A8bil

Hi D4 members...I'm a long term owner of a D3 A8 sport who is considering jumping to a D4 and wanted some input on which to choose from those in the know. My D3, as mentioned, is the 4.2 sport SWB model with B&O speakers, 20 in rims, massage, vent and heat on the front seats and heat in the rears, AMI, adaptive headlights, NAV, alcantara headliner, transmission cooler.... love the car, but it is starting to show its age and mileage (125k) and I'm not in mood to deal with the foibles as they arise...at least not any longer (lots of auto projects on my plate).

So, in terms of specs I would like on a new to me D4: B&O, sport, 4.0T, dual pane glass. I find a lot of the other options interesting, but not essential. I'm in discussions with a 2014 D4 owner that looks very nice, but am wondering what the differences are between that and the facelift models...was it just a facelift, or is there something else to look for? What options do owners find most useful on the D4? Thanks in advance.

2turbos4rings

The updates in features were much greater in Europe. Virtually zero cosmetic interior changes, the front and rears were obviously changed. The only notable feature changes in the US are electric steering and with that comes active lane assist, heads-up display, a bit more power for the 4.0T A8 and cylinder on demand. Options and packages are moved around a bit with a few more standard bits. For the sport you get basically S8 styling in the front and sides. And that’s it!

SWB is very hard to find in facelift with 4.0T, only available in 2015- if that’s still important to you. In my experience the hydraulic steering on the prefacelift is more fun to drive than the electric, but the facelift chin and sides is decidedly more sporty looking than pre-facelift.

Autoist

The facelift also recieved modifications to the chassis and tuned mass dampers, both to address NVH concerns in the initial D4.

There is a short press release from Audi that you may be able to track down which mentions this.

​​​​​​Knowing the relevant keywords, a cursory search found this thread discussing the issue: www.audiworld.com/forums/a8-s8-d4-platform-discussion-190/subtle-cyclic-vibration-rear-felt-seat-70-mph-2864083

2turbos4rings

Oh yes, you’re right thank you. Those are easy to add to pre-facelift though. I did it to my W12.

A8bil

Thanks...that's very helpful insight, particularly on the steering. I am likely to go the the L, but I guess that depends on what I find out there.

A8bil

Hi 2t4R, what did you "add" to your pre-facelift car to address the vibration issue? Now I'll be sensitive to it as I look for my next car....probably hyper-sensitive. ;(

2turbos4rings

This is all you need, the damper is easy to spot

delz05

Check out this one on cargurus. I would have already made the purchase if it were closer to Boston.

Car looks sweet!!! 2014 A8L W12 49K with only 49xxx miles!

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/invent...325067901/NONE

This one is in Plano Texas, only 42K miles at 49,900.00

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/invent...316089468/NONE

A8bil

I don't think I'm in the market for a w12. Beautiful cars, but as my daily driver, I'm looking for something perhaps a bit more fuel efficient. One of my toys has a V12 engine...feeding it fuel .already makes me feel like I'm going to get a personal visit from Greta Thunberg.

MP4.2+6.0

I see the facelift as a more meaningful change, and so purchased accordingly at the time. Best authoritative source are the Audi materials from 2015--a search should yield results. Besides items mentioned and some upgrades to existing systems, soundproofing, etc., very importantly the trunk was configured from pretty sub par for the class back to at least decent. If you come from a D3 into an early D4, it's one of those things you will look at and sort of say, what the hell were they thinking in this model change? I drove a loaded D3 W12 for 9 years and when I first got a D4 loaner 5 years before buying my CPO S8 with the facelift, it was one definite turn off.