For some reason I have always imagined Audi to sit at the bottom of my German luxo-car manufacturer list. They certainly seem to be the rarest so I wonder whether my lack of exposure to the brand left me subconsciously thinking they weren’t as good. Who knows?

Having driven the fantastic VW Phaeton, I knew what the Volkswagen Audi Group were capable of; and having driven a Continental GT a few months later, I also knew what they’re capable of when taking components straight out of one car and into another. The A8 is certain to be awesome technologically; they will take bits and bobs from a range of well respected and well built brands and vehicles and there you have it.

When the Audi pulls up the first thing you notice is the styling, its visual heritage and unique design within the sector is obvious. I am a firm believer that BMW (probably Audi’s closer competitor) are trying to be cutting edge, modern and sleek and on the other end of the scale Mercedes are pushing out classic shapes with a nouveau feel. The A8 is probably the most eye catching, with its low slung front and sides, huge wheels and funny little beard, when the sun sets any door or lock action sets off the ultra modern under handle and under mirror lighting. Inside it continues, an ultra stylish dash is only complimented by the retractable screen complete with space age navigation and assistance interface.

Every car magazine and every petrol head I know asked the “big wheels, bumpy ride” question and it’s true. The fact that the A8 comes with such colossal wheels does effect the ride, although only slightly. The positive effect it has on the looks and prowess of the machine far outweighs a shudder every now and again.
With a more sensible wheel setup the problem would vanish, but so would the fantastic presence that the wheels provide. The handling in general was impressive, very stable but when pushed to the limit the amount of under steer is un-nerving, a common problem with 4 wheel drive cars. More importantly, the A8 I was blessed with was the 3.0 TDI Quattro SE, although the engine was able to offer a suprising level of torque, and was fantastic on fuel the car seemed to scream for something a little more lively – more gut wrenching, the V10 or maybe even that sneaky W12 that’s out and about would turn this A8 into an absolute diamond.

After a week out and about in the Audi I grew to like it more and more, and its little practicalities. Scrolling through the menus at any time is easy, there’s no iDrive requiring you to rotate it 300 degrees clockwise, tilt it toward north east north and then continue spinning it like a safe lock until you veer into the central reservation. The styling is pleasing, not too contemporary and not too classic. It’s a safe medium between its two competitors, personally I count that as a good thing. Although I’m not speaking from experience (yet), I would image (and expect) an extra £19,000 investment into the W12 lump would deliver you riot in a good looking, long wheel base, S55 rivaling tin.