First Drive: Audi A8

Which does make you wonder if the pioneering self-driving technologies that will be offered with this car from next year will be as popular with its typical constituency of drivers, as an early Christmas would be with a field of turkeys. These autonomous driving technologies will be to level three of the scale defined by the Society of Automobile Engineers; a vehicle that can have full independent control so the driver can engage in other tasks, but will hand back control if it doesn't recognise a situation. The nature of that 'hand back' is not uncontroversial and car makers are still debating the issue with legislators.

Fact is, however, none these cars were available to drive on the launch. Audi will have to garner more legal waivers, insurance agreements and government permissions before it can launch the self-driving A8. Actually it's quite difficult to find anyone but car makers and Silicon Valley doyens who want a self-driving car, but that seems to be where we're headed; like it or not.

What this meant in practice, is that we did actually have to take the wheel on the recent launch of the new generation-three A8 in Valencia, Spain. What a drag, huh?

Well not completely, because while the original big Audi in this series, the Eighties V8 was a bit of a boat anchor, the A8 has now been developed into a series of cars which can be mentioned in the same breath as Mercedes-Benz S-class and BMW 7-series.

This new model is the first complete car from designer Mark Lichte and is based on the 2014 Prologue concept. It's elegant, but not particularly distinctive and while the press blurb trumpeted the lower chrome trim, when you see it, there's too much of it and it looks garish. The 5.17-metre long standard wheelbase is worst in this respect and the 5.3 metre long-wheelbase version carries itself more confidently. The structure continues to be Audi's space frame in this case the new MLB evo architecture, mostly of aluminium alloy, but hybridised with steel, a carbon panel at the back and a magnesium-alloy strut brace.

Initially the UK gets a couple of V6 turbo engines: 282bhp diesel and a 335bhp petrol. A 429bhp V8 turbodiesel and a 6.0-litre W12 petrol turbo unit will arrive in time, as will a full plug-in hybrid system with a three-litre petrol V6 and electric drive motor and a system output of 443bhp/516lb ft. The engines all use a 48-volt electrical system, which is able to regenerate more braking electricity from the mild-hybrid belt alternator/starter and also run the active suspension system which is still in development - there was a fair bit of jam tomorrow on this launch... All models use an eight-speed automatic transmission and have Audi's geared centre differential four-wheel drive system. 

Like the previous A8, the cabin is beautifully constructed, elegantly designed and comfortable, the rear seats, however, are cramped, with only adequate head and leg room and the back of the car doesn't feel particularly opulent. At 505 litres, the boot is shallow, but big enough for a couple of large suitcases. 

After resisting smart phone-style touch screens for the last two generations, Audi has finally succumbed and the A8 has two such items on the facia, with barely noticeable haptic feedback and a more pronounced clicking noise in response to a finger's light touch. They've thankfully kept separate dial controls for the radio volume and sat nav zoom, but even the temperature controls are clicks or swipes on the lower screen. That sat nav is really good and it can be displayed on the instrument binnacle. The Bang and Olufsen stereo sounded a bit tinny, though I loved the various combinations of seat heating and cooling available.

With a modified air suspension system, the Audi now rides as well as the similarly sprung Mercedes-Benz S-class. That's a big statement, but it's true. There's the tiniest bit of fizz at low speeds but it floats so beautifully over bumps and the body control, particularly at medium speeds, is sublime. The body moves, yes, but it breathes over road bumps quite brilliantly. You can harden up the suspension, engine and steering response with the dynamic selector, but the default setting is in Comfort, where the body will lurch if thrown through the corners, but your chauffeur should never do that without warning you first. When it arrives next year the active suspension option is going to have a lot to prove.

This is huge near two-tonne limousine and not something you'd throw up the road for the sheer joy of it. That size inhibits cornering on all but the widest roads although it does cut the mustard there, even if the side forces developed at speed are head spinning. In the end it's a front-engined, four-wheel-drive car, so the balance of the handling is gentle nose-on understeer, which is exactly as it should be. The steering is light, possibly a bit over assisted and without a lot of feedback, but it's delightfully precise and loads up delicately in corners. The brakes are powerful, but the pedal isn't progressive which isn't good for a chauffeur-driven car and some of the test cars came to a stop with a graunching sound.

Of the two engines, the 282bhp/443lb ft three-litre V6 turbodiesel will be most popular by far and it's a smasher, being smooth, powerful, refined and economical. There's a low industrial roar when you plant your foot and the nose rises almost imperceptibly as the car charges for the horizon. The automatic transmission suits it well, slurring changes but feeling positive and fast changing at the same time. Not hanging about, we achieved a fuel consumption of 41.5mpg against a Combined figure of 48.7mpg, which is really impressive. The V6 petrol is pleasingly quick, a tiny bit more responsive and quieter, but almost no one will buy it, which is the same with the forthcoming W12.

It goes on sale early next year priced between £69,100 to £74,995, which seems quite a bargain. The standard set by all these big German saloons is exemplary and ever improving. They are expensive flag carriers for innovative new tech which eventually trickles down to lesser models. The reasoning is, owners can afford it, but these are also working cars which have to serve owners' deeply conservative natures and their need for comfort and luxurious space. In that respect the Audi has hit a bull's-eye on technology and style, but is off target on accommodation unless you buy the long wheelbase.

The Numbers

Engine: 2,967cc, V6 turbodiesel

Transmission: eight-speed torque converter automatic

Bhp/lb ft: 282bhp @ 4,000/443lb ft @ 1,250rpm

0-62mph: 5.9sec

Top speed: 155mph

Price as tested: £69,100