 About the Audi S8The Audi S8 is a large luxury sedan. Based on Audi's flagship A8 vehicle, the S8 is a highly-tuned version aimed at motoring enthusiasts. It offers all of the comforts of a high-line German luxury car and the room of a regular A8, with a number of sporting upgrades to make it a much faster, and better handling, car than the regular A8.The 2009 S8, which is the last year that it was sold in the United States, featured Audi's 5.2-liter, 10-cylinder, FSI engine and was built in Germany. A similar engine to the one in the Lamborghini Gallardo, this mill generated 444 brake horsepower and 398 foot-pounds of torque, propelling this 4,277 pound car from zero to 60 miles per hour in just 5.1 seconds with an electronically-limited top speed of 155 miles per hour. Although faster than many... View more sports cars, the S8 was also capable of transporting a family in comfort due to its five-seating position and 14.6 cubic foot trunk. Audi first released the S8 in 1994. It offered a choice of a manual or Tiptronic automatic transmission with Audi's Quattro all-wheel drive system. It was powered by a 4.2-liter, V8 engine with 335 brake horsepower, although Audi later boosted it to 355 bhp. The current S8 was even more powerful, as discussed, and the new S8, rumored for release in 2012, should feature either an Audi V8 or V10 engine, producing even more power than in the last S8. Although a capable sporting car, the S8 is also a true luxury car. Comfort features abound with heated power seats, which have position memory, and multi-zone climate control. It has a full package of advanced automotive electronics, including a high-end surround sound-capable Bose stereo, Audi's MMI interface system and voice-activated navigation. The S8 also features a number of appearance upgrades, such as leather and wood in its interior and 20-inch wheels on its outside. The automotive press tended to focus on the fact that although it was not quite as fast as competing large sports sedans, such as the Mercedes AMG S-class, it still offered a compelling package of other features. The S8 combined an essentially Italian engine with a world-class interior, redolent with luxury. Although its handling was, according to Car and Driver, compromised by its front-wheel drive bias, its all-wheel drive gave it the ability to handle better in inclement weather than its rear-wheel drive competition. View less | |||
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