Introduction

St. Louis Rams? Tennessee Titans? In the Super Bowl? Jeez, who would have thought that two rather pathetic teams from 1998 managed to beat out all others to be in Super Bowl XXXIV? Some people didn't even know Tennessee had a football team.

For this Super Luxury Sedan Comparison Test, we all knew Audi had its flagship A8. But if you would have questioned the editors beforehand, I seriously doubt any one of them would have guessed that the A8 would have landed in fourth place.

But here it is. Four out of five. Generally, Audis are some of our favorite vehicles. An Audi A4 placed second out of eight vehicles in our 1999 Entry-Level Luxury Sedan Comparison Test. So what went wrong here?

Background, and Our Test Vehicle

The current Audi A8 has been available since 1997. It is one of the more technologically advanced vehicles on the road, especially when it comes to the use of lightweight materials. The A8's body structure is made from aluminum: Audi calls it the Audi Space Frame (ASF). A 40-valve V8 drives all four wheels. For 2000, the A8 receives minor changes, such as updated styling, slightly more horsepower, and additional interior improvements.

Audi offers a decent amount of optional equipment on the A8, but our test vehicle wasn't equipped with much. The navigation system and the acoustic parking system are the highlights. As such, the lack of features hurt the A8 in scoring, but it did make up ground by having the second lowest as-tested MSRP.

Of interesting note is that Audi will offer an extended wheelbase A8 (called the A8 L) of late availability in the year 2000. We would have preferred an A8 L for our test, but one was not available in time.

Exterior Design

The 2000-year updates helped, but most of our editors still found the Audi to be rather bland-looking. Whatever character lines the A8 might have (and there aren't many) were hidden in daylight because of our test car's Brilliant Black paint. One editor noted that parts of the A8 reminded him of a Nissan Maxima. Another said the Audi was even more uninspired than the LS 400. Perhaps if you're Salman Rushdie, the A8's subdued styling would suit you. But for us, we'll go with the Jaguar for exterior looks.

Interior Materials

Audi offers A8 customers a choice of two different wood inlays (burled walnut or light sycamore), as well as Valcona leather in six different colors: sabre black, indigo blue, ecru, caramel, platinum and cashmere. An optional premium leather/alcantara trim package is also available, though our test car didn't have it.

Overall, though, the A8's interior didn't strike us as being as luxurious as the BMW or the Jaguar. Leather is reserved for the seats only. The headliner, in particular, drew plenty of scorn for being cheap. If there is salvation, it's that the Audi's interior trades a luxurious feel for one more sporting. This comes from pieces like the billet aluminum door handles, the metal bottom inserts for the front cupholder, and the polished aluminum shifter gate and center armrest pivot.

Interior Design

Audi has done a good job here. Other than a too-small single cupholder for front passengers, nothing grabs you as overtly annoying. The speedometer and tachometer dominate the gauge cluster, furthering the sporting character of the interior. The new nighttime illumination works well; white gauge displays draw contrast with the red controls. The big block of black buttons on the dash can be intimidating, but overall ergonomics are excellent. Also notable is that the Audi has the largest trunk of the group, with 17.6 cubic feet of space.

Interior Seating

The A8's front seats provide a wide range of adjustments to suit almost any driver. One nice feature is the two different levels of lumbar adjustment. Unlike the Jaguar, there's plenty of room in the front cabin. Some of us felt that the seats needed more side bolstering to prevent the driver from sliding around in the seat during hard driving.

Rear seating in the Audi is somewhat cramped, however. We noted a lack of legroom as well as foot room underneath the front seats. Two people should be just fine, generally, but adding a third to the rear will make accommodations tight. The A8 L should improve rear passenger comfort considerably.

Features and Controls

The A8 placed third in terms of feature content. That's better than the Jaguar and Lexus, but still not enough gizmos and doodads to beat out either the BMW or Mercedes-Benz. As we noted earlier, the Audi can be equipped with a level of equipment almost equal to that of the BMW or Mercedes.

Other than the Lexus, the Audi is the only car that allows you to load audio CDs from inside the cabin. The LS 400's is a six-disc changer, of course, and here you only have a single player (there's a changer in the Audi's trunk, as well). Still, wanting to change CDs and needing to stop the car, get out, pop the trunk and fiddle with the cartridge is a pain. So the Audi gets bonus points for having the single CD player. Sound quality is quite good, though the interface can be tedious.

We take issue primarily with the A8's CD-based navigation system. Rather than a LCD screen mounted in the dash like the BMW, Lexus or Mercedes, the Audi uses a smaller (about 2x3 inches) screen located inside the gauge cluster between the speedometer and tachometer. We can understand the logic; this location doesn't require you to take your eyes off the road the way a center-mounted LCD screen does.

