3.0 TDI V6 50 Vorsprung Saloon 4dr Diesel Tiptronic quattro Euro 6 (s/s) (LWB) (286 ps)

The A8’s blend of performance, comfort and serenity are wedded to a beautifully built, practical and well-equipped interior. In fact, by a whisker, it beats the Mercedes S-Class, which shows just how good to drive and be driven in the A8 is.

If you're after a long-wheelbase A8 then Vorsprung is our pick of the range. It brings 21in alloy wheels, four-wheel steering, a panoramic glass sunroof, front massage seats, an Extended Leather Pack, a 360-degree parking camera and a 17-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system. You also get digital matrix LED headlights, which are said to allow a greater range of adjustment than conventional matrix lights so they can better illuminate the lane you’re in on the motorway or widen the pool of light they produce for dark rural lanes – all without dazzling oncoming traffic.

This 3.0-litre V6 diesel is smooth and quiet, if not quite as refined as the 400d engine in the rival Mercedes S Class. It isn't as powerful as that engine, either, although performance is more than adequate and there's a healthy swell of acceleration available from low revs.

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