E55

I'll admit right off the bat that I'm not a current Audi owner. I sold my A8 this spring, a car I really liked.
But as I've compared more and more cars to the A8 and S8, I'm a little worried that Audi may be losing the 'vision' that vaulted them to prominence in the late 1990's.
The MB S Class is technologically and ergonomically top end, but is a little 'soft' for my tastes when it comes to acceleration and handling (in keeping with their goals for that car). But the AMG55 engines are unbelievably fun to operate. On the other hand an S55 goes for a little over $100K so it should be fun.
Haven't tested the new 7 Series, of course, but from a technological standpoint, it'll be the first real 21st century luxo-sedan based on all the reviews I've read. I'm sure it'll be incrementally better than the outgoing 7's when it comes to its road manners, and I considered the old 7 the world's best in this category until 2 years ago. But man, does that new 7 look UGLY to me. Front end is moderately unattractive IMO, the dash is truly 'bloated' and 'unwieldy' looking, as recent reports have stated.

I was looking at one of the British mags' review of the S8 and it called it "utterly useless" due to its ponderous lines (outdated), slow acceleration vs. competitors, and lack of tech sophistication inside.
I know the new A8 will be out in just over a year. But why is Audi letting its reputation slip so far with the A8. The lux sedan market is heavyweight territory. The stakes are high. The game is fast.
Thought anyone? Especially S8 owners?

KjellA

You are referreing to the UK "CAR" magazine's short comments of almost all cars on the UK market with the comment "utterly useless" for the S8. Instead, they recommend the A8 4,2. To take that section of CAR magazine very seriously you will have to know more about them, why they say what they do, and in which context. When they say "utterly useless" about the S8, they mean something like "there are better choices in the range that makes more sense from a price/performance level at that segment." Which I have to agree upon, that is the main reason why I own an A8 4,2 sport, not a S8. :-)

I think the comments in that section of an otherwise excellent magazine is extremely narrow-minded, but take into consideration that it is very few words describing every car, and it is written with a sort of british sense of humour. Did you see how they described the Cadillac STS? "Definitely not. Owning this car is a sign of terminally bad taste." Then they compared it with a Hyundai. :-)

When it comes to the A8/S8 compared to the competition, it simply won't get right as long as their new model releases aren't syncronized. In this class, the models live 8-10 years only with small facelifts. The A8 came to market in 1994, the current MB S-class in 1999 and the BMW 7-series in 2001. They can't be compared, they are different generations. If you want to do a fair comparison, do the former S-class and 7-series against the A8. Then the A8 will stand out, as it does in several tests.

There will be a new A8 out in aboyut a year, do the comparison then. It will for sure be more advanced than the S-class, since it will be 3 years old by then. From what I have seen so far, it looks like the new A8 will leave the Beemer behind as well, even though it is only a year between them.

bumboola

Speaking of "Car" magazine, for years, and as little as 6 months ago, they called the S8 " one of the world's great cars" and just recently started to call it "utterly pointless", both quotes from "The good, the bad and the ugly" section of the magazine. The current 7 series BWW did not interest me in the least and the S55 AMG, which I drove, came in a distant second ( in my opinion) to the S8. The cushy, posh interior of the S55 in addition to the ostentatious exterior were a complete turn off to me. I felt like a drug dealer driving around in it. To tell you how much I love driving my S8, I got a 360 Spider in the spring and it basically sits in the garage "rotting" while I merrily drive around in the Audi. My friends think I am retarted.

KjellA

I absolutely agree, the S8 was and still is one of the world's great cars, no matter how you see it. It may look a bit dated, but it is has an extremely classy look. You can tell it means business and has what it takes, it doesn't have to shout it out loud.

And BTW, if you feel your 360 Spider needs some exercise now and then, just call! ;-)

wws03

I experienced all the high-end luxury sedans. A8 is my last acquisition. I never even thought about getting an Audi until I got an A4 quattro in 96. And after driving it in snow for the first time, I was sold-- I had to get the A8. My family have had most of them- BMW 750il, Lexus LS400, Mercedes S500. I truely like the A8 over most of them all. Each have their advantages, and I prefer the A8 because of handling, safety, and power. I think the handling and power is superior to the 750il I had (not bad for V8 compared to V12, or 25mpg vs. 12mpg), though a more fair comparison may be to a 740i. By the way, BMW 750il cost about twice as much to maintain. Lexus is the most reliable car I have ever had, but the LS400 and the S500 didn't even compare to the A8 in terms of control. I think the Lexus is very refined, reliable, and perfect for someone like my wife who doesn't care too much for handling. And the Mercedes is just a big whale on the road, good for my grandpa. So I think it all depends on what you look for in a high-end sedan. To me, A8 is the best of the bunch right now. And of course the Quattro is what pushed me toward A8, being that I'm in Minnesota. If I am in southern California, I think I might have gone for a Lexus, if they can improve on their handling.

