may explain why they are so far behind that catching up for now looks impossible. Benz has good quality materials, but the interior is very cold with no style or Panache. Definitely not sexy.. BMW is even in worse shape than Benz, decent materials but very boring and flat with sometimes strange controls. Here's some homework, find an A8 with the Amaretto interior, and I guarantee you'll be hard pressed to find anything the Bentley or Rolls does better.. I really can't wait to see how Audi will improve on their current interiors when a new A8 model surfaces

GermanNut if you ask me, the S-Class out now makes the A8's interior look not up to par. While Audi interiors are some of the best in the buisness, they still don't offer nearly as much standard leather as a Benz, or wood for that matter.

Yes Mercedes might have copied BMW with the new S-Class interior, but they made it look the way it should look...Very expensive! Actually the real truth of it is, both the new S-Class and the A8L wouldn't be what they are today if BMW hadn't raised the bar so high, with the introduction of the new 7-series in 2002.

Another thing about the Audi A8 is it lacks the personality of a BMW 7-Series or Mercedes S-Class. You notice the 7-series and the new S-Class on the road, and when you do notice them, you know that's the company's flagship model. If you notice the A8, and I say IF you notice it...To the average eye it's just another Audi.

I think the new S has the best interior.

Munich Rob, I agree that all of the aforementioned manufacturers and the consumer have benefited from the competition, but from your comments, you're ostensibly someone that reads lots of car mags but have never actually owned any of these cars. Having driven multiple generations of all three and owned two, I have to disagree with your statement. Drive behind an A8 and watch it change lanes or see one parked, you'll realize what character, elegance, class and presence is all about. Just the way the blinkers work is special. You notice the BMW the same you notice a 1,000lb cheerleader, the bangle butt attracts your attention, but doesn't imply that its attractive. As for the Benz, the new model is actually an improvement from the slightly cleaned up matchbox former model, but having more square feet of wood or leather does not equal beauty. Envision covering the interior of a car completely in only wood (yes completely) or only leather and you'd get the picture. Its not a quantity thing, its the quality of each material, how its chosen and used in unison with other high quality materials: that's what creates beauty..its the combo dude, and Audi does this execptionally well. Also, I don't believe Benz copied the BMW interior as that would mean they are now further lowering their no longer lofty (since the early 90s) interior standards. Of all Luxury car makers, BMW actually makes the least inspiring interiors.

The Audi A8 was introduced as a new model in 2001. It's interior is still better looking and the materials are still better than a 2007 completely redesigned Mercedes-Benz S550.

If you opt for the exclusive interior package or Amaretto color for your interior you truly will be experiencing an interior known as utter perfection for a car less than $300K.

GermanNut

The current Audi A8 was released in 2004.....not 2001.

In my opinion......the Benz has the better interior.

How can you sit there and say the next audi will be better then this and better then that... have you even seen it yet.... nope.... for all we no bmw will deliver somehting much better in there next 7 series. ive also been inside a rolls royce and believe me nothing can compare to the beauty and class of a rolls interior...... Audi 50 generations behind compared to the roller...

Well said TheGenius...Your right, i do read alot of car mag's, but i also own a BMW 650i, owned an M5, and have driven both a 745i (I can just imagine how could the new 750i must be)& A8L. So I do, and have owned car's in this price range and know what character, elegance, performance, and class is all about.

That said I'd have to disagree with you on a A8 being a better drive than the 7-series. The A8 lacks the power of the BMW and great overall feel. While it might look better on the inside than the 7, it's exterior has nowhere near the same presence, and the rear design of the new 750 works great.

The A8's classy, but bland, and if your talking about classy, Mercedes interior's are all about having that classy expensive feel.

