- Doors and Seats
4 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
3.0DT/12kW, 6 cyl.
- Engine Power
210kW, 600Nm
- Fuel
Diesel 6.6L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4WD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
5 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
2023 Audi A8 review
The 2023 Audi A8 is a traditional luxury sedan with all of the trimmings, and it is a masterclass in salubrious motoring.
- Diesel V6 is outrageously smooth and reasonably efficient
- Ride quality and refinement befit the class and asking price
- At $200K, it undercuts some key competitors
- Some optional gear should be standard
- Not the performance or dynamic choice of the competition
- Doesn't grab attention like an S-Class or 7 Series. Is that a positive?
2023 Audi A8 50 TDI
In the face of growing electrification and SUV adulation, the 2023 Audi A8 risks feeling a bit old hat. It's a classic large executive sedan: a big saloon body that packs plenty of space and is bookended by boot and bonnet.
No liftback, no tailgate, no cladding, and zero pretensions of off-road suitability. This is the steak tartare on the menu of expensive cars. It's expensive, but it's just the thing for a discerning appetite.
How much does the Audi A8 cost in Australia?
This updated range of Audi A8 vehicles, which takes over from a model that first arrived in Australia back in 2018, continues the fight against the same gang of nemeses. BMW's very new 7 Series and the S-Class of Mercedes-Benz are chief protagonists, while other options include the Lexus LS, Porsche Panamera and Maserati Quattroporte.
What we have here is effectively an entry-level model grade without any options ticked. However, I'll pull myself up before I call it a base model. There's also a long-wheelbase variant of the same model, which gets an L designation and costs $20,000 more. However, it also gets an augmented set of features to join the 130mm of additional length.
And don't forget, you've got the almighty angry S8 at the top of the pile, which sits on the other side of $250,000.
It's worth noting that both the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7 Series – lifelong competitors of this A8 – both have higher starting points in terms of pricing. The Benz S450 starts at just over $240,000, while the BMW 740i M Sport is more than $270,000 – before options and on-road costs.
However, there is an impressive list of standard equipment available in this A8, which is exactly what you'd be expecting.
There is a 360-degree camera for help with parking, plus an automatic parking feature if you still chicken out of that reverse-parallel opportunity. The car is over five metres long, after all.
There's digital matrix LED headlights and an S-Line exterior treatment as standard, along with soft-close doors, a panoramic sunroof, double-glazed glass, Valcona leather seats with heating, ventilation and massage for the front pews, and nappa leather for other areas like the centre console, steering wheel, upper dashboard and door rails.
Other goodies for this car include four-zone climate control, controllable interior ambient lighting, an electric steering column, electric rear sunblinds (including the rear window), and matrix LED reading lights for the rear that can be adjusted in terms of spread, deflection, focus and size.
The A8 also comes with adaptive air suspension (which includes adaptive damping), but so-called 'predictive' adaptive damping is reserved for the S8.
Want more in your A8? There's a Rear Seat Comfort Package that adds in heating, ventilation and massaging for those in the back, along with electric adjustment and what Audi calls 'comfort head restraints'. Considering this is effectively a limousine, we'd argue that this kind of kit should be included as standard fare.
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There is also a Sensory Package that adds more leather to the interior, an upgraded sound system, adaptive windscreen wipers, Dinamica material for the headlining and parcel shelf, an extendable sun visor, rear privacy glass, and air fragrances and air ionisation.
Key details | 2023 Audi A8 50 TDI |
Price | $201,375 plus on-road costs |
Colour of test car | Firmament Blue |
Options | None |
Price as tested | $201,375 plus on-road costs |
Drive-away price | $218,422 (NSW) |
Rivals | Mercedes-Benz S-Class | BMW 7 Series | Lexus LS |
How much space does the Audi A8 have inside?
The almost 5.2 metres worth of sedan – the classic car shape – yields an interior that is traditional and luxurious. And even though we've got the least expensive variant without any add-ons, the A8 feels mostly well appointed.
There is a nice mixture of colours and textures up front, which feels slightly demure and traditional but also modern and tech-heavy. Piano black surfaces contrast nicely with the dark timbers and chrome highlights, all of which gets accentuated by the controllable strips of ambient lighting. At night in particular it feels very special. And the build quality feels top-notch.
Pay attention when you turn the car off and on too. You'll notice the air vents appear and disappear elegantly, being replaced with an additional panel of wood trim when not in use. You can also do this individually, one vent at a time.
And as you'd expect, the interior of the A8 is wonderfully comfortable. The finely perforated seats are brilliant and offer tonnes of adjustment atop the tricks of heating, ventilation, massaging and memory up front. The cream colour of our interior works nicely against the mostly darkened dashboard, roof and centre console as well.
