Audi S8 – The Luxury sedan hiding a powerful sports car

This could be the perfect car. Your wife doesn’t want a fancy sports car in the driveway, nor does she want something that makes everyone think you’re flashing your money around. The Audi S8 is subtle luxury, hiding a decent sports car.

That’s not to say it doesn’t look like it’s worth the $273,900 price tag, It’s just that when you look at other cars in the upper echelon of price some of them are fancy as all heck.

The Audi S8 is the sports version of their luxury limousine the A8.

It sits low by design, the front grill digs low in the front-end design, it’s 5.2m length also helps with that lower looking stance.

Then there’s the air suspension, helping it sit down low, but also with some of the most advanced computing, it adapts to every bump in the road, and helps hold the road around corners.

Predictive active suspension gives you the confidence to throw this long beast into a corner.

I drove this car on roads I’ve only recently driven much smaller Audi sedans. Not once did I feel like this was a big car.

Yet the space inside is immense.

A hire-car driver could chauffeur clients day in and day out, and enjoy a run through the twisty turns on the outer city when the desire to stretch the legs kicks in.

It really is a luxury car hiding a sports car.

Under the hood is a 4.0 litre V8 twin turbo pumping 420kW of power, and 800Nm of torque.

A 48V mild hybrid system helps with low speed fuel economy, while the V8 is capable of shutting down half it’s capacity at cruising speed.

All the while it’s capable of a staggering 0-100 speed of 3.8 seconds.

It will stop on the 400mm disc brakes inside the 21 inch wheels, while the Matrix Headlights are made up of 138 individual LEDs enhanced by Audi’s Laser technology to double the traditional LED range.

Wrapped around the back are OLED tail lights which light up in patterns for coming home and leaving home.

But let’s talk about the passenger experience.

For comfort, the car raises itself by 5 cm when the doors are opened, so getting in is just a touch easier.

Rear seat passengers are in for a treat. There are more LED Matrix lights, allowing light to be specifically directed to your work or reading, and in the centre console a tiny removable tablet for controls of lights, seats, massaging, blinds, entertainment, and climate control.

All surrounded by Bang and Olufsen speakers. It’s a really nice place to be.