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2013 Audi A8L: Nvidia Graphics, Wi-Fi, LED Lights, And Google Earth
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1. Getting To Know Audi's Top-End A8L

It'd be hard to talk about luxury vehicles without bringing up Audi. It's an accomplished brand that made a major comeback after struggling in the 80s and 90s after false accusations of unintended acceleration. Although the company was cleared of any wrongdoing (drivers were confusing the pedals), Audi sales dwindled. It tried renaming its models, but that didn't help.

Today, the German company is known largely for high-end all-wheel drive vehicles with some of the best-designed interiors. It goes toe-to-toe with BMW and Mercedes-Benz. But whereas the competition does great work with sporty real-wheel drive designs, Audi's emphasis on Quattro gives it a leg up in rally racing. Audi still actively participates in motorsports. But our focus today is on the firm's flagship 2013 A8L, an extended wheelbase sedan with more technology inside than we know what to do with. 

With an MSRP of $115,000, the A8L isn't for everyone. But it is a rolling technological marvel and an exercise in decadence, with options like massaging driver and rear passenger seats, a night vision camera, and a built-in refrigerator with rear cup holders that perfectly envelop champagne flutes.

Not that we're surprised to see so many niceties on the A8L. Flagships are typically where manufacturers roll out their very latest capabilities. Oftentimes this turns out great, and we get advanced capabilities that end up propagating down into more mainstream models.

I still remember watching Jeremy Clarkson review the W220 Mercedes S-Class in the first season of Top Gear, fascinated by the car's technology. Adaptive cruise control was brand new and only available in the S-Class line-up at the time. Clarkson mentioned that examining a flagship luxury vehicle is like peeking into the future of more mainstream cars. Ten years later, lo and behold, Ford, Honda, Subaru, and more all offer adaptive cruise control on their mid-size sedans, while compacts feature optional integrated navigation systems.

Back to Audi's A8L, with so much technology that it's overwhelming. No doubt, some of the car's features will show up in the automaker's more affordable offerings, while others remain lavishly exclusive. We'll do our best in today's story to cover each feature and predict what might appear in cars outside of the A8 family.

Outside, the A8L isn’t much to look at (Ed.: Speak for  yourself; I love the way Audi's big boat looks). It's attractive, but certainly doesn't stand out like an R8 or its platform-sharing Bentley brethren. The designers tend to tone down the statement made by Audi's flagship, and the current D4 platform is no different. This is a car you buy for its luxury when you don't need a ton of attention. If you still need the validation of others, there's always the aforementioned R8. 

Our test mule is an A8L 4.0T Quattro tiptronic with the Executive Rear Seat Comfort Package, Bang & Olufsen Advanced Audio System, Driver Assistance package, Night vision assistant, Comfort package, Panorama sunroof, and Camera Assistance package, all of which take the car's price tag to $115,195.

2. Audi's Infotainment System

Right off the bat, we were introduced to Audi's Multi Media Interface (MMI) touch with handwriting recognition technology. This requires a bit of explanation, so sit tight.

Tucked beneath a wood trim flap is a seven-inch LCD display that pops up every time the vehicle starts. It sports a resolution of 800x480, which is fairly typical in the cars we've reviewed. Of course, that's not a high-definition output, but it gets the job done for traversing Audi's user interface. That screen itself is not what responds to touch.

Many of Audi's competitors do use touchscreen displays. But we've noticed that more luxury-oriented offerings are the product of extra investment into user control. So, we tend to find physical control interfaces with more satisfying tactile feedback. Not surprisingly, then, the company so well known for its smart interiors exposes a number of buttons corresponding to the infotainment system. 

A main rotary knob cycles through content displayed on-screen, while the silver buttons around it are associated with functions displayed on each of the user interface's four corners. There are even dedicated buttons that take you straight to infotainment features like navigation, telephone, and car settings. Audio control over media, the radio, track navigation, and tone settings are right next to the control knob, easily accessible. Audi also adds a dedicated volume control knob in the same little cluster.

