- Messages
- 15,993
- Name
- Rolf
Hey Betty so how do you rate the A8 matrix lights and I would be interested to hear your thoughts on the car itself what are it's negative and positive points?
A8/S8 [Official] Audi A8/S8 facelift 2015
- Messages
- 10,047
I'm planning to post my thoughts on the A8 in the next few days, don't worry.
Rainer271
Kraftwagen König
- Messages
- 11,055
- Name
- Rainer
- Messages
- 15,993
- Name
- Rolf
Thanks buddy
JHF
Driving Dynamics Pro
- Messages
- 3,462
Audi A8L W12 in Verdant Green Pearl Has Jaguar Looks
Audi is not the first German automaker you think of when somebody mentions "exclusivity". BMW gave us frozen paint and Mercedes offered designo wood. Yet there's always something interesting to find in the Audi Exclusive catalog, especially if you've ordered a flagship model.
These four photos were recently published by Audi Deutschland on Facebook, but they were actually taken by Audi Russia back in August. They show a long wheelbase A8L W12 with full Matrix-LED headlights and a rather special color we've never seen before.
Displayed during this year's Moscow Motor Show, this A8 is as bright as stirling silver and as green as a Jaguar D-Type. The color it's wearing is called Verdant Green Pearl and is slightly yellower and less strong than pea or apple green. The origin of the word "Verdant" is Middle French and is related to the present particle of verdoyer, which means to be green (as in inexperienced).
Audi hasn't been using this color for very long, but we've also seen it on an RS7 and an A6 the past year. This particular A8L also boasts a very expensive 20-inch 15-spoke polished aluminum wheels in the Struktur design.
But €3,600 for a set of wheels is nothing in comparison to what the Audi sedan actually costs. The A8L W12 is the most expensive four-door Audi and fetches €142,500. In return, you do get quite an impressive engine, with 12 cylinders in a W formation, working together to deliver 500 horsepower through an 8-speed tiptronic gearbox. A well equipped model weighs 2.3 tons, but is still capable of hitting 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.6 seconds.
Audi A8L W12 in Verdant Green Pearl Has Jaguar Looks
Audi is not the first German automaker you think of when somebody mentions "exclusivity". BMW gave us frozen paint and Mercedes offered designo wood. Yet there's always something interesting to find in the Audi Exclusive catalog, especially if you've ordered a flagship model.
These four photos were recently published by Audi Deutschland on Facebook, but they were actually taken by Audi Russia back in August. They show a long wheelbase A8L W12 with full Matrix-LED headlights and a rather special color we've never seen before.
Displayed during this year's Moscow Motor Show, this A8 is as bright as stirling silver and as green as a Jaguar D-Type. The color it's wearing is called Verdant Green Pearl and is slightly yellower and less strong than pea or apple green. The origin of the word "Verdant" is Middle French and is related to the present particle of verdoyer, which means to be green (as in inexperienced).
Audi hasn't been using this color for very long, but we've also seen it on an RS7 and an A6 the past year. This particular A8L also boasts a very expensive 20-inch 15-spoke polished aluminum wheels in the Struktur design.
But €3,600 for a set of wheels is nothing in comparison to what the Audi sedan actually costs. The A8L W12 is the most expensive four-door Audi and fetches €142,500. In return, you do get quite an impressive engine, with 12 cylinders in a W formation, working together to deliver 500 horsepower through an 8-speed tiptronic gearbox. A well equipped model weighs 2.3 tons, but is still capable of hitting 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.6 seconds.
Audi A8L W12 in Verdant Green Pearl Has Jaguar Looks
SDNR
Kraftwagen König
- Messages
- 10,190
I really like the S class ....and it is overall probably the superior vehicle but this face lifted A8 is fantastic.
I hope Audi don't mess around with the styling too much with the next A8 .....the cool German purity of the exterior is what makes Audi special for me. The Audi interiors are unfortunately beginning to lose their edge ......I'd like to see them simplify the cabin a bit. I find the S class cabin a bit too over-stylized in places. I'm most looking forward to what BMW do with the 7 .....their recent concepts have been very exciting.
