Latest A8 hits the salesroom starting at £58k

Flagship Audi featuring a host of technological advances and engine upgrades becomes available for UK ordering

• New generation A8 range now available to order priced from £58,800 OTR – first UK deliveries in January 2014
• Even more power, greater fuel efficiency for the majority of models – all now comply with EU6 emissions regulations
• Increased use of cylinder on demand technology
• Unique new MatrixBeam LED headlights improve safety

Confirmation of UK pricing this week has paved the way for even more elegant, more technologically sophisticated and more fuel efficient new generation Audi A8 models to plot a course for the UK. Available to order now starting at £58,800, and due to arrive here in January, the latest Audi luxury flagship range combines revisions to its weight-optimised, predominantly aluminium Audi Space Frame (ASF) body with a raft of technological advances including new MatrixBeam LED headlights and an upgraded line-up of EU6-compliant engines.  

Subtle resculpting of the bonnet, the single frame grille, the bumper and the lower edge of the headlight units has sharpened the frontal view of the new generation A8. At the rear, the design of the LED tail lamps has been revised and the bumper in all models bar the S8 now incorporates two rhomboid tail pipes. New chrome elements, new high gloss black window surrounds and five new colours also mark out the updated car.

The visual appeal, visibility and active safety of the new generation A8 can also now be enhanced by new headlights employing MatrixBeam Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology which sets new benchmarks.

The high-beam function in these unique headlights uses 25 individual LEDs per unit that can be switched on and off or dimmed individually depending on the situation. This enables the headlight system to react extremely precisely to other vehicles while always brightly illuminating the road. When the on-board camera detects other vehicles ahead, the Audi MatrixBeam LED headlights mask the relevant sections of the high-beam by dimming or shutting off individual diodes. Very bright illumination is preserved in the remaining zones.

The lighting system in the A8 uses predictive route data from the navigation system with MMI Touch to adjust the distribution of light in response to the current driving situation, and can recognise and act on route data, such as corners and road classifications.

New dynamic indicators boost safety

Additional features of the new headlights are the intelligent cornering lights, new-look daytime running lights and dynamic indicator lights, the latter comprising blocks of LEDs arranged in a strip which are sequentially illuminated at 20 millisecond intervals, from the inside outwards, in the desired turning direction. This ‘sweeping function’ makes it even clearer to surrounding road users that the A8 is about to turn.

The even sleeker new standard and long wheelbase bodies house a choice of seven petrol and TDI engines linked to an eight-speed tiptronic transmission, all of which now comply with forthcoming EU6 emissions regulations, and the majority of which have been revised to improve performance and efficiency. The supercharged 3.0 TFSI petrol engine is boosted from 290PS to 310PS, the V8 twin-turbo 4.0 TFSI moves from 420PS to 435PS and now incorporates fuel-sparing Cylinder on Demand technology, the highly efficient 3.0 TDI increases from 250PS to 258PS and the 4.2 TDI gains 35PS, taking it to 385PS. Its already mighty torque output is also increased by 50Nm to a prodigious 850 Nm (626.93 lb-ft).

Thanks to significant modifications to components such as the injection and exhaust gas recirculation systems and the turbocharger, and the integration of an active exhaust gas aftertreatment system using AdBlue exhaust treatment solution, both TDI engines are now classified as ‘clean diesels’.

Cylinder on demand now also for W12

The luxuriously equipped Audi A8 L W12 quattro with its 6.3-litre, 500PS petrol engine continues to occupy the top rung in the A8 line-up. It boasts best-in-class combined fuel consumption of  24.1 mpg, corresponding to 270 grams CO2 per kilometre, thanks in part to a newly adopted version of the cylinder-on-demand system developed especially for this model. At low loads, it deactivates the fuel injection and ignition for six cylinders.

The 520PS S8 fulfils a different brief as the ultimate Audi sports saloon. Its 4.0 TFSI engine blasts it from 0 to 62 mph in 4.1 seconds, yet cylinder on demand technology also permits up to 29.4 mpg, corresponding to 225 grams CO2 per kilometre.

Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), a technology that is now also employed in the A8 4.0 TFSI quattro, the A8 L W12 quattro and the A8 hybrid, ensures excellent acoustic comfort by using precise antiphase noise to combat intrusive noise in the cabin while cylinders are deactivated. Active engine mounts also dampen vibration.

At the other end of the spectrum, the overtly efficiency-focused A8 hybrid combines a 2.0 TFSI engine and electric motor to produce a system output of 245PS and system torque of 480 Nm (354.03 lb-ft). The lithium-ion battery in the rear enables purely electric driving at up to 62 mph with a range of roughly 1.9 miles. Available in standard and long-wheelbase body styles, the A8 hybrid returns up to 44.8mpg and as little as 144 grams of CO2 per kilometre.

The saloon owes its sporting character as much to its sophisticated chassis as to its responsive engines and its lightweight shell. The Audi drive select system, which adjusts the operating characteristics of various controls and functions, is standard. It also influences the standard adaptive air suspension, which is available with sport settings on request. The power steering uses an efficient electromechanical drive, and can be enhanced by a dynamic steering option which varies boost as a function of the speed driven. Carbon fibre ceramic brake discs are available for V8 models and the A8 L W12 quattro. These can also now be combined with new high-tech 20-inch alloy wheels with high-strength polymer spokes.

In the lavishly trimmed and very comprehensively equipped interior, customers can choose from a new range of upholstery and inlays in new colour schemes. Additions include the woods Fine grain poplar brown-silver and Fine grain ash brown-gold natural as well as the leather Unicum, which is particularly natural-looking, soft and breathable.

Enhanced specification for UK models

In the UK, the A8 is offered with a choice of three specification levels – SE, SE Executive and Sport Executive – all of which not surprisingly already include the many luxuries expected at this level. SE models have now been further enhanced by 18-inch alloy wheels in a new design, electromechanical power steering and all-LED headlights with a high-beam assist function. The lighting and steering upgrades carry over into the SE Executive variants, while the top ranking Sport Executive models gain the new MatrixBeam LED headlights and Mobile Phone Preparation – High with Audi connect. This feature brings internet-based services such as Google Earth, Google Street View and online traffic information to the car, and also establishes a wi-fi hotspot for connection of multiple handheld devices to the internet.

Particularly indulgent interior options include a Bang & Olufsen audio system, front seats with ventilation and massage settings, relaxation seats with powered footrests, electrically adjustable, individual rear seats, a continuous, leather-covered centre console (exclusively for A8 L models) and power-assisted door closure. The Audi exclusive personalisation range offers additional options for particularly discerning customers.

On a more practical footing, the options list also includes an advanced new ‘Technology wheel’, which through silicone foam bonding of a forged alloy for the inner section and injection moulded, impact-resistant plastic for the outer cladding, reduces the weight of each wheel by around 25 per cent, or approximately 4.4kg to boost agility and efficiency still further.

The portfolio of advanced optional assistance systems has also expanded to include Audi active lane assist, which makes slight steering adjustments when necessary, the park assist system with 360° display, which handles steering when parking, and the head-up display, which projects important data in the driver's field of vision on the windscreen. The night vision assistant can now also recognise larger animals in addition to pedestrians.

The new generation Audi A8 – UK OTR Pricing