While the A6 is at the top of it's class, the A8 is at the bottom of it's.

plano, maybach isn't old money. it's new, bloated money. i really don't like that car, it's so ugly, and doesn't have half the features of the new s. a maybach is for simon cowell and japanese business men.
munichrob, the a8 is way better than the seven series and the ls. thegenius, i agree completely with you. the a8 is like m-b of 30 years ago.
a maybach is horrible, i would rather have an a8, 7 series or s class instead of it. it isn't elegant, its clumsy, and unless you pick the right colour (which is black) it looks fat, bloated and dull.

MunichRob _ I guess you must be talking about the 2006 A8 and not the S8 or 2007 A8 because they both have great power. The 745 had less power and looked like crap so BMW quickly did a redesign and upgrade in the power to compete. The 2007 FSI is a great driving A8 and the S8 is in a whole nother class then the BMW.

AussieBimmerRep - there is no reply to that crap. Keep buying your BMWs if you can even buy a 318. Oh you are going to tell me you own a 750 and a 750 and a M5 right?

The fast is that the 750 A8 and S Class buyer always wants the latest greatest car. The S Class is doing well because it is the newest and has all the bells and crap on it. The new 7whatever will be able to fly 3 inches off the ground and have a toster oven in the trunk. I have heard that the new 2010 A8 will have a escape pod that will eject nanoseconds before an accident and have a toilet built into the seat for the long drives.

PS i love the A8 but i wish Audi would just come out with a 390 hp engine or something like that and stop with the 10 hp leapfrog game that BMW, MB and Audi are playing right now. The interior with the Alcantera headligner, Amareto interior, full leather dash, and the B & O Sound system make interior just amaizing.

I guess the 90k or so of the S8 450 hp is just in the range of the 750 S Class (not that much more $) wow that car sounds nice and drives like a dream!!!!

to IamEvilHomer... no i dont my old man drives a 750li a lovely car and his work car for 6 months was a M5 that i drove around quite a bit because well its a M5 what more needs to be said. By the way my next door neighbour drives a A8 and yes lovely i love the interior beautiful and ambient but i dont like the lcd screen for the nav i much prefer BMW and well merc copyed there idea... I now this is my opinion that the audi wuld be completely awesome if it was just a little more sporty had a more dynamic touch to it it all seems to old school. Bmw yer alrite in black is boring as shit but ours is beigeish with individual touches and its really quite lovely doesnt quite have the ambience as a audi but it does have that dynamic touch that the ausis missing... i think it all comes down to everybodys difference opinions and preferences...

iamevilhomer: re flying 7 series and toaster...don't give them ideas like that! you can already get a fridge! soon a microwave, a toaster, a hob, an oven, and eventually a giant hot plate to sear fish on. then m-b will fit a water tank into the floor so you can have a foot bath....then the a8 will have a full hydrotherapy centre. etc etc. i think a maybachs
quality of materials is very high, the rugs are v thick, but the dashboard is too 1990, not enough gadgets and no litte "idrive" dial in the back so the person can change their climate control settings and do the radio etc.
i honestly like the last gen 7 series more than the new one. the interior is just...better. i don't know if it's the colour scheme but i love this car. http://www.oakrivercars.com/cars/X408%20GGX/X408%20GGX.htm

ps i love your name

natefate, the a8 was released in 2001. it was facelifted in 2004 and got the new grill. and the w12

I dont even know where to begin, except are you saying that the Audi A8 is a better performance car than the BMW 7-series. How so? It is slower, smaller & doesnt handle nearly as well. I disagree with the Audi A8 as being the best interior too. The set up is out dated and the wood and leather doesnt have that same opulent feel that the Mercedes or BMW have. Audi A8 will Never be regarded as a car " that someone has always wanted". Especially, not as long as VW continues to build the " people car " replica in the Phaeton. Speaking of that car what is VW thinking about the possibility of keeping the production going on that car. The other factor that hurts the Audi is Resale value. There is none on the Audi A8. Something to think about ..... If you had $ 85k to spend on a High-Luxury sedan, I bet that Mercedes, BMW & Lexus are the first cars that come to mind ......... Jaguar & Audi are the niche cars ...

