Audi S8 4.0 TFSI quattro 2020 Review

Traditionally, the Audi S8 is the flagship of Audi’s range and the pinnacle of technology, safety and luxury.

However, in previous generations the S8 has primarily stood as a luxury car with a big engine, and not necessarily an engaging, truly enjoyable drive.

All of that purportedly changes here. For 2020, the Audi S8 takes on a more athletic bent, fit with a heavily upgraded 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine, voodoo-like predictive air suspension and all-wheel steering.

Let’s see if it matches the brief.

How much does the 2020 Audi S8 cost?
Based on the fourth-generation Audi A8 L limousine launched here in mid-2018, the new Audi S8 is considerably cheaper than before.

The last time the Audi S8 was available Down Under, in 2017, pricing started at around $280,000 — but the new model is listed at $260,000 plus on-road costs.

For that outlay you get a 4.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V8 that bangs out supercar-like power and torque: 420kW at 6000rpm and 800Nm over 2000-4500rpm.

The most expensive version of the German brand’s Audi A8 flagship sedan comes standard with quattro all-wheel drive, a self-locking centre diff, sports rear diff with torque vectoring across the rear axle and a conventional eight-speed automatic transmission.

Equipment levels on the fourth-generation S8 are sharp, too: HD Matrix LED/laser headlights, OLED tail-lights, adaptive cruise control with traffic jam assist, 21-inch alloy wheels with 265/35 R21 tyres, tinted windows, soft-closing doors, a panoramic glass sunroof, 360-degree cameras with kerb-view function…

There’s also Valcona leather upholstery with power-adjustable, heated, cooled and massaging front seats.

Underneath resides a new predictive active air suspension system that combines with infinitely variable adaptive dampers and an active rear anti-roll bar to ensure a smooth ride with minimal body roll.

The latest Audi S8 (and A8) will virtually drive itself thanks to autonomous driver aids such as active lane assist, side assist with cross traffic assist, collision avoidance assist and turn assist, intersection crossing assist, blind spot warning, a self-parking system and autonomous emergency braking that works between 5km/h and 250km/h.

Cabin accents are offered in brushed aluminium or carbon vector and adjustable LED mood lighting is part of the interior package, along with two fragrances to cover up noxious odours, the virtual cockpit digital instrument cluster, a head-up display and twin touch-screen infotainment system.

The 2021 Audi S8 also comes with a 17-speaker Bang & Olufsen 3D Sound System as standard, but there are several option packs that can take things up a notch, such as the $13,900 sensory package.

This adds an 1820W Bang & Olufsen Advanced 3D Sound System with 23 speakers, and electrically-adjustable heated and cooled rear seats with massage functionality.

The S8 is backed by a three-year/unlimited-kilometre factory warranty, which is less than Mercedes-Benz and other brands including Volvo.

Servicing is spaced across 12-month/15,000km intervals. An optional five-year Genuine Care Service Plan is available at a cost of about $3700.

First and foremost, the Audi S8 simply does things that a 2.3-tonne, 5.18m-long luxury limousine shouldn’t.

The headline figure is its claimed 0-100km/h time of 3.8 seconds – one-tenth off the rear-drive R8 supercar – but equally impressive is the way the S8 can attack the backroad.

On a less-than-smooth surface south of Sydney, the S8 revels in its underlying technology, offering an immediacy more familiar with vehicles half its mass.

Turn-in response is sharp and there are astonishing levels of lateral grip – all underwritten by its clever suite of electronics and all-wheel drive system, which keep the entire show on the road.

With predictive air suspension able to alter the damping up to 18 times per second, the S8 transfers its weight gracefully, shaking off mid-corner bumps while wresting excess lean and pitch during fast changes in direction.

A particular boon for the S8 is its Dynamic all-wheel steering system, which not only varies the assistance on the front wheels but turns the rear wheels in the opposite direction through fast corners to sharpen turn-in response and cultivate a more direct driving experience.