Really, this is ideal for infotainment control. It gives us full access over Audi's MMI with an arm rested comfortably over the center console. A full complement of physical inputs make it easier to flip through menu items and dial in adjustments without taking your eyes off the road. I'll admit that it takes some time to learn the location of so many buttons without looking. But once you get your bearing, you're at a big advantage to someone stabbing around at a screen in traffic.

As a bonus, the MMI touch system ties in to the A8L's climate control, displaying settings on-screen. Audi wisely leaves the physical buttons and knobs for that subsystem in place, which we very much appreciate. Again, I really like the physical input and the tactile feedback it provides. You know exactly what's going to happen when you press. Some manufacturers (we’re looking at you, Lincoln and Cadillac) think it looks cooler to replace those buttons with capacitive touch functionality. Although a nice smooth panel looks good, it's a nuisance to drivers.

The star of this show is Audi's handwriting recognition panel that, as its name suggests, recognizes written letters. You can spell everything out with just your index finger. It's a cool novelty that works very well, and you may even find the touchpad more useful than voice commands. Once you get the hang of it, entering navigation instructions is easy. My only concern is for left-handed drivers, who might have a tough time using the pad.

3. How Much Nvidia Is Inside Audi's A8L?

Audi is one of the first automotive companies to hook up with Nvidia for help with its infotainment systems. Despite the public cooperation and announcements on both sides of the aisle, neither would confirm the exact application processor powering MMI touch. When we asked Audi, we were told it doesn't disclose that information. Nvidia echoed the same sentiment. Heck, we even tried to ping Harman, which we assumed built Audi's MMI system.

Everyone stayed quiet about the composition of the MMI. Fortunately, after a lot of persistence, we were told that the A8L's infotainment system doesn't employ Tegra at all. Despite the A7 demo platforms we saw back at CES 2012 and 2013, Tegra didn't actually make it into any Audi until this year's A3/S3.

Audi's A8L MMI unitAudi's A8L MMI unit

The reason both companies kept quiet was because the graphics solution in Audi's A8L predates Tegra. It's a GeForce-derived GPU, but Nvidia wouldn't give us the details. And unfortunately, because it's a specialized multimedia processor, there was no other company to turn to for details. The only other bit of information we uncovered was that Nvidia's hardware is paired to a Texas Instrument OMAP-based SoC, the Jacinto 5.

TI's Jacinto 5 includes a single ARM Cortex-A8 core and a DSP to drive the MMI, including its radio functionality, Wi-Fi connectivity, 3G, and everything else related to the infotainment system. Nvidia's contribution kicks in for rendering 3D maps with Google Earth overlays. TI isn't specific about the exact SoC model Audi uses, and the company manufactures a great many configurations. So, we'll just have to be content identifying the A8L's internals from a high level and giving Nvidia credit for powering the complementary multimedia applications unit (MMX).
All of that hardware is controlled by QNX's real-time operating system. 

Audi deploys a second MMI unit in its A8L, dedicated to the rear-seat entertainment system, which we'll detail shortly. Hopefully you're already getting the sense that this car is incredibly technology-laden, partly explaining its six-figure price tag. 

Even though the Jacinto 5's single Cortex-A8 sounds like it might be a little anemic, we have no complaints about the infotainment system's performance. Controls respond quickly, free of lag. Handwriting recognition would seem to be the most delay-sensitive workload, and it's even snappy enough to impress.

4. Music Features And A $6300 Audio Upgrade Package

Audi takes an interesting approach to I/O in the A8L. There is no USB or auxiliary input. And normally, this is where we'd start complaining about a lack of connectivity. But Audi gives us a suitable alternative in the form of SD card slots. The company exposes a pair of them, accessible behind a flip-down flap that also hides a SIM card slot and DVD player. I'm a big fan of SD storage because the cards are small and a lot easier to conceal than a USB drive or iPod. And because MP3s don't require much bandwidth, any SD card you have laying around will work for storing music in the A8L. 

2013 Audi A8L Music Features

With that said, we still expect USB connectivity, particularly in a car this expensive. SD slots are nice, but USB is also useful for charging the battery of a depleted smartphone. In 2014, it's really a must-have feature.

