Instrumented Test
“Base model” is a strange descriptor for a car in the A8’s economic realm, but that’s exactly what this new Audi represents. The 3.0T replaces the 4.2-liter V-8 version as the starting point in the A8 lineup, along the way trimming $6530 off the base price ($6180 on long-wheelbase models). Even in the rarefied world of high-end executive sedans, that disparity is hard to ignore and could provoke skepticism: What’s missing? What am I giving up?
The short answer: not much. Once you get beyond the obvious—a supercharged V-6 instead of a V-8, less horsepower—the distinctions between this less-expensive version of Audi’s premier sedan and its upmarket counterparts are hard to see. And if the prospective owner experiences a sense of deprivation with the 3.0T’s standard garden of earthly delights, which are substantial, the options list is long and rich with indulgences.
Power Portrait
This long-wheelbase A8 is powered by Audi’s supercharged 3.0-liter direct-injection aluminum V-6, rated for 333 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque. Like the other A8 engines, the supercharged six is mated with the company’s slick version of the ubiquitous ZF eight-speed automatic.
Compared with the 4.2, the 3.0-liter six operates at a deficit of 39 hp. But it enjoys near parity in torque, plus a 70-pound edge in curb weight, according to our scales. As a result, the A8L 3.0T posts sprint times that are impressive for a limo-length sedan weighing well over two tons: 0 to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds, the quarter-mile in 13.9 at 102 mph. In its intro test, our long-term A8L 4.2 hit 60 in 5.0 seconds and did the 440-yard dash in 13.6 at 104 mph. (Those left wanting an eight-cylinder A8 after the 4.2’s demise can choose the new-for-2013 A8 4.0T, which uses the 420-hp twin-turbo V-8 from the S6 and S7.)
Massive Dynamics
The loss of a few 10ths of a second to 60 is pretty much academic. What’s not academic—startling, in fact—is how eagerly this big car changes direction, savors switchbacks, and thrives on decreasing radii. The long-wheelbase car beats the Cadillac Escalade in wheelbase and overall-length measurements, and the A8L is 5.1 inches and 5.2 inches longer in those dimensions, respectively, than the standard-length A8.
For all its aluminum-intensive structure and sheetmetal, the 4368-pound A8L 3.0T is no wraith. That, plus lots of wheelbase, should add up to reluctant responses, and the big Audi’s mass is impossible to ignore. But that makes its athleticism all the more impressive.
There’s not much body roll for a car designed to pamper executives, and the steering is precise. And on the pampering front, the A8’s adaptive air suspension delivers ride quality on a par with one of the big Bimmers—firm enough to support quick moves, supple enough to keep annoying little pavement inequalities from communicating themselves to CEO backsides.
Asterisks
It’s not quite perfection, though. For example, the 3.0T is surprisingly quick on its feet for its size, but there are limits. Like all Audi sedans, it’s basically a front-drive design, with a pronounced forward weight bias that ultimately adds up to terminal understeer.
