The new Audi A8 – state-of-the-art luxury
07 07 2010
As you might expect at the top of the range, the new Audi A8 combines timeless elegance with the latest Audi innovations. It has a new level of luxury, thanks to exquisite attention to detail and an extensive level of standard specification – adaptive air suspension, luxurious seats upholstered in Valcona leather, Audi Music Interface and HDD-based navigation including MMI Touch.®
There’s also pre-sense basic, which provides you with comprehensive preventive protection. This advanced safety system can detect an imminent collision and tighten the seat belts, close the sunroof and windows, and activate the hazard warning lights to alert other drivers.
You’ll also be able to take advantage of predictive route data as standard, which links to our HDD Satellite Navigation system to identify bends, junctions and motorway stretches. The system then adjusts the transmission, lights and even the adaptive cruise control (if fitted) to provide optimum safety and comfort.
The new Audi A8 is built on the aluminium Audi Space Frame.® Along with new, high-performance engines such as the 4.2 TDI,® it’s helped to reduce CO2 emissions across the new Audi A8 range by approximately 20%. And, of course, you’ll benefit from even more miles per gallon. With its refined comfort and sophisticated technologies like optional night vision, the new Audi A8 is how Audi sees twenty-first century luxury car travel.
Engines
Petrol
FSI® direct-injection technology is a unique Audi innovation that was originally developed for the Le Mans 24-hour endurance race to deliver more power and torque, as well as enhanced fuel efficiency. Precisely the right amount of fuel and air are injected into the combustion chambers, enabling the engine to ‘breathe’ more easily. It results in reduced heat loss and increased output, with around a 15% reduction in fuel consumption and significantly lower exhaust emissions.
Diesel
We introduced TDI® to the roads in 1989, marking a departure from the noisy, fuel-thirsty diesel engines of the past. The new Audi A8’s 4.2 TDI® engine uses common-rail technology to produce more power, as well as increasing efficiency. Under this system, a series of piezo injectors use electrical charge to precisely control the amount of fuel injected into the engine. As well as reducing noise, this allows combustion to happen at
a lower temperature, with less oxygen, which cuts down emissions.
Transmission - 8-speed tiptronic®
The new Audi A8 comes with a brand new gearbox – an advanced 8-speed tiptronic® transmission system which reduces both fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. It converts high-torque engine power into both sporty performance and operating convenience, with crisp, fast gear changes, reduced weight and an optimised gearshift strategy. More spontaneous gear changes are a particular benefit, especially when downshifting.
Both in the ‘D’ (Drive) and ‘S’ (Sport) programme, the advanced electronics used in tiptronic® respond efficiently to every driver input, helping to prevent unwanted upshifts when cornering. Furthermore, this advanced gearbox can be operated entirely in manual mode, enabling the driver to change gear using the paddles, simply by pressing a button on the steering wheel.
quattro®
It’s the technology that has given Audi the edge on the racetrack ever since it was first introduced 30 years ago – a technology that delivers ultimate control whilst enhancing the sporty characteristics which make the new Audi A8 so thrilling to drive. It’s called quattro® permanent all-wheel-drive. The principle is simple: in the same way that four brakes ensure better deceleration, four permanently-driven wheels deliver better acceleration and road-holding, pushing or pulling the car as needed, for a driving experience that’s both dynamic and safe.
In the new Audi A8, asymmetric dynamic torque distribution continuously distributes drive power between the front and rear axles, depending on weather conditions, road surface and gradient. This leads to greater flexibility and an enhanced, sportier drive.
What’s more, with the 4.2-litre TDI® engine, you’ll get the quattro® Sports differential as standard. Put simply, this delivers more stability and an even more dynamic driving experience, especially on tight corners or when there is a weight shift under heavy braking.
Efficiency
At Audi, doing less is something we’re trying to do more of. We’re working to use less fuel, release less CO2 and waste less energy. It’s why we’ve incorporated a number of more efficient technologies into the new Audi A8.
Aerodynamics
A car’s shape can have a big impact on its efficiency. It’s why we’ve worked to make the A8 as aerodynamic as possible. By including technology such as adaptive air suspension that responds to changes in speed, we’ve ensured it has the lowest drag coefficient in its class. It means that the A8 becomes more aerodynamic at high speeds, while still offering an exceptional ride quality.
TDI® and FSI®
Inside the engine of the new Audi A8 you’ll find the same advanced fuel-injection technology that’s driven us to eight Le Mans victories in the last ten years. With TDI® and FSI®, fuel is injected directly into the engine’s chambers so that combustion is timed right down to the millisecond. As a result, waste is minimised and you get the most from every last drop of fuel.
Recuperation
With a recuperation system, like the one in the new Audi A8, the kinetic energy used in braking is converted into useful electrical energy. This results in a fuel saving of up to 3%.
Audi Space Frame®
The Audi Space Frame® gives the new Audi A8 perfect balance on the road. As well as providing protection, its lightweight construction also allows the A8 to accelerate faster and release fewer CO2 emissions.
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