Vs Autobild: Audi A8 vs Mercedes-Benz S-Class

[ateekt]

Maybe I'm the only one here, but I like the new A8 better than the aged Merc! It looks great & it's about time, people start liking it too!

 

[donkeykong]

Wow…Wimmer will notice that too!! Who the hell took these interior shots!! They look terrible…over and under exposure…horrible flashlight settings and positions…

AutoBild absolutely failed to show the greatnest of A8 and S-Class interior. And in my opinion, biggest problem of the Audis interior isn't it build quality or styling, it's just that it just looks like an upgraded A4 like the exterior as well.

ree your such a fan boy is anything you say not biasd

 

[donkeykong]

The S simply kills it in terms of of exterior design...

Interior is a different story, though, but above pic says all - th S is a clear winner.

Audi, Audi...

i disagree i feel the audi is nicer and thats saying something the s class is also stunning both in and out

 

[sfbayfan]

No question, exterior and interior, S class is the better looking of the two, the Audi just does not cut it.

 

[Potential]

My biggest problem with the A8 is the headlights. The LED design are just tacky. Want to see perfect use of LEDs, look at the Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe. The A8 looks superb from about the front wheel arch, all the way to the back. I especially like the side on view, again except for the ungainly front overhang. The S Class looks good at the front, but from there backwards, it looks dated and extremely tasteless, especially the horrendous wheel arches.

I'm sorry but the A8 interior looks nothing like the A4 interior. In my opinion, that is just a fragrant attempt to find fault with the A8.

 

[Merc1]

Looking at the A8 interior in person last weekend I can truly say that it appears to be the new standard in the class, and it does so quite easily IMO. The whole layout is much younger than the Mercedes and way dresser than the cut-n-paste interiors on the larger BMWs.


M

 

[K-A]

Seems like the interior rulers right now in the "Big Size" category are the A8 and the XJ (which I didn't think was all so amazing via pics, until I sat in one in person, extremely great materials and very elegant environment). S-Class still has a supremely cozy and relaxed, mature feel, and top notch materials, but the design IMO holds it back in comparison.

Why is Audi doing away with their trademark single flat B-Pillar exterior design for the more generic double pillar (i.e the door frames) design? Twin door frame B-Pillar designs are the most proper layout for Sedans, but it just looks awkward and for some weird reason "cheap" on an Audi.

 

[ree]

Couldn't get a proper translation using the online translators for this quote:

Das Fazit von AUTO BILD-Redakteur Wolfgang König: "Sicher, er ist groß und schwer. Aber dafür steckt auch unglaublich viel drin: Der A8, daran ist nicht zu rütteln, markiert ab sofort den Stand der Technik in der Luxusklasse. Dass er außerdem wuchtiger auftritt als bisher, kann einem gefallen, muss es aber nicht. Und die S-Klasse? Immer noch eine Sünde wert, keine Frage. Nur: So bequem wie bisher wird sie es nicht mehr haben."

Well, very short and fast translation:

"It is big and heavy. But there is a lot in that new A8! The new A8 is the new standard of technology in the luxury class. That his appearance is also more massive then the old A8, is a matter of taste. You can like it or you don't.
And the S-Class? It's still worth a sin. But it will not be that easy for the S like before.

 

[Human]

My biggest problem with the A8 is the headlights. The LED design are just tacky. Want to see perfect use of LEDs, look at the Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe. The A8 looks superb from about the front wheel arch, all the way to the back. I especially like the side on view, again except for the ungainly front overhang. The S Class looks good at the front, but from there backwards, it looks dated and extremely tasteless, especially the horrendous wheel arches.

I'm sorry but the A8 interior looks nothing like the A4 interior. In my opinion, that is just a fragrant attempt to find fault with the A8.

I have to agree, the styling is overall not a disaster and the car WILL HAVE presence if seen in real life. The LED's upfront is tacky even funny! It looks messy and that is it!

