Audi A8 Saloon (10 on) - Review

At more than five metres long, the A8 has plenty of passenger space as you'd expect from a large saloon. The back seats are the best place to enjoy the luxury with masses of legroom and wonderfully supportive yet forgiving leather seats. Electrical adjustment for the rear seats is available as an option and includes heating, ventilation and a massage function. The front seats can also be specified with an impressive five-program massage function, which unlike many other systems, is genuinely relaxing. All cars come with four-zone climate control while separate controls for the rear are an option. Thanks to superb sound insulation and double-glazed glass, the A8 is amazingly serene and quiet at motorway speeds and will cruise along in near silence. The long-wheelbase version is especially good to be chauffered in. The long-wheelbase adds 130mm to the standard wheelbase and this extra space is largely used in the inside for more legroom. The doors have been made wider and in W12 variant they feature power assist closure. In the W12 comfort is taken to a higher level with the option of an 'Executive' seat. Sit in the Executive seat and you have the option of sliding the front passenger seat all the way to the dash. This gives extra legroom to stretch out and there is also a little foot stool to place your feet on. There are two television monitors on the rear of the headrest - at 10.2 inches they are large enough for you to enjoy films or television on the move. Radio stations are also available and all media can be listened to via the Bang and Olufson wireless speakers that can be found in the rear central console that separates the two individual seats. The W12 A8 also features a massage system and the four relaxation techniques can be controlled by a remote. Both rear seats can be heated or cooled using buttons on the side panel. If that’s not enough a table can be unfolded and positioned into place from the rear console - handy if you need to write a few notes. Both rear seats have fore and aft adjustment and the back can be moved too. The Executive seat behind the passenger seat offers copius amounts of space particularly if the seat in front is moved fully forward. The white/cream interior that decked our test car looked a tad scruffy after we had our feet up on the footstool which suggests it's not going to look that wonderful after three years. Darker colours are probably the best bet for the interior.

The A8 features some genuinely useful technology but it's the advanced MMI (Multi Media Interface) which grabs the attention. With a large colour screen that slides out of the dash top, it's the main way of controlling all the on-board functions from the satellite navigation and stereo to the Audi Drive Select system. This updated system makes its debut in the A8 and includes a clever touchpad that allows you to actually hand write letters and numbers with your index finger which the sat nav will recognise. Amazingly, it also 'talks' to the gearbox to factor corners into its gearshifts (using its built-in mapping), avoiding unnecessary gearchanges. In terms of boot capacity, the A8 can transport a similar amount of luggage as the BMW 7-Series with 510 litres of space - although the Mercedes-Benz S-Class is larger. However, it can still carry four golf bags while an electric boot lid is standard on the SE Executive.

A new interior design debuted in the A8 with the majority of the switches and controls redesigned. There's a unique gear lever, shaped like the throttle on a high-speed yacht plus an analogue clock in the middle of the centre console. Along with a sleek layout, this gives the interior an elegant and understated appearance. It's still very user-friendly though and despite numerous on board gadgets, the controls are intuitive and well laid out. The fact that most functions are controlled through the MMI and its main control dial, mean there aren't scores of buttons on display. The standard of the finish and the quality of the materials used is second to none, while the standard leather seats, black piano trim and subtle ambient lighting add to the stylish feel. Both front seats and the steering column are electrically adjustable - as you'd expect on a luxury saloon - meaning it's easy to find the perfect driving position.