BMW4me4ever: good point, Audi's esp. the A8's depreciate like crazy.

This article and title is plain crap.
Audi A8's interior VS Maybach's interior.
That's a whole different world.

R U serious spies?

That's stupid.U can't even compare their rims or tires with each other.

I think (Maybach excluded) Lexus has the best interior followed by Audi,then MB & Acura tied and then BMW.

JUGNU

an a8 is a car i've always wanted. don't forget it's only america that thinks audi isn't premium, the a8 has way better resale values than the 7 series here. in fact audis hold their value better than bmw in general.
slower? the s8 and 6.0 get to 62 in 4.9 and 5.0 seconds respectivly. bmw doesn't have an s8 rival, and the 760 takes 5.4 seconds to reach 62.
smaller? only in height (by 0.5 cm) and width (by 3 cm) it is longer (comparing lwb to lwb) by 1.2 cm.
again, it is only america that thinks audi is inferior, the rest of the world thinks audi is a premium brand, most definitely not niche. lexus is, lexus has no class or heritage, and is a souless box in which to transport people. i agree the phaeton was a mistake, vw think so too, but the a8 is a great car, and if i was in the market for such a car, it would be s-class (because its new), a8 (because it looks good and has a good image), 7 series (it's an expensive bmw, it can't be bad), jaguar xj (fast, comfortable), a bus, cycling, walking, a lexus ls.
the americans can't complain that "audi is a rebadged vw" and then go out and buy lexi, since they have far more links with toyota, as lexus was never an independent company it was always toyota owned.

sorry natefate, the a8 was in 2003, not 2001, so you were closer.

Rupert - the A8 was a ground up new car in 2004. I have sold Audi for 15 years I should know. I was in Vegas in 2003 with the new frame in my hand. The 2001 was a facelift for a car that was 10 years old in 2004.

the Phae3ton is not going to continue according to VW. I think the A8 has more in common with a Lambo then a Phae3ton. I was just teasing about the Lambo but I forgot the new Lambo has the A8 frame and the S8 has the engine :)

BMW4never - I never said the A8 outpreformed the 750 but I guess that Rupert proves that I it does. I guess I can't argue your subjective comments but from the feel of the cheep plastic grill to the fit and finish the 750 is very cheep to me. Go sit in a 2007 with Alcantera, leather dash, and the B & O sound and tell me that the A8 is not the best.

sorry iamevilhomer, my souces mislead me: "Audi A8 (03 on)" that was taken from parkers.co.uk, which is amazingly useful if you're researching a new car. technical data, review, owners reviews, options list, and way easier to use than msn autos.
anyway enough plugging. a8 is brilliant

"I never said the A8 out performed the 750"-iamevilhomer, it out performs the 750 and 760!

3 comments in a row, what am i like, but anyway iamevilhomer again. "PS i love the A8 but i wish Audi would just come out with a 390 hp engine or something like that and stop with the 10 hp leapfrog game that BMW" the 6.0 and s8 both have 443 hp, 760 has 438"
i hope vw gets rid of the phaeton, it was a huge failure, but it makes a great used buy. loads of equipment in a discreet looking body with awd, i'd buy one. it would be very good for bank robbers though, no-one gives it a second look....i wonder if vw can make a new market with that...sell them to the mafia etc

i second jugnu; most articles by this author are simply opinion masquerading as fact and therefore pure crap; You cannot measure interior aesthetics in numbers. somehow i cant help but feel the guy feels very insecure about lexus's impending assault on the high-end luxury segment with the new Ls.

Rupert, The S8 out performs the BMW 750. The A8 does not. The S8 is also a little more expensive than a BMW 750Li. In regards to size, the BMW is clearly larger in pretty much every aspect, plus it is faster, brakes better and has more road grip ... The Audi is .1 inch longer but in real world space it has 1" less leg room in the rear seats, the trunk is 3 cu ft smaller, the wheelbase is 2" shorter, and there is about 1" less of shoulder room and headroom ... But you would know that since you have all the facts ...Back to the question at hand about it being the most sumptuos interior this side of the Maybach? I would have to disagree .. I am not saying it is the BMW either. I would have to go with the Mercedes S600 on this one or the Lexus LS430 ...

