Audi S8
The
average person living in the 1960s probably envisaged the
advent of space exploration as heralding a new age for
mankind, where, by the 21st Century, we would be colonising
distant planets, flying in cars through skyscraper cities,
and working ten hour weeks, all whilst wearing ridiculous
jumpsuits.
The future, of course, had more prosaic plans, but one
by-product of the space race has been the plethora of
products reputedly created as an offshoot of some or other
NASA project. From the apocryphal (non-stick frying pans –
surely ensuring that saucepans were easy to clean was not
high on most astronaut’s priorities list) to the true but
absurd (zero G pen springs to mind), hundreds of companies
have associated their products with the American space
agency over the last forty years.
Which brings us to the Audi A8, or more specifically, the
range topping S8, which was advertised as being built on
similar technology to NASA’s moon buggy, a vehicle that must
hold the record for highest cost to top speed ratio. But we
will forgive Audi this brief sojourn into the world of bad
advertising, as, when it finally produced a full sporting
version of the A8- the S8 – the company succeeded in
creating a car that merged the straight-line speed and
refinement of a GT with the space and discreetness of a well
proportioned saloon.
The look of the S8 is akin to an enlarged first generation
A4, but there is a tautness and muscularity to it that
disguises its considerable size and distances it from the
smaller car. Unlike the A4, the S8 and A8 are relatively
uncommon sights on British roads, which means that the
aesthetics have not been spoiled by familiarity.
The interior is of typical Audi quality, but it is
noticeably from a pre-TT incarnation of the company; there
is less design-led, architect’s apartment detailing and more
Mercedes-like durability. It feels like a car that could
easily last a lifetime – something that is rare in these
days of accelerating obsolescence.
360 BHP in today’s hyper saloon market may not sound that
much, but the S8 is reasonably light for a car of its size,
and never feels underpowered. Anyway, this is not a car to
be hustled along a narrow country road at speed – if you
want those sort of thrills, buy an Exige or an Impreza. The
S8 is designed to travel great distances at speed, but with
a high degree of comfort and, perhaps most importantly,
discreetness.
Although the suspension is stiff and the tyres large and low
profile, the cabin is a peaceful place to inhabit, thanks in
part to the double glazing and excellent sound insulation.
There is a nice V8 rasp from the exhaust, but it only
intrudes into the cabin at high revs.
On the move, there is the typical Audi nose-heavy feel
caused by the engine position, but it is less pronounced
than in non-Quattro models from the marque. Traction from
the four wheel drive system is superb, allowing rapid all
weather progress to be made even with the electronic aids
switched off.
Severe provocation on corner entry can induce oversteer, but
the S8 does not really seem to appreciate this; it feels
like asking a thoroughbred to pull a cart – something that
is both beneath it and for which it is not particularly well
suited.
Put the S8 in D, let the auto box adapt to your driving
style and you will be rewarded with a sporting yet cosseting
drive. It will cruise in comfort at over a ton on the
autobahn, yet will be quite happy to traverse an icy
mountain pass, or carve its way through a set of S bends.
But, ultimately what makes the S8 a future classic, in our
view, is the way that it offers all of these abilities in a
package that does not impose a pre-determined image onto its
driver. Where BMWs and lesser Audis carry the preconception
of suburban middle management, the S8 has a restrained air
that thwarts simple stereotyping. And there are few modern
saloons that can make a similar claim.