I saw this video a while ago ....I didn't find it on the forum so I'll post it now:
These Audi Matrix LED Headlights are brilliant.
I hope Audi don't mess around with the styling too much with the next A8 .....the cool German purity of the exterior is what makes Audi special for me. The Audi interiors are unfortunately beginning to lose their edge ......I'd like to see them simplify the cabin a bit. I find the S class cabin a bit too over-stylized in places. I'm most looking forward to what BMW do with the 7 .....their recent concepts have been very exciting.
I saw this video a while ago ....I didn't find it on the forum so I'll post it now:
These Audi Matrix LED Headlights are brilliant.
Rainer271
Kraftwagen König
- Messages
- 11,055
- Name
- Rainer
- Messages
- 15,993
- Name
- Rolf
Thanks buddy
- Messages
- 10,047
OK @Rolf and @rs271. Here are my LONG overdue thoughts on the Audi A8 L 3.0 TDI.
First of all, the LED Matrix headlights. In a word, superb. Without a doubt I would spec these if I was ordering a new Audi which had them as an option. Compared to some useless options, these are very worthwhile as they give tangiable benefits, and benefits that you can take advantage of every day if you like. The way they lit up the fast but unlit roads at two in the morning on my drive to the North of England was very impressive. They constantly adapted, swivelled, projected, and all without dazzling other road users, both oncoming and whilst I was overtaking. It wasn't an issue when I went from Continental Europe to the UK, and therefore changing from driving on the right to to driving on the left, because the headlights were automatically adjusted via GPS when I exited the Channel Tunnel. A big thumbs up from me.
The infra-red night vision was less useful. Sure it works, but I think the amount of times you would actually make use of it are very rare indeed, which isn't great for an expensive option. Out of three days I was driving the A8, it proved useful just once, when on a dark, unlit country road, it highlighted a pedestrian in red. The truth is, the LED Matrix lights are so good that you don't actually need the night vision. I have a video of the night vision in action, but I'm at work now so I'll post later.
The radar cruise control. This was annoying. I couldn't find ANY way of just using the cruise control without the radar element, which meant it was frustrating when making progress on a motorway, only to pull out slightly too late and have the system hit the brakes without warning. This typically happened when coming up behind a slow moving lorry. On BMWs and Mercs it is possible to choose between the radar (useful when in traffic), and just the basic speed holding function.
The head up display. Not as good as BMW.
Overall I liked the A8, BUT, I still prefer the 7 Series and S-Class. The big reason is that there are just too many minor flaws in the design of several functions, such as:
The seat memory buttons are just below the internal door release handle, so about 50% of the time I would find myself knocking one of the buttons on exiting the car. When returning to the car I would find the seat has moved completely. Who designed this?!! Did they not test it before launch?!
Secondly, the usual Audi thing whereby the radio comes back on when you start the car, even though you've turned it off before switching the ignition off. Again, who decided this was a good idea?! I ended up finding out the result of a football match on the radio when I was trying to avoid the score.
Thirdly, the car had a "break recommendation" function. Bizarrely it activated within 15 minutes of setting off on my journey. Again, stupid.
The fuel economy was good (I'll update the fuel consumption thread later), and I certainly didn't need any more power.
First of all, the LED Matrix headlights. In a word, superb. Without a doubt I would spec these if I was ordering a new Audi which had them as an option. Compared to some useless options, these are very worthwhile as they give tangiable benefits, and benefits that you can take advantage of every day if you like. The way they lit up the fast but unlit roads at two in the morning on my drive to the North of England was very impressive. They constantly adapted, swivelled, projected, and all without dazzling other road users, both oncoming and whilst I was overtaking. It wasn't an issue when I went from Continental Europe to the UK, and therefore changing from driving on the right to to driving on the left, because the headlights were automatically adjusted via GPS when I exited the Channel Tunnel. A big thumbs up from me.
