Audi S8 test drive since 2006 sedan

Audi S8. Sex, Sport & Rock’N’Roll

We wrote about the new eight more than once. Your humble servant first met the A8 as part of the technical seminar at the Audi factory in non -Karsima two years ago. Then we made as many as three tests of various modifications.


Thanks to the constant complete drive, the torque of the motor is realized with minimal losses. By default, the rear axle accounts for 60% traction, but during acceleration it may account for all 80. The dynamics of S8 is truly a cannon 4.2 seconds to 100 km/h. Yes, to hundreds, 200 on the speedometer, 14 seconds after the start. Further before cutting off at 250, 7 seconds remain. The brain slows down and refuses to keep up with reality. The world is carried away somewhere back. Ma-a-a-Ma

The very first of them took place last February in the Spanish Malaga, where I managed to travel on three pre -production civil versions 4.2 FSI (372 hp, 445 Nm), 4.2 TDI (350 hp, 800 nm) and 3.0 TDIs) and 3.0 TDI (250 hp, 550 nm). Then in Austria I tried the most powerful and luxurious elongated A8 L with an enchanting five-hundredth 6.3-liter atmospheric W12 (625 Nm). And at the end of last year, we already in Moscow staged a comparative test drive of the flagships of a large German three. Here, we finally were able to see how the newcomer A8 feels in the company of mature all-wheel drive Mercedes S-class and the BMW 7th series. Now it's time to get acquainted with the Audi S8.


Outwardly, the S8 from the usual A8 differs slightly. The scattering of nameplates, more muscular rapids, silver hovers of mirrors, slightly other bumper skirts and double -diving exhaust systems are talking about 520 horses under the hood.

The clearance of S-ki is less than 10 mm.

The sound of the exhaust is tuned. You can louder and more thoroughly, you can quieter. The shutters that direct the gases along a short or long track are controlled in the end muffler through MMI (Multi Media Interface) and are given by electric motor

The charged eight made her debut this fall in Frankfurt along with the hybrid version. In Germany, the new S-ka will be very soon (the starting cost of 111,900 euros), then within the first half of 2012 it will appear on sale in other countries of Europe, the USA and Asia. Our start is planned in April next year, however, they do not promise us large quotas.

So, for the whole acquaintance with S8 Audi took a day for a day. It was possible to try the car on the multi -caliber roads of the north of Spain near the town of Pamplon and the local Circuito de Navarra racing track.


At a speed of about 140-150 km/h, an aerodynamic noise appears in the anterior area. Nonsense, but, for example, on Mercedes and BMW there is no such thing. It’s not necessary? Yes, it is unsolvable. But this is a good bell that wakes up the instinct of self -preservation

Clear business, no one will drive the S8 track of the S8. Although, who knows? .. In our case, track races is a good way to get an idea of \u200b\u200bthe capabilities of the car, as they say, on the verge and beyond. In addition, the racing track is a good option to protect leisure Spaniards from journalists stung in one place (that is, us), but we are from the police and almost inevitable fines for speeding.

A 520-horsepower car on public roads always seems excessive. And if we are talking about a powerful representative sedan, then even more so. Top! And you are already 400 meters ahead of yourself. The surrounding world with incredible simplicity eludes somewhere back. The brain does not have time for what is happening. Getting into such a car, you plunge into an enveloping atmosphere of comfort and bliss. This is not a sport car. He does not clap, does not rattle, does not growl, does not bother ... calmly, quietly, half asleep.

The most convenient chairs, the most delicate dressing, inserts from expensive varieties of dere, sorry, carbonate. What, do you want the top of the back a little higher? Please. Massage? By clicking fingers. You are in the first grade. You are cholest and cherish. You are the main one here. Not enough a smiling stewardess, which, at your request, would bring breakfast and soft drinks. The speed grows, and the noise increases. On speedometer 140. Are we taking off? Make the wind quieter!
It is impossible, we are in Audi, SE-E-Er. But I remember in Mercedes S-class, and BMW 7th series, the sound from the raising stream comes to the forefront at a speed far beyond 200 ...
And is it possible to make the chassis more complicated?
I was completely spoiled, let's tired of the wheel, Krotov pulls out from the bliss. Come on, come on.
We change. Hello, the commander of the ship is now I am. Immediately I translate the mechatron chassis in Sport (what to ceremony) and then the whole picture with the first class, portholes and a stewardess to smithereens about asphalt. How inter-e-if. The steering wheel for a sports motive is clamped very strongly (even too much). The suspension is also exorbitantly tougher. There is no trace of civil A8. No, do not think, set up the mechatron chassis (suspension stiffness, clearance, efficiency of the amplifier, transmission speed) through the Audi Drive Select menu, as before, and quite in wide range, but these ranges have significantly shifted towards sports.

