Volkswagen, which owns Audi, Bentley and Lamborghini, knows a thing or two about luxury cars, and with its Audi arm, it pays homage to lavishness as well as anyone. And when Audi markets a vehicle, they tell you what the car is all about with the alpha-numerics they use.
On top of the Audi line-up in terms of sheer extravagance is the 2007 Audi A8L W12 quattro AT6, with the “L” standing for longer wheelbase – 121.0 inches, stretched from 115.9 inches. The hefty 4729-lb. Audi flagship is 204.4 inches long, 74.6 inches wide and 57.3 inches high.
The W12 is a uniquely designed engine that joins two narrow-angle V-6s engines at the crankshaft with a 72-degree angle between the banks to create a stronger, shorter engine than a V12.
The word "quattro" with the lowercase "q" is used to refer to either the Audi AWD system, or any AWD version of an Audi automobile. Audi released the original quattro in 1980, making it both the first car to feature Audi's quattro four-wheel drive system (four, relating to quattro) and the first to mate four-wheel drive with a turbocharged engine.
The AT6 delineation refers to automatic transmission 6-speed.
And the A8 name is easy. The A stands for Audi, and the 8 is their highest line, as in A4, A6, A8, much the same as BMW has its 3-Series, 5-Series and 7-Series cars.
The car begins with its W12 engine, a 6.0-liter DOHC aluminum alloy plant that thunders out 450hp and 428 lbs.-ft. of torque. Mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission, the set-up can propel the 4729-lb. sedan from zero to 60mph in two ticks over 5 seconds, while covering the quarter-mile in a smooth, quick 11.7 seconds. On the highway and down the street, my test Audi jumped after slight hesitation. A bit of torque steer accelerates the A8L, and its broad flat torque curve offers quiet throttle response at all speeds. The energy is directed to 20-inch alloy wheels covered with 275/35 ZR20 Continental SportContact 2 tires, but Pirellis and Dunlops are also offered.
A heavy car with power pays the price in fuel terms. My Quartz Gray Metallic A8L was EPA rated at 14mpg in city driving and 21mpg on the highway, and my weeklong test yielded an average of 16mpg.
Heavy as it is, the vehicle is lightened with space-age and space-frame technology. The front-engine quattro IV permanent all-wheel-drive A8L sits on an aluminum alloy space frame.
A champion of safety, Audi spares no technology advances with the A8L. Among the safety features employed are an anti-lock brake system, anti-slip regulation traction control, electronic brake-pressure distribution and hydraulic brake assist for improved vehicle control under various emergency or potentially dangerous situations. The vehicle is also endowed with adaptive bi-xenon headlights, advanced parking system with rear view camera, driver and front passenger airbags that incorporate two-stage, dual-threshold activation for greater safety with reduced force. You also get two front and two rear seat mounted side airbags, two front knee airbags, side impact door beams with body crumple zones and front seat belt force limiters that ease off the restraining pressure as forward momentum is slowed.
Six crash sensors — two each in front, on each side and in the rear improve airbag deployment rate and timing. Additionally, these sensors can switch on hazard lights, shut off the engine and fuel pumps, unlock the doors, and switch on interior lighting.
A smooth, responsive and comfortable ride is assured with Control Servotronic vehicle speed-sensitive power steering, air suspension with continuous damping and automatic load leveling and ESP electronic stabilization program.
The interior is a box of toys. The Audi is outfitted with a multi-media interface including a retractable 7-inch color screen, DVD rear seat entertainment system with 6-disc DVD changer, 12-speaker Bose Surround Sound, pop-up tweeters, 4-zone automatic climate control, 16-way power heated front seats, front seat ventilation and massage, heated rear seats, Valcona leather seat upholstery, power glass sunroof, polished walnut, sycamore or birch wood inlays, power rear and side sunshades, DVD-based navigation system and Sirius satellite radio.
The MMI information and navigational systems are run by a turn-and-push control knob and eight-function-key design similar to that of the BMW i-drive. It is an approach that runs as a thread through most German-engineered cars. It is highly technical, convoluted, complicated, not as user-friendly as other automotive command centers, and difficult to understand or use easily without many trips through the manual. Having said that, once you learn how to program the navigational system, it becomes one of the more helpful and accurate methods on the market for getting you from here to there.
The A8L carries a base price of $119,350, and with a Bang & Olufsen sound system ($6300), leather appointment upgrade ($3900), 20-inch wheels with summer performance tires ($3200), a destination charge of $720 and a gas guzzler tax of $1700, the bottom line on this top-of-the-line sedan is $135,170.
The Audi A8L might specify that the “L” stands for long wheelbase, but the “L” is all luxury in this ride.
Visit www.CarlisleEvents.com for more on the automotive hobby.
Mike Blake, former editor of KIT CAR magazine, joined Carlisle Events as senior automotive journalist in 2004. He's been a "car guy" since the 1960s and has been writing professionally for about 30 years.
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