Audi's elegant and aluminum-intensive A8 has always been a solid player in the luxury-car market, but seldom has it been a sales dazzler. For reasons real or imagined, it has, in the eyes of many, taken a back seat to category juggernauts such as the 7 Series and the seminal S-Class. Audi is now out with a virtually new player in the cabin-cruiser class, and it's a fine one. To be offered in standard and extended wheelbase models when it hits our shores this fall, the new A8 and A8 L maximize what they do best: lots of high-quality engineering, plus artful design inside and out.
The new A8 is, once again, based on a virtually all-aluminum body/chassis structure, which combines high strength with relatively light weight (for its size). The car is a pinch and an inch larger in each dimension than its predecessor, and the L model is five inches longer between the axles and overall length than the standard-wheelbase A8. Most of that extra dimension shows up in the rear-passenger compartment; there's an option group that includes reclining rear seats, massage, and foot rests. The new car is better detailed and more exciting visually than the old, absolutely handsome, and will not be mistaken for anything other than the top-rung Audi.
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