Audi S8 Plus a couple more: The ultimate executive saloon

Audi S8 Plus a couple more: The ultimate executive saloon



When 520 Hp is not enough and an S63 4 matic from Mercedes Benz pushing nearly 580+ horsepower what is the 3 ring star suppose to do. Add a 6 to the beginning of your three digit HP number and you have what Audi has juiced up from its well known and heard V8. The Bi Turbo now is in the 600hp club pushing the S8 into Plus category. This car theoretically is pushing the dynamics of what a 4 door saloon should be. The numbers are tantalizing 605hp/553lb torque to the crank and a top speed that I think is only limited to 189.5 mph, 0-60 3.7 seconds is that enough to push presidente’s from around the world in style. A couple things add on to the road going version of the super train Maglov.   


                         

The body for the S8 is an aluminum affair, the underbody that drives weighs only 509lb which is the lightest in this premium segment. To push this light chassis the made a few changes to the engine dynamic ranging from a special engine control to help modulate the speed and charge pressure boosting that help the modified exhaust valves push the Turbo to new limits. In order to make sure the crank power reaches the floor Audi uses its well recognized Tiptronic 8 speed transmission. The 4 rings stand for quattro and there is no question that is how they are distributed in this configuration making it easy to access the power.

The perks continue with adaptive steering for the chassis, ceramic brakes for the Stop & Go and the rest of the autonomous groupings which I will re highlight below that make it a true rolling boat:

• Assistance package includes adaptive cruise control with Stop&Go function
• Audi active lane assist
• Audi side assist
• Park assist plus and Audi pre sense plus

Speeding through bumpy roads pays no credence as Audi has imported a specific adaptive air suspension to the chassis. There are 5 modes available one in which can lower the ride height for high speed overtaking and one that leaves it level for a more comfortable driving setting.

The coup de grace for the Audi the third player to the german trio is the interior by far over recent years Audi is just a cut above. This S8 fails to disappoint but with the push of bigger screens from some of the new competitors Tesla, and Benz S63 AMG Audi may need to rethink or just marginally adjust their current design. The layout still has the premium leather soft touch materials and I will be the last defacto left “Button Controls”  I happen to have a love of the old school and respect the virtues of the old design but I can see for a matter of consistency how some of the new school may gaffe at the analog clock and display.

The Audi still a staple and beautiful vehicle at its core is suffering from age lag, the vehicle happened to be introduced in 2011 so the wave of new vehicles are pushing for a long overdue redesign and we hope this is for the better ala the S-Class, and BMW 7 Series. 2017 is slated for the new redesign of the A8 and below you can see some car magazine's speculating on it's new look.

Thanks to Autobild germany for the renders and videos below, we have a sneak peek in what Audi Calls there all new autonomous flagship:

   








 Does this S8 spice it up enough to make a statement or is the redesign needed put your comments in below