German Car Forum

The changes in the A8 apply in the S8 also.

A wounderful and magic car has just been eaven better... Say Welcome to the "AluCrusier"

You can configurate the facelifted A8, now...

Audi Konfigurator

This car will be one sweet pick on the second hand market in a few years.

New headrest, what else was changed inside the car?

New steering wheel, and it looks damn nice too.

The headrest are "old"! They were also standard equipement, when you ordered the comfort seats with massage and ventilation... ...but Audi offers new wood variations.

I believe the same steering wheel was offered from the start with the A8 W12 (although it has small new aluminium inserts around the buttons in the 2008 model) Also there's now more aluminium/chrome throughout the interior and the Bang&Olufsen sound system is standard, so different speakers:

2004 A8 W12 interior:




2008 A8 W12 interior:

^^
What, is the B&O system standard?? That has got to have increased the price a notch.

Hmmm... I'm not sure. I thought I read somewhere that it was added to standard equipment (W12 model) some time ago. I could be wrong though...

The B&O Sound system costs between 5.100 € (Audi S8 and W12) and 6.500 €! It isn't standard!!

OK, thanks. So I was wrong, it's still optional after all...

Stunning car very elegant and sleek but i'd never take a W12 over a S600!

I'm glad they didn't do much to the basic design of this car. But I must ask - why two facelifts in a generation?

So this was the "new" A8 my dealer was talking about... They were offering it to us at a very attractive price. Decided not to take it on because 2 years later the new A8 would be out already.

I don't really like the new rear light design. Maybe if I see it in action it would look nicer.

Why never?Can you be 100 percent sure,I mean?IMO,Audi suits me far more better than Benz..Maybe it would be different if I had 50 years on my back and retirement on a way .

The W12 has proven itself to be an inefficient engine. It generates a lot of heat, weighs quite a bit and the cars that it is fitted into drink too much petrol and are nose-heavy. It doesn't compete on the same level with say, a MB V12, in terms of refinement as well.

I've heard Audi will ditch the W12 soon for a conventional V12. Not a bad choice.

Thanks for the info, I knew the weight of the engine affected ride quality. Have any idea how much more the engine weights then the one in the S600?

No idea. The one benefit of a W12 though is that it takes up less space in the engine bay than conventional V12s. Not too much use if it's a large car anyway...

You know what, I have to tell you that I'm really surprised with the way Audi facelifted the A8/S8 in the front.
WHy put these shape on the fog-lights there, while no other model in the Audi line has them? And why don't put LEDs in there, as the S6? I really believe this whole facelift is a big disapointment!

Saw one today at the dealer. Nice, but you'd be hard pressed to spot the difference.

With its all-aluminum space-frame construction, sophisticated Quattro all-wheel-drive system, adaptive air suspension and available W12 engine, Audi's A8 is all about high technology. And keeping the A8 on the technological cutting edge is critical for Audi.

Entering its fifth year of production, the second-generation A8 gets a slew of refinements for 2008, but retains its essential design and all-around competence. Will that be enough to keep the A8 fresh in the minds of buyers who crave the most advanced automobile available? Let's take a look.

The Substance of Style

The A8 has never been the most extroverted sedan in its class. It's a handsome, broad-shouldered machine but lacks the aggressiveness of the Mercedes S-Class or the sheer extravagance of the Maserati Quattroporte. Instead it relies on buyers seeing below the tautly tailored surface to the conceptually daring structure and steadfast drivetrain. Any surface changes Audi makes to the A8 — plus its brothers, the longer-wheelbase A8 L and A8 L W12 — won't change that aspect of its appeal.

Nevertheless, the designers have burnished some of the A8's aesthetic edges. There are new wheels, new sideview mirrors with integrated turn signals and taillights made up of a series of LED clusters. A slightly updated version of the "single-frame" grille that's become a part of every Audi design is present and accounted for in the A8, with the high-end W12 model's grille featuring prominent vertical strakes reminiscent of the grilles on classic Horch models of the '20s and '30s. (Horch became part of Audi back in 1932.)

It will take an educated, slightly obsessive eye to tell a 2008 A8 from the 2007 edition. But the A8 is exactly the sort of car that attracts the educated and slightly obsessive.

Refined Suspension, Not Rethought

In North America, the A8 will continue to be offered in A8 and A8 L models powered by Audi's 4.2-liter, direct-inject FSI V8 making 350 horsepower. That engine comes lashed to a six-speed Tiptronic transmission that in turn feeds the Quattro all-wheel-drive system. The A8 L W12 replaces the V8 with a 6.0-liter W12 rated at 450 hp, but has an otherwise similar drivetrain.

The significant mechanical changes for 2008 are made to the steering and suspension. The variable-ratio and speed-sensitive power-assist rack-and-pinion steering has, says Audi, been "optimized and engineered for a more direct feel." How exactly they've done that, they're not telling anyone.

Meanwhile Audi was also busy retuning the suspension by fitting it with revised electronically controlled variable dampers, supports and software. Once again Audi is light on the specifics of what it has done, but it promises that the A8 "absorbs expansion joint grooves with supple ease and without even the hint of vibration."

The A8 was already one of the world's most secure and comfortable-riding luxury cars. That Audi now promises it's even better is tantalizing.

Quieter and Safer

Revisions to the A8's soundproofing materials produces, says Audi, an even quieter vehicle than before. This is a mighty achievement considering how nearly silent the A8 has proven to be. And Audi claims to have achieved this using "innovative materials" that don't increase the car's mass.

With the A8 already overstuffed with most every imaginable safety system — including dual-stage and dual-threshold front airbags, front knee protection airbags, side airbags and side curtain airbags — Audi had to think up another for the 2008 A8.

The new Audi side assist uses radar technology to make lane changes safer. When the driver turns on the turn signal to announce a maneuver, an LED display housed in the exterior sideview mirror lights up if another vehicle is detected in the critical area where the A8 is headed. And those LEDs become brighter and flash in shorter intervals if the computer determines the situation is growing more critical.

Audi is also fitting the A8 with what it calls "lane assist." A small video camera positioned above the rearview mirror watches the road ahead, feeding its signal to a computer that monitors the lane marking lines painted on the road. If the car wanders toward one of those lines without the driver first signaling, the computer will vibrate the steering wheel slightly to alert the driver.

That sounds kind of spooky.

Is There More To Come?

Naturally, all the changes to the 2008 A8s also include the usual array of paint and trim variations expected of an annual model evolution. But there's also the hope of much more to come.

Audi has committed itself to expanding its offerings of clean-burning TDI turbodiesel engines and already offers the A8 with both 3.0-liter V6 and 4.2-liter V8 TDI diesel engines in Europe. Does this mean that a TDI-powered A8 is on the way? Not quite, but until an all-new model arrives in 2010 there isn't much left to improve upon. — John Pearley Huffman, Contributor

2007 Frankfurt Auto Show - 2008 Audi A8

The part underlined sums up the A8 perfectly IMO.

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