However, there's no actual map, so you need to rely on turn-by-turn icons. Controlling the system is done via a rotary knob and four buttons located in the center console next to the cupholder. This system might be sleeker and leaner, but we still prefer the more full-service nav system in the LS 400.

Engine and Transmission

Technology abounds here. Five valves per cylinder. Lightweight construction. Three-stage variable-length intake manifold. Variable valve timing for the intake camshafts. With 4.2-liters of displacement, the A8's V8 engine generates 310 horsepower at 6,200 rpm and 302 foot-pounds of torque at 3,000 rpm. It seems a bit slow off the line, but let the revs build and the Audi is one of the quickest sedans here. In fact, the A8 was second only to the Mercedes in terms of acceleration. It's a shame Audi hasn't done more with the sound, though. Of the four V8s in this test, the Audi's was the least interesting to listen to.

Audi provides a sequential shift option for its five-speed automatic. Push the lever toward the extra gate on the right, and gears can be selected one at a time by pushing forward or pulling backward on the lever. In normal operation, the A8's transmission shifts were imperceptible, just as they should be in a luxury car.

Suspension, Ride and Handling

This was surprising. Despite Audi's reputation for producing excellent performance sedans, the A8's suspension was a disappointment. Nearly all of our editors commented that the suspension was overly soft. One even went as far as to say that the Audi rides and handles like a Buick. Ouch!

The A8 doesn't seem happy when pushed. Through the canyon road part of our test loop, it leaned and swayed. Mid-corner bumps weren't dealt with in a prompt fashion. On the flat skidpad at our test track, however, this wasn't an issue, and the Audi earned second place by attaining 0.85g. The A8 posted poor marks in braking, with some editors noting brake fade during canyon testing.

Perhaps the soft suspension would be OK if there was a payoff in ride quality and low noise levels (like the Lexus). But the A8 also took body blows on allowing too much noise into the cabin during highway travel. This is quite possibly due to the 225/55R17 Continental Conti Touring Contact tires fitted to our test car. All is not lost, though. The A8 does have an ace up the sleeve, that being its quattro all-wheel-drive system. Quattro does provide a good degree of confidence, especially when driving during poor weather conditions. Even without stability control (an option available midyear 2000), the A8 never does the unexpected.

Conclusion

It's somewhat of a shame that the A8 placed fourth, as it does have a lot to offer. Radio stations love to say they are alternatives to all the other radio stations. Well, the A8 is the luxury sedan alternative. Quattro is the key here. On dry pavement, you will rarely notice it, and might even think it's unnecessary. But if it's snowing or raining, no amount of technology thrown at a rear-drive car will match up to the Audi's all-wheel drive. The mid-60s pricing is another bonus. But for this test, the A8's wallflower styling, smallish backseat and soft suspension were enough to drop it below third place.

Editors' Comments

The Audi A8 had the performance numbers and feature content, yet it still left me feeling flat. The soft suspension killed the Audi's performance potential, and the cheap headliner, cramped rear seat and loud road noise wrecked any chance of scoring high points in luxury. The only advantage is the quattro system, and that can be obtained (along with the V8, actually) in the A6. Oh, and what's up with the lame navigation system? I was left wondering why anyone would consider this car over the less expensive LS 400. -- Karl Brauer

While the A8 is far from plush when compared to the others, it's also one of my favorites. I like how the styling doesn't immediately go out and grab you. If I want to be noticed, it's going to be in an ostentatious sports car, not a gaudy pimpmobile of a sedan. I'm also a big fan of the neutral handling characteristics and the security provided by the all-wheel drive. -- Dan Gardner

From its unremarkable outer styling, which has no distinguishing mark to tell others that it's a really expensive car (maybe that's the point, like wearing a Prada), to its rather average interior, the Audi didn't seem worthy to wear the Super Luxury Sedan title belt. The A8's louder-than-average wind and tire noise didn't help it, either. --Liz Kim

The A8 is fun to drive because of its agility and sure-footed all-wheel drive. But I never felt like it quite belonged in this luxury class. Maybe it had something to do with the relatively light curb weight. To me, a luxury car should feel substantial, and the Audi didn't quite do it for me. -- Gonzo Schexnayder

Until this test, I never had anything more than disdain for the A8. I never felt it was anything special. But when stacked up against the competition, I can't help but appreciate the engineering technology that has gone into this car. The all-wheel-drive A8 was one of my top choices, especially considering its mid-60s sticker price. It's not for everybody, but it's perfect for those who contend with snowstorms and rain-slicked roads on a regular basis. Like all other Audis, the A8 is rolling architecture as art. -- Chris Wardlaw