In Sport S8 mode, it follows the relief of the roadway. The car literally sticks to the road. And only in the most extreme vihiles the heavy sedan is tangibly rolling on its side. Pinks from irregularities and seams are pouring into the body. But the fluctuations in the unsubstantiated masses are not felt here as clearly as on a civilian eight. And all because we have optional carbon and ceramic brakes: one front brake disk, for example, is easier than its metal analogue by already 6.5 kilograms (8.5 kg versus 15). In Auto and Comfort, the eight gets wet a little and is able to endow the riders with quite tolerable smoothness.

By default, S8 by 10 mm lower than A8. And at high speed, the clearance (adjusted by air suspension) decreases by another 10 mm. Such a sediment is already difficult not to notice. The sound of the exhaust allows you to let dust in the eyes, it can be made with a more thoroughbred click of the button.


You can’t smoke a pit lane with children. But every second of us came to the finish line, as they say, in smoke. Great mass S8. Even carbon and ceramic brakes on the highway burned. Please note that the brake calipers of machines operating on the track are golden. But this did not work out on purpose. Silver paint under the influence of high temperatures covered. S8 on which we traveled were pre -production. On serial machines, engineers promise more resistant to heating varnish.

The rubber consumption, in which the almost two -ton S8 is shod, on the racing highway, is also beyond the rational line, however, ContisportContact 3 behave well. Having warmed up, the tire like a soft racing slick sticks to the coating. I did not expect to see sticky worms on civilian tires


So between the matter we got to Circuito de Navarra. A good track is like that. More than 3 kilometers, 13 turns the height difference is minimal. First, we go a couple of introductory circles for the R8 Spyder at an almost walking pace. On three S8 we hold on to each other for each other. The head is pulling us along the right trajectories, and we gradually increase the pace from turning to turn to turn. The Peleton Nehilo stretched out. It’s good that I jumped into the first s-ku would have to drag behind the lagging colleagues. It is forbidden to overtake!

But Spyder took it at the pit stop and stopped. Now we are released on the track one by one. Ura-ah, freedom! Do what you want. Now all 520 horses and 650 Newtonians at my complete disposal. Right now we fry the asphalt

GAZ, and s-ka, lifting his nose, strayly breaks away. On the track 4.2 seconds that eight accelerates to 100 km/h turn into eternity. 150 and now the first turn. S8, struggling with the rolls, lazily stands on the arc. Vital, this is not a sport car, what do you want? !! Damn, I don’t adapt in any way. The five -meter representative sedan does not fit into the track coordinate system. Everything is wrong and everything is wrong. Time flows somehow slower. I am accustomed to other reactions and other accelerations ... I need to urgently retreat.

While I am careful. With a margin, I lose speed before turning. I groping the face of a breakdown in sliding. Yeah, 21-inch optional rollers with rubber ContisportContact 3 are being held. Well, we increase the pace. It was worth going a little faster and all the rubber began to give up. I go into a turn, the S8 muzzle smoothly under the influence of centrifugal forces squeezes out the turn. Let it be not at all in sporting, but safe. With the loss of controllability, the car on the obstacle will be guaranteed to go to the front part, and it is the frontal blow for all participants in the movement that is the safest. I'm trying to take the car a little inside the turn. Kukish! The s-ka first rests, it inevitably drags it to the external radius. But then ESP, juggling in braking mechanisms, makes the two-ton inert cruiser rejoice to a steeper trajectory.


4.0 TFSI
On the previous S8 there was a 5.2-liter atmospheric V10 FSI. He issued 450 hp. for 7000 rpm and 540 nm of torque at 3500 rpm. Acceleration to 100 km/h of the S8 was awarded for 5.1 seconds, and the maximum speed was limited to 250 km/h. There were both phasor -breeders and a valve adjustment system. The average consumption according to the European NEDC methodology is 13.2 liters per 100 km.

