Alister

Car was ordered back in mid-late August, and it has just recently arrived at the dealer.

Popped in to drop off a set of new numberplates for it over the weekend and took a couple of quick pics on the iPhone whilst I was there.



Very happy we went with the full LED headlights - subtle difference but make it look a little more special whether the lights are on or off.



Managed to have a quick play with a couple of the features that are new to the MY2012, including the new DAB+ radio which on quick first impressions was sensational (great sound quality and can receive album artwork type images - eg when I tuned into one of the local radio stations 'Nova FM' it could bring up the station's logo like below).



Also had a play with the 'virtual pedal' for automatic boot opening (wave your foot under the rear bumper with the proximity key in your pocket and the boot will open) which will be handy when trying to load gear in the boot with your hands full!

Will post some better pics once the car is picked up (delivery scheduled for later in the week).

gb4.2

Congratulations on your new vehicle! Seems it took quite awhile to get it once the order was placed. Is this a normal amount of production lead time? I'm told 3-3.5 months for U.S. delivery.

Also, the "virtual pedal" you refer to for the automatic boot opening is something I haven't heard of on an Audi but, then again, I'm in the U.S. and it seems you're in the UK where there are many more interesting options and features. I know BMW has this particular feature on their vehicles and reviewers and owners love it. Would be nice to have on my just ordered D4 but I doubt it will have it.

Alister

We get quoted something similar here in Australia in terms of lead times - in this instance, we wanted to hold out for the virtual pedal option which is included in cars built CW 45/11 according to information I have been provided.

You may find that if your A8 is built after this date and has electric opening and closing of the bootlid that your car has this feature too.

gb4.2

Thank you for the quick reply! I hope my car has it as well. My dealer has no clue about this feature but is inquiring through the zone rep in our area to find out if the U.S. cars will have it. Enjoy your new D4!

coupeboy

Hi guys,

I'm new to the forum, just picked up my D4 36 hours ago, and will start a separate thread with pictures later today.

I'm in the US (Bellevue, WA) and can confirm that the 'virtual pedal' comes equipped on US models. What a crowd pleaser!

My lead time was 13 weeks, though five of those days were due to the snow/ice storm we had last week.

Overall great car, will post impressions separately

gb4.2

Thanks for the confirmation of this feature being on US cars! That's a real surprise and might be a mid-model year addition. There's no mention of it in any Audi literature. I'll be investigating with my dealer tomorrow to see what they know (the mechanics seem to be the best source for this type of information).

The lead time information was also helpful. This puts my car's delivery in early-mid April.

Alister

OK, car was delivered late Wednesday afternoon. Here is a couple of pics from the delivery bay (again off the iPhone - did take some on the camera too which will follow in another post):





I was a big fan of the D3 A8 - it was an all round great car, very inoffensive and easy on the eye (looked very elegant) and did everything right.

The D4 A8 is a little more polarising in the exterior looks department, with the 'out there' front grille and sinister DRLs.

There is certainly no arguing with the quality of the D4 A8 though. The car is bank vault solid on both the outside and inside, with the interior a significant step forward over the D3 in terms of quality of materials used and opulence. The sports seats in the D4 feel great and the ventilation function is particular seems vastly more powerful and effective than what the D3 was.

Here it is in the garage with just the DRLs on:



And another with the full LED headlights on:



As one would expect given the age of the D3s, the MMI system has come along way. Bigger and higher resolution screen, digital TV and DAB+ radio, proper iPod/iPhone integration, HDD, DVD player, 2xSD card support, bluetooth audio streaming, internet capability (Google maps, WiFi hotspot etc) - the list goes on.





Will post some more photos when I get the chance and provide a few more comments once I've had the chance to spend a bit more time behind the wheel.

gb4.2

Update from my dealer today concerning the "virtual pedal" for the trunk opener---no one at my dealer has heard of this new feature (service or sales) so I'll just wait and see to find out if it shows up on mine in April.

This thread has two owners (one in Australia and one in the U.S.) who have this interesting and apparently unannounced feature. Does anyone else have this on a 2012 A8 or A8L?

jetinder

Welcome to the club!

The DRL's are just the bees knees. I was fetching the kids this afternoon and my wife was coming home in her A6 with DRL's, when we were both home she said she liked the ones on the A8 and I said the same for her's.

They are so unique.

What spec did you go for ? I'm probably wrong, but 3.0/4.2 TDI ?

Jet