EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: New Audi S8

Oh don't be so traditional, Will. No wonder you like Lexus so much.

It's the S8. You know, the sporty version. Some consider high-gloss carbon fiber to be luxurious. Not in the American, wood and leather sense, but in the quality materials, fits the nature of the car sense.

I'm not a fan of carbon fiber in the cockpit.

Give me some nice Brazilian Rosewood.

Killer car, BTW.

I love the car but catbon fiber looks cheap to me. It doesn't fit in a car that expensive or luxurious...no way.
T

Excellent interior, real carbon fiber. I am sure there will be options of wood as well. Specs: 450 hp, 0-60 in 4.7 seconds.

mromar

Considering it is sportier than anything that BMW has (the 7 series) I am not sure what you are talking about.

Does anyone know whether this S8 is based from long-wheel base A8L or the shorter version A8?

sulev

It is based on the short wheel base.

Yes that is what I meant, it is sportier and better looking than any 7 series that BMW has.

Impressive..!!
Thanks for the info chewy, this might be the turning point of me getting an Audi once again. No offense to Audi lovers, but I've had my share of horrible experience with A6 couple of years back.
A very good way to own a high-profile car in a low-profile image..

mromar
The A8 is a solid vehicle that looks its part and is understated & underestimated when you compare it to similarly priced BMWs and MBs, The S8 just adds more performance to the A8 lineup.

Take a good look at the A8 and tell me you do not get a "Machined out of a solid block of aluminum" Feel about it, can you say the same for the new S-class ? even the 7-series which i like a lot will not stand the test of time gracefully like the A8 will and that is because the MB and BMW have loads of lines and curves and are all fussy while the A8 is simply Graceful function over Form.

Why do you think all the classic Marques like Bentley and Rolls even Jag had smooth flowing Lines as opposed to the Gobbledygook MB gave us with the new S ?.
I guess they will find out the hard way like they did with the Maybach that the tri pointed star can only shift so many units of a bad design.

I agree with I95SPEEDINGTICKETS. Talking about the machined out of solid block of aluminum, it does look like that AND it is made out of aluminum.

I think it looks solid. I wasn't a fan of carbon fibre either until I saw it in a Maserati GranSpoort. Doesn't photograph well. Does anyone know when they plan to release US pricing? I have a 2004 A8L and I was considering one of these. My salesperson said loaded about $125,000. For that kind of $I might have to check out the Maserati Sport GT.

I am a M5 owner,Give me some reasons of having this S8 over a M5.
BTW it's a good addition to the A8's line-up,but it's very costly,something like it's not worth that price.Audi is asking too much.

JUGNU

JUGNU.......this isn't an M5 competitor. It's larger for one, and is slotted against the 7 series. RS6 vs. M5 would be a better comparison......I'll take the M5 personally :)

Price will start at about $92k.
Pricing will be officially available in the few upcoming weeks. I would say that loaded, it will be a tad over $100k (if you include the incredible B&O sound system).
I saw this car in person at an event in Dallas; the carbon fiber is really beautiful in that car, but you can opt for Wood if you prefer.
This car will be just incredible to drive. So far it is getting incredible reviews world wide.

JUGNU: the S8 will not compete against the M5, but if you must ask, the S8 is a whole lot more luxurious inside than the M5. It may not be as fast as the M5, but it will be fast enough at 4.7s 0-60 and you will get 1,100 watts of music available too!

Anybody know when Audi is coming out with the mid-cycle refreshed A8, perhaps with the 350hp(?) direct injection engine that is currently in the Q7?

It is about time for a refreshed A8, isn't it?

001, can you get us some info?

nybimmer: it is available on the 2007 A8/ A8L.
They are already out.
The car has only been out for 3 years; in 06 it saw the addition of the "Grill" and for 07 it is getting more HP, Back up camera (option), B&O sound system (option), and even full leather a la W12 (Option), and 20" wheels part of the Sport Package.

This S8 is hot! I like this car over the 7 Series any day. Its styling looks like a tailored suit, just the right proportions and all. I am sure this car drives well too, too be so large. I live in NYC and I have seen a lot fo Audi A8s on the road. Very popular up here, more so than the 7 series.... We need the quattro system up here! LOL! This car would be awesome!

The ones who don't support my opinion just tell me why this car is or should be the top of the line Audi.
When there is already a nearly similar A8 available before.The A8 W12 with 450HP.

So is Audi confused???

we all know that the new RS6 would be better in every aspect/area than this new S8.
It means a smaller series of Audi's car the A6 series's (RS6) would be the top of the line/top of the range.

So is Audi confused???

It clearly shows that Audi is little bit confused with it's new line-up,that how to fit it clearly or intelligently.
One more example of this type is the new Audi Allroad.

All in all no hard or negative feelings against Audi,Audi is one of my favourite brand.

I just want Audi and others to treat and see the new S8 as a Sporty A8.So Audi should not ask this much price.