But they decided to abandon this engine on the new S8. Its place was taken by a more compact and light 4.0-liter eight-cylinder V-shaped unit with direct injection and two turbines (one for each semi-block). The new motor develops 520 hp. (at 5800 rpm) and 650 nm in the range from 1700 to 5500 revolutions. The car became much more dynamic and more elastic, acceleration to hundreds of 4.2 seconds. The maximum speed remained limited at 250 km/h. The average consumption is 10.2 liters.

The peculiarity of 4.0 TFSI is that the exhaust tract, turbines and catalysts are in the collapse of the semi -blocks (engineers call this space a hot side). By the way, there is also an interculler here. The inlet collectors, on the contrary, are installed from the outside.

If the turbines and catalysts were on the sides, the engine would not work out the engine into the aluminum power structure of ASF (Audi Space Frame). In addition, short graduation pipes allowed Twin Scroll turbines. Audi applied this technology for the first time. Twin Scroll turbine (lower photo), in fact, has two snails on the release, that is, on one turbine wheel of the gases, not one ring canal is pumped out, but from two. Each of the channels is connected to its pair of cylinders. The meaning is to dilute the pulses of gas pressure from various cylinders in time and eliminate their influence on each other. The peak pressure in the channels is lower, but the efficiency of the turbine increases. At the same time, the torque curve manages to make it smoother

Ta-a-A-Ak. There were no instructions not to turn off the system of dynamic stabilization. And therefore, I cover my left eye, and at my own peril and risk, I shy ESP OFF. And now let's go! I enter the turns with a clear overkill of speed, and so what? Inadequate rotation in the turns gets out even more. I am like a busting on ice. Pleasure is zero.


The cylinder disconnection system
Audi S8 received a cylinder disconnection system. Half of the cylinders (two in one semi -block and two in the other) are disconnected at idle or when you maintain constant speed. They are disconnected using the AVS (Audi Valvelift System) valve stroke system.

Before turning off the cylinder, air is first supplied to it. Then all the valves are closed (the actors move movable bushings with fists on the camshaft to the side) until the cylinder is again in demand. The fuel into the disconnected cylinder is naturally not supplied, and the air in it works as a shock absorber. The cylinder with an existing portion of air can be allowed faster. In addition, excessive pressure in the cylinder eliminates the sucking of crankcase and oil into it.

The S8 Start-Stop system and the generator control system are also saved on the S8, which turns it off from the on-board network, when the engine is sharply gaining momentum. Thanks to all the tricks, the new S8, on average, is more economical than the predecessor by 23%

Now I'll try everything in the mind. I brake, I enter the turn of the sliding into a turn and immediately open the gas. S8 cries on the back axis. The asymmetric four -wheel drive (by default, it falls back 60% of the moment) under the thrust tries to tear the wheels into the box (the anti -wings system is disabled), but the rear active differential interferes in the case. He twists the wheel external to the turn and literally makes the S8 screw into the turn without any obvious losses and sliding out. Well, it’s better.


Active hydrauli
The V-shaped eight when shut off half the cylinders, in fact, turns into a poorly balanced four-cylinder engine. Such a level of vibrations on the representative class is simply unacceptable. Therefore, the S8 received active vibro and noise reduction systems.

Vibrations, low- and medium-frequency sound vibrations are extinguished by active hydraulic supports. An electromagnet is integrated into the support case, it is connected to the membrane. The membrane affects the liquid that is in the chamber, they fluctuate in antiphase with fluctuations that occur on the support.

The audible range of sounds also extinguishes the speaker system. There are four microphones in the upper part of the cabin, thanks to which the sound processor determines the level and frequency that needs to be repaid. The whole farm works very efficiently, it was possible to check

I drop the pace and try to rock the car. It turns out. The sedan with a weakened electronic collar throws the stern significantly stronger. This can be used when passing turns. What, what, but it turns out to tickle the nerves. But the ESP does not completely turn off, the electronics simply weakens the grip, allowing it to slip a little stronger, but it always remains on guard of safety. And it is right.


Resilient brakes with carbon-keramic disks and six-piston calipers (left) option. The front composite ceramic disk is easier than a metal composite by 6.5 kilograms (8.5 kg versus 15). The working part of the standard metal disk (right) is cast -iron, radial pins are steel, and the hub is aluminum

It was not possible to fry the track much, but the optional carbon and ceramic brakes and burned well. Each second of us at the finish line after three or four combat circles came with smoking wells, and this despite the fact that the day was not a hot 17 degrees from strength. Four circles are not enough! Although how to see, the mass of S8 1975 kilograms. Try, hold, and even with an constantly working ESP. Standard brakes with composite metal disks, overheating, would have already swam for a long time, and ceramics at least something. Even despite smoke. For those who are going to anneal, I would strongly recommend precisely ceramics. A car with such cannon dynamics and mass reliably, in any weather, in any conditions (do not go along mountain serpentines?), Only it is able to besiege.