Navigating the contents of an SD card using Audi's interface is easy using familiar folder and artist views. The control knob is both ergonomic and fast, getting you to the song you want to hear quickly. It's similarly well-suited to jumping between radio stations. You may need to acclimate to the lack of dedicated presets. Instead, Audi exposes a list of favorite stations that can be scrolled through. Fortunately, the A8L's steering wheel controls are excellent for cruising through your top picks.

Bang & Olufsen's $6300 Upgrade Package

Audi offers a Bang & Olufsen sound system for the hefty price of $6300. You get an upgraded 19-speaker sound system with 1400 watts of combined power. As with most liberally-specified sound systems, those 19 speakers count every driver individually.

The high-end package does include a pair of motorized tweeters that pop out of the dash every time you start the A8L. They have B&O's signature design and look very nice.

You wouldn't catch me spending $500 on headphones and another $500 for a matching amp, or thousands of dollars on the pieces of a home theater. At the same time, I've heard plenty of high-end automotive sound systems, including custom setups built by my friends at German Audio Specialties. I was really excited about listening to Audi's B&O-sourced configuration, and I imagined it'd sound amazing given such an extreme price tag.

But I was wrong. The upgrade package did not live up to my expectations. Its tweeters sounded great, punctuated by excellent detail and clarity. But the mid and low range lacked substance, almost sounding muddy. Just to be sure I hadn't created unrealistic expectations, I had the same group of friends at German Audio Specialties audition the A8L, and they came to the same conclusion. 

Talk about a major disappointment, given such high hopes. But Audi's B&O option just falls short. If you're on the fence about spending $6300 for better sound in this car, skip it and consider something aftermarket if you really need an upgrade.

5. Navigation, Audi connect, And Phone Connectivity

Audi’s MMI Navigation plus with MMI touch offers good-looking maps and an intuitive user interface. You get 3D cartography with elevation data and three-dimensional buildings in major cities. Given the number of flat, 2D solutions we've tested, the A8L gave us one of the best navigation experiences we've ever had in a car.

The combination of handwriting recognition and an intuitive control knob made searching for addresses and points of interest easier than in competing solutions. Blindly writing whatever it was we were searching for turned out to be so much less distracting than trying to operate a touchscreen keyboard. Audi even leaves both inputs functional when the car is in motion (after displaying a warning screen); you don't get locked out. 

2013 Audi A8L Navigation

On its own, the MMI Navigation system is pretty plain, sporting standard 2D and 3D maps. Audi connect is what transforms the MMI into the paragon of awesome navigation solutions. Nothing else we've used comes close to rivaling Audi connect. Its secret is an always-on data connection. Using this communications channel, Audi's MMI Navigation downloads Google Earth 3D map overlays on the fly as you're driving. The maps are so beautifully detailed that I found myself leaving the navigation screen up most of the time. Google Earth overlays also make it easier to find your destination with Google Maps Street View images.

Audi connect adds additional functionality to the MMI system, including Google search, weather updates, gas prices, and travel information. The search feature lets you find points of interest using Google instead of the built-in POI list. Naturally, Google is a lot more up to date, since navigation data from the map makes is often a year behind. The weather updates, gas prices, and travel information are fairly standard. Most auto manufacturers facilitate similar data through SiriusXM. But we still don't see the appeal of integrating capabilities that are more conveniently accessed through a smartphone.

The A8L's Audi connect serves up one more great feature we have to mention: on-board Wi-Fi hotspot connectivity, which is perfect for working on the go or keeping a passenger productive. Driving a couple of toddlers around for a week, the Wi-Fi went unused. However, I've dreamed of a world where I could stay connected during a long road trip, and that's now possible.

As with any data connection, Audi connect isn’t free. But surprisingly, the data plans aren’t obscenely priced. The feature runs on T-Mobile in the U.S. and costs $30 if you want to pay month by month. There is no data cap for in-car use, and the price drops as low as $15 a month if you want to pre-pay for 30 months of service at $450. That is by far the best deal you're going to get, since the 24-month plan runs $600 and 12 months sells for $324.

Phone connectivity in the A8L works as expected. You can pair your Bluetooth-capable device and download its contact list and call history. Make and receive calls, and stream stereo sound via Bluetooth, too. The only function we missed was text messaging support.

