9 February 2011
New car report; A V8 Audi - but not as you know it
It’s a big call on the part of Audi’s New Zealand importer, European Motor Distributors to reject petrol power in favour of just one engine option for their new A8 in our market, a 4.2 litre V8 diesel.
The premium luxury sector is heavily dominated by V8 petrol powered sedans, but with diesel technology offering superior fuel economy and lower emissions, along with a big fat whack of torque, Audi may have got it right.
Audi New Zealand General Manager, Dane Fisher doesn’t believe diesel will deter buyers. “Our customers are becoming used to diesel. We’ve had great success with diesel in our Q7 and see A8 buyers adopting diesel in the same way.”
And with the Euro 5 emission compliant 4,134cc, 258kW bi-turbo diesel powerplant churning out a massive 800Nm of torque, propelling the 2,168kg luxury sedan to 100km/h in just 5.5 seconds, it’s mighty impressive and hard to argue the point.
And where else would you find this much luxury with V8 power and performance, capable of achieving fuel consumption of 7.6L/100km and CO2 emission of just 199k/km?
At low to cruising speeds, there’s no intrusive engine noise inside the well insulated cabin, although some tyre noise was evident on course chip, possibly a result of Audi's press launch cars having the standard 19" alloys upgraded to 20's. When on song, the engine note is indistinguishable from the roar of a petrol fed V8, but there's no escaping the low diesel rumble outside the car at idle.
Other engines may be considered later if market demand exists
An eight speed automatic transmission drives the permanent All Wheel Drive quattro setup via a self locking centre differential, working together with the ESP and a sports rear differential, enabling drive to be sent to whichever wheel requires traction.
The advantage of combining the benefits of sophisticated mechanical engineering with the marvels of modern electronics is that throttle response isn't lost as it would be with a traditional ESP system.
When it comes to luxury appointment, the A8 is left wanting for nothing, with specification for the New Zealand market being top shelf, creating a classy feel throughout.
Interior treatment extends to walnut dash inlays, Valcona leather seating trim, electric comfort front seats, heated seats front and rear, four zone air-conditioning and a raft of hi-tech electronic aids. A Bose surround sound audio system, double acoustic glazing and an ambient lighting package create a cosseting environment.
No shortage of trick electro-gizmos
Standard for our market is Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Stop and Go function, which allows the vehicle to cruise along in traffic at a safe following distance, come to a complete standstill when the vehicle in front stops, and then move off again with the traffic, without the driver touching a pedal.
Thanks to the various radar sensors and cameras incorporated in the ACC, we also get Audi Pre Sense Plus which activates various occupant protection systems in the event of an emergency situation. The system tensions the seat belts, closes the windows and sunroof and increases the braking force.
Audi Pre Sense Rear scans for traffic behind, and in the event of a pending rear end collision, moves the seats into the safest position and pneumatically inflates the seat side bolsters, providing improved occupant support.
Other fancy safety systems include Audi Side Assist which warns the driver of vehicles that may be in a blind spot, and Audi Lane Assist which applies a steering wheel vibration much like roadside rumble strips in the event that the driver deviates from the lane they are travelling in. Audi Lane Assist doesn’t activate if the driver indicates.
The Multi Media Interface (MMI) incorporates a high-res 8 inch colour display screen which folds away into the dash when not in use. In addition to traditional features such as TV, navigation, audio and telephone etc, the screen also displays information such as vehicle dynamics through Audi Drive Select.
Audi Drive Select offers the driver the ability to fine-tune a variety of settings including throttle response, suspension setting, steering dynamics and transmission shift points. Each of these can be set to Comfort, Dynamic or Auto, allowing the driver to set the car up to suit their driving style.
Another novelty is MMI touch, which allows the operator to write letters or numbers on a touch-sensitive panel with the finger tip, inputting addresses and street numbers into the navigation system for example.
Also included is a 20 Gigabyte hard drive which can store up to 3,000 songs in WMA and MP3 format.
As an option, a night vision feature uses a thermal imaging camera to highlight pedestrians in a display incorporated into the instrument cluster. Under normal circumstances, the image is highlighted in yellow, but if there is imminent danger, the image will change to red and be accompanied by an audible warning.
Loaded with hi-tech equipment, offering luxury motoring, oodles of grunt with the fuel efficiency of a compact hatchback, the Audi A8 retails for $240,000.