Can You Finally Put To Rest The Fear That Audi's A8 Won't Measure Up?

For years Audi's A8 has been chasing its German rivals. Sales dominance by the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7 Series kept the Audi from gaining much ground, and even with a barrage of commercials telling buyers that the A8 was every bit the competitor, it's been a tough road. The 2012 Audi A8L was an all-new sedan that once again tried to be different. It still have subdued styling, but the cabin bristled with beautiful materials and the latest electronic gadgets. Seemed like as good a time as any to see if Audi had finally cracked the code.

Our order started with a long-wheelbase A8L as it's the volume seller. The standard engine is a healthy 372-horsepower, 4.2-liter V8. The monstrous W12 was tempting, but we had visions of 500-mile fuel range that the large displacement engine could not deliver.

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GermanNut - 11/15/2012 1:39:11 PM

-1 Boost

The Audi A8 is every bit the equal to its two main rivals, the Mercedes-Benz S-class and the BMW 7-series.

This quote sums up the Audi's competitiveness perfectly:

"Bottom Line: This A8 compares favorably to its competitors in every respect. It's a technology-packed, highly exclusive executive sedan with both solid road manners and engaging performance."

Audi doesn't need to worry all that much about sales of the A8 lagging the S-class's or 7-series's. The big 3 German luxury brands are all going down-market with the likes of the Mercedes-Benz A and B classes, BMW 1-series and X1 and Audi A1 and A3.

Audi already surpassed Mercedes-Benz in global annual sales last year and has widened that lead dramatically in 2012 even though the Mercedes-Benz S-class outsells the Audi A8 by a huge margin.

ThierryHenry14 - 11/15/2012 3:31:15 PM

+1 Boost

The Audi A8L is a solid vehicle and its definitely worth the consideration. While I would most probably still favor the S-Class, its definitely one that will get me thinking twice...

merc07 - 11/15/2012 4:45:00 PM

+3 Boost

I think that it's good enough to compete with the current 2006-2012 s-class. The new one will wipe the floor with the competition again. It's an S-class to many the best car in the world.

IamEvilHomer - 11/19/2012 3:17:38 AM

+1 Boost

the 2012 is the old car. The new car is a 4.0 supercharged
nice one at that.
Compare the new S-class when it comes out but then we can say wait for the new Audi and the cycle of life starts again