6. Audi's Gauge Cluster LCD And Night Vision Assistant

Audi employs traditional analog gauges with an LCD sandwiched in between. I consider this to be my ideal cluster arrangement. The analog gauges look great and respond quickly to the A8L’s powertrain. Meanwhile, the LCD serves as a multi-function display for adjusting vehicle settings, conveying trip computer information, detailing music playback, and accessing phone features.

When it comes to customizing the A8L through that LCD, you'll find options controlling the door locks, the lighting, and some of the driver aids. Once upon a time, it took a trip to the dealership to alter a car's factory settings. But with the advancement of in-car computers and user interfaces, a lot of subsystems can be manipulated directly using check boxes.

2013 Audi A8L Gauge Cluster

The music settings are particularly detailed. Using the steering wheel-mounted dials, you can change the audio source, scroll through favorites, manually scroll through AM/FM and SiriusXM stations, and browse locally-stored music, just as you would from the infotainment display. Mercedes-Benz and BMW employ very similar systems, and we really like them all. While Hyundai, Kia, and Cadillac attempt to replicate the same experience, Audi's combination of steering wheel control and the LCD gauge cluster display is the best I've seen. My only complaint is that I'd like dedicated buttons for advancing to the next track (or skipping back to the previous one), rather than using the jog dial.

Phone features on the LCD gauge cluster are detailed as well. A lot of infotainment systems rely on voice commands or the main display for browsing through a phone book and making calls. But Audi's gauge cluster LCD gives you complete access to your phone's contact information, making it possible to place a call without ever glancing over at the infotainment system's screen.

Lastly, the gauge cluster LCD can convey navigation directions. This seems like a painfully obvious feature to include, but there are companies (we're talking about you this time, Infiniti) that do not link the navigation system to the gauge cluster display. So, we continue to applaud Audi for not cutting corners.

Night Vision Assistant

Audi uses the gauge cluster LCD for its night vision assistant system, which harnesses the power of an infrared camera to detect heat signatures in front of the car. The camera is hidden in Audi's emblem in front of the car, and not noticeable unless you're looking for it. Enabling the night vision assistant requires manual intervention, and there's a button to toggle it left of the steering wheel, next to the front and rear fog light switches.

2013 Audi A8L Night Vision

With this feature turned on, the gauge cluster LCD displays a black and white video feed. When it picks up a person or animal, the system draws a yellow or red box around the object to show how far down the road it is. This was our first experience with this technology, and I found it to work well (I managed to pick up more than one cat during my nighttime testing).

In theory, night vision assistance should be helpful as you're glancing down to check your speed. But I can also imagine the feature being abused as a crutch to drive faster, too.

The night vision assistant remains a niche capability that works as advertised, but doesn't replace focused and safe driving at night. If you have an extra $2300 burning a hole in your pocket and live in a rural area with plenty of animals, it's at least worth considering.

7. Rear-Seat Amenities

The back seat of Audi's A8L is a very comfortable place to be. Our test vehicle came with the Executive Rear Seating Package, which equips your passengers with more bells and whistles than you get as the driver. Gone is the familiar bench seat you're used to seeing, replaced by bucket-style seats and plenty of adjustments. The seats are both heated and cooled, for starters. They also recline and even massage for maximum comfort.

Specifically, the right-rear position is the one you want if you're given the opportunity to ride in an A8L. Whoever occupies that seat can dictate how much legroom the front passenger gets using controls to move that chair up and back.

Augmenting the rear passenger experience is a pair of 10-inch LCDs. Audi goes over-the-top with its rear entertainment system. While we'd expect, at most, a DVD player, the A8L gets a second MMI unit, meaning back seat riders have access to an independent MMI and control dial that's identical to the driver's, except for a lack of handwriting recognition. The second MMI unit includes another Jacinto 5 SoC and GeForce-derived graphics processor.

Since the A8L is a natural limousine and executive transport, rear passengers can use their MMI to privately search their own points of interest, enter addresses, or access Audi connect features, just like the driver. They can also send directions to the front infotainment system, so the driver knows where to go. It's a little impersonal to give orders through the navigation system, but Audi's A8L allows it.

