Audi A8 review: This luxury car is brimming with comfort and tech, but the it’s ultimately outclassed by rivals

Published on 19 February, 2023

Overview

Many years ago, a senior automotive executive told me that women weren’t the target market when it came to luxury cars and the battle to win hearts and pockets was aimed squarely at the boardrooms and the golf courses and not the supermarket car park or the school gates.

Fast forward to now and thankfully things are changing. The car industry has woken up to the fact that selling cars to women has little, if anything, to do with pastel shades and handbag hooks, and we are now more likely to be treated like purchasers and not passengers. So while I may not be the typical luxury saloon buyer — a mature gentleman approaching retirement — it seems our test car this week, the Audi A8, is a car that can be enjoyed by all.

This flagship Audi has always been an understated and elegant car, never brash enough to garner attention but not visually bland either — in fact, the perfect car for those wanting to waft around unnoticed in lavish fashion. The new updated model gains a bigger grille that is now wider, with more prominent chrome detailing, along with distinctive LED headlights.

Inside is where a luxury saloon really needs to dazzle and the A8 does not disappoint. Little has changed in this updated version – it’s an impressive cabin that is a joy to inhabit. But the mark of a luxury saloon is not how it drives but rather what it is like to be driven in it, as a passenger. My teenagers duly obliged and as I chauffeured them around I was assured by these future captains of industry that the elegant interior, crafted seats and the cushion-like ride comfort were sufficiently luxurious.

The A8 features a choice of petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid power. Our test car was the A8 60 TFSI e quattro, which uses a six-cylinder petrol engine and an electric motor to offer 67km of an electric range and fuel economy of 1.8–2.1 litres per 100km. Plug-in hybrid model drivers can choose from a range of driving modes that allow you to select to use only the electric battery, a mix of electric and fuel, or only fuel.

On the move, it is supremely comfortable and, while narrow country roads are not the natural habitat for luxury saloons, particularly those more than five metres in length, the Audi A8 excels behind the wheel and handles like a much smaller car.

The A8 comes with a host of safety systems but has not been tested by the EuroNCAP.

Prices for the Audi A8 start from €103,865, while our press car, with a host of optional extras, came in at €120,481. Competition in the luxury market comes not only from traditional rivals such as BMW 7 Series (€125,735), Mercedes S-Class (€143,965) or the Porsche Panamera (€112,530) but also from SUVs including the BMW X7 (€154,055) and the Range Rover (€138,090).

There may be little that is new in the revised A8 but it’s been tweaked sufficiently to feel improved and what you get is luxury, comfort and technology in abundance.

While the Mercedes S-Class still has the edge in terms of refinement, and behind the wheel the BMW 7 series is more engaging, climb into an Audi A8 and life’s little mundanities and trivialities simply float away. 

Star rating: 4/5

Audi A8 Luxury 60 TFSI e quattro

​Starting Price: €103,865 (€120,481 as tested)

Engine: Petrol/Hybrid

Transmission: Eight-speed s-tronic

Co2/Motor Tax: 41-49g/km (€140)

Economy: 1.8–2.1 litresper 100km

Electric Range: 67km

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