All new 2017 Audi A8 announced

[Andrew[MG]]

Seven years is a long time for any model of car, but at the top end of the luxury segment it’s an eternity. That's how long it's been since the last generation Audi A8 was launched, but now we have news of its replacement.

When you’re spending upwards of £65,000 on a luxury saloon you expect it to not only drive well and be the ultimate palace of comfort, you also expect state of the art technology that those buying further down the food chain can’t even dream of.

To meet these uber high demands, Audi has just announced full details of their new, fourth generation 2017 A8 featuring “new design language, an innovative touchscreen operating concept and systematic drivetrain electrification”.

The real headline for this new flagship A8 is that it’s Audi’s big step towards a world of automated motoring with it being: “developed for highly automated driving”. With software updates coming in 2018, the A8 will have features such as parking pilot, garage pilot and traffic jam pilot.

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Unlike the BMW 7 Series, the new A8 will be able to park itself into a space or garage while the driver just clicks a button from their smartphone – no actual remote control driving is required, which if you have tried the BMW system, you will know is a good thing.

Parking itself almost seems like quite a basic feature compared to Audi’s next bit of tech, the traffic jam pilot. This system allows, through the pressing of the “AI” button, the A8 to accelerate, brake and steer itself at speeds up to 37mph (while on major roads with a central reservation). In countries where the law allows, this means the driver can take their hands off the wheel and watch the TV – very handy on the morning commute or a traffic laden bank holiday trip.

To allow the A8 to have a full picture of the road around it, Audi has gifted it radar sensors, ultrasonic sensor, a front camera and a laser scanner. While this sounds very futuristic, it doesn’t yet allow the new Audi to self-drive at full motorway speeds, like the Tesla Model S.

Away from the self driving technology, Audi has updated the cabin by adding more/bigger screens and getting rid of many of the buttons and switches. This results in the A8 having a 10.1-inch central touchscreen to control infotainment and a smaller touchscreen below it to control heating and enter text. Like other new Audis and VWs, the A8 also has a digital speed/rev counter with the ability to show sat nav and other information.

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There’s a long list of new/improved technologies that prospective owners might be interested in, but also high up the list of priorities when choosing a car like this is just how luxurious the inside is.

The first thing that Audi have done to increase pressure on their rivals is to up the size of the new A8. In non A8 L guise it’s now 5172mm long, 1945mm wide and 1473mm in height, meaning it’s longer and taller than the previous model.

While increased size is great, the feature that’s really going to impress important executives is the optional “relaxation seat”, located behind the front passenger. When there’s no front passenger, the rear occupant can position the seat in front so that it’s used a footrest, complete with heating and massage function. While this might be slightly gimmicky, it’s another one up on rivals and sets a new benchmark in the segment.

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Trying to keep the new A8 ahead of the pack while on the road is a range of revised engines. Starting out with new 3.0l TDI (286PS) and TFSI (340PS) V6 units, the range will later be completed by Audi’s 4.0l TDI and 6.0l W12.

Complimenting the revised engines is a 48V electrical system which brings some of the benefits of a hybrid drivetrain. Extended stop/start, engine off coasting and energy recovery under braking will all allow for improved MPG, reduced emissions and more friendly tax bills. Further down the line, the range will also include a full hybrid with the A8 L e-tron Quattro. The wirelessly chargeable lithium ion battery will be able to propel the A8 31 miles or boost the 3.0l TFSI to 449PS and 700 Nm of torque.

With technology, comfort and power all taken care of, you might think Audi will have forgotten about how well the car rides and handles – they haven’t. With air suspension all round, double wishbones at the front and a five link setup at the back, Audi have made sure they take the fight to Mercedes well renowned ride comfort. Complimenting this is Audi AI active suspension which, along with pre sense 360° can scan the road ahead and prepare each wheel to smooth out any road imperfections.

Once you add in the A8’s dynamic all-wheel steering (helping you park easier or steer more smoothly), the big Audi is more than well equipped to take on its German and Japanese rivals in the battle to move the world’s leaders and CEOs between their important meetings.

As the popularity of large SUVs continues to grow we might see less and less of these uber saloons on the roads, but it makes driving them, and being driven in them, that bit more special.

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[Crasher]

Maybee if car companies went back to the approx 10 year cycle they used to, executive used car values would be less like falling off a cliff....

[Andrew[MG]]

It's the mobile phone/technology effect, everyone want's the latest high def, super high def, uber high def and so on. I'm not sure we'll ever go back to longer product cycles with any goods that we purchase. I think many of us would prefer quality over features but it doesn't seem to fit with modern sales demands.

Maybee if car companies went back to the approx 10 year cycle they used to, executive used car values would be less like falling off a cliff....

[Crasher]

Cars are so overloaded with built in technology that they are nearly obsolete when they come out never mind at the end of the product cycle and upgrading is nightmarish, they should go back to a double DIN head unit that you can easily upgrade. I find it both amusing and depressing when I see someone in a 10 year old A8 (still a great car with years left in it) using a stick on sat nav because the built in one is obsolete. Manufacturers and customers alike have to get away from treating a car like white goods, scrap it every ten years mentally, it is not environmentally responsible no matter what the thing is made from.