I suspect that the new LS460 will be better than the Audi, on the basis on pictures on the Lexus website - and that is more like a mini-Maybach than the Audi. However I do think Audi makes decent interiors - though I prefer would and leather to aluminum and plastic; and at the cheaper end of the Audi range you're more likely to get aluminum and plastic.

the a8 6.0 w12 out performs all bmw 7 series. i like the seven series don't get me wrong, but i prefer the a8. i like its looks more, i like the interior more and i just feel it is a more accomplished car, no doubt helped by the 7 series being so pioneering when it was launched with its idrive, column shift, dramatic looks and techonologically advanced interior. the 7 made audi and all the other manufacturers realise that induviduality was important, and had to quickly change their designs to incorperate single button user interfaces and had to make their cars look a lot sharper, handle a lot sharper and declutter their interiors. think how blobby (while good looking) the previous s class seemed next to a sharp suited 7. m-b then topped both their efforts with the new s class, as always happens with the newest car to be released. m-b used column shift, single button etc, sharper looks, better engines and handling, all taken from the 7 due to the 7's success. the next 7 will of course be better than that, then the a8 will then the s class will do a kylie minogue and re-invent itself again to be top of the tree. the cycle goes on.
i think the a8's interior is better than a maybachs, but an s-class' is better still. i think the maybach is lacking in the interior design department, where rolls-royce and bentley have excelled.
i don't know whether it's possible on this site to say this but...

i like m-b, bmw and audi equally. i have owned (or my close family has owned) models of each maker. my father loved his 3 7 series he had from the 80s to the early 90s, he loved the a8 he had in 2001. my mother loves her bmw, loved her sl, loved her w-123 te series, and i loved all those cars too, for various reasons depending on my age (i loved the w-123 due to the m-b badge reseblimg a target of a gun. the car obviously became a gun ship when i was 6). i pick out the good points of each car and pick on the bad points, compare them to another car and see which is "better" in my mind. i believe i can form a fair and just opinion and not fall into either camp of bmw haters or audi haters. recently i have been pro-audi as there have been many articles praising them yet some people continue to criticize them for not just reason, mainly along the lines of "re-badged volkswagens" and "no prestige" or "not premium".
if someone says bmw isn't luxurious, i will defend.

the a8 6.0 w12 out performs all bmw 7 series. i like the seven series don't get me wrong, but i prefer the a8. i like its looks more, i like the interior more and i just feel it is a more accomplished car, no doubt helped by the 7 series being so pioneering when it was launched with its idrive, column shift, dramatic looks and techonologically advanced interior. the 7 made audi and all the other manufacturers realise that induviduality was important, and had to quickly change their designs to incorperate single button user interfaces and had to make their cars look a lot sharper, handle a lot sharper and declutter their interiors. think how blobby (while good looking) the previous s class seemed next to a sharp suited 7. m-b then topped both their efforts with the new s class, as always happens with the newest car to be released. m-b used column shift, single button etc, sharper looks, better engines and handling, all taken from the 7 due to the 7's success. the next 7 will of course be better than that, then the a8 will then the s class will do a kylie minogue and re-invent itself again to be top of the tree. the cycle goes on.
i think the a8's interior is better than a maybachs, but an s-class' is better still. i think the maybach is lacking in the interior design department, where rolls-royce and bentley have excelled.
i don't know whether it's possible on this site to say this but...

i like m-b, bmw and audi equally. i have owned (or my close family has owned) models of each maker. my father loved his 3 7 series he had from the 80s to the early 90s, he loved the a8 he had in 2001. my mother loves her bmw, loved her sl, loved her w-123 te series, and i loved all those cars too, for various reasons depending on my age (i loved the w-123 due to the m-b badge reseblimg a target of a gun. the car obviously became a gun ship when i was 6). i pick out the good points of each car and pick on the bad points, compare them to another car and see which is "better" in my mind. i believe i can form a fair and just opinion and not fall into either camp of bmw haters or audi haters. recently i have been pro-audi as there have been many articles praising them yet some people continue to criticize them for not just reason, mainly along the lines of "re-badged volkswagens" and "no prestige" or "not premium".
if someone says bmw isn't luxurious, i will defend.