The interior is fresh, modern and elegant THOUGH not as elegant as the F01 nor S-class - A8 Dash lacks depth.
It does NOT look A4'ish at all. I suppose (as with ANY interior) color plays a HUGE role, and the fact of the matter in the case of the most resent interior pics is that the 'aluminum' piece of trim running through the centre of the dash DOES appear A4'ish...same color as used in the A4 (in A4 also surrounding the instrument cluster). That is thus a 'reminder' of what is known in the A4....

 

[EnI]

But you are aware thi interior is by no way the base one (it's full of options), aren't you?

 

[SKY]

But you are aware thi interior is by no way the base one (it's full of options), aren't you?

You repeat this again. Post a pic of the F01 Individual if you want, the A8 interior design is still far ahead the bimmer, wich lacks of exclusivity.

 

[klier]

You repeat this again. Post a pic of the F01 Individual if you want, the A8 interior design is still far ahead the bimmer, wich lacks of exclusivity.

Yep! The 7er DEFINITELY lacks exclusivity.
But that doesn't measn that it can't look TEN TIMES better than the new A8, because it does. The 7er interior design is unmatched in the class. It's just perfect. The A8 has a lot of very (VERY) ugly design elements going on, with the giant pop up screen the most noticable.

Seriously, all this interior design talk is completely subjective. 7er is first by a mile, than comes the S-class, and last the A8.
In my book!

 

[Deleted member 25]

Klier is making a very good point, style is one thing, perceived quality is another, i t oo believe that in term of perceived quality the A8 is light years ahead, style wise, not so much.

 

[SKY]

If there was no other bimmer withe same inteiror layout as the 7er it would be my choice too. I love the interior design of the BMW.

 

[HighestOfHigh]

Honestly, when it comes to interiors the A8 and S-class seem much more sophisticated and more elegant. The 7 series interior is more youthful and sportier. IMO.

 

[SKY]

Honestly, when it comes to interiors the A8 and S-class seem much more sophisticated and more elegant. The 7 series interior is more youthful and sportier. IMO.

True, but the design used by BMW is just perfect.

 

[NarutoRamen]

BMW is just perfect.

Let's not get carried away here...

 

[Merc1]

But you are aware thi interior is by no way the base one (it's full of options), aren't you?

Is the wood, design of the shifter, the layout optional? I don't think so. Is the overall design optional? No.

M

 

[Osnabrueck]

The fact that we see a unified approach carried out in BMW's interiors is a plus and a minus. There's a superb feeling of consistency that carries through all of their range, and it's a plus that the template is very solid and comprehensible.

The disadvantage of this is that cars like the 7er lack a sense of occasion. The 7er's interior gives one the same general impression as does the X6, the X5, the 5er and so forth. It just feels as though the template has been stretch to a different size without a noticeable leap in materials or functionality.

Note - this is mostly a great thing. The fact that the 3er and 7er now share the same air of sophistication and accomplishment is good for the majority of BMW drivers who are, by and large, driving some form of the 3er.

It is just to say that the A8 feels like something special all on its own - a grade of quality and refinement that isn't shared with any other Audi save the R8.

Functionality and details are debatable - I think the 7er has a better interior composition, with a greater sense of ordered space - the only thing is that the space functions the same as all BMW sedans and SAVs.

But putting the merits of the layout aside, the A8 just feels special - As did the E65 before it... The E65 did something that no BMW had ever attempted, and really was something you could only do within the confines of a 7er: Present a cabin that was tamed and domesticated by architecture and interior design. You couldn't do that in a 5er or 3er with a straight face.

Likewise, I think the clumsy pop-up monitor is a non issue for the A8. It's almost like a futuristic cocktail lounge on wheels, and backs up that with materials and workmanship to pay off that lofty aspiration.

 

[Remy Zero]

I've always been an Audi fan, but the S Class i admit is a stunner. I feel Audi took a step back with the latest 8. The older S Class looked boring, and designed for more senior, boring men. The current one, looks so much more fresh, sporty, aggresive, stylish, and classy.

Between the two, i'd definitely go for the S. I'll have mine AMG tuned with black colour pls