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Audi A8
Then there was light — but only a bit. It came from the interior of the new Audi A8 quattro as one of its doors opened. I was invited to climb aboard and, using dipped headlights, drive around what appeared to be a dark labyrinth with very sharp corners.
I set off very slowly and very cautiously. “Use your left indicator” came an order from the darkness. I obeyed and suddenly to my side was a wide arc of extra light. It illuminated three letters on a board close to the ground. At the next corner I put on full lock and the extra light came on again to illuminate more letters. I was playing a little-known game called “Anagrams on Wheels”.
This was Audi’s idea of light entertainment to demonstrate its adaptive, night-time cornering safety system, developed with Hella, the specialist company, which provides extra illumination to the side of the car when making a low-speed sharp turn, enabling pedestrians or obstructions to be seen clearly by a driver instead of being, at best, in the twilight zone on the fringe of the headlight beams.
In the 1960s, Citroën pioneered swivelling headlights on its DS cars but that system was just for main-beam illumination. The luxurious new Audi A8 is the first production car to use the Hella adaptive lighting system. Others will follow, including Mercedes-Benz models.
When I emerged blinking into the real world again, there remained the matter of the anagram. It was “Share the Excitement”, which, by an amazing coincidence, is Audi’s marketing message for the new A8. So I set off in brilliant sunlight on the roads of northern Spain to look for it.
The “old” A8, which arrived eight years ago, was a fine car with lots of technology but, despite its relatively lightweight aluminium body and quattro all-wheel drive, it was hardly sporty, with an interior almost lofty enough to echo.
For the new A8, Audi decided to change the focus. It is still very much a top executive’s express but it has a wholly different personality, having a roofline that apes a coupe, a cockpit-like driving position and air suspension that can give “Comfort” or firm “Dynamic” ride and handling.
It still is not quite a sports saloon in the way that a BMW 7 Series is, but the big Audi’s super-rigid body is goodlooking, beautifully finished and has plenty of driver and passenger-friendly technology to make life more pleasant. And for those who need such things, it is a statement of success but not an overstatement; unlike some companies, there is no pressure on Audi to be too clever.
The A8 has a choice of two zestful V8 engines of 3.7 litres (280bhp) and 4.2 litres (335bhp). Both make addictively sporty noises when worked hard. There is a steering wheel-mounted, paddle-shift option for the delightfully smooth ZF six-speed auto-manual transmission, which has a sport setting. I thoroughly enjoyed paddling in Spain, moving up and down the gearbox just for the sheer fun of it — and to savour the V8 sound. Using aluminium instead of steel for the A8’s bodyshell saves 286lb and this shows: the 4.2 reaches 62mph in only 6.3sec, the 3.7 in 7.3.
Hustling the car along winding roads in “Dynamic” suspension mode was without drama and the car generally felt taut and responsive, but the steering lacks some communication skills. Audi has considered giving the A8 driver-selectable steering weight/feel choices. Sounds a very good idea.
An A8 with sport suspension, bigger wheels and Michelin PAX System run-flat tyres felt sharp, but the Dynamic setting then gives a very firm ride for a luxury saloon.
A problem with highly specified cars such as the A8 is that the dashboard is in danger of being festooned with a myriad of buttons and switches. BMW has tried to solve this with its do-it-all i-Drive system. This was not easy to use.
Now Audi has come up with a relatively simple system that does not require a PhD. Despite being saddled with the pretentious name of Multi Media Interface, a driver will very quickly feel at ease with it. It is linked to a seven-inch colour monitor, which pops up from the dashboard and folds neatly out of sight behind wood trim when it has done its duty.
This dual approach to aesthetics and practicality is reflected throughout the A8’s interior, which is an object lesson in how to do things properly. The front seats are superbly comfortable, with a backrest that includes shoulder support adjustment. It is almost like being given a welcoming hug.
Unlikely though it may seem, the A8’s starter button is also welcoming. It checks your fingerprint as you push it, and, if it recognises you, adjusts seat, mirrors, steering-wheel angle, air-conditioning and radio to your favourite settings.
The A8 quattro, with V8 engines, arrives in the UK next spring, priced from about £51,000. A higher performance S8 and V8 diesel will follow. Those clever cornering lights will be an option but, if all goes well and bureaucracy sees sense and changes present legal constraints, they will be linked to the car’s satellite navigation system, anticipating sharp corners and turns.
Don’t you just love being looked after?
In detail
Engines: 3.7 litre 280bhp; 4.2 litre 335bhp
Transmission: Quattro all-wheel-drive; six-speed auto with paddle-shift option
Performance: 3.7: 0-62mph, 7.3sec; 4.2: 0-62mph, 6.3sec; top speed (governed for both), 155mph
Fuel consumption (combined): 3.7: 23.9 mpg; 4.2: 23.5 mpg; CO2: 3.7: 281 g/km; 4.2: 286 g/km
Prices (approx): 3.7: £51,000; 4.2: £55,000
On sale: Spring