If a $120,000 Audi A8L W12 is not premium in someone's mind they must be crazy or driving a Phantom/Maybach

Great comments, but the one from Mercbasher has me rolling on the floor. The LS460 better than what? I'll tell you some of the problems with Lexus, no matter what they put in the car its the same run off the mill formula. They're completely dead with negative feedback (ponder that for a few secs) and are as plain as a white bread sandwich with air as the filling. The old LS looks like a parking attendant's booth on its side. Luckily it had those Camry sized tires so you won't always be tempted to leave your parking claim tag on its roof when you return half drunk from partying . The front of the LS460 was lifted off the Honda Odyessy while the rear was from either the odyssey or a SAAB 95 (not sure yet), the side profile is 100% BMW745 and the exhaust pipes were lifted straight from the A8W12. When will Lexus ever come out with something authentic as opposed to copying everyone out there? As a flagship sedan, its a joke!! The best way to own a Lexus (my assessment after driving the LS430) is to get a chaffeur so that you can sleep in the decent but a little tight (limited leg room) back seats..at least that way you don't fall asleep from Boredom while driving one. Frankly, its oe of the few Luxury cars that did nothing for me mentally when I drove it. Rather than drive one, I'll rather just sit in front of my front lawn and watch grass grow.

The more I think about this the funnier it gets. Lexus with no brand heritage markets itself as a reliable cheap Luxury car that outsells the competition by undercutting the cars its claims it competes with by thousands. What a joke, for starters there is no such thing as cheap Luxury. Its an oxymoron. Luxury by definition is not cheap, its supposed to be exclusive and that's the whole point. Tell me what's exclusive about the RX series (ultimate chick SUV) when almost 100,000 of them were sold in the US last year (4 of my neighbor's wives own one). I see more of it where I live northern NJ than other mass produced cars. Mercbasher, here are some homework assignments for you. Go to the online encyclopedia (wikipedia) and type in Lexus, take two Extra strength Tylenol first and then read. Do the same for Audi, Benz or any other manufacturer you care about, then take the second set of Tylenol..it will help to dull the pain..if it doesn't work, just get into your lexus and attempt some curves, and you should be okay. You get an A if you read everything, but I'm sure you'll get the picture very very quickly, and this is just an encyclopedia
Homework no. 2: See link below to the CNN site for autos that's run by edmunds, select the A8 and then the Lexus LS430, read every single review by real owners and compare the scoring. Note what they don't like about either car and what they like. Also pay attention to owners who switched from either Car. Painful truth for you, but that the reality!! By the way note that A8 owners scored it higher than all the other cars in the same class. Sorry, I had to be this frank, but while I can excuse some things to taste, preferences etc.., this is not even close at all..


http://money.cnn.com/autos/index.html

I'm sorry but I'm not sure where to start! I guess I'll take on the topics in the most "pissed me off" order.

Will all of you PLEASE stop the inaccurate comments about the Phaeton and the A8L being essentially the same car! Not only has the Phaeton been discontinued, but it shared very little with the Audi A8L in terms of construction. The Phaeton does live on today in the form of the Bently Flying Spur, which is an even bigger car than the A8L by about 5 inches in length. The Flying Spur is what is currently being produced at that beautiful new all glass factory in Dresden Germany that was built specifically for the Phaeton. The Audi is constucted out of strong but lightweight ALUMINIUM on an ALUMINIUM space frame with over 40 construction patents to it's credit. The Phaeton/Flying Spur is built as a uni-body out of steel and weighs about 724lbs more than an A8L W12. The Vdub was closer to $1000lbs heavier. I don't know about you, but if I add 1000lbs worth of passengers and luggage to my car, it tends to handle like S--t. If you insist on making the Phaeton comparo, then you must be okay with me claiming that the A8L is a much more affordable, quicker, and more nimble Bently Flying Spur!

