Audi A8L 4.2 TDI India review: Sinners’ Paradise

 Engine, gearbox & driving dynamics

The A8 houses a big, bad 4.2 liter  TDI turbo diesel monster under its massive bonnet. And the output figures are simply astounding. While the peak power, rated at 350 PS @ 4000 rpm is impressive enough for a diesel engine, its the peak torque which blows your socks off. Rated at a titanic 800 Nm between a low @1750–2750 rpm the engine makes the weight of the car immaterial as it propels it. Audi has used its Aluminium Spaceframe wizardry to keep the weight low at a little over 2.1 tons. It’s a humongous car, mind, the A8L, with length well exceeding 5 meters and all of Audi’s tech gadgetry fitted tight within. For such a huge, powerful and tech laden car, that weight would still be counted as light. However, as we mentioned earlier, the 4.2 TDI earth mover of a mill makes the weight inconsequential. The A8 surges ahead with stupefying reassurance irrespective of the rev range you’ve placed it in.

The beauty of it is that the diesel engine, even with all its power and torque is surprisingly quiet and refined. There’s an absolute quiet inside the cabin and its only after 4000 rpm that you get to hear the engine at work – that too is a mild note. In addition the Quattro AWD makes sure that all that power and torque is laid down to the tar via those 235/55 R 18 tyres in manner which is devoid of any drama. Sure you can feel the monumental force working on the wheels, but its not translated into the cabin as an uncouth shove. A firm, progressive force presses you against the seat backs as you bury the pedal. No wheelspin, no slithering, no theatrics – its as sophisticated a way as such forceful acceleration can ever be experienced in.

Apart from the Quattro jugglery you also have the option of ordering your A8 with a sport rear differential – which, of course will cost you extra money. What the technology does is, apart from splitting drive between front and rear axles, distributes the force between the rear two wheels as well, depending on the amount of grip available. So while taking a left hand corner at speed, the rear right wheel will get more drive as it is more heavily loaded, helping the car keep its line with optimum grip and balance.

Does it work? Well, even a kindergarten kid would tell you that the A8, and that too in the long wheelbase guise is not meant to write poetry with rubber on windy pieces of tar. That with its mammoth size it’s got to be unwieldy and overly soft, right? we’re sorry to shatter some old perceptions here, but that’s really not the case. In Dynamic mode, the A8L with a firmer setting of its air suspension and a heavier, more feelsome steering does transform into quite a party. Sure, that nigh 2.2 ton weight makes it roll that wee bit and that steering has a more a fair degree of artificial heaviness to it, but for a Limo which is so mind bogglingly comfortable in another mode, the A8L simply dazzles you with its poise. We were more than impressed by its  sure-footedness and agility, especially having taken into account its gargantuan size, enormous length and heavy weight. Even with all of those 800 Nms of torque, we found the A8 holding its line impeccably well, its tyres showing reluctance to wail or slide out before being taken to a highly respectable limit – especially for a luxury limo.

Sure, the A8 is no sports car. Its weight and size imparts it its naturally tendency to resist sudden direction changes in quick succession, but we’re here to tell you that in the tight Dynamic mode, this luxury limo is going to far surpass your expectations as regards handling.The 8 speed Tiptronic transmission plays the perfect foil to all that power and torque on tap, offering smooth, jerk-free shifts while upshifting and quick kick-downs when you’re in a mood for action. Although this is not the top of the line S-Tronic tranny with the fabled twin clutch and all, it still manages to work amazingly well for the setup. We really don’t have any qualms about the engine-tranny combo.

As regards ride quality, the Adaptive air suspension in Comfort mode makes light work of dealing with the ravaged Indian roads. Audi have tweaked the suspension for the Indian road conditions and the car runs on smaller 18 inch wheels here (unlike 19″ ers in Europe) with a higher tyre profile. This aids primary suspension and helps improve the ride substantially. While the alteration would surely have helped the ride quality, we cannot help but wonder how much better this car would have handled on bigger, lower profile tyres, when it’s already so impressive.

The ride quality is ever so mildly on the stiffer side even in Comfort mode at slow to very slow speeds. As the A8 gains momentum, however, it rides amazingly well, flattening out road imperfections and wavy undulations with elan.

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