New Audi S8

With the new S8, Audi has found the sweet spot between absolute luxury and total speed, delivering a limousine with bite.

Stunning design

Everything about the new Audi S8 exudes an air of utter refinement. It's a big car but it also looks refined and nimble, with Audi's wide grille smoothed out into a less angular form, and lines that sweep back from the top of the bonnet all the way to the rear of the vehicle. Depending on which trim option you choose, the standard edition or Plus edition, the S8 will also arrive on massive 20 or 21-inch alloy wheels, with the Plus trim giving you the option of a Sports exhaust in a high-gloss black and a carbon fibre front-lip spoiler.

Luxury interior

The S8 is effectively Audi's limousine, the highest quality vehicle that it makes, so it's no surprise that the interior is the absolute height of luxury. The beautiful texture of the finest Nappa leather is absolutely everywhere, covering the door armrest, centre console, airbag covers door panels, door pockets, and the area surrounding the MMI display amongst other places. If that isn't enough, it's all topped off with decorative stitching for even more elegance, whilst the inlays are decked out in a mix of Carbon Atlas and brushed aluminium.

Engine and handling

The new Audi S8 comes fitted with a choice of two 4.0-litre, turbo charged, V8 engines, and whilst the standard edition will give you 512bhp, the S8 Plus trim will let you get your hands on a huge 596bhp. Such power lets the S8 go from 0-60mph in less than 3.8 seconds, making it the fastest-accelerating limousine on the market. All that speed is tempered by the S8's 'S' Sports adaptive air suspension and electronic shock absorption controls, as well as Audi's all-wheel quattro system.

Technology and safety

As you may expect from a luxury limousine such as the new Audi S8, the interior comes jam-packed with plenty of high-end multimedia toys. For a start there's a CD/DVD changer, Audi Music Interface, a hard drive-based satellite navigation system, DAB digital radio, and a high-resolution seven-inch screen for the driver's information system. You can also choose to have a BOSE surround system in either trim package.

The S8 is no slouch in terms of safety either, as it comes with Audi’s advanced parking system with added bird's eye view, cruise control and the 'S' model enhanced braking system.