I tested the feature by driving a few friends around as they played with the back seat MMI system. By the end of our test, I wanted to boot the whole group out; they kept sending random directions to the front, changing our destination. Fortunately, Audi thought to combat this. The driver must confirm the directions before they're displayed on the main MMI system; a route you already have can't be overridden otherwise.

The only real complaint I received was that the cup holders in the back are a little small for Americans. They won't hold a Big Gulp, for example. But they're the perfect size for champagne flutes. The encouragement to celebrate in the back seat is bolstered by a built-in mini-fridge that's perfect for a bottle or two of your favorite bubbly. Of course, the refrigerator occupies the space dedicated to a pass-through for skis in most other sedans. It isn't missed; we don't expect the A8L to make very many ski trips. Oh, and don't try to store anything in the mini-fridge. It doesn't run when the engine is off, so it's only good for keeping cold drinks cold.

As if the refrigerator and dedicated rear-seat entertainment weren't lavish enough, there's also an integrated power inverter to drive laptops and other mobile devices while you're on the road.

8. Driving Aids, LED Lights, And Camera Assistance

In addition to all of the luxury inside of Audi's A8L, our test car also came equipped with the Driver Assistance package that includes adaptive cruise control with stop & go, side assist, lane assist, and pre sense plus technologies. The adaptive cruise control with stop & go automatically maintains a safe following distance behind the car in front of you. It relies on two radar sensors installed where you typically find fog lights, and a camera mounted in front of the rear-view mirror.

As its name suggests, the system can take Audi's A8L to a complete stop and accelerate again with the press of a button or the gas pedal. Adaptive cruise control is one of our favorite technologies, and Audi's implementation works just the way it should, making stop-and-go traffic far less stressful. We consider this a must-have feature.

Audi calls its blind spot monitoring technology side assist, but it’s no different than competing systems. There are radar sensors mounted on the back of the car that detect vehicles up to about 230 feet away. The A8L’s warning system is the best we’ve seen, though. Rather than utilizing a small indicator in the side mirror, Audi installs a cluster of LEDs inside its side mirrors. When the system detects a car in the blind spot, it flashes a quick blink that isn’t even noticeable unless you look for it. When you put on your turn signal and a vehicle is detected, however, the light flashes very brightly to catch your attention. It'd be pretty hard to miss in that case, even if you weren't looking.

We typically don't like lane departure warning systems because they're frankly obnoxious with the random dings and beeps. Fortunately, the A8L's lane assist technology is the least-obnoxious one we've ever tested. It relies on a camera mounted in front of the rear-view mirror to read lane markings. When you start to drift, the steering wheel vibrates a bit to warn you. Only the driver is alerted, and your passengers aren't left wondering why the vehicle is beeping. Despite this more subtle approach, I still don't like warning systems very much. I'd rather have an active system that automatically keeps the A8L in its lane. Audi has such a technology, but only offers it on the A6, A7, and flagship A8L W12.

The last feature in Audi's driver assistance package is the pre sense system, which is used for accident prevention. Audi implements three tiers of pre sense: front, rear, and plus. Our A8L came with the full pre sense plus system that does any and everything to prevent an accident or limit injury.

Say you're driving on snow or ice and slam on the brakes. There's no traction, so the vehicle skids and the stability control sensors are going crazy. Audi's pre sense system evaluates the situation and can turn on the hazard lights, roll up the window, close the sunroof, and apply tension to the seat belts before engaging the brakes to stop the car safely or slow it down enough to turn a major event into something less severe. I managed to trigger the pre sense warning systems a couple of times during my week with the A8L, but never tried pushing it to the point where it'd fully activate. This is one of those features you want to assume works the way Audi says.

LED Headlights

The A8L's LED headlights are simply amazing. They're odd-looking if you're accustomed to projector or halogen lamps, but they perform fantastically. Audi employs an array of 10 LEDs, each with its own projector. As a result, you get one of the brightest headlights we've ever used. A sharp cut-off keeps drivers ahead of you from being blinded, too. Audi charges $1300 for its LED headlight option, and I say this is something you absolutely have to add.

