VW to Audi - we just got an A8L 4.2 Quattro

[Mr. M]

Congrats Mirage. We need pics!

We had it for a few weeks already, it has been a great experience... We're giving up the Phaeton really soon (for those who don't know yet) because it's a company car, and my dad's retiring. We really had a difficult decision whether to keep it or not, but we decided that we wanted something fresh! Plus the 3.2 was getting too sluggish for its own good, it also affected the integrity of the gearbox...

So anyway, here are some pictures I took with my mobile phone and p&s camera. I really can't find the right opportunity to take some really good shots yet! It's okay... It will come!

MMI's a joy to use, it has more functionality than the Phaeton's interface.

Fingerprint recognition doesn't really work very well...

Love the gauges and how they jump in 10km/h intervals before 100km/h and then at 20km/h intervals after 100km/h.

Got to get used to the wood myself - warming up to it though it still isn't the choice interior colour combo IMO.

 

[ree]

Congratulation to your new car again!! It looks really great and I have to say, that I like the interior combination with that type of wood... I sat in an A8 W12 LWB last week and I was impressed by it's space and comfort - the S-Class is more comfortable but the A8 has a great design...

 

[Zafiro]

No Maserati anymore?

 

[Mr. M]

No Maserati anymore?

Maserati + Audi.

 

[Centurion]

Congrats man, it's a bit sad to see that you are giving up the Phaeton, it's a good car. Don't forget to give a us a Phaeton vs A8 comparison James.

 

[dOmInIX]

Great purchase James, congrats! A8 looks really nice...Hope you enjoy it.

 

[Yperion]

Looks great , i love it.

 

[NarutoRamen]

F__king awesome James!!! Those pics rule!!!

 

[Bruce]

Looks very nice! Congratulations James!

 

[wltsm]

The car looks great, but I agree with you, that wood wouldn't be my first choice for the interior either.

So you're going up the VAG family tree, first a VW, now an Audi, which means your next car has got to be a Bentley!

 

[Sayyaaf]

Great car James. The interior is classic but I've always prefered the dark wood + tan leather.

 

[Kowalski]

Well hello there Mr. Transporter!

-Happy motoring and lovely choice of colour.

Say, do you folks in Singapore have the choice of a short-wheelbase A8 4.2 V8? The only Long-Wheelbase Audi we get in the UK is the 6.0 W12.

 

[Monster]

Congratulations James, your car looks fantastic, i like those rims very much. I agree with you and BMW_Dude, the interior colour combination isn't the best choice for the car, espically for the light coloured wood trim.

Got a question for you James, which car get driven more, the A8 or the Maserati Quattroporte ? Why did your dad chose to buy another luxury car instead of going for something smaller and more sporty?

 

[Mr. M]

The car looks great, but I agree with you, that wood wouldn't be my first choice for the interior either.

So you're going up the VAG family tree, first a VW, now an Audi, which means your next car has got to be a Bentley!

Logically, yes. But only if Bentley releases something that looks better than the FS...

Great car James. The interior is classic but I've always prefered the dark wood + tan leather.

Me too, me too... Unfortunately, that's how it is with used cars.

Well hello there Mr. Transporter!

-Happy motoring and lovely choice of colour.

Say, do you folks in Singapore have the choice of a short-wheelbase A8 4.2 V8? The only Long-Wheelbase Audi we get in the UK is the 6.0 W12.

Thanks you Kowalski! Not sure about that SWB V8, because only the LWB V8 is sold here. We get the LWB in 3.2, 4.2 and 6.0 variants.

Congratulations James, your car looks fantastic, i like those rims very much. I agree with you and BMW_Dude, the interior colour combination isn't the best choice for the car, espically for the light coloured wood trim.

Got a question for you James, which car get driven more, the A8 or the Maserati Quattroporte ? Why did your dad chose to buy another luxury car instead of going for something smaller and more sporty?

Oh, definitely the A8 gets driven more. It's more refined than the QP, it does its job without fuss. But I gotta admit the A8 is a pretty boring car. The QP needs some taming like it's a wild animal. Fun once you get it leashed, but it gets tiring after a while. So both cars kinda balances out each other.