The voodoo magic is accompanied by a surprising level of communication and feedback from the S8. It has a digitised veneer to its handling, no doubt, yet it adequately telegraphs imperfections via the steering and chassis to justify its place as a driver’s car.

Granted, the S8’s slabby weight is ever-present through corners and certainly isn’t infallible, but its sledgehammer engine is a convincing counter-balance.

The V8 makes its power in both accessible and brutish portions, developing peak torque at 2000rpm and climbing confidently beyond 6000rpm, where peak power materialises.

Out of tight corners the driveline simply grips up and goes – with no semblance of a hesitation.

The engine is always at the ready thanks to a slick-shifting eight-speed torque-converter gearbox which is both graceful and well-timed in its shifts.

Ditto, the all-wheel drive system, which allows this high-tech sleeper to hunker down and throw itself almost maniacally at the horizon.

Elsewhere, the engine uses its tall highway gearing, cylinder deactivation technology and mild hybrid properties to great effect for efficiency.

We were able to match Audi’s combined fuel claim with just a smattering of restraint; and on a highway run we achieved 7.6L/100km.

The S8 rides prodigiously on broken bitumen, ironing out pitter-patter bumps with its brilliant predictive air suspension and isolating all but the harshest of knocks supremely. Progress is serene, and the same rear-steer system essentially shrinks its length during car park manoeuvres.

The cabin opulence and tactility here is first-class, with liberal lashings of leather, carbon-fibre and Alcantara, high-clarity screens and displays and excellent spatial proportions.

The S8’s stationary party trick – raising its ride height by 50mm upon opening the doors for easier ingress/egress – is particularly neat. We also liked the electro-mechanical actuators in the door handles, which make for easier use.

Downsides?

Aside from the expense, weight and sub-par warranty provisions, we took issue with the limited toe-room under the front pews, as well as the absence of a split-folding second row (ski-port only) and a narrow 505-litre boot.

Granted, the latter elements are a mere consequence of the S8’s structural properties.

Some users may also take issue with the digital focus of the S8’s switchgear, which occasionally necessitates two, three or four presses of menu where a traditional hard-wired button would take just one.

The S8 also foregoes a traditional spare tyre for an inflation kit.

The appeal of the S8 is relatively broad, but at $260,000 its actual buyer base will be limited to a privileged few.

The S8 will be likely deemed too expensive for most high-end hire-car fleets, which will still look favourably upon the capable A8, and it probably won’t appease the dynamic needs of enthusiasts – even with its newfound agility.

Instead, the S8 is the kind of car that complements an existing collection or slightly older buyers who like their performance and luxury quotas in equal measure.

Of course, it would happily operate as a high-powered chauffeur, with premium space and materials employed across its three rear pews.

There’s a removable tablet for the rear-seat passengers to control their Bang & Olufsen audio and their climate control system, and the rear seats are heated and ventilated – just like those in the front.

There is also a strong assortment of USB and 12-volt outlets across the bleachers, though no goose-down headrests or mirrors for rear occupants, as found in some counterparts.

Speaking of which, rivals for the high-powered Audi S8 include the more expensive Mercedes-AMG S 63L (from $392,835) and the V12-powered BMW M760Li xDrive (from $383,900).

Unlike Audi, both German brands also offer cheaper turbo V8-powered versions of their extra-large luxury cars in the BMW 750i xDrive ($277,900) and Mercedes-Benz S 560 ($283,335).

Prospective buyers of the Audi S8 would no doubt be used to being well connected – and with its newfound on-road confidence and communication, the latest luxury limousine subscribes to this thinking as well.

Previous S8s have been prodigious autobahn blasters but have been left wanting dynamically.

You can’t angle that criticism at the fourth-generation model – it flies the technological, safety and luxury flags for the Ingolstadt marque, and it does so with a genuine turn of speed.

A real driver’s car.

How much does the 2020 Audi S8 4.0 TFSI quattro cost?
Price: $260,000 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Output: 420kW/800Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 10.5L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 245g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested