2004 Audi A8L
07/02/2003
Greg A. Godsell
I really looked forward to trying this car out. A large luxury sedan that has over 300hp, high technology content, an aluminum space frame and all-aluminum body. I was expecting a seriously cool tight luxury sedan.
The outside of the A8L is handsome. It's a huge car and the size is evident, but overall the car retains a sporting look to it.
The most noticeable thing about this car is its size and how much room there is on the inside. The absolutely most dominant is the backseat. The word limousine is the only one that comes to mind. There is leg room to spare. Add some easy-chair style footrests and seat-back TVs, and you could have a sale-rack Maybach.
Over the past few years, Audi and VW have put some really nice interiors in their cars. We like serious looking interiors: dark colors, no fancy trim, and the controls where they need to be. Most Audis have delivered on that. This A8L has a surprisingly bland looking interior. Our silver test model had a simple greyish toned interior with a large band of wood trim expanding across the dashboard. Not super-opulent... Definitely not no-frills performance... Kind of Buick...
The MMI system bears discussion. When activated, a screen emerges from the center of the dash and provides access to radio controls, climate controls, a phone and the navigation system. There are some more esoteric functions like settings for the ride height, and interior lighting preferences. My favorite is a screen that shows the tire pressure of every tire including the spare. To control the system, you use a dial that is surrounded by buttons in each of the corners. The displays are clean and mostly intuitive, however it always seemed like I was hitting the wrong button. What I wouldn't have given for a browser-style back button. A companion screen lives between the gauges on the instrument panel. From here you can get turn-by-turn navigation, time/temperature, change CDs and so forth. These items are controlled from buttons and a thumbwheel on the steering wheel. Not the most oppressive system I've seen, but it could use a healthy dose of Google simplicity.
On the road, the A8L is nimble. I threw it around on numerous twisty roads. This car can be driven much harder than it's luxuriating rear-seat passengers can probably tolerate. Overall, the suspension and steering settings fall on the luxury side. Does it feel like 300hp? Not entirely. The bottom line is that for it's target driver, the car more than fast enough to make sure you won't be embarrassed in your $70k German Luxury sedan. And if that isn't enough assurance, there is a 12-cylinder model due in 2005.
The A8L is a very large car. Thanks to the high technology and power, it neither drives like a huge car, nor does it handle entirely like one either. It's a handsome car, but it's styling does not significantly stand out from the other players in this market. By trying to strike a balance between performance and luxury, it ends up a little on the bland side.