S-ki finish is original. If on ordinary A8 decorative inserts can be from veneer of various wood species, then on S8 they are carbon. Aluminum overlays on the pedals and the site for the rest of the left leg are also your own. Hello from motorsport! Salon illumination, as before, can work in accordance with a given profile. Pay attention to the brown panel, the scales on the S8 are gray-steel (A8 are black), on the central monitor, in addition to the rest of the information, instant fuel consumption and engine operating mode are displayed.

All the amenities and comfort systems have migrated here with A8. Multi -contour seats are regulated by all conceivable and unthinkable parameters and have a massage.
A new speed -firing eight -speed hydrotransformer box on the S8 and all A8 can be controlled by steering wheel petals. The plus is that they are. The minus they are installed on the steering wheel, and not static on the column, it is inconvenient to slip the necessary transfers in the turns.
Navigation works with Google cards, and MMI (Multi Media Interface) is carried out by a multifunction puck located on the central console. To the left of it, the sensory multifunctional panel. This is an additional laptop interface that noticeably facilitates work with the menu of the multimedia system. The letters of the introduced navigation names and surnames included in the notebook can simply be drawn on the panel with a finger, the computer using an intellectual recognition system will easily determine them. This chip appeared for the first time on A8, now it is on A7 Sportback and A6

Competitors among the charged representative sedans are full of S8. If you put dynamic indicators at the forefront, then the main competitors of the all -wheel drive S8 are, in fact, the rear -wheel drive Maserati Quattroporte Sport S (440 hp, 0100 km/h, 7,445,000 rubles), Jaguar XJ 5 , 0 SC Supersport SWB (510 hp, 0100 km/h 4.9 s, 5 830 000 rub.), Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG (525 hp, 0100 km/h 4.6 s, 7 200,000 rubles), elongated Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG (630 hp, 0100 km/h 4.4 s, 12,000,000 rubles), and BMW 760i (544 hp, 0100 km/h 4 , 6 s, 5,600,000 rubles). A good price scatter, right?

However, only Mercedes and BMW have all -wheel drive versions among these models, but it should be noted that they are not as powerful and not as dynamic as the Audi S8. For example, a short Mercedes S 500 400 4matic BlueEfficEnticency (4,900,000 rubles) with a drive for all wheels can boast of 435 horses, acceleration to 100 km/h is 5 seconds. And the all -wheel drive 750i xDrive (4,650,000 rubles) has at its disposal 407 hp, thanks to which it accelerates to 100 km/h in 5.1 seconds. Russian prices for S8 are not yet announced, although you can try to guess. The initial cost of the R8 compartment in Germany is 111 100 euros. S8 is already known that there it will start with 111,900 euros. Consequently, by analogy, in Russia the prices of a charged sedan will begin somewhere at 5,200,000 rubles. For such a dynamics and all-wheel drive, this is very good.


And this? And this is Dima Krotov (Motor.ru) from half a pend is opened by the trunk. The system that automatically opens the trunk lid, which debuts on Volkswagen Passat, is now available on Audi. If you approach a car with your hands, you can open the lid with your foot! To do this, to the lower part of the bumper (under the lining, the capacitive sensor is hidden) must be presented, and then remove the leg. The chip is available only in the composition of the non-clock access system, and it works only if you have a key in your pocket. By the way, it is impossible to unload and close in exactly the same way the trunk. This is due to German legislation, which for security purposes requires that the trunk closing procedure be understood and confirmed

And if we turn to higher matters, then on the horizon we notice Porsche Panamera and, possibly, Aston Martin Rapide. Just for 5,151,000 rubles. You can take an all-wheel drive panamer 4s with a 400-horsepower engine (0-100 km/h 5.0 C). Rapide is offered only with the rear-wheel drive and a 477-horsepower engine (0-100 km/h 5.3 s), and it is even cheaper than the S65 AMG 10 300,000 rubles. But this is already several, more precisely, completely different, history and another set of genes. These cars are about something else.


Vitaly Kabyshev
Photo: Vitaly Kabyshev and Audi



 

Source: Auto.mail.ru