One week with Audi's flagship A8L just isn't enough. This car is loaded with smart technology, driver aids, awesome lights, and a beefy motor. We go through as many of its subsystems as possible in an effort to find something wrong...but really can't.
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.
- Getting To Know Audi's Top-End A8L
- Audi's Infotainment System
- How Much Nvidia Is Inside Audi's A8L?
- Music Features And A $6300 Audio Upgrade Package
- Navigation, Audi connect, And Phone Connectivity
- Audi's Gauge Cluster LCD And Night Vision Assistant
- Rear-Seat Amenities
- Driving Aids, LED Lights, And Camera Assistance
- Audi's 4.0 L Powertrain With Quattro
- Results: Benchmarking Audi MMI
- Audi's Well-Exectuted A8L Takes Home The Gold


(wifi hardware was present but the software wasn't enabled since the first year of 3G was free)
I've never heard the B&W in the XF. The Meridian system in the XJL is quite good though. The Acura Krell system in the RLX is the best system I've heard so far.
It's on the list of vehicles to cover. It's a very good vehicle and the new system is a massive improvement over the terrible TomTom system in the 6 and CX5.
(wifi hardware was present but the software wasn't enabled since the first year of 3G was free)
Audi had it in the A8 since 2011
Bose is standard on Audi's. B&O is a $6300 option.
Yes
Yes the A4 has MMI as well, but the touch pad is quite excellent. Also the interior ergonomics and overall package are different. The next gen A4 will have touch. Audi has a combo touch / control knob that debuted in the A3. I imagine it will make its way to the next A4.
Unfortunately driving with a third pedal will be a forgotten art. However, the 8-speed ZF is a very good transmission. I love manuals and everything, but will gladly trade a third pedal for adaptive cruise control with stop and go and the 8-speed ZF for daily driving.
You are correct. Ours only had the iPod connector, a 30-pin one at that. It's highway robbery that Audi sells the cables for about $70 to use a feature that should be standard by now.
People will always find ways to distract themselves if they aren't focused drivers. You can have all the electronic nannies and lock outs you want, but that doesn't stop a parent turning around to yell at their kids before plowing into the car in front of them IMO.