CO2: 286g/km Worth considering: BMW 745i, Jaguar XJ8, Mercedes S-Class, used Bentley Arnage. Desperate to dent the armour of the all-conquering Mercedes S-Class, journalists would wax pseudishly about its understated design language and supposed engineering perfection, but in reality the suspension made every road surface feel like it was cobbled. In a car park of A6s and A4s, an A-8 tended to blend in a little too well for a company flagship. It is a thin line between understated and bland.The new car's looks are the result of gentle evolution. If you need everyone to know that you have spent more than £50k on your car, you will still plump for the three-pointed star. Whether I would want people to know is academic, because most of my cars have cost less than the satellite navigation from the A-8's options list, but I do know the new A-8 remains one of the world's most exquisitely beautiful motor cars.Even with the smaller of the two engine options fitted (ours was a 3.7; a 4.2 is also available and diesel, V6 and V12 options are coming), our test car was phenomenally quick. Progress was helped by an embarrassment of gear-change options: F1-style, wheel-mounted paddles, six-speed automatic, sports automatic and tiptronic, all of which worked excellently.The A-8's ride has improved but is still gritty compared with a Jaguar XJ8's.
More seriously, a malfunction with the entertainment system on our test car, suggest Audi's previously unassailable quality levels are wobbling The door handles also felt flimsy too. I hope this does not signal a Mercedes-style quality decline.Despite all this, the A-8 is among the world's most desirable cars The S-Class is dead. Long live the A-8.Helen Lewis, 42, community nurse manager, from Stapleford, Nottinghamshire Usual car: Fiat Punto"It's a very selfish car; if I had one I'd want it all to myself. It really is nice, really responsive and spacious without feeling too big to handle The luxury is that you can just enjoy driving it I like all the gadgets. Some women might be afraid of this because of all the power, but if I had the money I'd buy one.
If you're not afraid of big cars with big engines, it's the car for you It's not a namby-pamby vehicle, but it is very discreet It's a car that doesn't need to be all show. It's probably not very practical, not as a working car for me. It was a real pleasure to drive, I am very reluctant to give it back."Anthony Burns, 45, calibration engineer, from Long Eaton, Nottinghamshire Usual car: Renault Megane"It's excellent; excellent quality, excellent spec and definitely worth £50,000. I liked the variations of gear change, which meant that even though it's such a big car, you could choose your ratios better on windy lanes to deal with them better It held the road well and I like the styling.