rickp

OK guys,<p>I sat in a 99 A8 today. The owner of Charles Maund dealership has one they let me look at. They've already sold the several they've gotten in the past week so there wasn't one I could drive.<p>I was a little disappointed in the A8 compared to the A6. The step up in luxury from the A4 to the A6 seems a lot more obvious than the step up from the A6 to the A8.<br>The current A8's exterior style is boring compared with the TT, A4, and A6. I'm curious how the A8 will look when it's restyled a couple years down the road.<p>The interior of the A8 does not look that much different from the A6. It has more wood and perhaps softer leather and it's longer (wheelbase: 108.7"/108.6 " (quattro) for the A6 vs. 113" for the A8).<p>Wait a second! The width of the A6 is 77". The width of the A8 is 74". This makes no sense! Especially since the wheels are set wider in the A8: front/rear (A8) 62.6/62.2 (A6) 60.6"/61.8...............<p>According to my salesman, the V8 A6 is supposed to come out in mid-summer of 99 (with Tip) and a biturbo V6 S6 (with six speed manual)in the Fall of 99. Can you confirm this Manuel?<p>I got the TT brochure. Pretty cool............ With the A6 and the TT, Audi looks like it's going for more and more curvaceous designs. For instance, the bumpers are totally integrated into the design of the TT........much more so than the A4, A6, & A8.............<p>Rick. <br>

Ned

<br>unfortunately, it is kinda lame compared to the A6, however, remember the A8 was designed around 93 or 94 i believe. the new A8 should be outrageous.

rick

......they must figure that they have too much to lose by changing their designs significantly - esp. with sedans. Just look at BMW's 7 series, Mercedes S series, Lexus LS 400, Infinity's Q45, Totota Camry, etc. In fact, I defy any of you guys to show me a radical high end sedan. They're few and far between.......<p>On the other hand, car makers seem to experiment more with new styles with their more mid size or mid price cars .......Audi A6, BMW 5 series, etc.<p>Rick<p>PS I'd love to see Audi break the mold, however....... :-)<p>Rick<br>

ChuckH

That's part of the reason the early Infiniti Q45 was such a flop. It was too daring design wise, and handled too well. The only problem is that Nissan blew it even worse when they brought out the new model. my God, what were they thinking! ;-( Yucky, icky, poo! I think that generally speaking, the luxo cars have to be somewhat conservative to attract the intended market. It just so happens that I think the mixture of conservative and aggressive on the A8 is the best I've ever seen. Have you ever looked at one from the back? The wide stance with the fat tires is a sight to behold. I think it's the best looking of all the luxo liners, and would even go so far to say that it is one of the best looking cars on the road. Now, if I just had $70K, and I could get a manual transmission! :-) <p>Charles<br>

Rodrigo

The A8 is going to get a fresh fascia in the spring and more aluminum components too. Brand new A8 in 2001 model year. Expect 350 horses standard.