Camera Assistance Package

We love 360-degree camera systems, and the A8L delivers. This is a big car, and I appreciated a top-down view as I tried to park it. The stitched picture employs multiple cameras placed around the car, and there's a curb view as well. Parking sensors further facilitate pro parking jobs with warning beeps to indicate proximity. This is another feature that every large luxury car should include standard. Audi charges $750 for the option, and I consider it to be worth every penny.

9. Audi's 4.0 L Powertrain With Quattro

Propelling the A8L from 0-60 in a mere 4.2-seconds (according to Motor Trend's tests) is a 4.0 L V8 engine rated for 420 hp. It makes 444 lb-ft of torque at a very low 1500 RPM and sends the nearly two-ton A8L down the quarter-mile in 12.6 seconds. That's sports car-fast in a limousine form factor. The four-liter motor with overhead cams, variable valve timing, and a pair of twin-scroll turbochargers increases power while maintaining efficiency.

Speaking of efficiency, this configuration receives an EPA rating of 16/26 MPG in city and highway driving. That might seem low compared to a hybrid, but my wife’s minivan gets close to the same mileage with 134 fewer horses and much lower performance stats. So long as you stick to highway cruising, this land barge will reward you with respectable fuel consumption.

Audi mates the 4.0 L V8 to a very familiar ZF 8HP eight-speed automatic transmission, which is used in pretty much everything from Jeep's Grand Cherokee to Jaguar's F-Type, which are both vehicles we’ve reviewed. The A8L's ZF 8HP is no different. It delivers quick and smooth shifts, though it's not as snappy as the F-Type. Power is then sent to all four wheels through Audi’s Quattro all-wheel drive system. By default, the power split is 40/60, with a bias to the rear wheels.

Naturally, the A8L's powertrain makes it more of a joy to drive than if the car were underpowered. The four-liter engine is great for merging into traffic or overtaking on a two-lane road. Fuel efficiency suffers, of course, if you can't keep that tendency under control. But something tells me that anyone dropping six figures on an executive cruiser isn't sweating the price of oil. Quattro keeps the A8L planted around corners, while the rear bias helps prevent understeer. Although the car weighs almost two tons, the A8L is still a lot of fun to drive.

10. Results: Benchmarking Audi MMI

So much of what we do at Tom's Hardware centers on benchmark results. As such, we've developed a test suite that covers some of the tasks and processes that are important to a driver using his car's technology package. The tasks we measure include: boot-up time, time to connect to a paired phone, the time it takes to start music playback after booting the infotainment system, and lastly, how long it takes to actually add a phone to the system. We chose these measurements because they affect everyday use.

We perform the tests by recording video of each action and reviewing the footage in an editor to establish the exact point the system was turned on, and when the tasks are completed. The result is accurate; these aren't stop watch-timed tests. Our results from previous car reviews are included as well.

In order to test the A8L, we manually restarted the system using the key combination, forcing the system to cool-boot. Otherwise, it starts up on its own as the car is approached.

Audi's MMI touch boots fairly quickly at 15.5 seconds. That time is a little deceiving, though. The system uses a staggered start-up process that outputs a display signal and responds to button presses. However, the audio, navigation, and phone functions don't work until each module is loaded, which takes roughly twice as long. Compared to other infotainment systems we’ve tested, the A8L doesn't win any speed comparisons.

Music playback puts the MMI touch system at the back of the pack. Again, as the system boots, it registers button presses and lets you access certain capabilities. But achieving music playback still takes close to 30 seconds after booting cold. In a real-world environment, however, Audi's infotainment system starts booting as soon as you approach the car with its passive key. You don't really notice any delays playing music when you finally get into the driver's seat.

It takes Audi's MMI touch system almost one minute to connect to our test phone. We aren't particularly surprised though; this platform loads up a lot more technology than the touchscreen-based systems we've looked at in the past. Moreover, it's not driven by a particularly powerful SoC.

Calculating a route with the navigation system lands Audi's A8L in the middle of our line-up. It's still twice as fast as the Microsoft-based SYNC with MyFord Touch system.

