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2007 Audi A8 L Road Test

Does the Car Make the Man?

A pair of skate shoes, torn up cargos and a hoody have never had it so good. Thats what I was wearing when I picked up the Audi A8 L. I almost felt guilty as I slipped into the drivers seat wiggling my body around like Im testing out a new lazy boy. The car oozes so much class and sophistication that I was, unfortunately, unable to match. I felt like I was insulting its status simply by being inside, degrading it with my attire.

Its amazing the ego transformation the A8 can generate. A beer swilling community college Joe like myself was given a glimpse of a, "tennis anyone" Ivy Leaguer, or so was my impression. The car gives you a sense of importance, relevance and the feel for what life

My torn up cargos and baseball hat didnt quite fit the A8s upscale style. (Photo: Budd Stanley, American Auto Press)

must be like for the upper crust of society. Sure just because you drive an A8, youre not going to get into the yacht club or into a fancy restaurant without a tie and reservations, but when you ask the doorman at your towns swankiest club if you can leave it in front for a minute while you look for someone inside, you wont get turned down.  I took it down to the business district and putted around as though I actually belonged,

Audis parlor club atmosphere almost makes you want to throw on a tie and jacket. (Photo: Budd Stanley, American Auto Press)

with all the other Audis, Bimmers and hordes of Mercs.  I think my baseball cap gave me away; right ride but wrong species.

Collapsing into your favorite sofa is the usual way to decompress from a hard days work, although A8 owners get to do it a little sooner. Falling into the A8 was just as relaxing, and made rush hour traffic seem almost tolerable. Add the optional massagers and commuting is almost worth looking forward too. Hey, might as well add the optional refrigerator while youre at it.

Despite

Night or day, the A8 takes driving very seriously. (Photo: Budd Stanley, American Auto Press)

being inherently comfortable, the A8 driving position is very sporty and makes spirited driving quite easy, even giving the feeling of driving a smaller, nimbler car. The seats come with heaters as to be expected, but also have air conditioning. Cool air gets pumped through perforations in the seat leather, so there will be no more sticking to the seats on those hot summer days. The steering wheel has an excellent feel and is wrapped in extremely soft leather separated with walnut inserts on the top and bottom. Walnut can also be found across the dash, integrated into the center consol as well as the door armrests.

The rest of

From the light show to the sound system, the A8 is impressive. (Photo: Budd Stanley, American Auto Press)

the interior was as I would expect with Audis luxury flagship; top notch. Fine stitched valcona leathers cover the seats, dash, doors and console. The roof, mind you, is skinned with Alcantara, which I couldnt help notice that everyone who got a ride in the A8 had to touch. The Multi-Media Interface is also much easier to learn and use than the BMW alternative, and will save the owner from steering wheel replacement due to forehead induced damage.

As with most high end cars, the A8 is equipped with an impressive sound system, this one a Bose 12-speaker unit with 5-channel surround sound and a subwoofer. A great system with clear and crisp sound for the classics or the pounding bass for enduring your teenage offsprings

Sit back, relax and stretch out. (Photo: Budd Stanley, American Auto Press)

dance tracks when they borrow the car. If this isnt good enough, and optional 1,100-watt Bang & Olufsen advanced sound system is available. All will be illuminated, when entering the car at night thanks to white ambient LED lighting for storage compartments, front and rear foot wells, and door handles.
There is a ridiculous amount of interior space in this Audi: the comfort level being on the scale of a first class jetliner seat allocation.  Sitting in the rear seats almost gives a sense of isolation from those in front. The abundance of space includes a ton of legroom, just in case you need to transport any future NBA players.

One small quibble with the interior relates to the climate control dials. When adjusting the temperature, my hand obscured the digital readout. The engineers should have picked

Full-size spare so you wont ever have to run around on a space saver. (Photo: Budd Stanley, American Auto Press)

this up, youd think?  The problem could have been easily remedied by swapping the dial and readout locations. Also, all the little trap doors that conceal cup holders and display screens are flimsy, and not of the same quality as the rest of the vehicle.  A little more attention to these doors is needed to avoid the inevitable damage which will occur from regular usage.

The owner of such a car will undoubtedly need a massive amount of trunk space when transporting luggage to and from the airport on their way to business trips and sunny spots on the Mediterranean. Luckily the A8 is more than capable of carrying the luggage of the owner and their travel companions, in a trunk that seems to have no end. This is also where youll find a full-size 18-inch spare wheel and tire which matches the standard aluminums already attached. It just wouldnt do to have Audis luxury flagship just seen driving around

The A8 has always been made of aluminum, making it one of the lightest vehicles in its class. (Photo: Budd Stanley, American Auto Press)

town on a space saver donut.

Flagship in this case means two different things, because not only is the A8 the most luxuriously appointed of all the cars in Audis stable, but shes also the biggest; by a long shot. However, the A8s size can be deceiving as its built with aluminum making it only 80 kilos heavier than the smaller A6. This insures that the performance of the bigger car matches its sophistication as a luxury sedan. Not only that, if youre not careful the big girl will handily smack down a beating on all but the motorsport edition sedans. With the lightened aluminum body and a large 4.2L V8 pumping out 350-hp, seat sinking acceleration is not a problem. The big V8 loves to rev itself out as well. It gave me great pleasure to run it out to 7,000 rpm, something most V8s cant do.

To say the A8 has a smooth ride is an understatement. The height adjustable air suspension offers incredible compliance, while low profile tires give great feel for the road. Most drivers wont likely be hurtling

A car that can justify its lofty price tag. (Photo: Budd Stanley, American Auto Press)

their A8s will through mountain passes on a regular basis, but its comforting to know that its lightweight construction, outrageously wide tires, quattro AWD and well-tuned suspension all work together to make the A8s drive a safe and enjoyable one no matter what you plan to do with it. On that note when the need for enjoyment surfaces, the A8 will arise to the occasion with extremely planted and solid handling abilities, not expected from such a car.

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