Luxury performance

Dial up ‘dynamic’ via the adjustable air-suspension and the ride lowers and firms up dramatically. This helps the car sit more flat through the corners, but doesn’t offer the handling you would expect of such a machine. It simply feels too large and can’t be thrown around with confidence. This can only be expected though. The S8 is more of a luxury performance saloon than an outright road eater. So for what it is, it does a decent enough job – I guess that’s what an ‘RS 8’ would be for…

luxury audi S8

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The 20-inch wheels (shod with 265/35 tyres all round) aren’t there just for show. An 18-inch braking system is employed to pull the S8’s large mass up. Oh boy…does it do the job or what. The anchors always feel alive and when pushed to wipe off speed, they do so in tremendous fashion. The S8 also uses an electro-hydraulic handbrake to ensure the car doesn’t move an inch when stationary. Carbon ceramic brakes can be optioned on the S8 for $20,000.

6-speed tiptronic transmission audi S8

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The ex-Gallardo engine used to power the S8 produces a hearty 331kW at 7000RPM and 540Nm of torque at 3500RPM. The sprint from 0-100km/h takes just 5.1-seconds – damn quick. The 6-speed tiptronic transmission does a wonderful job of taming the 5.2-litre V10’s torque and uses paddle shifters on the steering wheel for instantaneous gear changes.

audi s8 photos

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Drop the throttle off the line and the quattro AWD systems goes into hyper-mode to shuffle power around the wheels. The end result is back-wrenching delivery of power that seems fake in a sense that it moves a near 2-tonne weight with such haste and prowess. The noise that joins it is pure bliss to the ears. It’s a controlled and subdued sound, but at the heart of it you can hear this V10 ping that just brings satisfaction to anyone around it.

audi S8 sport model

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Before you ask. Yes. A car like this has an options list… One of the options is a digital television tuner. This really irritates the bejesus out of me. It’s fitted with an analogue tuner as standard equipment, surely the near flagship model should receive a digital tuner. Other options include reversing camera and electric rear sunshades, all of which should be standard fitment.