Audi A8 4.2 TDI SE (2010) CAR review

I didn’t realise Audi was doing a long-wheelbase A4. Is there no niche left unexplored?

A4? This is the new 2010 Audi A8, Ingolstadt’s technological flagship, a limo built around a supercar-style aluminium spaceframe and boasting the sort of toys that would make Inspector Gadget envious (and owners thankful that Lucas doesn’t do Audi’s electrics).

But it’s an easy mistake to make. The old Audi A8 looked expensive, had real presence and could easily be recognised as a cut above the rest of Audi’s cars. The new A8 though, while low and sleeker than either the BMW 7-series or Mercedes S-class, is blandly handsome and looks far too much like a £22k A4.

Go on then, hit me with the gadgets (I appreciate this may take some time)

Stepping into the A8 isn’t like stepping into a normal car, it’s like walking into the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics show. You instruct the sat nav or enter telephone numbers by writing on a touch pad (with your left hand I’m afraid, right-handed Brits) and the adaptive lights use the nav’s map to change their pattern such as widening the beam to illuminate crossroads.

Then there’s Audi’s first night vision system, which goes one further than Merc’s by actually recognising pedestrians, highlighting them within the on-screen image and giving the driver an audible warning. It can even calculate your trajectory, so will only alert you if the pedestrian is stepping into your line. Clever stuff.

Likewise, the adaptive cruise control can spot when traffic from other lanes is about to move into your space by watching it move within its lane. On top of that there’s the expected stuff: double glazing, 1400w B&O hi-fi, speed limit recognition. And did I mention that the sat-nav uses Google Earth?

I get the idea; the new A8’s like Tomorrow’s World on wheels. But what about the oily stuff underneath that showbiz glitz?

There’s a new eight-speed automatic gearbox and more powerful, less thirsty engines. From launch those engines are 3.0 6-cylinder and 4.2 V8 turbodiesels, and a 4.2 petrol V8. Later, Audi will add a front-drive 3.0 TDI, an entry-level petrol V6 and twin-turbo 4.0 V8. Torque is now split 60:40 in favour of the rear wheels and there’s an S4-style Drive Select system that can tweak the steering and gearshift maps depending on your mood.

>> Click 'Next' to find out what the Audi A8 is like to drive and the CAR verdict