Audi A8 Saloon (03-11) - Review

Review by Dan Harrison on
Last Updated: 16 January 2009
As a luxury machine, the A8 barely puts a foot wrong, offering satisfying performance, spacious and luxurious interiors along with solid build quality. But despite this it's never proved as popular as rivals like the Mercedes S-Class and BMW 7-Series. This may be down to the conservative styling and play-it-safe handling dynamics, but it still has plenty of gadgets to keep restless fingers amused. A long wheelbase version is available and in 2005 the car received a very minor makeover which included Audi's new-style grille and a new 4.2-litre diesel engine to replace the 4.0-litre diesel.
4 out of 5

Other Audi reviews

3 out of 5

Running costs

While it's a little less than the equivalent Mercedes-Benz or BMW, you take a hit in depreciation as payback for the cheaper list price. The more economical diesel will also hold its value better and overall the A8 will make an appealing used buy (just like the previous model) as time progresses.

* based on most recent data

Estimated fuel cost for 10,000 miles per year

Unleaded

£1,805 - £3,230 *

Diesel

£1,942 - £2,289 *

The estimated fuel cost figure is a guide to how much this model will cost to fuel each year, so you can compare between cars. It's calculated by using the model's average mpg (calculated from both town centre and motorway driving) and the average fuel price. It's based on the following cost-per-litre: petrol 135p and diesel 141p. Prices are updated daily.

Summary Running Costs

Servicing period

Three years/60,000 miles

Warranty

Petrols: 9,000/19,000 miles; Diesels: 18,600 miles

Road tax (12 months)

£250.00 - £475.00

Vehicle excise duty (VED) varies according to the CO2 emissions and the fuel type of the vehicle. For cars registered after March 1st 2001 VED or road tax is based on the car's CO2 emissions. For cars registered before March 1st 2001 it is based on engine size.

Full running costs data

1.5 out of 5

Green credentials

  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
    199
  • K
  • L
  • M
    355

CO2 emission figure (g/km)

Fuel economy rating

The arrows indicate the best and worst CO2 bands for this model.

Emissions summary

The A8 is a polluting model. With an average of 257g/km CO2 across the model line-up, its emissions are quite high for an executive saloon. However, it's worth noting that the line up has a high number of diesel models, bringing the average down and giving buyers more choices of low-emission versions. Diesels typically produce less CO2 than petrol engines with similar power outputs. The range is quite thirsty, averaging 27mpg. The addition of the 2.8-litre model in late 2007 added a slightly greener option - it emits just 199g/km CO2.

Find the exact engine and CO2