2011 Audi A8 loads up on technology, interior comfort

If you had just the side views of the new, fourth-generation 2011 Audi A8 sedan and its predecessor to look at side by side, the differences appear more subtle than stark. There are the fancy LED headlights and relocated body-side character lines on the new A8, but the roofline and body pillars are mostly unchanged.

Inside, though, the change is dramatic. The new A8's interior is awash in leather, aluminum and wood trim. The gear selector is an inverted-L-shaped lever (Audi says it resembles the throttle lever on a yacht) on the center console that also functions as a wrist rest for manipulating the audio and climate controls. The 7-inch display screen rises from the top of the center stack when the car is started.

The dramatic LED headlamps are a clue that Audi has not held back any technology from its new flagship sedan. A touchpad in the center console lets the driver enter information into the navigation system by writing letters or numbers with a finger stroke. The system recognizes characters from several languages, including Cyrillic and Cantonese.

The nav system also “reads” the road ahead and talks with other car systems, such as the transmission and headlights, setting them up road type and traffic conditions.

And there's a full suite of active and passive safety technology: adaptive cruise control with the ability to function in stop and go traffic; lane-departure and blind-spot warning and correction; the lane-sensing camera also detects speed-limit signs and displays the info in the gauge cluster, and crash presensing and preparation, along with emergency braking activation. A night-vision system is optional.

For audiophiles, there's the optional Bang & Olufsen sound system--19 speakers and 1,400 watts of power.

On the luxury ledger, video screens are mounted on the front seatbacks. Rear passengers have the option of reclining seats with heating and cooling functions and have controls for the audio and ventilation in the center armrest. Front occupants get power adjustable seats with heating and cooling and optional massage capabilities.

Audi has released photos of the standard-wheelbase version of the new A8. It gains two inches in the wheelbase and overall length compared with the previous-generation standard A8. That makes it just a couple of inches shy of the overall length of the previous long-wheelbase A8. The new A8 also is two inches wider than the previous model.

Audi says it will unveil the new long-wheelbase A8 next year, before the redesigned cars go on sale in the United States in late fall.

The A8 continues to use Audi's aluminum spaceframe technology for the unibody. Changes include the use of a new aluminum alloy and reengineering that increase the unibody's stiffness while reducing weight.

Cutting the body's weight let Audi add technology, components and horsepower and still claim a 15 percent improvement in fuel economy compared with the previous-generation A8.

At launch, U.S. versions of the luxury sedan will be powered by a 4.2-liter, direct-injection V8 equipped with variable timing on the intake valves. The engine's displacement is unchanged from the previous A8, but the revamped V8 is rated at 372 hp, an increase of 22 hp, and 328 lb-ft of torque, which is up 3 lb-ft.

Buyers in Europe will get a choice of two diesel engines, a 3.0-liter six-cylinder and a 4.2-liter eight-cylinder.

The engine is mounted to a new, eight-speed automatic transmission. The previous A8 used a six-speed unit. Audi says the new sedan will sprint from 0 to 62 mph in 5.7 seconds.

Audi's quattro all-wheel-drive system is standard. Optional is a torque-splitting differential for the rear axle as part of a sport-driving package. The A8 gets Audi's drive select package, which lets the driver tailor the suspension, steering, acceleration and transmission shift reactions among four modes--dynamic, comfort, auto and individual.

Audi will continue to build the A8 in Neckarsulm, Germany.

By Dale Jewett