the_duke

Going to go drive a '13 A8L 4.0t and S8 this weekend. Not ready to buy yet but I've never driven either and wanted a back to back comparison on ride/handling. I'm pretty excited.

frybear

should be fun. i drove the v8 and v6, couldn't tell enough of a difference so I got the V6. I know, everyone here will tell you to get the V8.

Jack88

My policy is buy the fastest version of the car you can comfortably afford.

theanimala

What car are you coming from? For me it was a 2005 A8L, and I remember grinning from ear to ear on my first 4.0T test drive. I was amazed at how much smoother and "polished" the ride and engine was. I was sold after the first drive. Unlike Frybear I did not test drive the 3.0, which I probably should have. I figured I keep my cars long enough that I might as well go for biggest engine I can afford as over the life it won't cost much on a per year basis. Good luck, and be sure to post your thoughts!

BigBoy11

Having driven the 3.0 and 4.0 back to back, I can unequivocally state, "no comparison"!! The 3.0 is no slouch and feels quite adequate but does sound like it is laboring a bit. The 4.0 is an immediate adrenaline rush and that's in an A8L! I can only imagine the feeling in the S8 given its increased HP and NWB. My assessment was same as yours and bought the 4.0.

absent

Try S8 Plus.....

the_duke

Thanks for all the replies.

Currently driving an '05 A8L. I'm not even considering the 3.0t as I like to go fast and have the opportunity to do it quite often. Right now I'm not looking at CPO cars so my thinking is A8L 4.0t with a tune and I'll be very happy. But I want to drive the S8 as a comparison. Obviously the S8 is faster but it's hard for me to justify the extra cost. S8 plus is more than I want to spend. $60k is at the top end of what I want to spend so S8 is possibility but still hard to justify $15k more than the A8.

tx170754

I've recently sold my D3 S8 and bought a 2015 A8 4.0 CPO, a similar S8 would have been $20,000 more, hard to justify the extra cost...especially when driving on our roads and to our speed limits....just my .02.

OhNoMrBill

I think the 4.0T is plenty fast and has no need of more. The main place you notice the difference vs. the 3.0T is above 60mph. The 4.0T pulls to 80mph without trying, the 3.0 has to work more. The 0-60 claimed times are only 0.6s difference, but to 100mph, the 3.0 is 3+ seconds slower. I felt the 4.0T was a ticket waiting to happen as it was soooo easy to go fast. I think a APR tune would be adding gas on the fire where a ticket would go to reckless driving instead.

I went with the 3.0 for cost savings and lack of place to really go quicker without running a Prius over.

heymatey

I test-drove two 2013 A8 4.0Ts (LWB and NWB, both with Sport Differentials) yesterday. DANG they are fast. Seriously, I wonder if the horsepower war isn't getting too crazy--was at 100 mph before I knew it.

Compared to the 3.0T, 4.0T models have cylinder deactivation and active engine mounts adding complexity. The latter, I imagine, would be expensive to replace when the time comes.

Still waiting to drive a TDI. 38 mpg on the highway in an A8 sure sounds good...