triniexr

I've had my car for 2 weeks now. I haven't had a chance to post pics or take new ones. Here are a few from the day I picked it up.

I traded my 2011 Mercedes S63 AMG for this. So far i'm happy with the S8. There are a few give and takes but having AWD in winter is key.

The S8 feels a lot faster and you can really feel the weight difference. The cabin is soooooooo much quieter now.

Uber.8

Good luck. Sweet ride. Would you mind sharing the similarities and differences with your S63 AMG. Thanks.

911 Crazy

Sharp. Remember what I told you about that smoking thing!

frybear

I officially hate you! that car is stunning. love those sport seats! and even though I'd never use the DVDs in the back (I have them in my rover) I still like the idea of having them. and the carbon fibre trim is gorgeous

triniexr

Thanks all.

For the comparison:

The acceleration is amazing, its a bit faster than the S63.
The cornering on the S63 was better, probably because that was rear wheel drive and the engine sat further back towards the firewall.
S63 came only in LWB so I kind of miss that even though I didn't sit back there.
The rear seats in my S63 were both heated and cooled. The S8 only has heated seats.
I miss the pano roof in the S63, I am surprised that Audi's flagship doesn't have that.
The hill assist brake I also used a lot in the S63, Audi has it in 15+.
The start/stop engine feature the Mercedes had I hated. I'm glad the S8 doesn't have this. The newer S8's has a button where you can turn it off. The Mercedes you have to go through a bunch of screens to get to where you can turn it off. When you turn off the car and start it up again the system becomes active.
The ride in the S8 is much smoother and quiet. Dynamic mode in the S8 is comparable to the S63's comfort mode. Sport mode was quite stiff, gear changes in the S63 were more violent in sport mode as well but it shifted damn fast.
The trunk in the S8 is too small, the Mercedes I was able to fit 4 golf bags in there. I can barely fit my bag in the S8.
The massage function in the Audi is much better than the Mercedes. I can feel it more through a jacket. Seats are also softer. The Mercedes has ergonomic seats and dynamic seats which I miss. When taking corners the bolsters on the sides of the top and bottom portions inflate to hold you in place.
The Mercedes was a much wider car, you can feel the tightness of the cabin in the Audi.
For some reason I think the Mercedes was better on fuel. I don't know if its because I've been driving the Audi harder due to the fact that I love the acceleration but I thought I was driving the Mercedes the same. I'd have to come back to this in a few months after the excitement of a new car wears off.
LED vs HID, I think the HID's projected further and wider. The Mercedes also had the active cornering headlights where the projector would turn in the direction you are turning to see around corners better. LED's are just a cleaner looking light.
The Mercedes looked a lot more aggressive, I wish being a sport version of the A8 it would have slightly flared fenders as the Mercedes did. It would give the S8 a much more aggressive sporty look.
The Mercedes had more storage area and each compartment was much larger. I don't know why in the S8 the center console is so shallow. I put 5 CD cases in there and its full.
Ambient lighting in the Mercedes was nicer.
Audi's MMI is easier to use compared to the Command system in the Mercedes.
I love the foot activated trunk in the Audi, such a great feature.
The soft close doors in the Audi operate much better and smoother than the Mercedes. It made more sense to pull the door hard to close in the Mercedes. It didn't close on contact as the Audi does, you have to make sure you heard a click before it would activate.
Night view assist in the Mercedes is much much much better.
The lane keep assist in the Mercedes was also much better. It would brake on one side of the vehicle to push you back into the center of the lane. I haven't felt the Audi do that, it just beeps and vibrates the steering wheel.(The Mercedes did that as well)

Well that's all I can come up with for now. I'm sure i'll think of a few other things as time goes on.

mikey94025

Very nice & detailed comparison summary... Thanks for that!

HouTexAudi

No S8's, even the newer ones, have the start/stop feature, thank goodness. The A8's have a button where you can turn it off and it stays off even after you turn off the car. My wife's SL also has this feature and you have to push a button to turn it off every time you start the car and it annoys me.

triniexr

I think its probably the worst idea put into a car. To me I feared that it would wear out my starter faster than if it didn't have the feature. Save a little gas now and pay through your nose for a starter.

triniexr

Np. I also got maintenance costs on the S8 before I bought it because the price of maintenance on the S63 was a shocker. In april I had to do all 4 rotors and brake pads. My bill from the dealer was almost $10,000 CAD. It made absolutely no sense why steel rotors should cost $1750 each!! Audi said the brake job is $2000 on the S8 so I can live with that.

Once you hit AMG territory its a whole other level on maintenance.

911 Crazy

OK. You can officially take me off the "AMG want" list!