11. Audi's Well-Exectuted A8L Takes Home The Gold

Audi's MMI touch with handwriting recognition is by far the best infotainment platform we've tested. Yes, we liked Chrysler’s Uconnect Access, Ford SYNC with MyFord Touch, Hyundai's solution, and Kia's as well, but Audi's technology package is in a league of its own. The experience starts with sitting down in the A8L's driver's seat and realizing that you're surrounded by an expertly-designed interior that's comfortable, classy, and ergonomic.

The process goes a little something like this: you melt into the driver's seat and start the A8L using its push-button ignition. The chair remembers your memory setting and gets itself into position. Then, you rest your arm above the center console; all of the infotainment features are at your fingertips. Audi's well-positioned control knob provides quick access to the system's functions. It's surrounded by those four buttons associated with operations on the display's four corners. When you want to write-out your search, the touchpad reads writing from your finger, and that's located to the left of the control knob. If you want to adjust the volume, you move your arm to the right and the control is right there. You can do all these things without taking your arm off the rest.

As you put the car in gear and start your drive, the analog gauges fluidly react to the motor; there is no pure LED gauge cluster for the simple sake of looking edgy, and we appreciate that. The LCD between Audi's analog gauges ties in with the MMI touch system fantastically. Access to your phone book, music folders, and favorite radio stations is made easier with steering wheel controls that convey great tactile feedback and response.

You're driving in the city and there's traffic you don't want to deal with. So, you turn on cruise control. The adaptive system takes over throttle control and braking to speed up, slow down, and even stop the car in traffic. If you're only stopped a couple of seconds, it'll hold onto the reins. When you're stopped longer, tapping the resume button or pressing the gas pedal gets you back on your way. Say you need to change lanes. You hit your turn signal and the Audi side assist technology flashes its bright cluster of LEDs, letting you know there's a little Geo Metro in your blind spot.

Or maybe you're on a rural road as it gets dark. The headlights turn on automatically and illuminate the road with 20 bright white focused LEDs. But, just to be safe, you turn on the night vision assistant technology. A deer might run across the road as you're driving along, windows down, stereo up loud. You slam on the brakes, but Audi pre sense plus detects that you won't stop in time. So it rolls the windows up, closes the sunroof, flashes your hazard lights, and forces maximum brake pressure to mitigate the damage.

Alright, that's a little dark. Hopefully you're driving along your favorite windy road and want to have some good clean fun, so you switch over the vehicle settings for a sportier stance. Audi's MMI touch system lets you do this with the turn of a knob. The steering and throttle become more responsive, and the suspension stiffens a bit. You put the transmission in sport mode and assume control with the paddle shifters. The A8L, as massive as it is, provides plenty of entertainment. It offers immense power and you marvel at how well the car handles. The ZF eight-speed transmission shifts so smoothly and responds so quickly that you forget there is no third pedal.

It might seem like I'm gushing about Audi's A8L, but it truly is a technological marvel. Everything is integrated so well. The vehicle systems work together, and not just for the infotainment system. Audi connect with Google Earth overlays take already-good navigation and make it perfect. After driving this car and using its MMI, every other mapping solution seems underdeveloped. As a cherry on top, you even get Google Maps Street View to identify destinations easier. Here's hoping more automakers follow Audi's lead on this. The car and its accompanying technology are virtually perfect for our tastes. My only complaint on that front is the lack of USB connectivity for data access and charging.

If you're in the market for a luxury sedan with smartly-integrated technology and sporty driving dynamics, you simply can't go wrong with Audi's A8L. Yes, it's expensive. But we've been in more expensive cars that we didn't like as much. This truly is the best marriage of technology, comfort, and driving dynamics I've encountered. Audi understands the purpose of technology in a car, and its A8L is a manifestation of that.

In fact, I like the D4-based Audi A8L so much that I'm giving it the Tom's Hardware Elite award. This is the first time our highest honor has ever gone to a vehicle. The company did a great job with its MMI touch with handwriting recognition system. The interior ergonomics are fantastic, as we'd expect from an Audi. The Google Earth map overlays really take the cake for infotainment systems, too. If I had the money to drop more than $100,000 on a luxury sedan, this is the one I'd want. Of course, if the A8L's 4.0 L engine doesn't have enough muscle, there's always the 500 hp W12 engine available as an option...