September 9, 2005 - Despite a starring role in the chase flick Ronin—directed by legendary car guy John Frankenheimer, he of Grand Prix fame—Audi’s first crack at a full-size luxury sedan wasn’t a box office hit by any stretch.

Introduced in Europe in 1994, the A8’s biggest news was being the first mass-produced, all-aluminium car on the planet. Other than this recognition for its technological sophistication, and industry-benchmark interiors, Audi's flagship never made it to the shopping lists of those who may have also been pondering a Mercedes-Benz S Class or a BMW 7 Series.

In the ensuing decade, competition in this big kahuna class has escalated even further.

Let’s see… BMW has launched and subsequently facelifted its flagship 7, Mercedes-Benz keeps adding nuclear-powerplant mills and quattro-competing 4MATIC to its S Class, and who would have thought ten years ago that the A8 would be competing for the wallets of those who can afford this class of car with Volkswagen or Bentley?



(With three vehicles in an admittedly small-volume, yet highly profitable, portion of the market, it may appear that the Volkswagen Group is eating its own. But the way parent VW sees it, the Phaeton is the conservatively luxurious model, ready to take on the S Class. The Bentley Continental Flying Spur will be the ultimate in luxury and sport to battle Maserati’s Quattroporte and those who can’t afford a Rolls Royce Phantom).

So, with these full-size luxury sedan battle lines drawn, Audi launched the new A8 in long-wheelbase format only in 2004, first with a vee-eight, and subsequently, a twelve-cylinder model. For 2005, Audi has released potentially the sportiest A8 of the line-up, my test car, a regular-length A8 4.2 ($93,900) that comes exclusively with the 335 horsepower, 317 pound-feet of torque 4.2-litre vee-eight.

VW positions the Audi A8 4.2 as the sporty rival to BMW’s 750i ($100,500). That also means you can consider the techno-laden, Bank of Canada-reliable Lexus LS 430 ($85,300), and the just revamped-in-2004 Jaguar XJ8 ($87,500)—that also happens to be constructed of recycled beer cans—as sporty full-size luxury competitors.



The cars from Ingolstadt are already known for their all-planet interiors that balance functionality, fashion, and craftsmanship. Jumping inside the A8 4.2 and you will not be disappointed. It’s more modern than the Lexus or Jaguar, and better built than the biggest Bimmer. Despite a myriad of controls that are now required to run any one of these luxo-barges, the layout is straightforward and logical. My car came with the optional (and not very grippy) three-spoke Walnut Wood steering wheel ($700) with multi-function controls, the most useful being shift paddles for the six-speed Tiptronic slushbox that propels the power to all four wheels via the standard quattro all-wheel-drive system. The most useless? For $1,150 the wood tiller can be heated.

The main driver instrumentation sits in recessed gauges, as per Audi’s new look. Helping you keep your eyes ahead on the road, between the speedometer and tachometer appears a small digital screen that offers redundant info that can also be viewed on the main screen that pops out from the top of the dash by whoever’s called shotgun. Said steering wheel had powered tilt and telescopic functions, and the 16-way adjustable seats came with optional ventilation and massage capabilities (as a $2,100 option, you do the math on how many real massages that works out to be). Needless to say, comfort is easy to find in the new A8.

In addition to the paddle shifters, a more traditional shift lever sits atop a raised centre console that also houses Audi's new Multi Media Interface (MMI) control interface. MMI is accessed via an aluminium dial to control navigation, the stereo, and various car settings. Like BMW’s much-chastised iDrive, if you can surf the Web, you can use MMI.



So the A8 4.2 is in a highly competitive class. It’s got all the gadgets, and is comfy to sit in. But as a so-called BMW Battler, what’s it like to drive?

The A8 may be 160 kilograms heftier than the compact Audi S4 sedan, but that doesn’t prevent this engine from moving the biggest Audi with authority. The first few gears are tight, which means acceleration comes swiftly, whether you change gears for yourself via the console shifter, the steering wheel paddles, or simply use the Sport automatic setting. Of course, Lexus fans would disagree, but if you’re smitten with the NASCAR sounds this vee-eight makes when stuffed into the two-sizes-smaller S4, you might be disappointed with the church-like silence in the A8.

Shifts from the six-speed tranny are hardly noticeable under a light right foot. In full-auto mode, when you do crack the whip, there’s a slight hesitation. Switch to the Sport-auto setting, or flick the paddle shifters, and prompter shifts are delivered.

The paddles shifters are ergonomically similar to those found in the excellent Direct Shift Gear Audi TT 3.2: When holding the steering wheel at three and nine, simply pull back using your index fingers. It’s not such an act of contortion as the buttons found on the 750i that require thought and practice.



At 5.18 metres long, and 1,945 kilograms in weight, the A8 4.2 is no TT Coupe. But the A8’s adjustable air suspension does a good job making the car drive smaller than it is. You can set and forget the suspension in Automatic mode, Comfort for those particularly potholed sections of highway, or Dynamic if you want to entertain yourself or your passengers.

With the Dynamic setup, a day of backcountry blasts through the Caledon region, north of Toronto, proved the A8 4.2 to be surprisingly more agile and ultimately more confident in the corners than either an LS 430 or an XJ8. The variable rate steering is light enough to keep efforts low while still providing the kind of accuracy control needed to keep this big car between the lines.

Some of this confidence gained while driving the Audi can be attributed to the all-wheel-drive quattro system bailing you out of the tighter corners—a bonus neither BMW, Lexus or Jaguar feature. The downside is that all that action at the front wheels limits steering feel, something a rear-drive 750i has in spades. However, the Audi trumps the BMW when it came to overall ride quality. Combined with the quieter engine, like the Lexus, the A8 4.2 is more the strong silent type.

And, of course, (nudge, nudge, wink, wink) if you really want a driver’s car, Audi has tidier models with the 4.2 eight to satisfy those carnal needs.

But if you need the space, the extra traction afforded by quattro, or the simply the status of owning the flagship, Audi’s second-generation A8, achieves what the first iteration didn’t: It’s on the list.

- John LeBlanc, Publisher, www.straight-six.com


 
Just the facts…
Build quality 
Features 
Performance 
Fun-to-drive 
Overall value 

Vehicle Type: Front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door full-size luxury sedan
Engine: Variable DOHC, 4.2-litre V-8
Horsepower: 335-hp@ 6,500 rpm
Torque: 317-lb.-ft. @ 3,500 rpm
Transmission: 6-speed automanual
Curb Weight: 1,945 kilograms
0 to 100 kms/hr: 5.3 seconds
Wheels & Tires: 18-inch alloy wheels with 255/45 all-season tires
Base price: $93,900
Optional Equipment: Convenience Package ($2,800), Cold Weather Package ($2,800) 
Price As Tested: $105,400.00