#LAAUTOSHOW: IMPRESSED or DEPRESSED? Is The All-new Audi A8 Leaving You In Awe Or Is It Too Milquetoast?

It is probably going to be very nice to drive and own. I like the dash here much better then what Mercedes has done with their huge digital dash. Better to preserve your view of the road. Design wise it looks like an A8 should and has for years. Up to buyer if this is what they want. S8's are cool.

I dunno forget the vents, looking that far down at the screens seems like it will be a huge distraction and take away from the driving experience.

Also the completely empty Audi area at the show is very telling to me...Compare this to the CLS mercedes area and I think you already know how this battle will play out for 2018

Buyers have been speaking for years that the A8 isn't the top choice in the segment. Being that this new design doesn't change much from the outgoing model, I doubt that opinion will change and its impact in the Tier 1 flagship market will be minimal. If sales between the A4/S4 and the A5/S5 Sportback are any indication, buyers want a bit more character and expression in design. If anything, the new A8 may drive buyers to the new A7 despite the A7 missing a few of the A8's tricky tech features. Or if buyers really need the rear-seat room, they'll go to the new Lexus LS.

I think its great. The prior model was so F--gly that this is a huge improvement.

It has an angularity that will do very well in the segment.

I predict a sleeper hit. People will be surprised. I saw one in Europe, it has a lot a presence in person and is very handsome.

It still looks like a non-event to me. Unless they put substantial cash on the good, I don't see it denting Mercedes or BMW sales.

Dull

Not doing it for me. Instead of feeling like the designers got excited about putting pen to paper to design it, it feels more like they said, "Well, okay, if I have to".

Nice enough to compete well with Merc and BMW for some shoppers. Neat arm rest seat+ controls in the rear. Still waiting for someone to do a wall of air in the front. Can't stand trying to push a lot of air through 4 or 5 small vents, makes a lot of noise... someone get smart and put a strip of vents across the entire dash.

I like it.

For most of my life - Audi was (Especially with the 5000) not a true upper tier Luxury Car - it remains to me a notch below the top level - where it competed with Volvo and Saab and Peugeot and Citroen. ANd while its fit and finish has probably attained a higher level - its styling remains to be wanting.

THe problem - and BMW also has the same - is that AUDI and BMW design the Small car first(3/A4 Series) - trying to maintain a "performance"image - and they use styling that makes their cars appear LESS substantial - maybe even to look Smaller than they are(More Nimble?). AND that is their major market. As a result - when the styling is finally applied to the LARGE car - it is already OLD - as well as being wrong for the status. Yes - Audi interiors are really really nice - but if I am spending the Money - I want to be seen in an S-class - which I have.

At least Mercedes styles the S-class first - and then lets that styling trickle down to the smaller car. In some cases - for a long time - they even styled the E-class differently to distinguish it better too (REmember the Two Headlights) . AS A result - they LEAD with the HIGH END CAR - and it SHOWS in the real world. Fact is - I do not want a car that is designed to look like a 3 year old Small car.

Frankly - Until BMW and AUDI give their larger cars more prominent styling - they will remain also rans in the sales department at that level.

The Mercedes S is simply so good that the gross inadequacies of the 7 Series and the A8 stick out. To my way of thinking, if you're gone getting an S Class but you want a large, premium luxury vehicle, you save a bundle and go with a G90 or a Continental. There is little reason to buy a 7 Series or an A8. The new LS is a styling dud because they dumbed down the concept too much.

I would disagree with that.

I think each has their own merits, to appeal to different types of buyers. It's quite clear though, Mercedes' has chosen to focus on the attributes most important to the typical customer in this segment.

Just because the S-Class sells the most, doesn't mean it's "the best". It is a very good, nigh unassailable, automobile. But the BMW 7, and now the Audi A8, offer different propositions. It shouldn't be a surprise though (including to BMW or Audi) that those propositions, while appealing and desirable in their own right, tend not to align with what customers in this segment typically want.

Most customers want what the S-Class is offering and excels at, but that doesn't mean there's *NO* reason to get a 7-Series or an A8.

Regarding this new A8 in particular. I like it. I don't know if it's the color combination or the live shots, but it looks much more appealing than when it was first revealed. I would have to see it in person to make a final judgment, of course.

The A8 has brought technology in the segment to new levels. The look may not be to everyone’s liking, but now the Mercedes S-Class is no longer the technology leader. Whether the technology improvements of the A8 translate into better sales remains to be seen.

Technology is great. It really is. But unless you're Tesla, that makes very little difference in buying decisions. How many buyers say, "We need to go with the A8 because it will angle up when that Mack truck is ready to T-bone us". Even the A8's supposedly more advanced autonomous ability is barely registering excitement.

Tesla succeeded/succeeds b/c it essentially revolutionized an industry. Audi's level of tech (and Mercedes and BMW and everyone else not Tesla) is "the next best thing that will be improved upon by the other brand's next model".

Then when you wrap that in a cold, dispassionate design, inside and outside, in a segment where buyers are very passionate about their purchases, it may not equal success.

You also have to remember cars in this sector are fiendishly profitable for their makers. 7 Series is about 5% of BMW's volume and is said to drive 20% of profits. Volumes of A8 cars don't have to be huge to make it worthwhile to make for Audi.

How do they get profit on an A8 when it has to be discounted to hell and back to get the cars off the lot due to no one buying them?

There’s absolutely nothing enticing about this car.

Everything about this car is 'meh'. For $80,000 it fits but doesn't excite. The S Class is significantly more dramatic.

I personally like the interior better than the Benz or Beamer. I don't like the color that they have here but I think what Audi has is more functional. I really like the fact that they went to touch screen. I can use that without even looking at the, sort of like typing. As far as the exterior goes, I was expecting more. I do like the styling of the 19 A7, but I am disappointed with this. They need to do something bold for better or worse with the next generation A8 or just use it as a concept car to introduce new tech that is pushed down. We need more than tech Audi...

Also, fire the designer of those rims and whoever thought it was a good idea to put snow tires on the vehicle. WOW... SMH

I would consider leasing the A8, but only to get the tech. When MB updates the S Class with the equivalent tech, I would likely switch as I assume the S Class will have more presence. Unless the A8 is appreciably quieter. I like quiet.