The infra-red night vision was less useful. Sure it works, but I think the amount of times you would actually make use of it are very rare indeed, which isn't great for an expensive option. Out of three days I was driving the A8, it proved useful just once, when on a dark, unlit country road, it highlighted a pedestrian in red. The truth is, the LED Matrix lights are so good that you don't actually need the night vision. I have a video of the night vision in action, but I'm at work now so I'll post later.
The radar cruise control. This was annoying. I couldn't find ANY way of just using the cruise control without the radar element, which meant it was frustrating when making progress on a motorway, only to pull out slightly too late and have the system hit the brakes without warning. This typically happened when coming up behind a slow moving lorry. On BMWs and Mercs it is possible to choose between the radar (useful when in traffic), and just the basic speed holding function.
The head up display. Not as good as BMW.
Overall I liked the A8, BUT, I still prefer the 7 Series and S-Class. The big reason is that there are just too many minor flaws in the design of several functions, such as:
The seat memory buttons are just below the internal door release handle, so about 50% of the time I would find myself knocking one of the buttons on exiting the car. When returning to the car I would find the seat has moved completely. Who designed this?!! Did they not test it before launch?!
Secondly, the usual Audi thing whereby the radio comes back on when you start the car, even though you've turned it off before switching the ignition off. Again, who decided this was a good idea?! I ended up finding out the result of a football match on the radio when I was trying to avoid the score.
Thirdly, the car had a "break recommendation" function. Bizarrely it activated within 15 minutes of setting off on my journey. Again, stupid.
The fuel economy was good (I'll update the fuel consumption thread later), and I certainly didn't need any more power.
Rainer271
Kraftwagen König
- Messages
- 11,055
- Name
- Rainer
@Betty Swollocks Thanks a lot for this review.
- Messages
- 15,993
- Name
- Rolf
KiwiRob
Tire Trailblazer
- Messages
- 6,066
My A1 doesn't do this, my wife always turns the radio off when she's driving, I always have to turn it on when I get in the car, I can't drive without music.
- Messages
- 10,047
OK. Two questions. First, are you absolutely sure? Not just the radio but any sound source, be it radio, CD or iPod? No matter whether you turned it off before you switched the ignition off, when you start the car again the audio will be back on again. And you can't even turn the volume down to zero, because when you start the car again the volume will increase back up to level 2 or 3. I owned the A1, I still own the R8 and they're the same. I've driven about 20 different Audis in the last five years, and on EVERY single one, the audio will always come back on.
Second question. If what you're saying is true, how on Earth do I get it work that way for me?!
Rainer271
Kraftwagen König
- Messages
- 11,055
- Name
- Rainer
As far as I know if you push the power switch for a longer time the radio will get off. At a new start you must it switch on.
That's the statement in a german A1-forum. Could this be correct?
Radio / Musik läuft immer beim Zündungsstart - A1talk.de
- Messages
- 10,047
You mean press and hold the "off" switch before turning the ignition off, it won't come back on when restarting the engine? I usually read all manuals from to cover to cover, so either this isn't in the instruction booklet on any of my cars or I've been a total idiot and missed it.
I'm leaving Holland for the North of England in 20 minutes, and I'm taking the M135i and not the R8, so I'll try it when I get back next week. Thanks for the info.
Similar threads
Audi
Audi AG is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles
headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. A subsidiary of the
Volkswagen Group, the company’s origins date back to the early 20th
century and the initial enterprises (Horch and the Audiwerke) founded
by engineer August Horch (1868–1951). Two other manufacturers (DKW
and Wanderer) also contributed to the foundation of Auto Union in 1932.
The modern Audi era began in the 1960s, when Volkswagen acquired Auto
Union from Daimler-Benz, and merged it with NSU Motorenwerke in 1969.
Official website: Audi (Global), Audi (USA)
Official website: Audi (Global), Audi (USA)
