New Audi A8 gets extra kit and more efficient engines
Flagship Audi A8 updated with added equipment, greener engines and new Sport trim
The Audi A8 has been updated, with upgraded specifications, cleaner engines and an all-new Sport trim. Prices now start from £59,585 – just £5 more than before – with first deliveries later this summer.
The new Sport trim replaces the Sport Executive specification, and gets S line-style bumpers and side skirts, as well as 19-inch seven-spoke alloy wheels. LED headlights are also included, while inside you’ll find a 600-watt Bose sound system and Wi-Fi hotspot.
Prices for the Audi A8 Sport start at £65,825 for the 3.0-litre TDI, and rise to £76,435 for the 4.2 TDI. Unlike the old Sport Executive model, the new A8 Sport won’t be made available in long wheelbase (LWB) guise from launch – presumably due to a lack of customer demand.
Elsewhere in the range, the entry-level A8 SE gets Valcona leather upholstery, sound-insulating double glazing and a premium stereo. All cars also feature HDD satellite navigation and Audi’s touch-sensitive MMI infotainment system.
The SE Executive adds a reversing camera, keyless entry and start, as well as a power-operated bootlid. New for the 2016 model year are soft-close doors, 22-way electrically adjustable comfort seats and privacy glass for the rear windows.
In terms of engines, the basic 3.0-litre V6 TDI has been tweaked – getting a power boost from 254bhp to 258bhp. Despite this, CO2 emissions have fallen from 155g/km to 149g/km, meaning the A8 now costs £15 less a year in road tax.
The flagship diesel gets the same 380bhp 4.2-litre V8 TDI, yet claims efficiency improvements of 5g/km (to 189g/km). Petrol engines, including the 493bhp 6.3-litre W12, are carried over unchanged, as is the frugal 2.0-litre TFSI petrol-electric Hybrid.
All cars apart from the Hybrid get quattro all-wheel drive, while most engine and trim combinations are available with a choice of short or long wheelbases. Each model continues to use the eight-speed S tronic automatic gearbox.
All 2016 Audi A8 models are available to order now – apart from the Sport, which goes on sale in June.
