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Audi A8

1483 messages,  Last post on Jul 23, 2010 at 11:27 AM

You are in the Audi A8 Forum.

What is this discussion about? Audi A8, Sedan

Messages Page 107 of 149

#1061 of 1483 Watch those A8 transmissions by vusic

Apr 22, 2006 (10:30 pm)

Purchased a 2000 A8L in June 2002 with Audi certified warranty. Loved the car. Then came 75K and no reverse. Have heard the warnings through this forum.....believe them and extend your warranties (if the cost makes sense). My transmission repair will run about $3400.00 (after the $570.00 it took to determine that I'd need to spend the $3400.00), from what I've read, that's not a bad deal.
Big picture....the car's great, 4 of my friends purchased TT's, A6's and A8's after being in mine.....but a transmission should last more than 75K, Mr. Audi. Ironically, my wife's Vanden Plas has been more reliable. Transmissions like Audi's and MB's must be why Toyota is poised for global domination......I'll be shopping the Lexus store with a longer attention span next time.
BTW, you can still get a new Phaeton even after they're all gone....according to Car and Driver, it's called a Bentley...but it's a few bucks more.

#1062 of 1483 W-12 fuel econ by blkhemi

Apr 23, 2006 (10:59 am)

I find it very interesting that I'm achieving the same city fuel economy as you V-8 guys. The W-12 averages about 17 in stop and go traffic, but cab get down to 15 in idle. I've recorded up to 27mpg on the highway, and a high of 19 in the city on sleepy Sunday's.
 
What's more compelling is that this is a 6.0L, 450hp engine compared to the more compact 4.2L 335hp V-8. But I'm grateful for the economy that it get's because 14/19, the wifes former CLS55 was more like SUV numbers.
 
The W-12 is still purring along, without a hitch(knock on wood). We got confirmation from AudiUSA that the manufacturer has received our specs for the new S8 for a Oct/Nov delivery.
 
As for the Phaeton, this car could've really been something only if VW would've first marketed it right, and second gave it more expressive and distinctive styling as only Lexus gets away with the whole conservative thing. The interior package was Audi-grade nice, and the powertrains were exact clones(with 30 less hp in the W-12). So the packaging was spot-on, and I think people were eager to look. But VW stepped to far out of it's sensible-shoes mould and into a whole new paradigm that America and the rest of the world wasn't ready for. And yes, those emblems were way to big. They're more at home on a Toureg than a Phaeton. A small VW emblem on the grille up front would've sufficed. So all is not loss with VW's attack on the up market. The Passat will move upmarket(E/5-Series competitor) and the next addition of the upper luxury V-Dub will ride on the next gen A8, possibly in '08/'09.

#1063 of 1483 Re: W-12 fuel econ [blkhemi] by ayyate

Apr 23, 2006 (12:15 pm)

Replying to: blkhemi (Apr 23, 2006 10:59 am)
Bring that car to LA stop-and-go driving and let's see what MPG it will get. Assuming my guages are returning accurate readings, I might average 10 - 12 MPH over several days of driving on surface streets with perhaps 14 MPG. That's a big maybe.
 
Now, when I drive Mulholland Drive to and from my home, it's another matter. Both the MPH and the MPG go up, along with my adrenaline levels. Anyone familiar with LA has heard of Mullholland and its twisty corners.
 
But, who cares about mileage on these cars anyway, except as a conversation starter. As my single malt drinking friends like to say, "I spill more than that."

#1064 of 1483 Re: W-12 fuel econ [ayyate] by blkhemi

Apr 23, 2006 (2:53 pm)

Replying to: ayyate (Apr 23, 2006 12:15 pm)
The car has been in LA's notorious bumper-to-bumper traffic. We sat idle for almost 2 hours on the 405 due to a 15 car pile-up back in January. That's when I decided to drive the car from NY to LA cross-country, and at the same time fell deeply in love with it.
 
And yes I've heard of the twisty Mulholland Drive. I've driven it a many times trying to snoop on celebrities in your neck of the woods(Hey does Demi Moore among other celebs still live up there?). I'm on the west coast ofetn here lately trying to get my Newport Beach(Balboa Estates) home sold and checking on my other business ventures.
 
