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Audi S8 review – an old-school performance car with old-school appeal

A fine example of exquisite German engineering, set against an outdated set of principles

Evo rating
RRP
from £118,285
  • Supreme quality and refinement
  • Undecided if its a sports saloon or a sporting limo

That a larger proportion of the Audi S8’s initial presentation was given over to a new colour palette tells you that even the might of Ingolstadt has already switched its attention to the A8’s all electric replacement, something that’ll be inspired by the Grandsphere concept. 

There’s not long left for the current S8, which means we should make the most of its 4-litre, twin-turbocharged 48V V8. In the world of Porsche Taycans and Audi’s own e-Tron GT, the S8’s 563bhp and 590lb ft of torque might look a little undercooked, and with 2220kg to haul around it doesn’t take long to understand that Audis with an S in their name aren’t as potent as those with an R and an S. 

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It’s quick, to a point, and then physics take over and the S8’s performance becomes agreeable. Its 3.8-second 0-62mph time is impressive for a big girl, but soon after that thump tails off and the pace becomes more of a cruise. When the autobahn traffic parts ahead of you the eight-speed auto needs to drop a few ratios if you’re not to be consumed by the 530d counting every one of those LEDs in your fancy new rear lights. 

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The S8 still performs at its best when on a quick cruise than a full on bull run. It has that cast iron body control afforded to it by its predictive air suspension that scans the road ahead and pre-loads the air springs accordingly, allowing the cars to deliver two contrasting elements as one: maintaining that level of body control at high speed without a sense that every single component in the suspension has been made from, er, cast iron. 

As a car to traverse large swatches of any country the S8 still remains a comforting place to be. Wrapped in the very best that the company’s interior maestros can create an S8 – all A8’s for that matter – remains the pinnacle of Audi’s famed interior quality and refinement, delivering a blend of performance and luxury rivals from BMW (750i) and Mercedes (S63) struggle with. 

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Away from a main trunk road and the S8 does struggle, but then it’s not exactly an RS3 rival. It’s here that the technology that allows the suspension to add up to three-degrees of counter roll into the body between 50 and 70mph to aid the S8’s lateral stability as much as possible. It doesn’t feel like a natural apex chaser, but neither does it feel out of its depth if you cycle through the dynamic select driving modes in a bid to discover its sharpest edge. Although you’ll need to call on the standard carbon ceramic brakes more than you would in a model from the class below, and their calibration feels a generation behind with a hint of delay on initial application causing you to push a little harder just as your first input takes effect. 

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Standard-fit four-wheel steering and the torque-vectoring quattro sport differential have more of an influence over keeping the S8 a step ahead of other A8s rather than transforming it into a pure driver’s car, although both systems do result in a large car that’s keen to turn-in and resist the urge to wash wide with an impressive degree of commitment. But it feels unnatural with the S8 not exactly willing to get up on its toes as the current crop of large RS models such as the RS6 and RS7 do. Yet the depth of engineering that’s gone into the S8 does feel deeper than that of an S6/7. 

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Ultimately in a world of polished performance EVs the S8 has grown to be a car that feels like it's from yesterday trying to keep up with today. Highly polished and engineered to a remarkable standard, you’ll appreciate every journey in an S8 but you’re unlikely to remember many of them. Then again, that’s possibly true of all in this segment. 

Living with the Audi S8

When I picture an Audi S8, I imagine it being driven by an elite hitman making a rapid getaway in a Jerry Bruckheimer film. Or perhaps it’s waiting patiently on a runway, ready to deliver a visiting angry German ambassador to Chequers. My first encounter with KY73 OTZ was in the considerably less glamorous surroundings of a curry house car park on the old Great North Road. Yet despite this, or perhaps because of it, it still made quite the first impression.

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With its Floret Silver metallic paint shining in the autumn sunlight and complemented by large 21-inch ‘Evo style’ wheels with red brake calipers behind, it looked sophisticated, considered and simply very cool indeed. Contrasting the silver is the imposing front grille, revised in the recent facelift for the A8 and made less glitzy here by the S8’s black exterior styling pack. Also grabbing your attention is the car’s size: it looks every bit of its 5190mm length and 1945mm width (2130mm including the door mirrors) and straight away it was obvious to me that I’ll be putting its rear-wheel steering to the test over the next six months.

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Unlock the S8 and it rises up on its suspension to aid ingress, lowering again once you’re aboard. Accompanied by a subtle steam-like hydraulic noise, it’s a novelty that I suspect will take some time to wear off, my stupid mind racing immediately to the lowriders you see bouncing around Compton in Snoop Dogg videos. It can be switched off, of course, but I won’t be doing that.

Things get even more impressive inside. You sit in wonderful Merlot Red stitched leather seats, with heating and cooling fans, naturally, and while the dashboard’s basic layout is familiar from other recent VW Group models, it’s been seriously pimped-up in finish and build. It oozes quality, and at night its futuristic lighting makes you feel like you’re on the bridge of the USS Enterprise.

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The £10,750 upgrade to ‘Vorsprung’ trim adds matrix LED headlights, a panoramic sunroof, four-zone air-con and other goodies. A Bang & Olufsen 3D Advanced Sound System at £5390 includes 23 speakers, among them a pair of little mushroom tweeters – sorry, ‘acoustic lenses’ – that pop up from the dash-top. There’s also a load-through hatch in the rear seats (£250), presumably for carrying skis, or maybe a sniper’s rifle if you’re a hitman in a Jerry Bruckheimer movie. All this and more brings the price of our S8 up from £108,820 basic to £125,875. Gulp!

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Helping to further justify that figure is what’s under the bonnet: a twin-turbocharged 4-litre V8, delivering 563bhp and 590lb ft of torque, and capable of whisking the 2220kg S8 to 62mph in 3.8sec and on to a limited top speed of 155mph.

However, I’ve only experienced a fraction of that ability so far, as OTZ arrived with just 67 miles on the clock, so we’re still running it in. A few long journeys should soon sort that out, and they’ll certainly be comfortable ones thanks to the Predictive Active Suspension, which gives a ride that is oh-so smooth but also the right side of bouncy. It’ll be interesting to see how it copes when more (a lot more) is being asked of that V8.

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I’m a little less keen to see what effect that will have on the fuel economy. Even being nursed around we’re only just into the 20s mpg-wise. Still, who cares? The S8 has already made me the coolest dad on the school run, and that’s got to be worth something, right? – Richard Browne, evo issue 317

Prices and rivals

The Audi S8 now kicks off at a punchy £118,285, but as you'd expect in such a car, it comes with plenty as standard including 'Black Edition' darkened trims. For additional garnish though, you’ll need to upgrade to the Vorsprung at £129,035, which throws in almost the literal kitchen sink. 

The segment is otherwise pretty thin today, with BMW’s V12-powered M760iL long gone and Merc’s AMG S-class going upwind by including some substantial hybridisation. As such, the S8’s rivals are lie with the S-class and 7-series. The Merc’s package is certainly lacking any sporting pretence, but the BMW is much closer in spirit and execution, and is a mighty fine driving experience to boot. 

Maserati’s Quattroporte Trofeo was a close rival, and while no where near as polished or capable, it does have a different cool factor (it’s the movie villain’s car, not the protagonist’s) and that brilliant crackle-finish Italian V8 to make up for it – sadly, it's no longer on sale. 

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