Introduction
What Car? says...
The Audi S8 has some striking vital statistics. It’s almost 5.2 metres long and weighs nearly 2.3 tonnes. It probably has more square metres of leather in it than Air Force One, and yet it can steam you from 0-62mph in 3.8sec.
The S8 might look like a relatively unassuming luxury limousine, and there's not a huge amount to differentiate it visually from the regular Audi A8 saloon on which it's based. But, thanks to a mighty 563bhp 4.0-litre V8 engine under the bonnet, it's almost as fast as the Audi R8 supercar.
FAQs
Yes. The S8's official 0-62mph time of 3.8sec is fairly remarkable for a large luxury car.
Like the BMW M5 and Mercedes-AMG E63 it's electronically limited to 155mph as part of a 'gentleman’s agreement' between the three German manufacturers.
As a comfortable limo, we recommend a long-wheelbase Audi A8 with the 50 TDI diesel engine and Vorsprung spec. If you're a private buyer and will be spending more time behind the wheel, you're likely to enjoy driving the S8 more – it's much quicker with sharper handling.
The second-generation S8 had a 10-cylinder engine that shared its basic architecture with the engine in the Lamborghini Gallardo. The current-generation S8 has a 563bhp twin-turbocharged V8 that it shares with the Audi RS6.