Good question on why he didn't get something smaller and more sporty. I guess it's the circumstances here. It's more practical to get something large and comfortable rather than a sports car/small car simply because you're gonna spend more time in traffic jams than anything else. And since we got the QP already, which suffices as a sports car, we got a full-fledged luxury car instead.

But I do agree it's kinda illogical having 2 large sedans. It's a thing with my dad I guess, I have a hard time convincing him to get a coupé. If I do succeed though, it would probably be the R129 SL next.

 

[Mr. M]

Well some brief A8/Phaeton comparisons:

A8 is...

- more modern - with MMI, white mood lighting, an advanced parking system, etc.

- more refined - gear changes are smoother, power is creamy, smoothly delivered; it has no problem wafting around town and the suspension is more forgiving at low speeds.

Phaeton is...

- better built - you can feel it from the way the doors close, the automatic hinges for the boot, the hard-wearing leather. The A8 has lighter doors, soft buttery leather that wears off rapidly from moderate usage, and has typical automatic hinges like any other luxury sedan. I should say here that amongst te S, 7er, XJ, LS and A8, the Phaeton is the clear winner for being the most over-engineered car. It uses so much precious resources that it actually got voted one of the most pollutive cars on the planet. It's a true verdict.

- more stable at high speed - due to its weight, steel body monocoque

- a porker - 3.2 struggles to pull the car, and FC kills. We get 17L/100km on average on the VW, 14L/100km by contrast in the A8.

------------------

The Phaeton is a stunning achievement in its first generation. No other luxury car is this good when it was first released. I'm sure with the future generations, improvements in refinement and weight-loss programmes will make this car a winner. It really is the last over-engineered car around. It may be traditional. Yes. It may not be the most comfortable, the most powerful, or even the most agile. But it's the car that you'll likely keep for the longest time, because it can and will last for decades.

 

[Kowalski]

Thanks you Kowalski! Not sure about that SWB V8, because only the LWB V8 is sold here. We get the LWB in 3.2, 4.2 and 6.0 variants.

Cheers mate.

But I must apologise.

I mean... the *numpty salesman* who works in the VW dealer I got the Passat, told me the only A8 SWB available in the UK is the W12.

*Sorry Simon... turns out you are wrong mate.*

Audi sells the LWB A8 with 3.2 V6, 4.2 V8, 3.0 V6 TDI, 4.2 V8 TDI and even 3.2 V6 FWD (!) Who in their right mind would buy an A8 LWB 3.2 V6 front-wheel-drive only?! It would be madness!

But Simon may not be entirely wrong after all; sure you can buy a LWB A8 4.2 V8, but Audi dealers will do anything in their power to sell a SWB 4.2 to you. So turns out that most A8 powered by the 4.2 V8 are SWB models and very few A8s are FWD.

So the only A8 available ONLY as SWB is the Gallardo V10 powered S8.

 

[Car Diva]

Congrats!


it LOOKS Wonderful!

Many happy miles

 

[notic]

very cool, congrats one the new car

 

[Amo]

I like the interior colour combo! Congrats

 

[Mr. M]

Cheers mate.

But I must apologise.

I mean... the *numpty salesman* who works in the VW dealer I got the Passat, told me the only A8 SWB available in the UK is the W12.

*Sorry Simon... turns out you are wrong mate.*

Audi sells the LWB A8 with 3.2 V6, 4.2 V8, 3.0 V6 TDI, 4.2 V8 TDI and even 3.2 V6 FWD (!) Who in their right mind would buy an A8 LWB 3.2 V6 front-wheel-drive only?! It would be madness!

But Simon may not be entirely wrong after all; sure you can buy a LWB A8 4.2 V8, but Audi dealers will do anything in their power to sell a SWB 4.2 to you. So turns out that most A8 powered by the 4.2 V8 are SWB models and very few A8s are FWD.

So the only A8 available ONLY as SWB is the Gallardo V10 powered S8.

Actually the bulk of the sales in Singapore (and I'm pretty sure in Asia) comprises of the A8L 3.2 FWD. People simply don't need all that power for the congested roads here.