V8 is enough... For now

Audi's all-new full sized all-alloy all-wheel-drive A8 limo will debut Down Under with a choice of two V8 engines only.

Scheduled for local on-sale in July, the A8 range will be spearheaded by a brace of quattro-equipped 4.2-litre V8s. Offered in both FSI (petrol) and TDI (turbodiesel) form, the new generation D4 A8s are longer (+75mm overall, +55 wheelbase), wider (+55mm) and taller (+16mm) than the cars they replace.

Audi will launch the V8s with matching specification levels. Though exact local specifications are still to be finalised, expect the new A8s to include the mod-cons you'd expect from full-size Euro range-toppers. Features confirmed for the Aussie V8s include Audi's ground-breaking new track-pad equipped MMI Navigation Plus satnav, audio and car control system, 22-way heated and vented Comfort seating, new interior ambient lighting system, BOSE sound and adaptive air suspension. Under the skin, Audi's latest torque vectoring Sports differential will also be standard on both models locally, as will be 19-inch ten-spoke alloy wheels.

Options will include full LED headlamps (as pioneered in the R8 sportscar), night vision, Google Maps-ready adaptive cruise control (with stop and go) and a 19-speaker Bang & Olufsen stero system.

A ten colour exterior palette is offered as well as an extensive choice of interior and leathers. Though the external styling of the A8 might be deemed a little too derivative, the interior is anything but... Indeed, we'd suggest the refinement and workmanship inside the car moves even this rarified segment to a new level.

Though pricing is still to be announced, the all-new cars are likely to be more expensive than the cars they replace. Currently the outgoing 4.2 FSI and 4.2 TDI are priced at $206,600 and $211, 400 respectively.

Both the A8's V8s displace 4.2-litres. The TDI turbodiesel is the brute of the range, packing 258kW and a hefty 800Nm -- 150Nm up on the engine it supersedes. Accelerating to 100km/h in just 5.5sec and capable of significantly more than its electronically limited top speed of 250km/h, the new TDI V8 still returns better than four-cylinder medium car economy in ADR testing -- just 7.6L/100km.

The 4.2 FSI direct-injected but naturally-aspirated petrol model is not quite as muscular, but nonetheless produces 273kW and 445Nm. At 5.7sec 0-100km/h, it is slower than the diesel but far from tardy. Fuel economy is an impressive 9.5L/100km combined.

The V8's fuel economy numbers are respectively 19 and 13 per cent better than the cars they replace despite extra weight (the latest A8s are up to 50kg heavier than comparable D3 models) and notable performance increases over their predecessors. While engine changes are partly responsible, the key to the cars' better efficiency is the adoption of ZF's latest eight-speed automatic transmission.

Also featured in the latest 5 Series BMW, the eight-speeder is standard across the new Audi A8 line-up. Though debuted in the top-line V12 model of the 7 Series range and already standard across auto 5s, Ingolstadt has beaten Munich to the punch by combining the new transmission with auto start-stop for the first time in two 3.0 TDI turbodiesel V6 engined model which will join the international A8 line-up later this year.

In Europe a 150kW front-wheel drive only version of the auto stop-start V6 will, in effect, add an 'e' high-efficiency car to the A8 range. Audi claims it will use around 6.0L/100km.

Down Under, a full Quattro AWD version of the 3.0 TDI with 184kW/550Nm is scheduled to arrive in the last quarter of 2010. With combined fuel consumption of around 6.6L/100km, it will not rival the front-driver but it will benefit from the Australian Government's consumption-related Luxury Car Tax (LCT) break and lead its segment in terms of efficiency.

Specification and pricing are still to be confirmed for the A8 3.0 TDI. Expect a lower spec than the V8 to accompany the lower pricetag.

Unveiled in Miami late last year and launched this week in Malaga in southern Spain, the A8 range is, for the moment, also limited to standard wheelbase models. The long wheelbase version will come, say Audi officials. With a stretch that should match the 130mm increment of the outgoing generation, the LWB A8 is expected to debut in its biggest potential growth market, China, later this year.

The W12 version is gone for now -- the result of emission requirements say insiders -- and there are no plans to shoehorn the 1000Nm V12 from the Q7 into the A8, says program communications chief, Sven Stockmar.

The future of the entry-level 3.2-litre V6 direct-injected petrol engine is not clear, either. Stockmar says the company has considered and dismissed a four-cylinder version of the A8, but would not elaborate on plans for lower output models for the range. A hybrid variant is considered important for markets like the USA and Japan, but a decision regarding that too is in the future, he says.

No doubts about the arrival on an S8 high-performance variant, however. According to Stockmar, the fettled flagship has accounted for more than half its volume in some markets and will join the line-up, though he's not prepared to say exactly when.

Speculation that the S8 could be the first turbodiesel 'S' car is likely to be off beam, but don't rule out the possibility totally. More likely will be a further refined version of the twin-turbo Lamborghini-based V10 petrol powerplant that powers the RS6 sedan and Avant.

Long the odd man out in the local Euro limo battle, Audi Australia is coy about its volume estimates for the new A8 range. Up against Benz's recently upgraded S-Class and BMW's rejuvenated 7 Series, the latest A8 will be under the spotlight in terms of its performance Down Under.

Though Audi Australia spokesperson Ann Burgdorf says the new A8 is "strategically important" for the marque Down Under and "the area in which we'd most like to improve", she nominates sales volume estimates (around 100) that are no higher than the pre-runout levels of the previous generation.

She says Audi Australia will judge the success or otherwise of the A8 in more than pure sales numbers.

"The last generation was good, but it was not as strong a competitor [in the segment]. Yes, we expect a volume increase... But the important thing is that the new A8 is considered as a genuine competitor [in the luxury D-segment marketplace]," she told the Carsales Network.

As part of its push to attract new customers to the flagship, Audi Australia is expected to launch a new premium customer support program for the A8. Details of the program will be announced closer to the car's July local debut.

Look out for our full international launch review of the new Audi A8 here soon.

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