Its storage is fairly typical, with a lidded area for cupholders near the gearshifter and room for bottles in the large door storage bins. The second screen for climate controls robs you of the typical storage nook in front, but the generously sized centre console helps to cover it off. In there you'll find twin USB-C power outlets and a vertically placed wireless charging pad. There's also a 12V plug hiding among the cupholders.
You'll find additional storage – nicely flocked – under your outboard elbow on each door. And when you turn on the heated steering wheel, you'll also notice that this spot, as well as the leathered console lid for your inboard elbow, is heated well.
While there is an upgradable 23-speaker Bang & Olufsen system available with 1920 watts (which gets trick motorised tweeters in the dash top), the standard 17-speaker system and its 730 watts doesn't really leave you terribly wanting. Until you want your ears to start bleeding, perhaps.
Even though there is a longer-bodied A8 available, this standard sedan feels hugely commodious in the second row. There is loads of legroom and headroom on offer, and the seating offers plenty of raked-back comfort for occupants. There are air vents in the B-pillars and at the back of the centre console along with climate controls.
Electric sunblinds in the second row, which are operated by another flick of the window buttons, are a nice touch that's sure to impress those in the back. The rear window is also covered with an electric function to really enclose that rear space.
Although, rearward passengers don't have the same ventilation, electric adjustment and massage function that is available in the front seats. So if you want to go full-on chauffeured mode, you'll need to spend up on some options.
There's room for three in the back, but the party trick of a drop-down console with storage, cupholders and power outlets means this A8 is best enjoyed with two in the back. There's a small digital display in here for traipsing through the many controls on offer, including ambient lighting, matrix lighting, entertainment, blinds and climate. Jolly good. Even more cupholders can be found hiding underneath the central air vents.
The boot, measuring in at 505L according to Audi's figures, feels gigantic for a sedan. It's long and wide, going quite a distance into the cabin of the vehicle. The big boot can be accessed from inside as well, with a ski port behind the rear centre console.
2023 Audi A8 50 TDI | |
Seats | Five |
Boot volume | 505L |
Length | 5190mm |
Width | 1945mm |
Height | 1512mm |
Wheelbase | 2998mm |
Does the Audi A8 have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?
There's plenty of screen real estate inside the A8. The infotainment display measures in at 10.1 inches, while the driver has a slick 12.3-inch digital cluster in front of them.
And there's more! 8.6 inches worth of screen below the central display handles your sophisticated levels of climate control, and don't forget about the 5.7-inch system for rear seat occupants. That's 36.7 inches in digital acreage overall, which is no doubt impressive.
The user experience is impressive and seamless as well, with a simple menu set-up that gets you what you need without too much digging. There's Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which both work on a wired and wireless function.
The digital instrument cluster is good and works better than most in terms of adjustment. A personal favourite of mine is the full-screen map that has a detailed satellite display function.
Is the Audi A8 a safe car?
The Audi A8 in any form doesn't have an ANCAP crash rating for buyers to draw upon and so is untested. There's also no Euro NCAP rating for the A8 to draw from.
2023 Audi A8 50 TDI | |
ANCAP rating | Untested |
What safety technology does the Audi A8 have?
There's no ANCAP safety rating to draw upon, but I don't think I'd go so far as to call the A8 an unsafe choice. There is a litany of advanced safety equipment available.
Important basics are covered: tyre pressure monitoring, driver attention monitoring, adaptive cruise control (with stop-and-go functionality and traffic jam assistance), lane-departure warning and a nicely tuned lane-keep assistance system, blind-spot monitoring (which includes monitoring for vehicles approaching from the side), plus front and rear parking sensors.
Autonomous emergency braking works at speeds of 5–85km/h for pedestrians and cyclists, and up to 250km/h for cars (for when you're in a hurry on the Autobahn). Rear cross-traffic alert, safe exit warning and a top-quality 360-degree camera system are also included.
If you're planning on doing some night driving, the digital matrix LED headlights are quite phenomenal. They are impressively bright with a flawless beam pattern, and all of the 25 LED diodes can be independently controlled, dimming other cars, traffic signs and other bright distractions.
And while it's not exactly a safety feature, the LED front and OLED rear lights, including indicators and parkers, make for a dramatic and impressive light show when turning the vehicle on and off. The headlights will even help with highlighting lane markings, warnings and navigation at night.
Calling the headlights advanced, sophisticated and complex is a gross understatement.
How much does the Audi A8 cost to maintain?
Servicing your A8 can be done with a five-year package that is $3850. This works out to be $770 per year, for scheduled maintenance, but may require add-on costs for any wear items that need attention during that period. But at least you can have a good idea of what your servicing costs will be during the five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty of the A8.
