Audi S8 (manufacturer)
Audi's decent A8 luxury car, which in Israel is also used as the official and protected ministerial car of the Prime Minister and other senior officials, has also offered the S8 versions since 1996.
The ones that offered a combination of dimensions, luxury, technology and equipment for exceptional performance in a straight line and on a winding road.
It was never a question of "who should" but "who can".
And this mention comes to clarify something, that generation that will forever be remembered thanks to its choice as an escape vehicle in the movie "Ronin" was armed with a 4.2-liter V8 engine that delivered 335 hp and accelerated to 97 km/h in 5.6 seconds, ultra fast for its time and up to 249 km Fast
forward to 2023 and we now have the current, fourth generation of this surviving sports car and here are the numbers: still with a V8, but with a volume of 4.0 liters, 571 hp, 3.8 seconds to 100 and only at maximum speed, the Germans kept the agreement 'Gentleman and limit it to 250 km/h.
With an overhead view you won't have to take your eyes off the road at 250 km/h (photo: manufacturer's website)
Externally, despite its 5.19 meter length and 3 meter wheelbase, except for the S8 badge on the grill there are no major visual differences between this version and any regular A8.
In fact, the most noticeable change you'll see after it roars forward and you notice its 4 rear exhaust ports, maybe you'll have time to take a look at the S8 badge as well.
If you have another moment you will also notice the calipers with the inscription S on the brakes through its 21 inch rims.
Measured and restrained changes because, after all, not all Flabra spoilers and skirts that are beautiful for the S and RS versions from the manufacturer's lower series are also good for her.
Apart from the same power plant in V8 configuration with cylinder deactivation in cruise to save fuel, it will offer permanent dual quattro drive as every generation.
Here with a central limited slip differential and a rear differential that divides the power between the rear wheels, but probably not to the extent of full locking like the Torque Splitter system in the current Audi RS3.
Other aids that improve its turning ability include four-wheel steering and, for comfort, adaptive air shocks.
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The main external difference: 4 exhaust ports (photo: manufacturer's website)
But before its performance, the S8 is first and foremost a luxury car and its cabin features the model's familiar opulence such as a 12.3-inch digital dashboard, with a 10.1-inch multimedia screen and another 8.6-inch display to operate the 4-zone climate control and more.
If these are not enough and so you don't take your eyes off the road, there is also an overhead view on the windshield.
The audio system is Bang & Olufsen with 17 speakers, soft-closing doors, the front seats include heating, ventilation and massage.
Carbon fiber covers in the passenger compartment and on the gear selector remind that this is the sport version and acoustic windshields will forget and dampen the noises from outside.
Those sitting in the back have a tablet to control the vehicle's systems, as is customary in cars of its type in recent years, a tradition that the BMW i7 broke, which transferred the control to two smartphone-like screens in the doors.
The S8 is equipped with digital matrix LED lighting that, using 1.3 million micro mirrors in each headlight, directs the light beam so that it covers the maximum area without dazzling other road users, as well as focused lighting that illuminates the path in which the car is traveling with a central beam.
The rear lighting increases its intensity when a vehicle approaches from behind to a distance of less than 2 meters for warning.
More on safety: automatic braking, adaptive cruise control with the possibility of independent lane change in detour, vehicle warning in a "dead zone", lane deviation correction, cross traffic warning at an intersection and more.
Control from the back using a tablet (photo: manufacturer's website)
As of today, at a price of NIS 1.35 million for those who want a luxury car in their performance versions, the Audi S8 is the only player in the field since Mercedes does not officially offer the S63 AMG E performance in Israel, also with a V8 4.0 liter 791 hp and 3.2 seconds to 100. In BMW, as of today, the most senior version of the 7 series is the 760e, which, at a price of NIS 1.25 million, also offers dual drive, an in-line 6-cylinder engine with electric boost, 571 hp and 4.3 seconds per -100.
An interesting alternative, although not exactly of the same genre, can be found precisely at Porsche, where the Panamera Turbo S and Turbo S Hybrid will offer superior performance of 3.1 and 3.2 seconds (respectively) for about NIS 1.5 million.
But it is possible that the real competition for those looking for the absolute performance in acceleration is not in this group at all but in a completely different place, in the electric worlds with the Tesla Model S Blade.
Although its dimensions are slightly smaller and it is not exactly a direct competitor to the luxury cars, its 2.1 seconds for 100 and 322 km/h maximum, certainly at the current price the gasoline cars have no answer, certainly at the price of NIS 750 thousand that is required for it. S doesn't have the driving experience, with the sound and feel of the gasoline competitors, but it also doesn't raise the temperature in the atmosphere with every click, and it will always be first at the traffic lights.
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Audi S8
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