Audi S8 2007 Review

It can be powerful, ride on a bed of air and surround the owner with every luxury ... but some drivers still want more. They want “the edge”.

And for every punter with a lazy couple of hundred thousand dollars and an itch to scratch, the automobile manufacturers have an offering. Mercedes-Benz has the venerable AMG workshop and an S63, BMW's renowned M division has delivered the M6 ... and Audi has the S8.

For the moment — until the arrival of the R8 and arguably in luxury terms, beyond — the S8 sits atop Audi's expanding family tree with a benchmark marriage of sporting sharpness and private-club indulgence.

The S8 has all the lovely touches of the A8 and many of the same mechanical elements, but at its core beats a heart the like of which is previously unseen in an Audi sedan. The long-stroke V10 has been “borrowed” from the Lamborghini Gallardo super sports and sent to finishing school.

The result is a private school athlete, an awesome competitor with manners, rather than raw attitude. There is still a hint of lumpy power when the engine is cold, but once it settles in to its task the 5.2-litre powerplant will lift the S8 from standstill to 100km/h in just 5.1 seconds and lope effortlessly to an electronically limited 250km/h

top-speed speed without once approaching its performance limits. One of the key variations to the 331kW engine is the addition of FSI direct-injection technology.

The engine's peak power is now on tap at 7000rpm while 90 per cent of the 540Nm of torque will be available from just 2300rpm.

Drive is through a six-speed tiptronic transmission with optimised gear shifts to enhance the sporting characteristics of the car. So good are the ratios and the gearbox mapping that using the manual shift option is more likely to be a hinderance than a help to the pursuit of performance.

Getting the urge to the road is the job of a new generation quattro permanent all-wheel-drive with asymmetric/dynamic torque split. The asymmetric description refers to a slight rear-wheel bias for the torque split of 60 per cent. With the S8's steering boasting a more direct ratio for sharper feel and a retuning of the air suspension to provide a stiffer feel in the sport setting, the big car takes on the characteristics of a ballet dancer.

Balance is superb, both under braking into the corner and under power on the exit. There is minimum body roll — the S8's aluminium body and Audi Space Frame construction ensures outstanding torsional rigidity as the sports-tuned suspension soaks up a huge majority of the inertia changes.

The standard brake package is more than adequate for any road driving but a ceramic package is available too. Standard equipment in the S8 is lush, to say the least. Leather multi-function steering wheel, automatic airconditioning, a luggage compartment lid with power-assisted closing, cruise control, electrically adjustable front seats and an electromechanical parking brake are just the basics.

The S8 also comes with advanced keyless entry and start, double glazing, automatically dimming and electronically folding exterior mirrors, heating for the rear seats, a DVD navigation system, Valcona leather interior, leather-covered console and door armrests and Bluetooth phone set-up.

A particular highlight is the Bang & Olufsen Advanced Sound System: the fully digital system from the Danish high-end manufacturer integrates 14 speakers, each energised by its own output stage.