2007 Audi S8 quattro AT6
- This car is big, and at an estimated 15 mpg city, it likes gasoline.
We spent time with a 2007 Audi S8 around the the World Headquarters. This is Audi’s flagship car, and it shows. It runs a 5.2-liter V10 through a six-speed automatic transmission. The engine is rated at 450 horsepower. It might seem strange that Audi has a V10, but thanks to Volkswagen’s purchase of Lamborghini a few years back, it’s possible.
- The S8 rolls on big 20-inch wheels.
This car comes well appointed from the factory, however, they still manage to get some options on the price sheet. This particular car has the Bang & Olufsen Advanced Sound Package, a $6300 upgrade. There are speakers everywhere, and two speakers literally rise out of the dash in front.
- These speakers pop up out of the front dash.
All told, this car costs $110,170.00 as optioned, base price is $92,000.
Click on “Comments” to see what the staff and our readers think.
So, I can hear something whistling out in the parking lot. I think it’s the resale value of that $110,000 Audi as it’s falling through the stratosphere. Why exactly would someone spend that much money on a car that will depreciate like a Honda on fire?
Comment by Per Schroeder, tech editor, GRM — March 8, 2007 @ 8:04 am
It’s hard to look at a $110,000 car and justify it against a $30,000 Acura or Lexus that’s nearly as nice. The roofliner on the Audi really is fun to touch, however. The Bang sound system is phenomenal, but if you drop $6300 on sound stuff at Crutchfield you could turn a Kia into Carnegie Hall. Also, for a 450 horsepower V10, this Audi really doesn’t plant you in the seat like you’d expect. Two-ton curb weights will do that to a car. It handles well, and is actually a lot of fun to snake around bends at 7/10ths. Wait for the RS8, and then realize you don’t have that much money, either.
Comment by Scott R. Lear, club editor, GRM — March 8, 2007 @ 9:19 am
I’ve got to say, it was the best $50 bucks in gas I’ve spent in a while. One thing I like about the car is that no one really knows what you’re driving. The only attention the car got was a couple of guys who worked in the detaiing department at the Acura dealership (dropped my wife’s new/used MDX off for an inspection).
Where the S8 really shines is on the highway. Anyone who has to drive 110 miles a day will appreciate this car. I sure did.
All in all, my friends were very impressed with the car - which is exactly why someone would buy this Audi over a comparable, less expensive Acura or Lexus. Nevertheless, the only way I’d buy it is if I had Howard Stern money.
Comment by Bill MacDonald, marketing guy, GRM — March 8, 2007 @ 9:37 am
I haven’t spent too much time with this one, but I did take an A8 up to Jacksonville a little while back for the weekend. Twice I caught people photographing the Audi with their cameras. To me, that said something.
Comment by David S. Wallens, managing editor, GRM — March 8, 2007 @ 9:56 am
Well, I drove the pimpdaddy Audi to Orlando recently. I have to admit, it is kinda fun rolling along like royalty while all the serfs fight for lane position in their Camrys and Civics. “Quick, put up those sunshades so the little people can’t see us!” Then, if the peasants get too close, just flick the shifter into manual, smack the paddle shift to drop a few gears, and whooosh, you dissapear like an Enron exec. I did have an Audi TT tailing me for a while…..I think he was digging the familily resemblance.
As Scott mentioned, the Bang system flat out kicks ass. It seemed a little tinny at first, but messing with the system parameters smoothed out the sound nicely. Once you get it dialed in to your tastes, it almost seems worth the extra $6K.
The S8 does corner with surprising eagerness, but really……who is going to be carving corners at 10/10ths in this behemoth?
Like all new fancypants cars, this one is loaded to the gills with electric gadgets and doo dads. I wonder if any of them will work in 10 years? I’d just be mortified if my ventilated, and heated seats broke, or if the reverse camera complete with little guiding lines malfunctioned. Well I’m sure it will never break…..I mean who ever heard of a German car having electrical glitches.
I was a little surprised to have achieved 20mpg with a heavy foot. Granted, my driving was mostly between 60-100 mph. The Lambo sourced motor makes a fantastic roar when you get into it, although the massive amounts of sound deadening do just that, and take the edge off of it.
Sure was nice to live like a fatcat for a night……..just plain silly to buy this car over a Lexus, Acura, or even a base A8 though.
Comment by Joe Gearin, associate publisher, GRM — March 8, 2007 @ 1:26 pm
I got to spend the evening with this slice of heaven. I need to preface this with a few things though. First, Audi is one of my favorite auto manufacturers. Second, I have had some weird love affair with the S8 ever since I saw “Ronin”.
The thought of a car this large doing the things it does in that movie made me swoon. I worked at an Audi/VW dealership in the parts department for a while in college (when the movie came out) and I was around when Audi decided to do some high altitude testing on the first 4.2-liter V8 version prior to its US release. It was awesome.
Fast forward to my evening with this car. All I did was drive it around for a few hours, straight. Some city, some highway, some back roads. It was a little tough during Bike Week, but I drove around after 8:00 p.m. so traffic wasn’t too bad. I enjoyed every minute of it.
It handles surprisingly well for such a big car. It was comfortable at 25 in town and at 80 on the highway. It has no issues passing, or getting enough speed to pass by the big rigs at night quickly. There are some nice touches in the interior that make night driving easier. Things are gently lit up by LED’s.
Sure the price tag is steep. But you are paying for four rings, not an “H”. And the stereo option is pricey, but it sure sounds good loud. My ears were ringing after two hours of Conspiracy Assassins blasting out of the speakers.
If I could choose a car for a long haul across the States, I would love to do it in this. So many toys to keep you occupied and make the drive comfortable, while still being able to make side trips that show you what the “S” in S8 means.
Comment by Chris Stutters, production editor, GRM — March 12, 2007 @ 11:58 am
The way to get all the fun of owning an S8 without draining your bank account is to wait three or four years and buy it used. My daily driver is an 01 A8L and I absolutely love the car. Fantastic for long high speed summer trips, when winter arrives slap the Blizzaks on it and its unstoppable. However, I bought my 01 in 05 after it had depreciated from 70,000 big ones to $23,000 and let the surgeon who had bought it new take the big depreciation hit. Just make sure you get one that doesn’t have any deferred maintenance. Expensive!
Comment by ColoradoShelbyGT — December 23, 2007 @ 8:29 am