Audi A8 L. Pros and cons for 8000 km
Material content
Design
Photo with quote from press release number 1.
Photo with quote from press release number 2.
Photo with quote from press release number 3.
In the new A8, it is easy to recognize all the signature features of the series – straight lines of the body, a hexagonal shape of the radiator grille, rectangular headlights. However, if you compare the car with the previous generation, it is easy to see how much it has changed.
The car attracts the attention of others, like the BMW from the past test drive — even in dull grey. Here, for example, a man photographs a car in the rain.
But a passer-by examines the car from all sides for several minutes.
The most striking detail on the exterior of the A8 is the integrated rear lights. When the car doors are locked, they show a small light show. Effective, although it resembles light bulbs from Aliexpress.
You feel the same when you find out that the four holes at the bottom are not exhaust pipes, but their shiny plastic imitation.
Real exhaust pipes are under the bumper
Video
Option packages
Many options that are available or not available in the standard options can be purchased for a fee. Depending on equipment, the following are available for the new 2020 Audi A8:
- the Sport exterior package, which creates a brighter and more dynamic style;
- panoramic sunroof with electric opening and closing;
- extended interior and exterior trim (design and styling packages);
- Individual Audi exclusive exterior paint finishes;
- larger rims, up to 20″;
- two-layer thermal protection of all glasses, except for the rear one;
- HD Matrix LED headlights;
- sun shades and more.
Interior
The interior of the flagship sedan is trimmed in accordance with the status – stylish, expensive and concise. The model has a minimum of buttons, there are almost no instruments and controls in the usual form for many.
The car is equipped with a multifunctional touch screen on-board computer. There is also a separate screen for controlling the climate system and infotainment (for passengers). The last one is located in the rear armrest. There is also a voice assistant that understands arbitrary phrases.
On the front and door panels there are decorative elements made of wood. Options include backlighting, contour lighting, custom contoured seats, extended leather seating packages, inlays, door sills and more.
Spa
Inside, the sedan has become more spacious: Audi claims that the cabin has stretched 32 mm in length, although the wheelbase has grown only 6 mm (to 2998 mm for the base Audi A8 and up to 3128 mm for the A8 L). The total length of the body is 37 mm longer than before (5172 mm for the standard version and 5302 mm for the A8 L), and the overall width of the car has completely decreased.
Massage and a “sleeping” chair are no longer surprising in such cars, so the A8, of course, offers both, although the “basic” one has a regular three-seater sofa. But the most interesting is the most expensive accommodation option for the right rear passenger, in which he will have at his disposal not only a multi-contour seat with massage pneumatic chambers for the back, but also a special footrest on the back of the front seat, where you need to put your feet so that Audi can warm and caress them . In the most literal sense: this platform also has a built-in massager, which is trained in “hot care” programs for legs of any size. And the A8 also has doors with electric locks – now you don’t need to pull either the outer or inner handle, but just pry them, just like the windows keys, and the electric actuators will dissolve the locks.
Interface
Right on the center console two touch screens. On the top are the main controls of the car. Here is the standard set – navigator, music, radio, settings and the “Home” button, which will not build a route to the house, but will display the main screen.
The system takes a long time to load – you can adjust the driver’s seat, mirrors, but the music will still “load” and the navigator “initialize”. A couple of times during the weekly test drive, it completely hung on initialization – I had to completely reboot the system. An unexpected surprise from a car, the cost of which is comparable to the cost of a good apartment.
The lower screen normally serves to control the climate. A bold decision for the automaker, which, however, has an obvious and significant drawback – while driving, it will no longer be possible to adjust the temperature in the cabin or turn off the air conditioner without looking at the screen. In addition, the interface buttons are made small – it is difficult to hit them while driving, even on a good road.
Buy Ads Disable
I have to admit that I changed the temperature in the car only once – during the initial setup of the car. The rest of the interaction consisted of turning the air conditioner off or on. Therefore, the touch screen for adjustment may not be such a bad solution – at least the owners of Tesla electric cars do not complain about it.
The lower display is also used for typing. For example, you can enter a destination by drawing letters on the screen.
Using this method is unbearably difficult and time consuming. Fortunately, you can switch to the standard full keyboard – with its help, typing is much more familiar and faster. The screen is located almost horizontally to the “torpedo”, so you do not have to keep your hand on weight.
The A8 has voice dialing, but its skills were left behind in 2005. For example, you can’t just say “Tverskaya, 7”, as in Yandex.Navigator – the system requires me to name all the components of the destination separately: first the city, then the street, then the house. With long pauses for the voice assistant to process what has been said, entering an address by voice can take as long as driving to your destination.
The dashboard is one big screen. It can be controlled using the buttons on the steering wheel. More precisely, you can control only the central part of the display – display the current fuel consumption, the work of assistants, navigation or music. It is possible to switch the general view of the display – with large or small dials. Convenient when working with a map.
Dashboard screen control buttons
The projection screen displays the minimum necessary information – only the current speed, assistant warnings and lanes on large highways. Conveniently, navigation tips are only shown when approaching intersections.
All four screens are poorly interconnected. For example, the speed limit indicator is shown only on the center screen, but not on the instrument panel and head-up display.
Notifications are only displayed on the central screen (and they are not removed with a swipe up).
The map is the most difficult – it is shown either on the dashboard in the middle, or in the center of the speedometer, or on the projection screen. You have to constantly look around all the A8 interfaces in search of a navigator.
When and how much?
In Germany, the Audi A8 will start selling this autumn, and the starting prices have already been announced: the G8 will rise in price by at least 6,600 euros. After all, the starting sedan of the outgoing generation in version 3.0 TDI in Germany costs from 84 thousand euros, and for the new A8 the most democratic option was estimated at 90,600 euros. That is, the novelty will be more expensive than the main competitors, because the “seven” BMW in the homeland costs from 87,200 euros, and the Mercedes S-class – from 88,450 euros. The long-wheelbase version of the Audi A8 L is at least 94,100 euros. Deliveries to Russia will begin at the very end of the year.
ADDED: First impressions of the novelty – V Sergey Znaemsky’s blog.