The car is very wide so there is plenty of space. The interior design and layout is better than a BMW or Mercedes. The engine is strong. Rear space on a A8L is ample, a bit cramped on a A8(much like a A6). Trunk is large on both models. Quattro. In dash CD and CD changer. The Navigation is more difficult to program cause of the sleak input design, but better in actual use, cause its safer. The Nav display is right on the dash between the tach and speedo. And the instructions are verbal so there is no looking over to see a display. Dual armrests. Great Acoustic parking system. Solar powered sunroof keeps the AC fans going when the car is parked. All aluminum frame makes the car much lighter and faster than it looks. The car is perhaps the safest passenger sedan on the road with dual front 5 star ratings. Dual front, Side impact airbags front and rear and Curtain airbags over the side windows coupled with aluminum space frame arguably make this car the safest on the road. Incognito styling makes this car luxurious without being arrogant.

Rear seats need recline option like BMW, Very bad Blindspot at 5 o''clock on A8. Incredibly bad blindspot at 5 o''clock on A8L. The blindspot is caused by the thick C column and Rear headrests. It''s not really a problem with the right mirror set correctly. Steering is over-assisted and makes the car too "tourey", but my wife likes it cause its effortless. The car shifts out of 1st too quickly. On some years, the stock tires are terrible and make the car squeel very easily in corners. (ditch the goodyears) Audi has a reputation for making great cars and having terrible dealerships in the United States. Well I can say its True. Their dealers are horrible. You have to use them cause the cars have a 4 year warranty that covers maintenance. So be aware.

I''m an Audi nut, but I''m going to be objective as possible. A stunning car. The interior buttons and controls are intuitive and easy to use. The Bose stereo is excellent and easily outperforms everything but the most expensive aftermarket units and systems. Seats are extremely comfortable for a 6''2" driver (I can straighten my left leg). I used to have a 2000 A8 and traded it in for the 2001 A8L for the extra 5" of rear leg room and the more imposing look. The A8L is a real head turner of a car, amazing considering the older exterior styling. There just aren''t that many on the road. More impressive than a 7 series or S series because of their rarity and size. The 310 hp engine is extremely fast and the ride is impeccible and quiet. The Quattro is an absolute must if you drive in the rain. I''ve seen BMWs and MB at a complete standstill when launching from a redlight with their tires spinning on the wet asphalt or their engines revving down to re-establish grip, while my Audi screams away.

Similar Products Used:

BMW 7 series (A very nice car, needs AWD) A6

austa le vuego porsche, ferrrari...

the average joe doesnt know what the hell an audi is, but is rather funny when they see a "unkown" car blow them away. If you want name then get something else

This car is great! There is no rival to this car for this price. I''ve blown ferraris, porsches, and all of those street racers that they think they can blow you out. I live in the area of AZ where every where you look there is a merc, beemer, ferrari''s, you name it and its here and we''ve blown most of them away. This car is like a mini limo with a jet engine on it. It has a great interior and room. Great sound too, good enough to blow the guy who spent $1000 on their new sound system. Only down side is it isnt a convertable

Similar Products Used:

none

Powerful engine with 310 Nm, fuel economy of 31 mpg and better! Fast, quiet, comfortable.

Expensive maintenance. But remember, this car is loaded with the newest of technology.

Best car I ever owned. Bad luck for all of you, who don''t get the chance to drive an A8 with a diesel engine. It''s the perfect compromise between power and fuel economy. (I''d like to get my hands on a 3.3 V8 TDI though) Interior and exterior finish is perfect, even after 60.000 miles. Excellent dealership and Service (at least in Germany)

Similar Products Used:

''93 BMW 740i ''94 A6 2.6 Avant

Engine. Looks. AWD. Comfort. Fit and finish.

Dealership. Audi USA. Soft suspension. Tempermental electronics.

Great car to drive. Amazing AWD. Fast, quiet, nimble, luxurious, love the way it looks. The car I love but won''t buy another because of the next paragraph. High maintenance costs. Stuff statrted to go bad as soon as warranty expired. Dealership sucks!!!! Audi USA just as bad or worse. No support. What kind of bushleague outfit are they running.

Similar Products Used:

Merc, BMW, Ferrari.

Quattro system with ESP is undeniably the BEST - blows Jeeps' system away on ice and steep drives. Aluminum construction shines - mileage on most tanks: 23 mpg average! Only production sedan of it's size with 6.7 0-60 acceleration.

Acknowledged bug in GPS (won't default to miles), Exhaust system sensors with OBD III diagnostics are too sensitive - triggered warning lights at outset. Also, don't drive with polarized shades - the GPS and radio controls are dimmed, if not totally blacked out as the savants at Audi polarized those screens also.

Until Mercedes has a 'quattro' S series sedan - and even when they do; the A8 provides unmatched value and time tested Quattro heritage. Drove A6 4.2 for a year before the A8L - no comparison to the A8's finish, fit, feel and handling. A8 is just as fast as the A6 4.2 (6.7 second) and handles BETTER with the aluminum frame despite it's size (weighs about the same still).

Only wish Audi was more forthcoming about the new redesigned A8 coming out in 2003 - see Automobile Magazine 6/01. There are a few things on the A8 which were tempermental at first - OBDIII exhaust sensors tripping check engine lite - resolved now. Also, acknowledged bug in GPS where it won't default to miles instead of kms. Last, wearing polarized shades yield dimmed, if not blacked out, GPS and radio instrumentation - tach, speed, etc, gauges are fine.

