When Audi announced details of its new S8 a few weeks back the thing that made us take note was its 382kW (520hp) twin-turbo 4.0 litre V8 engine. Whichever way you cut it, that’s a lot of mumbo.
We’ll soon become very familiar with the new bent-eight as it has also found its way, in various states of tune, into the S7 Sportback and S6. It will no doubt feature in upcoming RS models as well.
The obvious party piece of the new engine in S8 guise is its peak power. But a newly developed cylinder deactivation system also provides plenty of excitement for the anoraks among us.
It seems, more often than not, this new V8 will operate as a V4 and the use of active engine mounts and an active noise control system mean it will be hard to tell you’re only playing with half an engine.
The danger here is the S8 could be all duck and no dinner. Does its chassis and overall driving experience match the inevitable delights the engine will provide? Car magazine, Evo and Top Gear were all on hand for the launch of the S8. After the break you can see what they had to say.
Car: “There’s no perceptible lag from the engine, just deep-chested linear thrust accompanied but a hushed but cultured V8 rumble. With a nice little boom from the exhausts to accompany each upshift.
“Our departed long-term Jag XJ SS spiked out of every junction thanks to its sensitive throttle, and Merc S63 owners will be as familiar with the flickering ESP light as they are with petrol pumps, but with four-wheel drive the S8 means the driver rarely has to think about throttle applications. For the next six wintery months in the UK one of these would be a pretty supreme means of easy transportation.”
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Evo: “Sadly, when it gets to the business of corners, we’re quickly brought back to the established S-badge script. On faster sweepers its fine – you wouldn’t say the car disguises its two-tonne kerbweight, but there’s lots of grip and a commendable willingness to stick to a chosen line. But on slower stuff the S8 quickly starts to feel nose heavy, with faster progress becoming a question of managing understeer more than anything else.”
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Top Gear: “Sure the all-new V8 twin turbo has 513bhp, but torque’s the thing here – 479lb ft anywhere and everywhere, from 1,700-5,500rpm. That’s amazing. You put your foot down, there’s a slight delay, a bit of softness to the engine response that can probably be dialled out for the more sporting cars this 4.0-litre will sit in, and off it goes. There’s a bit of rumble and burble (to be honest we’d like a bit more noise, but we appreciate the S8 isn’t that sort of car) and soon you’re doing a deeply illegal speed. That’s what happens when effortless speed meets effortless refinement. You just don’t know how fast you’re going.”
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