Audi S8 2020 review: Is this the BEST car in the WORLD?

that is the Audi s8 the sporty version of the Audi a8 it looks a lot like the standard car but it has a more aggressive front end apparently s8 badges at the front and rear new alloy wheels and quad exhaust pipes all pretty boring all pretty ordinary and if you're doing your best right now to stifle a yawn then I wouldn't blame you but that that's no ordinary car that might just be the best car in the world oh yeah now I know it might sound a little bit crazy but I'm going to break it down for you I'm gonna explain systematically what makes this car so good what's the one thing you need in a luxury car good suspension right good well howdy have got you covered with the s8 because this car uses the best suspension system I've ever seen bar none it has a camera that scans the road ahead if it sees a speed bump it will actively lift the suspension in the air to virtually jump over the speed bump to show you how good the system is I'm gonna do a live demonstration I have a little receptacle and I have a bottle of water I'm gonna fill it up with water and show you first of all how a normal car would tackle a speed bump without a predictive suspension system normal speeds I've got the cameras blocked off so the car can't see this is probably a bad idea but I've got to show you water everywhere unsurprisingly but what happens when we allow the system to work as its supposed to time to engage comfort Plus mode and unblock the cameras to illustrate the difference now let's top up our little water receptacle and I'm gonna show you exactly how the Audi s8 tackles speed bumps there's one coming up right here now I'm going at pretty much the exact same speed in theory it should just ride it watch oh oh how amazing is that what you're seeing here might look like magic but it's reality the s8 uses small electric motors to lower or lift the car within five tenths of a second whenever it sees a bump effectively jumping over anything it doesn't like to look up the best suspension in the world quite probably what else do you need in a luxury car well you need it to be quiet right they've got you covered in that area to see most cars will use sound deadening material a bunch of foam and other stuff that basically stop the metal from resonating noise into the cabin but this goes a step further they've also added foam into the tires to help reduce road noise but if this car has pretensions to be the best car in the world it needs to go further and it does the s8 uses active engine mounts they can absorb vibration from the engine so you don't feel a thing on top of that it uses active noise cancellation for microphones in the headlining listen for undesirable frequencies in the cabin while the speakers play a precisely opposing sound and the two waves cancel each other out that makes the s8 essentially a giant pair of very expensive headphones on wheels so the technology in the si is very clever but it also makes your life easier on a day to day basis that fancy suspension isn't just there to make it more comfortable going over speed bumps it also does this when I open the doors it will raise the ride height by two inches to make it easier to get inside it basically reduces the distance your bum has to travel before it reaches these gorgeous leather seats once you're in you'll realize that the si is a much about driving as it is about being driven so there's loads of room back here this is the short wheelbase version but they also make a long wheelbase model with even more space it sounds a practicality it's not actually that good the door bins are quite small and even though you get a little bit of storage in the center console it's only really large enough for a mobile phone but there are two very stylish D deployed cupholders maybe the coolest thing back here though is a little control panel that lives in the center console you press a button and it deploys and allows you to control various settings in the back of the car including lights radio media playback the sound quality from the incredible Bang & Olufsen sound system and even a set of blinders LD will fit as many or as few gadgets as you can stomach in the back of your s8 these include rear seat entertainment a fridge that can keep food warm and drinks cold a mobile espresso machine and a footrest that can give your tired feet a massage up front is arguably just as impressive as the rear the materials are first-rate and the build quality is spot-on however there isn't that much space to keep your stuff the door pockets are annoyingly small in the center compartment there's almost no space for almost anything but you do get a wireless charging pad for your mobile phone and a couple of USB ports plus some cup holders however the star of a show once again is a technology it's all first-rate stuff in here the entertainment and climate control are operated by touch with haptic feedback confirming every selection and the vents are motorized and open and closed at the swipe of a finger the B&O sound system is absolutely sublime and is especially effective in a car as quiet as this as expected the s8 uses Ali's virtual cockpit which lets you view your speed revs driving information as well as a huge map of your location and navigation instructions on the screen in front of you it's all very impressive but as impressive as those gadgets might be the gadgets are not the thing that make this car so special no the thing that makes this car so special is the thing that lives underneath the bonnet and what lives under the bonnet is a four liter Biturbo v8 with 570 horsepower the same engine you get in a Lamborghini it might look like a boring old luxury saloon but it just goes that you wouldn't believe it's an absolute animal naught to 60 happens in 3.8 seconds and if it wasn't limited to 155 I wouldn't be surprised if this thing wouldn't hit 200 it's that quick you put your foot down and it just explodes it's so quick this thing it's quicker than any Countach quicker than any Diablo it's almost as quick as a URIs it's ridiculous and the torque is 650 Newton meters so it always feels strong always feels willing to accelerate and just launch yourself in the horizon look at this thing it looks like butter wouldn't melt it's quick enough to melt your face performance like this is 10 a penny of course almost everything these days is quick in a straight line but the s8 loves a corner to that fancy suspension system doesn't just help you over speed bumps it also helps you through the bends leave it in comfort mode and the suspension will depending on how fast you're traveling either keep the car as flat as possible to minimize body roll or at certain speeds it will actively lean into the corners it's so weird look at this you go into a right-hand bend and it leans right you go into a left-hand bend it leans left it's a limo that thinks it's a superbike it's an Audi that thinks it's an aprea it's such a big lump of a car the s8 you've got the power you've got the speed you've got the suspension but there are a couple of other tricks up its sleeve one of them is all-wheel steering and that works by turning the rear wheels in the opposite direction to the front wheels at low speeds or in the same direction at high speeds and the effect is that it makes the car feel a lot more small and agile than you might expect and it really works it's a limo that does a really good impression of a supercar the s8 obviously uses outies Quattro system which gives you all wheel drive with a 60-40 power split most power going to the rear but then you've got the Audi sport differential and that can send almost all the torque from one wheel or the other on the rear axle how it works is when you're in a corner it can send almost all the torque to the outside wheel to help the nose tuck in and minimize understeer and it really does work at certain points the car actually feels quite tail happy it's a really lively really dynamic really engaging car to drive this thing so much fun I've driven some really amazing class this year some really sweet handling stuff and I'm not exaggerating when I say that this thing this two-ton monster of a saloon is right up there with the best of them in fact I'm gonna go one step further the s8 is the best luxury saloon I've ever driven it's that good [Music] but is it the best car in the world well that of course depends on what you're looking for if you're looking for a car that attracts attention that stands out then this luxury sleeper won't be your cup of tea but if you need a car that tries and for the most part succeeds in delivering a tremendously well-rounded driving experience then there aren't many that do a better job it's incredibly luxurious it has a wealth of almost space-age technology it has supercar pace and it handles like a dream for me it's certainly the ultimate sleeper is it the ultimate car I'll let you be the judge [Music]

Channel: AutoTrader

Views: 1,171,301

Keywords: Audi A8, audi a8 2020, audi a8 2019, Audi A8 review, Audi S8 2020, Audi S8 engine, Audi A8 engine, Audi A8 interior, Audi A8 Price, Audi S8 Price, Audi S8 plus, Audi S8 interior, Audi S8 ronin, AUdi S8 quattro, audi a8 car, audi s8 v10, s8 review

Id: hc7zQGUdp_g

Length: 10min 27sec (627 seconds)

Published: Wed Nov 13 2019