I spent the weekend in our Long Term Audi A8 and the whole time I couldn't help but love it. I couldn't put my finger on what it was for the first night, but by day two I had it figured out. Day three I snapped this picture and then earlier today, Erin posted the exact opposite conclusion I'd come to.
The 2012 Audi A8L is a big car and, for the first time, feels like a proper big car. And I wouldn't have it any other way.
This may force me to hand in my car-guy card, but I'm going to say it: I don't like small, light cars.
They're great for that section of Mulholland from the Rock Store to Kanan and then from Latigo down to PCH, but whether you take the 101 or PCH to get to those roads, the drive is better in a big car. Light cars get better fuel economy. Big cars don't care. Plus, in a big car you don't even need to bother with those twisty roads, just keep the windows down and keep on keepin' on up PCH.
It was that feeling of open-road cruising that made (non British) cars so cool in the 50s and 60s. And that is where the 2012 Audi A8L truly excels. It doesn't shrink around you like some sort of prom dress, it owns the road from the second you fire up that big V8 until you do a 67-point turn to get it back into your parking space.
It doesn't turn on a dime and it doesn't carve corners -- though it does grip pretty well -- it's a proper full-size luxo-barge that finally competes with the S-Class and 7-Series.
Some would say that it's not a driver's car, but that would depend on a very narrow definition of the word 'driver.'
Mike Magrath, Features Editor, Inside Line @ 9,000 miles
mustang5507 says:
01:17 AM, 01/31/12
I have the same sentiments...a flagship limo should look like just that. This car definitely has presence. Much the same way as the current Benz S-class and the E65 BMW 7-series.
tjpark01 says:
06:43 AM, 01/31/12
This is not a proper full size luxury sedan. A proper one will easily accommodate 4 golf bags in the trunk. I was able to fit 2. I challenge IL to place 4 adults for an afternoon golf outing.
deagle13 says:
08:30 AM, 01/31/12
"This is not a proper full size luxury sedan. A proper one will easily accommodate 4 golf bags in the trunk. I was able to fit 2. I challenge IL to place 4 adults for an afternoon golf outing."
Apparently Audi is targeting golfers who store their gear in a locker at their country club...
brokenaudi says:
12:21 PM, 01/31/12
@tjpark01
I see you're quite caught up on the trunk space in this thing, you commented about it on the last post too. Its only 1.7 cubes less than the previous gen, and only 0.1 less than the 7 series. If i can fit 2 golf bags in the <8 cube trunk of my g35 coupe, i think this trunk could fit 3 or 4 bags.
mercedesfan says:
02:20 PM, 01/31/12
@brokenaudi,
Actually that isn't true. The shape of a trunk is far more important in determining whether it can fit golf clubs than the outright dimensions. For example, the W211 E-Class could really only fit 2 seats of clubs because they had to be laid diagonally through the trunk because it was narrow despite being deep and tall. The W212's trunk is nearly the same dimensions as before yet can easily accommodate a 3rd, maybe even a 4th, pair of golf clubs now. The A8 suffers from the same problem as the W211 because of its air-suspension/AWD layout.
wjtinatl says:
03:17 PM, 01/31/12
Almost as much road presence as the white on white '91 Caddy Fleetwood Brougham I passed on I-75 last week. Cruising at about 65 in the right lane, that lazy bob to the front end that points to worn shocks.... a true land yacht in the best American fashion! No worries with the golf clubs on those either.
aquaticko says:
06:40 AM, 02/ 1/12
It kind of annoys me that the only kind of auto enthusiast regarded as "authentic" by a lot of, if not most, other auto enthusiasts is basically either a speed freak or a person who wants a bigger go-kart. My favorite car from the moment it went into production has been the Citroen C6- big, stylish, quiet, efficient, comfortable. Isn't just the sort of cruising being talked about here a kind of "enthusiastic" way of driving? I'm not saying I wouldn't enjoy a Lamboorghini Aventador if I could afford one, but there's a time and a place for cars like that, and it tends to be infrequent and uncommon; am I not also an enthusiast for wanting a car I'd love to drive anywhere, anytime?
tjpark01 says:
09:16 AM, 02/ 1/12
@brokenaudi - I keep mentioning it because I went to look at the A6 & A8 took extensive test drives, brought my golf clubs and was shocked by the trunk space (lack of) in the A8. It's completely unacceptable in the A8.
Jetta - Luggage Capacity (SAE) - 15.5 cu. ft.
A6 - Luggage Capacity (EPA) - 14.1 cu. ft.
A8L- Luggage Capacity (EPA) - 13.2 cu. ft.
@mercedesfan - Thank you.
xradman says:
06:09 PM, 03/20/12
@tjpark
Yes, the trunk is very small for a car this size. We were able to fit 4 golf bags in my friend's A6 (with the drivers layed diagonally), but we couldn't in my car. That is one of my few complaints (other being imprecise shift lever and terrible cup holders) about this otherwise fabulous car.