Audi A8L W-12 Quattro.pdf

Audi

here’s a lofty price point above

which marketers talk about

acquiring a car rather than

merely buying it, as if one

could assume ownership without the

crass action of actually handing

over money. This demarcation line

between buying and acquiring seems

to be about $100,000, and most

serious luxury-sedan manufacturers

want at least one model north of that

level.

In Audi’s case, that model is the

A8L W-12 Quattro, which is new to

the U.S. market for 2005. The car is

essentially the long-wheelbase A8

fitted with the W-12 engine that’s also

used in the luxury Volkswagen

Phaeton and, with twin turbos, in the

Bentley Continental. As installed in

the A8, this four-bank 6.0-liter engine

has no forced induction and develops

444 horsepower at 6200 rpm and 428

pound-feet of torque from 4000 to

4700 rpm.

That’s 114 more ponies than are

present in the V-8–powered big Audis,

and they make themselves known

when you put your Ferragamos to the

plush carpeting. The A8L W-12 rockets

to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds and through

the quarter-mile in 13.6 seconds at

105 mph. The last A8L 4.2 V-8 we

tested (“$70,000 Luxury Sedans,” C/D,

December 2003) needed another 1.4

seconds, both to hit 60 and cover the

quarter. At higher speeds, the W-12

advantage is even greater, with the

A8L accelerating from 60 to 120 mph

in 12.5 seconds and the V-8 needing

18.9 seconds.

Compared with other sedans that

one must acquire, the big Audi is

about as quick as the BMW 760Li but

is 1.1 seconds slower in the quarter-

mile than the Mercedes-Benz S600

road rocket.

There’s also an enlightening con-

trast between the A8L W-12,

with its aluminum body, and

the Phaeton W-12, which uses

a similar mechanical layout

rendered in steel and coupled

to an engine rated at 30 fewer

horsepower. With 670 more

pounds, the VW is slower by

0.4 second, both to 60 mph

and through the quarter.

Interestingly, the Audi A8L

W-12 doesn’t feel quite as quick as we

anticipated for a car that turns a

quarter-mile time in the mid-13s. In

normal driving, the six-speed auto-

matic shifts into its upper gears very

early, and the transmission is reluc-

tant to kick down unless you really

boot it. So in casual driving, the car

doesn’t surge ahead as effortlessly as

you might expect for such a powerful

machine. The steering-wheel paddle

shifters come in handy if you are par-

ticular about your gear selection.

All A8 models, including this

W-12, have Audi’s adaptive air sus-

pension, with four settings ranging

from most comfortable to most

sporting. These provide meaningful

changes in ride control, but the

sporting ones feel harsh in the Mid-

west at less than exciting speeds.

Although too large to be an autocross

wizard, the Audi feels plenty capable

and secure when you start hustling

through the local cloverleafs.

The visual changes to the big car

are subtle, but they do draw positive

attention. The jumbo grille that

extends well below the bumper, the

polished 19-inch wheels, the big

trapezoidal tailpipes, and the car’s taut

lines combine to produce a swagger

that most onlookers appreciated.

Inside, the occupants will defi-

nitely notice the premium leather

upholstery with contrasting piping

and stitching, as well as the Alcantara

A8L W-12

Quattro

Inquiries should

be addressed to

the acquisitions

department.

headliner and the lovely beige-birch

accents. This spacious interior feels

worthy of the six-figure price.

The luxurious finish is comple-

mented by the usual full dose of

comfort and entertainment features,

including an excellent 12-speaker

Bose sound system and a DVD

entertainment system with an LCD

monitor behind each front-seat

headrest. Our car also had the

optional adaptive cruise control that

senses other vehicles in the path of

the A8 and will not let the car get

closer than a certain preset distance

by appropriately adjusting your rate

of speed. This device works as adver-

tised, but the minimal following dis-

tance is so long that on busy free-

ways a constant stream of cars will

cut in front of you.

Otherwise, the W-12’s controls

work well. Audi’s MMI system is easier

to learn than BMW’s iDrive but

requires you to look farther away

from the windshield to operate it. And

compared with manually tuning a

radio with a conventional knob, both

systems require way too many dis-

tracting steps.

Such new-millennium irritants

aside, the A8L W-12 is a fine flagship

for the Audi line, delivering plenty of

luxury, performance, and comfort in

a stylish wrapper with the benefits of

all-wheel drive. Expect to spend about

$120,000 to acquire one.

BY CSABA CSERE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY AARON KILEY

Vehicle type: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 4-

passenger, 4-door sedan

Price as tested: $126,320 (base price:

$119,820)

Engine type: DOHC 48-valve W-12, aluminum

block and heads, port fuel injection

Displacement . . . . . . . . . . . 366 cu in, 5998cc

Power (SAE net). . . . . . 444 bhp @ 6200 rpm

Torque (SAE net) . . . . . 428 lb-ft @ 4000 rpm

Transmission. . . . . . . . 6-speed automatic with

manumatic shifting

Wheelbase. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121.0 in

Length/width/height . . . . . . 204.4/74.6/57.3 in

Curb weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4766 lb

Zero to 60 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.1 sec

Zero to 100 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.3 sec

Zero to 130 mph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.2 sec

Street start, 5–60 mph . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.5 sec

Standing 1 / 4 -mile . . . . . . 13.6 sec @ 105 mph

Top speed (governor limited) . . . . . . 133 mph

Braking, 70–0 mph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183 ft

Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad . . . . . . 0.79 g

EPA fuel economy, city driving . . . . . . 15 mpg

C/D- observed fuel economy . . . . . . . . 17 mpg

126 www.CARandDRIVER.com

SEPTEMBER 2005

SHORT TAKE

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