2014 Audi S8 Test Drive Video Review

In the rarefied world of German flagship performance luxury sedans, the Audi S8 is a standout because, well, it doesn’t. To look at it, assuming you ever see one (they’re exceedingly rare) you would be hard pressed to distinguish it from its standard A8 sibling. Only very close observation will reveal the brushed aluminum exterior rearview mirror housings, 21-inch wheels, performance oriented tires, and the quad-tipped exhaust outlets marking the car as the high-performance version of the A8. Of course, that’s from the outside. From the inside, as soon you let that twin-turbocharged V8 loose to do what it was designed to do, you’ll immediately know this is the uber A8. Delivering 520 horsepower and 479 ft-lbs of torque to all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission, the S8 is one exceptionally fast four-door. The model’s zero to 60 time is quoted at 3.9 seconds. This means it will outrun Audi’s V10-powered R8 supercar to 60 miles per hour. Based on the top Audi model, the S8’s comfort and convenience features are state of the art. These include soft-closing power doors, a power trunk lid, power folding exterior mirrors, a four-zone automatic climate control system, a solar-cell sunroof to power cooling fans when the S8 is parked, heat and ventilation for the 22-way power adjustable front seats, WiFi, and a top-view surround camera system. On the safety front, the S8 boasts rear collision alert and preparation, lane departure warning, night vision, frontal collision mitigation, and blind spot monitoring.