In regards to the interior comparisons: Does anyone honestly think that Audi sat around for years, waiting for the 2002 7 series to come out, only to copy all of the technology and general layout of the car and then come up with the current A8 interior in just one years time? PLEASE! Yes, Audi did watch the public's reaction to BMW's I-drive initially because they knew that they had a similar system in the works and wanted to see how the general public "took" to all of the new technology. They saw how all of the negative feedback was mainly do to the difficulty of using the system's interface and/or it's propensity to fail way too often, but not the technology itself. Audi just made it's own system easier to use and more reliable.

Comparisons to the Maybach? Why bother? A Maybach has a beautiful interior. I'm sure that the 50 or so people a year that buy one in this country will be very happy with their decision. I highly doubt if an A8 was even a consideration on their shopping lists. I've been in the Rolls, the Bently Flying Spur, and the Arnage. All of them have very nice interiors. The wonderful thing about these cars and part of why they cost so much, is that they are tailored to the very specific requests of their clients. They are able to nearly indulge a clients every whim or fantasy with a custom interior designed specifically for them. It will then be meticulously crafted by hand out of some of the finest materials ever put into a vehicle. For those of us who can not afford such an indulgence: I give you the Audi A8L! It is about the closest thing you will find to that level of craftsmanship in a mass produced vehicle. Buy the full leather upgrade, alcantara headliner, fridge, and the B & O sound system and you wou

would be hard pressed to find that combination of luxury, comfort, and features at any price in any other brand.

And for all of you Lexus guys getting all warm and fuzzy over the new LS460: It may accelerate well enough to keep up the the Euro supersedans for a little while, but I'm sure it will be just like the rest of the line up. The cars are fine on the US interstate highway system at speeds up to about 85mph. Even the new GS and IS handle reasonably well up to a point. Lexus builds their products to satisfy the demands of their primary customer (good business decision by the way) the US market. Euro brands do the same thing. The only difference is what is expected from the vehicles. You will not find 600yr old cobble stone streets, sharp Alpine mountain roads, and Autobahns all in one place, anywhere else in the world! That's why Euro cars cost more! The engineering required to fly the space shuttle is a little different that that of a Cessna. Okay so that may be a little extreme, but you should get the point. If you don't need the ego stroke, or the implied status of a high performance Euro sedan in your driveway then go put your deposit down on the LS, be sure to plate the emblems gold and chrome the wheels when it gets here, and then stay out of the left lane!

Nuff Said

neverfollow, thanks for reminding me how the phaeton isn't related to the a8. i think the a8 is beautifully crafted, and of course you do get the full works with the maybach and rolls etc (complete customisation). in the bentley arnage you can put snakeskin leather in it (for example) and can actually put ANYTHING in it. i'd like an aquarium in the back...that'd be fun.
i love your views on lexus

Why are we comparing the interior of the A8 to the Maybach? Last time I checked, there was a big price difference between these two.

Anyway, both cars have amazing interiors. I've seen both in real life and have stolen glances into the interior. I don't know why the Audi fanboys have to claim that the Audi A8 has the "better interior". BOTH CARS have good interiors. Period.

Yes, the a8 has a best in class interior. It is unrivaled by anything this side of a bentley. Personally, I wouldn't want a maybach, they are big, unneseccary, and have no market. If you have that much dough, you should by a phantom. But the a8 is truly elegant, refined and gorgeous. Its only interior rival will be the new ls. But i have to admit, it will probably still better even that.