JUGNU----->THE CARMAN

The W12 is much smoother and more limo like than the S8.
The S8 is much more sportier.
Now the Euro market gets the W12 in both Short and Long wheel base, but the U.S only gets the W12 in long.
The Suspension on the S8 is reprogrammed versus the W12 version.
Some people won't need the "hardcore" of the RS6 and will love the extra luxury that the S8 will offer you already.
I think it is a great idea to offer the S8 along with the W12.
The new Allroad will not come to the U.S but fits perfectly for the European market as the Q7 is probably way too big for city parking spaces.
Europeans love Station Wagon and the Allroad gives you good off roading capabilities while not being too big.
People here in the States still love their big SUV so the Q7 makes more sense. The Allroad would be priced the same as the Q7 and would not sell.
In Europe it is a completely different mind set.

Well, Jugnu Audi is not confused. You certainly might be though.

The A8 is the luxury liner ad the A6 is the mid-sized sedan. We all know that. A8 competes with 7-series and S-class.

A6 competes with 5-series and E-class.

The S8's reasons for being sold is due to the fact that it offers more interior room than an A6 but the S8 adds the slightly tuned up performance aspect of it to the equation.

The RS6 will be similar to the RS4 and will offer luxury but instead of slightly tuned it will come with top-line performance. The top-line performance is not something the S8 has or was designed to have.

Logical your lack of logic comes out in every post you could possibly make. I guess you didn't hear the message that the Alpina B7 is NOT coming to the United States so the S8 WILL smoke the 7-series and that goes for botht the 750 and 760Li's.

Jugnu and Logical perhaps Audi is saving for an RS8. Well if we look at the rest of the model range the A4 has S4 and RS4, A6 has S6 and RS6 but, A8 only has an S8 currently.

However, I highly doubt that Audi would launch an RS8 as they would be following in the incorrect path of Mercedes and their S65 overkill horsepower, not enough traction to launch properly and a price-tag equivalent to a Ferrari and as a result...Nobody buys the S65

Jugnu
Well lets see
MB has a 6.0L V12 biturbo 600 CL/S/SL
MB has a 6.0L V12 Biturbo AMG CL/S/SL
Your comparisons with RS6 and S8 is like comparing The E63 AMG to the S55 AMG ( DIFFERENT CLASSES !!!)

And for crying out loud please stop with the Hp figures, The audi in most everyday driving conditions will keep up with if not beat the competition. Think about it, In normal conditions:
It Rains or the road is wet or slippery in places
The roads are not straight and there are areas of negative bank
Im from the UK so these conditions are the norm and thats why over here the A8/S8 is the more sensible car to be in due to its QUATTRO system.

POWER IS NOTHING WITHOUT CONTROL !!!!

BMWexpert; sorry but I disagree.
The 7 series has not the highest quality plastics inside. The old one was much better IMO.
Even the headliner is made out of something found in a Toyota. The whole headliner moves up when you push the map light button....
The dash bord is not even color coordinated....

CommonSense: the Maserati is a little slower than the S8 and does not have AWD nor many, many luxury features that the S8 offers.
I drove the Quattroporte....Awesome car for sure, but some of its interior quality is so, so.
Don't even look for a trunk.

BMWexpert- very few mags or experts will agree with you on interiors. Most customers that I have agree that Audi has the best interiors. you can argue that Audi is a bit understated outside but inside it is everything you want in an interior.

CommonSense - you buy a quattroport. We have deposits on most of our incomming S8. Masarati has little on this car but it is a dirrent car all togeather. It is like saying I would have an M5 or a 911. Dirffrent cars

Jingu - yes you are confused. In the USA the W12 is an order only car. The rest of the world it outsells the MB and 760 combined. The W12 is more of a Limo when this is a sports car (a long sports car 200in)

The RS6 will be next year. Audi will have an RS in the USA in all 3 major lines and maybe a Q version by next year.

If you like the A4 then you are not an A6 fan if you like the A6 then you are not a A8 fan and so on


Logical- you keep talking about the Vaperware that BMW is coming out with. Do you spend any time in a BMW room? It sounds like you love Audi chats.
If you love BMW so much and Audi has nothing on BMw then why are you in every Audi chat? I don't spend any time on a Volvo chat or Saab.

Get it? It is like the gay basher that you knew 5 years ago that you see in a dress on Hollywood blvd. If you are so worried about Audi then there must be something there for you.

Meanwhile I will be looking for you and the same 5 BMW fans to be in the next Audi posting

The AWD is one of my concerns. I do most of my traveling between NYC and Upstate. The winter months can be a bit brutal and Quattro has gotten me out of more than a few slippery situations. I'm younger than your average lg luxury sedan owner and in my opinion the A8/S8 and the Quattroporte are the only legitamently cool ones out there. I had high hopes for the new Mercedes but they were crushed when I saw the new model. 7 series drove great but esthetically I just couldn't deal. Lexus, not yet. Maybe some day but they still remind me of cars that belong to mediocre doctors. How long until the A7?

iown1- lots of cars coming out before then but look for a 2008 model

WOW!

WOW!

WOW!

illogical- You feeling threatened by homer? Come on down to Texas, the good ole boyz will show you a good time. BTW do you like goats?