E55

Thanks for the excellent, insightful comments.
I rarely read "Car", and while I did find some of the comments humorous, if you're an owner of one of those cars I'm sure they sting a bit!

Anyway, my hope is that the new A8/S8 will indeed outpace the new 7 series. I'd like to get back into one.
And for those of you who are unfamiliar with MB 'ownership/dealer experience', I must say (my opinion and most others I communicate with on the MB forums) that it's been a major disappointment. My local Audi dealer wasn't necessarily operating out of the Taj Mahal, but they were nice, friendly, down to earth guys. The MB guys, almost to a person, border on being condescending and flippant much of the time.
Just one example, I was in there recently to ask about putting down a deposit on the new SL55 due out next summer (though waiting lists are much longer). My dealer essentially told me not to bother. They will only take deposits from people who have bought several MB's from them. Since I've had BMW's and Audi's prior to my current car, I'm percieved as not being a 'loyal customer'. Business must be great when you can run off people asking to buy your $118,000 cars.

I'll be first in line to see what Audi comes up with for the A8 update.

ryoung

If you're looking for very high performance and accomodating 4 people in style any season of the year -- the S8 is the only logical choice.

Go down about 9 messages in this forum, where you'll find the reasonably comprehensive Edmonds.com S8 review that is much more objective.

bumboola

Funny, I had the same experience at my local MB dealer. When I pulled up in my Defender to put a deposit on the SL55 they would'nt give me the time of day. A day later I pulled up in my Ferrari to see what would happen and they were ready to kiss my feet. What a bunch of jerk-offs.

peaceWeapon

A couple of weeks ago I went to visit my Audi dealer(Royal Motors in SF, CA) to check out the S8. I have been thinking about giving my '01 A8L to my dad and getting an S8 for me, but wanted to test drive it to see if the extra performance is really worth it.

I made an appt with a sales guy to come in on a Sunday morning for a test drive. He called me early that morning to confirm that I'd be coming since they had to move a bunch of cars to get the S8 out. When I arrived I was intoduced to the "Audi Specialist" who told me about all the supposed differences between the S8 and my car - most all of which were incorrect. After sitting through his pitch I said, "So can we take it for a spin now?" He says, "No one test drives this car. Its much too rare and exotic!"

"Wait a minute," I protested. I made an appointment to do this, which was confirmed by your own salesperson this morning." "Sorry," he said. "You have to understand, this is an $80K car - your's is only $60K." (Wrong - it was $70K).

I then walked out and was standing in the lot with an incredulous look on my face. Another person cam up to me and asked what was wrong, so I explained what had just occured. "Hold on," he said. A discussion ensued. I overheard another guy (probably a mgr) say, "If we told him he could drive the car, let him drive the car." So the "specialist" comes back out and says, "OK. You can drive it give me 15 minutes to get it out." So I wait. After 10 minutes he comes out and says "OK. You can drive it, but only once around the block and very slowly."

Another thing that pisses me off about my dealer is that when I bought the car, they promised a $250 dollar/day rental credit when the car is in the shop. When I finally had to take it in (twice now, for a total of 3 weeks - brake rotors, fuel sender cap) they told be that had been cut to $30, so I ended up in a Dodge Neon. Sweet!

I can gurantee you that if I do buy an S8, or upgrade my A8 to the new design when it comes out, I won't be buying it from my current dealership.

Runar P.

Interesting reading, definetely. Guess I'm almost the only one on this Forum driving A8 V6 (maybe the only one "admitting" it!!?! No guess not but still, I'm a happy A8-owner and can only imagine how happy owners you S8's are!! Was in Germany 2 mos ago and drove back to Norway with a friend of mine who joined the ride in a CL55AMG. After 2-3 hrs driving we changed seats - honestly speaking; I would not have paid the huge difference to drive such a MB. It's great and a beauty, of course, but.... Would have loved to compare that '01 CL55AMG with a '01 S8. Maybe not comparable but speaking size, weight and such, yes in my opinion!! But the S8 is THE classic winner!!!!!!! Look forward to the nxt generation!!
Brgds, "poor" A8 V6 Owner!