Review of the new Audi A8 W12 6.0L Quattro

There aren't too many cars that force a fundamental reappraisal of a marque's core values but the Audi A8 W12 is most definitely one of them. Prior to this car's appearance, Audi could best be described as a marque that offered high quality, high technology and advanced engineering wrapped up in stylish yet low-key packaging. Yes, there are head-turning models such as the TT but by and large, Audi cars are unobtrusively good-looking. The A8 W12 doesn't do 'unobtrusive' very convincingly. This more confident Audi flagship is no shrinking violet.

When it was unveiled, the imperious single frame radiator grille on the A8 W12's nose marked a new design direction for the Ingolstadt company, one that harks back to historic models and more recent show cars. Now it's been rolled out across the A8 range and, indeed, on to lesser Audi models so the big W12 has lost its most defining visual feature. Of slightly more historical significance is the fact that the A8 W12 is the first UK Audi to muster a dozen cylinders, the massive 6.0-litre engine propelling it to a position near the forefront of the luxury car power stakes. With 446bhp behind that imposing snout and a monstrous 580Nm of torque, the W12 trades blows with the BMW 760iL even if it's not quite in the same ballpark as the obscenely powerful top spec Mercedes models.

The W12 engine is created by fusing two compact aluminium block V6 engines together and it's a very impressive powerplant, delivering peak torque in a sumptuously fat range between 2,300and 5,300rpm. At virtually anything above tickover the driver has instant muscle available. Combine that with a lightweight aluminium body and you've got the recipe for a very quick car. Captains of industry in something of a hurry will be able to accelerate to 60mph in five seconds dead and on to an electronically limited top speed of 155mph. The fact that it can zip to this v-max in around 30 seconds gives some indication of the W12's pulling power. It's just relentless. Aluminium construction results in a number of allied benefits. Relatively low fuel consumption and emissions are the key advantages of low weight and handling is another.

"Quattro four-wheel drive offers all sorts of foul weather grip advantages that are quite beyond the Audi's rivals"

Body control is good, even in the long wheelbase versions, helped in no small part by the adaptive air suspension. Featuring continuously variable damping, this system looks to reduce the sort of lumbering roll, dive and squat often associated with cars of this size, delivering an optimum ride and handling balance for every situation. Four predefined suspension settings can be chosen via the Multi Media Interface system according to your mood. The A8 feels light on its feet but ride quality has improved. This was the one big complaint with the old car, namely that the handling was good but you had to pay for it with significant bump and thump from the suspension. The power steering has been retuned to offer more feel, but it reverts to a fingertip lightness at parking speeds. Audi never seem to quite crack well-weighted steering and although the A8 isn't bad, it's still not top drawer. It's unreasonable to expect it to excel at everything. Quattro four-wheel drive offers all sorts of foul weather grip advantages that are quite beyond the Audi's rivals.

Another example of the attention to detail that Audi have lavished on this model is the adaptive light technology. Featuring LED daytime driving lights, the distinctive five star lighting elements look like nothing else on the road as they approach in your rear view mirror. The LED driving lights require very little energy and, as Volvo have demonstrated, bring significant advantages in terms of safety as the car is more easily spotted whatever the ambient light conditions.

The standard £80,995 long wheelbase car features a cabin trimmed in aluminium and leather although Audi's extensive options list allows great scope for some rather bizarre trim combinations should taste temporarily desert you. You'll also find huge 19" alloy wheels doing the leg work. Like all the latest A8s, this one benefits from a smarter design for the trademark single frame grille, LED indicator strips in the side mirrors and LED tail lights.

Mechanical improvements to the latest A8 range include a re-engineering of the rack-and pinion speed-dependent steering to permit a more direct feel, and revision of the dampers, supports and general settings of the adaptive air suspension designed to give the A8 even tighter body control through corners and an even more unruffled ride. In conjunction with these measures, supplementary insulation using innovative new materials has also been added throughout the car, the result being that the A8 now records the lowest rolling, road and ambient noise levels in its class.

The steering wheel is a classy looking four-spoke item, nattily dished with recessed arms. It manages to make BMW's 7 Series tiller look spectacularly inelegant. The Multi-Media interface is also a good deal more intuitive than BMW's i-Drive, offering far fewer of those moments when you find yourself reaching for a blunt implement to bludgeon it to oblivion in a fit of pique.

The styling has followed an evolutionary theme, looking even more slippery than the rather bluff original-shape A8, the sides now being contoured into an almost Jaguar-like fuselage. The front features chrome-ringed grilles above and below bumpers which look rakishly aggressive, whilst the back features a high mounted light cluster which doesn't.

Accommodation is another area also better than the MK1 A8, a car that, unless you opted for the long wheelbase version, was pretty tight on rear legroom. The rear seats lack side support and are quite hard, but there's plenty of space. Headroom is acceptable without feeling as airy as an equivalent S-Class, but this helps in making the A8 feel smaller than it actually is, an asset when the time comes to confront a twisty road.

If you can live with the in-your-face frontal styling, the Audi A8 W12 6.0 quattro is as close to the luxury car state of the art as realistic money will buy. With all-wheel drive, air suspension and the massive technological tour de force that is its engine, chassis and electronic control systems, the Audi's quality is plainly evident. Despite this, it's not a car you'll lose your heart to. It may not earn your affection but it certainly demands respect. Audi hope that will be enough.

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