BTW, LA's stop and go is in pale comparison to the torture we New Yorkers endure. I like to look at the guages, but I think the human brain is a lot better at calculating actual mileage.

#1065 of 1483 Re: My neighbor,....... [blkhemi] by reality2

Apr 23, 2006 (5:55 pm)

Replying to: blkhemi (Jan 15, 2006 6:17 pm)
Your neighbor, like most Americans, for some reason are quite ignorant regarding Audi (except those enlightened). Audi is no way a 'lower premium brand'. This is a ridiculous perception from a global and heritage perspective. Audi has been behind the curve in the US market more of their OWN doing with a lack of attention to the US market rather than being a 'lesser' premium marquee. There is no logical reasoning to assume that Mercedes or BMW build better cars than Audi - something that has been proven over and over many times. Audi is smaller than MB and BMW in terms of unit sales globally (1.1 million vs. 830,000), but it has been growing steadily and is poised to surge in the next 10 years. If anything, Audi has come to its own once again reclaiming its heritage of building surperb, prestigous, and technoligically significant vehicles as they did prior to WWII under Auto Union and as Horch and Audi.
 
Obvisiouly, from posting here, I am an avid Audi enthusiast and owner. Currently, in my garage is a supremely beautiful 05' A8L W12, an '05 A6 4.2 S-Line, and a great looker - an '06 A6 3.2 Avant Premium. They have all been solid like tanks with exemplary reliability and dealer service. I have owned a BMW 745iL (though I have always had and Audi in the garage) and it just cannot match my Audis in detail, ride, feel, desire, and quality. And we know it is good vehicle. I could never get over the poor quality of the interior of the 7-Series considering the price.
 
That said, perception always lags behind reality. My W-12 is always a topic of conversation at car washes or my detail place. Audi is the 'quiet' tier 1 premium brand and let's its vehicles do the talking. Audi will always be for those that appreciate luxury with substance, though with Audi sales growing so fast globally, it may be more common one day than we think (just look at Europe). Of course, not in the US, where Americans are hooked on BMW and MB (Lexus -why?) like a bad drug addition.

#1066 of 1483 Re: My neighbor,....... [reality2] by blkhemi

Apr 23, 2006 (6:55 pm)

Replying to: reality2 (Apr 23, 2006 5:55 pm)
Quite an interesting post. You're a huge Audiphile as I far as I can tell. From the looks of it, we will be the same way once our S8 gets here this fall.
 
The average luxury buyer here in the States are oblivious to the A8, may it be personal reasons or the fact that they can't dare be caught driving the 4 Rings in their neighborhood. I was once an Audi nut in the 80's with addition of the innovative quattro systems. But my last Audi was plagued with porblems(what car in '87 wasn't?), and thus I left the brand for a long while. With owning Lexus, Infiniti, MB, BMW, even Cadillac in the '90's, I grew tired of the same old song, and vested back with Audi in '02 when I was hit with the chance to buy the new Bangle-Butt 745iL or the then new S8. I picked the S8 for it's rarity over the still-techno loaded Bimmer. Wise decision. The S8 was great and would've kept it had it not been for a very persistant buyer trying everything on Earth to get me to sell it. Eventually I did. So now after my last two cars(a S65 AMG and 760iL), I'm back. And with the product that Audi is rolling out over the course of the end of the decade, it'll probably remain this way. Not only are the cars awesome, but both the dealer and AudiUSA's customer service has been without peer. They do things I don't even ask for. Try that at M-B.
 
The A8 doesn't garner the sale the other German brands do. They don't have the bling bling quotent that the others exhibit. But they are some of the best kept secrets in the biz. And for that reason, they will continue to get my buck.

