After starting with the small S4 and RS4 and progressing to the midsize S6, all that remained was the flagship car, based on that most luxurious of land barges, the A8. I knew the S8 ($92,000 base, $110,170 as equipped) would be bigger, but would it be better?
In short order I decided it isn't the strongest S car — unless you're talking about engine strength, in which it leads the family with 450 horsepower from roughly the same 5.2-liter V-10 that drives the S6. In fairness, your take on the S8 would depend on what you want in this kind of car. I favor the complete package, which is why the S6 is my favorite. The S8, in my opinion, is a rolling contradiction.
In the looks department, it's hard to beat — a stately, imposing presence with just enough special exterior treatment to set it apart from the A8 without giving away its performance pedigree. In a family of sleepers, the S8 is the most drowsy. Give it a shot of high-test, though, and it awakens like a frat boy on Red Bull. Audi says it sprints to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds — two-tenths faster than the smaller S6. How could this be? The S8 has 15 hp more and weighs about 200 pounds less, at 4,278 pounds, thanks to all-aluminum construction.
There's no doubt it's a rocket — with eye-flattening force off the line — or that it gets you over the speed limit before you know it. What's unfortunate is what happens in between. The powertrain computer cuts waaaay back on the throttle for upshifts, especially between 1st and 2nd. Presumably this prevents the transmission from going kablooey before it hits its first even-numbered gear, but the effect is like rowing a boat. (I know I used the barge analogy, but no one wants it to float into literal waters.)
Overall, the six-speed automatic's performance is inferior to the S6's. The Sport mode didn't cure lazy multigear downshifts, apart from holding lower gears into higher speeds and making such an instance less necessary. I couldn't tell you if the lag was in the by-wire throttle, the transmission or some combination of the two. I can tell you I want a car — and especially a performance version — to respond more quickly and consistently. You can't adjust to a car's quirks when they're unpredictable.
The S8 has the new, improved version of Quattro all-wheel drive that's on the S6 (and detailed in my earlier RS4 writeup), not the system from the A8. Combined with the car's already superior weight distribution, this makes for balanced handling. Mounted to 20-inch wheels, the Yokohama Advan Sport summer tires provide the needed grip but still let you do a little lateral drifting if you wish.
I found fault with the S8's handling. The new S8's acceleration makes it feel light as a feather, in a straight line, and though its sophisticated air springs and adaptive shock absorbers do their best, the S8 still felt quite heavy to me. Am I expecting too much from a large car? Well, as I remember it, the previous generation impressed me with how light it felt in the curves. As in the other S cars, except maybe the S6, the brake pedal is too mushy and numb, though the binders do the job when it's time to halt the hulking S8.
The S8 pleases most in aesthetic ways. It looks good and it sounds great under heavy acceleration, but stays appropriately quiet when cruising. The lush interior is a very, very nice place to spend time. Audi is deservedly revered for its interior design and quality, and the A8 and S8 are the highest expression thereof. Audi will have no trouble selling this car; in fact, the 2007 model year is already sold out. My criticism has been relative and focused on performance aspects, because Audi S is a performance line. Would I trade my day driving all of them? Hell no!
Related:
Kicking S: Audi S6 - The Best of S
Kicking S: Audi RS4 - An S4 With More
Kicking S: Behind the Wheel of Every Audi S Car
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