Audi's new A8 combines luxury, technology

The 2011 Audi A8 is a technological juggernaut, and through its use of lightweight materials, more efficient engines and a bevy of electronic features, it sets the tone for future offerings from the luxury automaker. Oh, and the third generation of the German maker's flagship sedan is a great drive, too.

The first A8 debuted in 1994 and charted a course for Audi to build elegant, power-ful, all-wheel-drive übersedans to compete against flagship offerings from Mercedes-Benz and BMW. The second-gen car, launched in 2002, raised the bar even higher, expanding Audi's use of aluminum for the structure, and it came loaded with additional technology, luxury and comfort features.

The all-new car, arriving in U.S. dealerships this fall, offers a long list of features aimed at giving drivers an even sportier, safer, more comfortable and more luxurious ride.

The new A8's aluminum spaceframe chassis weighs just 508 pounds, which Audi says is 40 percent lighter than if it were made of steel. Saving weight in the frame allowed Audi to pack the car with other goodies that will delight and surprise.

“This car represents pure passion that is Audi,” company CEO Rupert Stadler said at the car's launch in the south of Spain.

Audi engineers don't seem to have left anything on the table in developing the new car. For the United States, a new 4.2-liter direct-fuel-injection (Audi calls it Fuel Stratified Injection) V8 makes 372 hp at 6,800 rpm and 328 lb-ft of torque at 3,500 rpm. The engine is mated to an all-new, smooth-shifting eight-speed automatic transmission with Tiptronic and steering-wheel-mounted paddles. Audi's quattro AWD system is standard.

The new V8 is nearly 20 percent more efficient than the one in the outgoing car, meaning that while running on premium fuel, the EPA combined city and highway mileage estimate is 25 mpg.

The V8 is potent, sounds terrific under full throttle and easily propels the 4,045-pound car from 0 to 62 mph in 5.7 seconds.

The most striking features on the exterior are the winglike LED headlights that, in combination with the single-frame chrome grille and air inlets, create a characteristic face. Audi introduced LED headlights in the R8 sports car, but they are taken to a new level in the A8, giving the car an unmistakable appearance, even during the day. The LEDs, which emit a light similar to daylight, are zero-maintenance and designed to last for the life of the vehicle. Fog lights are integrated into the headlight design, so in cars that have adaptive cruise control, the holes where fog lights normally would be are filled with radar cameras. And the new adaptive cruise control has a stop-and-go feature that will bring the car to a complete stop behind the vehicle in front and take off again when that car moves.

Audi has long been viewed as a leader in interior designs, and this new A8 is simply the best in a long line of comfortable, beautiful, swaddling cockpits. The seats, dash and door panels use soft leather, and there's ample hand-finished wood and aluminum on the dash and console surfaces. The leather and wood beg you to reach out and touch them.

New 22-way power-adjustable front seats are heated and cooled and have a massage feature to help refresh you on a long drive. And we highly recommend the optional 19-speaker, 1,460-watt Bang & Olufsen sound system. Satellite radio and an iPod interface are included.

Also new is an updated version of Audi's Multi Media Interface that, for the first time, uses a touch pad for input. The standard feature lets driver or passenger enter information via the touch pad, which recognizes both letters and numbers, in a variety of languages. The touch pad replaces a joystick for navigating through the screens.

You can use the touch pad to enter an address, a map location or a point of interest or for map scrolling. Six numbers on the pad can be used to select radio presets. We found the system easy to learn and use--it is highly intuitive, something we've appreciated in Audi's MMI for years.

And speaking of the navigation system, Google Earth maps with points of interest are offered for the first time. The system features weather forecasts for up to three locations, plus streaming news. Audi has not yet selected a wireless carrier, but officials say the cars will come with six months to a year of free service. Customers can then decide whether to continue the service. A picture of 2011 Audi A8 interiorAudi A view of the interior of the 2011 Audi A8.

Other available electronic features are a blind-spot warning system and lane-assist warning. On the safety side, Audi's Pre Sense detects an imminent crash from either the front or the rear, and it pretensions the seatbelts, rolls up the windows, locks the doors, preloads the brake-assist feature and works in conjunction with the air suspension system to minimize brake dive.

Available options also include night vision with pedestrian-recognition software and a rear-seat entertainment package with dual 10-inch screens and wireless Bluetooth headsets.

The adaptive air suspension and controlled damping with the Audi drive-select dynamics system comes standard. We switched between comfort and dynamic several times, settling on the dynamic mode for most of our drive. Not only does it firm up the ride a bit, but it also increases the throttle response and keeps the transmission in a lower gear longer, adding to the sporty feel.

The new A8 comes with 17-inch aluminum wheels and 235/60R-17 all-season tires. Dynamic steering is available as an option.

At the launch of the second-generation car in 2002, we noted that the A8 felt and drove like a much smaller car. This new model continues that sporty feeling. The combination of direct, crisp steering and adaptable suspension and chassis, not to mention the ample power under the hood, provides a sports-car-like response in a full-size luxury sedan.

Only regular-wheelbase models were offered for tests, which will make up only 20 percent of U.S. A8 sales. Americans like the extra five inches of rear-seat space offered in the L version. When the A8 debuts in the States, both regular- and long-wheelbase cars will be available.

Audi prides itself on its engineering prowess and forward thinking. As flagships go, the new A8, from its elegant good looks to its sporty drive and bevy of electronic goodies, waves the Audi banner like none before.

2011 AUDI A8

ON SALE: Fall

BASE PRICE: $78,000 (est)

DRIVETRAIN: 4.2-liter, 372-hp, 328-lb-ft V8; AWD, eight-speed automatic with Tiptronic

CURB WEIGHT:4,045 lb

0-62 MPH: 5.7 sec (mfr)

FUEL ECONOMY (EPA): 25 mpg