Audi A8

Back in 1904, a German blacksmith named August Horch opened a car factory in Zwickau. This man had a dream: to produce cars that were well-engineered masterpieces of design. This was the beginning of the Audi car company, and a century later, it is safe to say that August Horch's dream has come true.

The Audi A8 is one of the latest masterpieces to come from the Audi factories (not the original located in Zwickau - this fell under Soviet control after WW2 and ended up producing the Trabant). The classy exterior of the Audi A8 alone would be enough to make Herr Horch weep with joy: It is beautiful. Looking at the interior, the Audi A8 offers a level of luxury and comfort that would have seemed impossibly out of reach a century ago and only found in the lounges of the rich.

And as for the mechanical power of the Audi A8, to say that we've come a long way since the days when scientists worried that people travelling over 50 mph would asphyxiate would be an understatement. The top speed of the Audi A8 has been limited to 250 km/hr (that's about 155 mph, three times the supposed "asphyxiation speed"), and the engine would be capable of producing much more if this limitation was removed. All models of the Audi A8 are capable of accelerating from 0-100 in under eight seconds, the swiftest being the Audi S8. The Audi A8 range has six versions: the 3.2 FSI, the 4.2 FSI  the 6.0 W12, the S8, the diesel 3.0 TDI and the diesel 4.2 TDI (some of the versions are available in short wheel base and long wheel base. The Audi A8 long wheel base models have the lettering LWB in their designation.).  All of  Audi A8s are Quattros and all have a six-speed automatic transmission with DSP and sports program. The Audi A8 3.2 packs a massive 191 kW of power at 6500 rpm and the 4.2 TDI (diesel) eclipses that with 240 kW at 3750 rpm. To translate that into torque, that's 330 Nm at 3250 rpm for the Audi A8 3.2 and colossal 650 Nm at 1600-3500 rpm for the 4.2 TDI. For those interested in the figures for the Audi A8 4.2 FSI, it has 275 kW power at 6800 rpm and a very healthy 440 Nm of torque at 3500 rpm. And the sound of the Audi A8, whether it's the 3.2's V6 or the V8s in both 4.2 varients, will make your heart beat faster.  The Audi A8 6.0 W12 is a massive 12 cylinder that is as quiet as a whisper to drive.  The Audi A8 S8 is also quiet, apart from the lovely sounding burble coming from a pressed V8.  These latter two are deceptively quick and superbly refined.  Reading about this amount of power that the Audi A8 can put into the hands of the driver, it's easy to imagine Herr Horch exclaiming "Why are you not all to pieces smashed, hein? How do you it control?" Well, you can relax, which, given the sheer comfort offered by the Audi A8's seats, isn't hard. The safety features on the Audi A8 are just as up to date as the power. The servotronic speed sensitive power steering ensures that the Audi A8 handles responsively, and the adaptive air suspension makes the ride extremely comfortable. The Quattro all-wheel drive makes the Audi A8 grip the road like a magnet. The speed and power of the Audi A8 is easily and safely checked with the ABS brake system with brake assist, which is supported by the ESP (electronic safety program), which incorporates anti-slip regulation and an electronic differential lock. Powerful Xenon headlights make driving the Audi A8 at night that much safer, and the daytime running lights give that little bit of extra visibility the rest of the time. If a collision occurs - no amount of car design can ever make up for the fallibility of a driver - the driver of the Audi A8 and his/her passenger(s) will be cocooned by the two-stage front airbags for driver and front passenger, side airbags front and back and the sideguard head airbag curtain for front and rear, and the active front head restraints in the Audi A8 work to prevent whiplash. Even the spare tyre of the Audi A8 has been chosen for safety, as it is full-sized - no puny and unstable space savers for a vehicle as good as this. As an option, a tyre pressure monitoring system is available.

And, of course, the interior of the Audi A8 is at least as comfortable as a living room, if not more so. Passengers and driver alike will sink into the embraces of the Volcona leather upholstered seats, the décor of which is enhanced by matt palladium strips. A 230 W sound system allows you to imagine you have your own private orchestra to entertain you and the DVD-based navigation system will help you plan your journey. The 4.2 versions of the short wheel based Audi A8 come ready prepared with a hands free car phone, while the 3.2 comes with Bluetooth preparation for a mobile phone. All versions of the Audi A8 have deluxe automatic air conditioning.

The Audi A8 really proves that dreams do come true.

Current model series include:

• Audi A8 3.7 Quattro Tiptronic
• Audi A8 4.2 Quattro Tiptronic
• Audi A8 4.2 Quattro Tiptronic Long Wheelbase

For any more information on the Audi A8, or for that matter any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181. If you'd like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quotes requests out to our national network of Audi dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours. Private Fleet - car buying made easy!

 

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