Looks great. Though, I would like to see a multi-function steering wheel at this price point.

this car is really cool.
i'd pick it over an s class amg.

Crackityjones: it has a Multifunction steering wheel.
Look closer. ;)

I love German design and I know they win tons of awards for their interior designs but for some reason I really don't like the interior of this car. I don't really prefer the long horizontal dashboard look with the center console just connecting to it making the whole thing look like a T. I prefer a smooth uniform flow between the dashboard to the center console between the driver and passenger. The T design kinda seems like those old american cars with the long dashboard and they had extra room without the bench seat so they just attached a center console to it. But it's not only this car I also see this long horizontal dashboard design on the S-class and 7 Series. However, exterior is beautiful.

mkk21, while a deisgn like you suggest looks better, it would cost a lot to make the compex curves and if you needed to take off the dashboard, the whole thing would have to come off, centre console and all.

efox, do you only get the lwb s class then?
entry level mercs...the 320cdi and 350 would be a start, but for some reason merc doesn't offer them in the us.
anyone know why?

i think it is because it is just a small portion of their sales.
Even the A8 sells mostly in LWB.
MB used to offer Short and Long but since 2000 it is only LWB.

crackityjones

Like AlexTx has said, it definately has a multifuncioning steering wheel.

interior does not look up to audi's usual standard. compared to an ordinary s-class or 7-series it looks cheap, bland and un-audi-like.

Just did 1200 km in one piece in the S8, 10 hours of nonstop driving, and I have to say I dont get the point. There was no place (except the Autoahn) where I could drive more than 150 km/h, the ride is harder, the noise... People just dont need cars like this... There were so many M5s on the road which were smoked by 525d-iesels, i actually felt ashamed i drove that car... My A6 3.0 TDI has far too much power for what I need, its comfortable, and quieter, AND if i would have had the money for an A8 I wouldnt have taken any other engine but a 3 liter

Since i work for BMW lets clear the air .. The B7 which is being developed in conjunction with Alpina will be available to the US market in 2007. There will only be 200 made for the US. The car will be over 500hp and 500 lbs of torque ..

Now that we have covered the Alpina B7, lets talk about the S8. I think it is a pretty nice car, but do I think it is over priced yes. I actually like the carbon fibre trim cause it adds that sporty touch to the interior of the car. I wish they would have done something more aggressive on the exterior thou. It is very bland. I understand about being understated but that is ridiculous.

autospies.com is always about boys saying their toys r better than other brands. As long as the car is not absolutely garbage , saying it is not as good as XXX all the time is just silly.

efox ...

It is hard to compare a buyer of the S550 and compare them to someone who buys the Audi S8. People WILL always pay more for a Mercedes, than an Audi. IF the two are priced the same more people will buy the Mercedes. Call it stupidity, sex appeal, status, Luxury, exclusivity or whatever, it is what it is. Most of the luxury buying public that spend $80 to $ 100k wont even consider an Audi. Audi for brand image is missing that certain ideal that they are indeed luxurious cars and should be considered by the buying public as equal to Mercedes or BMW ... Look at the units sold in the US. The Mercedes S550 and BMW 750 outsell the Audi A8 on a 3 to 1 basis individually. Audi is asking alot of people to buy a $100k car. Look at when VW tried with the phaeton, that was such a flop. With that being said, I like the Audi S8. I like the clean lines of the interior and happen to be in favor of the carbon fibre trim. Hopefully, Audi will limit production ( about 500 cars a year for the US )on this car which will help with the overall valuation of it ... If they do something like this, I believe Audi will do fine with it. If they dont and you see them in showrooms 2 months down the road, I think Audi will have another problem in selling a Luxury sedan ....

logical ..

I have one of the B7 on order and told my client to expect it to be around $120k or so ... I have only seen pictures of it, but have heard from BMW corp that the car is amazing inside and out. It should be close to the performance of the M5 and come in around mid 4's 0 to 60 times ... Every one will be engraved with a number, like they did with the Alpina Z8 ...

bmw4me4ever

Not so fast. I'm 36 and own an A8L. Growing up, I always dreamed of the day I could by an S class. With a lot of hard work that day came and imagine my surprise when I picked the A8 over the S. I think Audi has something to offer a new generation of buyers who don't want to look like they borrowed their parents car. And, judging by the cars increased presence in the NYC area I think they may be on to something.

the s class was always over priced.
here the s65 amg is a whopping 270000 dollars.
the s 550 130000.
i think it's hilarious that you can buy an s550 AND an s8 for the same money as an s65.

BMW4me4ever

Everything you said is true IN NORTH AMERICA

In EUROPE the home continent for the BMW MB AUDI trio the AUDI is outselling the other two as the Luxury choice.

And trust me when i tell you there is almost no price difference between the Audis, BMWs & MBs over here (The options lists are endless and the base models are just DOORS ENGINE & WHEELS)

efoxS4

I agree, but the S8 has more performance thatn the W12, even the short wheel base, plus it has better fuel economy.