Insuring an Audi A8 50 TDI is set at $4995.82 per year based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.
At a glance | 2023 Audi A8 50 TDI |
Warranty | Five years, unlimited km |
Service intervals | 12 months or 15,000km |
Servicing costs | $3850 (5 years) |
Is the Audi A8 fuel-efficient?
Whereas Audi claims the A8 will use around 6.6 litres per 100 kilometres, we logged a number a bit higher than that. We did see a number in the low sixes after some long, sustained highway driving, but a more balanced number (which includes city and town loops) would be around 8.8L/100km.
There is a 48-volt mild hybrid assistance system on this V6, which allows for engine-off coasting and stopping at traffic lights. This system works in conjunction with the cameras and radars on the vehicle to allow for smooth and pre-emptive operation.
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Fuel Usage | Fuel Stats |
Fuel cons. (claimed) | 6.6L/100km |
Fuel cons. (on test) | 8.8L/100km |
Fuel type | Diesel |
Fuel tank size | 82L |
What is the Audi A8 like to drive?
A 3.0-litre turbo diesel V6 might not sound like a good companion for high-end executive motoring, but the levels of refinement and smoothness offered by this oiler are impressive. There's no clatter, especially when warmed up, and it offers up a seamless driving experience. Its 600Nm in the lower and middle rev ranges is great for smooth in-gear acceleration, while 210kW is enough to punch along with good pace when needed.
There is a 48-volt mild-hybrid system here, which helps the engine switch off when coasting and coming to a stop. It can recuperate power under braking, which can then support the 12V system with the engine turned off. While there is also a modest boost available to the engine, the main benefit comes from fuel saving, and working with the on-board camera system to predict the best time to turn the engine on and off during traffic.
It makes the stop-start system much more livable and smoother, feeling nearly imperceptible at times (if you aren't paying attention).
Audi claims a 5.9-second 0–100km/h dash, which seems about right in our seat-of-pants experience. The eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox is a great companion to the V6, and the benefit of Audi's Quattro all-wheel-drive system means there's no real risk of unsightly tyre screeching. Instead, it feels settled and composed.
While the air suspension doesn't give the same ridiculous speed bump-deleting ability of the more expensive S8, it is still impressive in its own right. The car puts comfort and isolation at a high importance, and keeps body movements in check via the constantly-adaptive air springs and dampers. Bumps are nicely absorbed and the vehicle is able to float over rough surfaces with little permeance into the cabin.
This sure-footed nature of the A8 is a helpful asset, and the dynamic steering system of the vehicle – which means the steering ratio and feel are variable according to driving conditions – helps the car to feel both easy to handle but also responsive dynamically. It's still a big bus, and the focus on refinement means it's not a natural driver's car. But it can hustle along twisty roads with good confidence and feedback.
This nature is reflected in the throttle pedal tuning, whose long and gentle nature allows for smooth, easy take-offs rather than winning the traffic light grand prix. However, push a little further and you'll find meaningful acceleration before too long.
The large amount of driver assistance technology doesn't get in the way of everyday driving, which is an impressive feat.
The long body and wheelbase mean this isn't the nimblest vehicle getting around, and tight carparks can be a little nerve-wracking. But at least there is a high-quality 360-degree camera system to check on your corners and an automatic parking function. Once again, the more expensive S8 has an advantage with four-wheel steering, which helps to drop the turning circle down from 12.5m to around 11.4m.
The main takeaways, which are important for vehicles of this ilk, are the quietness and composure. From that point of view, the Audi A8 provides a serene experience for drivers and passengers, and is a helpful reminder that sedans still have a lot going for them in this day and age.
Key details | 2023 Audi A8 50 TDI |
Engine | 3.0-litre turbo diesel V6 |
Power | 210kW @ 3500–4000rpm |
Torque | 600Nm @ 1750–3250rpm |
Drive type | All-wheel drive |
Transmission | Eight-speed torque converter automatic |
Power-to-weight ratio | 100.2kW/t |
Weight (kerb) | 2095kg |
Spare tyre type | Space-saver |
Tow rating | 2300kg braked 750kg unbraked |
Turning circle | 12.5m |
Should I buy an Audi A8?
SUVs have largely replaced passenger vehicles, all the way from entry-level price points up to the land of luxury. However, spending some quality time in this A8 is a strong reminder that there is absolutely nothing wrong with the traditional sedan format, especially in this salubrious part of the automotive world.
The updated Audi A8 packs plenty of nicely integrated and thought-through technology, along with a smooth, torquey and reasonably efficient powertrain, and impressively high levels of comfort and technology.
You might want to add in an option pack or two to the base offering, but there is no doubt that this Audi A8 punches hard in all of the right places for a luxurious executive sedan.