Minor, minor problems at first with this car - Audi USA is adament about making the customer happy. Dealers should be giving A8 owners rides, cars above the A6 as loaners, etc - bending over backwards according to a field rep for Audi - complain if your's isn't!!

Similar Products Used:

A6 had auto-up rear windows - A8 doesn't. A8 throws shifter or telephone controls on wheel where audio presets were on A6.

the audi is elegance in foled aluminium. The car for a big as it is handles very well. The quattro helps in that department. The 300+hp motor motivates this chunk of aluminum to way past highway speed limits. I 'v motored down the highway at 130 still in 4th gear, trying to find a better radio station. The car is smooth, fast, handles great, and is very practicle for the family man who wants some get up and go!!. With enough leg room for my 6 foot 2 frame and then some. The germans did their homework!!! The tiptronic is great for someone who loves to shift without having to worry about stalling it

wish for a fully standard model

i would recommend to anybody looking to make the drive to work fun again. This car proves that four door cars can still rip!! While the family is in the car its still no problem to blow away a mustang. a particle, smooth car that is under rated, because of its poor sale rep. who sold it to you, This car stands alone

Similar Products Used:

None

The car is very close to being a technical master piece. Great acceleration above 5 mph combined with AWD affords performance and safety under a wide variety of conditions and circumstances. Cruising at 60-90 mph is a joy of comfort and quietness.

1. Absolutely terrible dealer service: poor quality service and very unpleasant to do business with. In addition, the local Audi Representative has broken/not showed up for five meetings, I have requested, to discuss the problems I am having with this A8. Unfortunately Audi of America defers their decision making to the "invisible" local representative I've yet to meet.

2. Terrible visibility and LARGE blind spots for the driver.
A. Exterior mirrors that are tiny and have no business being on a 70K car vehicle. Too many times I have gotten ready to make a lane change and "discovered" another car where I wanted to be. This sucks and really makes turnpike driving less than comfortable.

B. The rear seat head rests obscure approximately 35% the rear window. The head rests do not fold down or recess when they are not in use. This along with the fat C pillars make for some very unsafe blind spots. Neither the dealer or Audi have responded to my requests for help solving the vision problems.

3. Passenger's airbag deployed with no passenger in the car during an accident. Driver's bag did not deploy. Audi claims this is "NORMAL" behavior for the A8. (it is NOT normal)

4. My A8 spent 7 weeks while the dealer attempted to repair intermittent remote control problems. During this time I asked the dealer's Service Manager to install a license bracket mounted radar proximity detector I had purchased ($350). The service manager called me back and very unpleasantly said: "If I wanted to do aftermarket work I would be working for Circuit City!" Huh???

I've been driving for 44 years and this is the worst combination of dealer, manufacture, and quality I have confronted.

For 67K I've had the worst experience during 44 years of driving with Audi's local dealer, Audi of America, and quality issues in many areas both car and the quality of dealer service. My giving the "Value Rating" of three to the A8 based upon what I know the car is easily capable of being. I'd heartily recommend my experiences with Audi and my A8 for YOUR most disliked relative or neighbor.

Similar Products Used:

E500 MB, S500, BMW 740iL, 1967 VW Bug, and Toyota Land Cruiser.

Comfort, Looks, Size, Power, Features, Amenities, All-Wheel-Drive, Price.

After 2 hours, none that I saw.

Unfortunately, I don't own this car. However, I just drove the Audi A8-L and I had to comment on it. In a word: WOW!

I've been considering a new car for several months now and had originally narrowed my selection down to the Lexus LS 400, Mercedes S-Class, and the BMW 740iL. However, after driving the Audi, I believe I have a new favorite.

I really liked the comfort of the LS 400, but the ride was too "disconnected" from the road. It was almost like riding on a cloud. And, the rear seat space wasn't too impressive. As a matter of fact, it was very close to the cabin size of the GS 400.

The BMW, however, was a bit in the opposite direction -- good feel on the road, but not the most comfortable. Actually, I couldn't move the driver seat far enough back in the 740iL...and I'm not that tall. The rear room, however, was very generous.

As for Mercedes, I don't know what happened with their new design. Really, it was the look of the interior that I disliked the most. The outside isn't bad, but I think the previous S-Class body type was the best.

Enter the A8-L...

This car had the best of the Lexus LS 400 and the BMW 740iL. It had very comfortable seats, plenty of get-up-and-go (more HP than Lexus or BMW), cavernous back seat area, and very nice fit and finish. Actually, it had even more bells-and-whistles than the 740iL and at about the SAME price (or slightly less)! Overall, just a GREAT car!

Similar Products Used:

Have tested the Lexus LS400, BMW 740iL, Mercedes S430/S500.

Simply one of the best cars I have driven-extremely powerfull, sporty suspension, massive brakes, great AWD system for snow; all the qualities of a high-performance sedan, while being chalk full of luxury options.

Suspension might be a bit stiff for some.

Price Paid: $70,000
I would recomend this to anybody intersted in a powerfull, all weather sedan--go test one today!

Similar Products Used:

2000 Jetta IV
1999 Land Cruiser

Perfect Car. Just perfect.
The quattro 4wd is great in the snow. Never slipped once.
Audi of America is losing money selling these cars in the US so take advantage of that. Your buying these cars at COST.

NONE

The price was about 78k range. For the same price you can get into a 5 series BMW or a 7 Series. But in my humble opinion the Audi is built better and stonger than he BMW or the Merc. Plus you get the AWD system that is a must for raining areas like Seattle. I could highly recommend this car to anyone with the money. And if you can afford beast, do invest in the larger engine since it has a better resale.

Similar Products Used:

Audi TT, Audi 200t10v