#1067 of 1483 Re: My neighbor,....... [blkhemi] by reality2

Apr 23, 2006 (8:43 pm)

Replying to: blkhemi (Apr 23, 2006 6:55 pm)
Thank you for the nice reply. I am orginally from Europe so I grew up with a very different perception of what constitutes a premium marquee than Americans. For example, in Europe, as many of you know, you can buy a stripped 3-Series, C-Class, or A4-Series (say with cloth and roll-up windows!) and still it is a premium vehicle because of who builds it. There is a huge difference between what constitutes a premium marquee and what Lexus is for example - a luxury brand. My grand father owned a 1939 Horch (Audi) 951A. I've only seen pictures of it as the communists took it away after WWII and turned it into a fire truck. The car was the epitome of German luxury and status in its time. This is the heritage that Audi is seen as having in Europe, something that Americans have not had the opportunity to experience. It is really a cultural difference. I agree with you that Audi took a big dump in the 80s, yet the urQuattro is destined to be a modern classic as its desirability and price has been rising very quickly in Audi and motor sport enthusiast circles. To me a great marquee must have certain attributes: heritage, tradition, history, motor sport success, rabid following, an innate passion by owners (the core enthusiasts) along with the requisite performance, leading technology, luxury, prestige, etc. Other than the super high end cars, only Audi, Mercedes-Benz, BMW (modern only), and Jaguar (though I am concerned that the brand might disappear within 10 years which would be a great loss due to their heritage) constitute true volume premium marquees. Even though I have had a very good experience with AofA, I still think that they have lacked an understanding of the Audi name and heritage and thus have almost ruined the brand in the US. Luckily, someone there at AoA headquarters is waking up and starting to do something, albiet still too slow and too quiet. Inglostadt too has realized the importance of the American market if they want true global success. Audi owns China at this time and is moving very steadily in Europe to be the no 1 premium marquee (A3, A6, A4 are no 1 in their segments and the A8 is no 2 behind the S-class in Europe). So, it is an interesting time to own an Audi.
 
Congrats on the S8! What a remarkable car. I had a chance to see it, sit in it, and listen to the remarkable B&O sound system (it will literally blow you away!) at a private showing by Audi prior to the LA Auto Show this past January. Yet, standing outside of the S8, you cannot hear the music if all the windows are closed. Talk about tight! For my next car, my sight is set strictly on the upcoming Audi super sports car the R8. It will be expensive (above the W-12), but will definitely be rare on the road - not to mention the perfomance coming from it.
 
The A8 (as Automobile magazine stated once) is the most underrated luxury car in America. What a shame. It has such presence on the road. A lot of people are missing out big time! Good for us I would say. At least Prince Charles and the King of Spain own an A8 to name a few.

#1068 of 1483 Fellows by anthonyp

Apr 30, 2006 (12:39 pm)

I guess we are all experiencing a good relationship with the cars , so there is nothing to complain or boast about? That`s the way it has been with me...Tony

#1069 of 1483 Re: Fellows [anthonyp] by blkhemi

Apr 30, 2006 (8:36 pm)

Replying to: anthonyp (Apr 30, 2006 12:39 pm)
All is copastetic with W-12. Just returned from a trip out to the Hampton's this weekend. A little rainy, but hey, it's the Hampton's.........
 
I'm in huge anticipation for the S8, our eventual replacement for the CLS. MB called to ask if were still satisfied with the CLS. We replied that the car was an awesome piece of machinery that we agreed to sell at a good price while we still could do so. This did not sit well with the poor guy. He did everything in his power to get us to sign-off on a new CLS63 after he heard that we'll be giving Audi another $100k.
 
I think that the S8 will be a much better all-around car than the CLS, particularly cabin room and all-out luxury. True, it may not be as fast as the CLS, but it will be the better car.
 
Eric, how's the ride????????????

#1070 of 1483 Re: Fellows [blkhemi] by emauss

May 01, 2006 (3:39 am)

Replying to: blkhemi (Apr 30, 2006 8:36 pm)
No complaints. To the contrary, as my first "full sized" car, it's a beauty.
I was in my friend's CLS55 this weekend, and my first impression was re-confirmed. It's much too cramped for me. While I have been used to smaller cars, this one just seemed to me a large car with a very small and cramped cabin....similar in many ways to my impression of the 845 BMW.
 
Anyway, in my opinion, Audi, while not KING, certainly has all the qualifications to be so.

Messages Page 107 of 149

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