By Patrick James on 2013-02-03 - The author has been a motoring writer for more than 16 years. Formerly motoring editor at the Coventry Telegraph, he now produces motoring copy, on new car launches and road tests on a freelance basis.
Audi A8 4.2 TDI
quattro SE Executive
tiptronic
ONE of the biggest tests for Audi's luxurious A8 saloon came when it was measured against somebody else's Bentley.
You might expect the Bentley - which incidentally is twice the price - would outshine the Audi.
But in fact the flagship A8 proved itself to be a stunning car without having to shout about it.
A hugely powerful, yet frugal diesel engine, all-wheel drive performance and a luxurious interior make this limo a serious contender in the executive car market.
The first thing that hits you about the A8 is the sheer size. It dwarfs almost everything else on the car park and looks far better than its predecessors.
The side profile makes it look almost sporty for such a huge car.
And the clever, LED trimmed bi-xenon headlights frame the stylish front and the big aluminium body sits on enormous spoke-styled 19-inch alloy wheels.
The style-fest continues inside where the immaculate interior, wood panelling, exquisitely stitched leather upholstery and heated, leather seats make it a genuinely pleasant place to be.
There is also plenty of substance underneath all of the style.
The button ignition launches a huge laptop-style screen out of the wood dash trim, which houses the clever Multi-Media Interface (MMI) system.
A central dial controls the system and sits between the automatic gear control and the central arm rest - and it's the real brain of the car.
It controls the sat-nav system that keeps you up to date with traffic and accidents ahead and gives you a clear list of upcoming manoeuvres and direction pointers on the screen in the central dash.
The system also combines with Google Maps via a 3G Internet link and even prepares for the more severe bends by swivelling the LED headlamp beams into the corner before you even move the steering wheel.
The MMI also controls the DAB radio, bluetooth phone connectivity, rear reversing camera screen and even a jukebox with a digitally stored library of albums.
The screen also throws up an array of seat variations, which allows you to tweak five different sections of your comfortable leather seats into almost any combination possible.
And when you switch off the engine the screen slides back beneath the wooden trim.
The specification on the rest of the interior on the Executive SE trim model is far too long to list in full, but includes cruise control, a premium Bose surround sound system, parking sensors and calming white strips of roof lighting that illuminates the cabin at night.
The cabin itself is obviously geared towards comfort and space and there is a host of neat wooden trimmed storage spaces.
There is also a decent boot that opens via the key fob on hydraulic arms that gently lift the boot up on its own.
It also closes via a neat and discreetly hidden button on the underside of the lid.
The safety specification is as superb as all the other gadgets inside and there is the usual array of airbags, ABS, ESP, alarm and imobiliser to keep it safe.
But my personal favourite is the radar-controlled cruise-control and lane assist for motorway driving.
Not only does it keep you flying along at the correct speed it senses when you are too close to the car in front and gently engages the brakes.
The performance of the 4.2-litre V8 engine is probably the most incredible feature on the A8.
Anyone who sits behind this huge cruiser will be stunned to see just how quickly it can transform into sport car performance.
The slick eight-speed automatic gearbox is also fitted with column-mounted paddle shifters.
And the sport mode will catapult you to 60mph in just 5.5 seconds courtesy of the light body, the V8 engine and the quattro system keeping it firmly planted on the road.
The diesel had a range of more than 600 miles on the dash and a 90-litre tank, but did considerably more when I drove it carefully.
The hardest part of driving this car was finding any faults and the only thing that might be difficult to swallow is the list of extra costs.
The base price of the SE Executive is £67,680, but by the time the extras were added on it took the price up nearly seven grand to £74,520.
Some of them I can understand, like the £600 for adaptive lights and high beam assist, but the Bose sound system will set you back £1,175 and the comfort black leather seats are another £1,380.
Even without the extras the Audi A8 is a stunning car.
The performance, the styling and the technology sees it easily compete with competitors like the BMW 7 Series, the Jaguar XJ and the Mercedes S-Class.
And with the new A1 at one end of the market and the hugely impressive A8 at the other Audi seem to have cleverly covered almost every market with everything in between.
Audi A8 4.2 TDI quattro SE Executive tiptronic
Price: £74,520
Mechanical: 350bhp, 4,134cc, 8cyl diesel engine driving four wheels via 8-speed automatic gearbox
Max Speed: 155mph
0-62mph: 5.5 seconds
Combined MPG: 37.2
Insurance Group: 47
C02 emissions: 195g/km
Bik rating: 33%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles
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