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Dear viewers, today we're testing the new Audi A8.
A car that's especially suited to be driven in.
But because they gave us an A8 but not a driver...
...we'll have to drive for ourselves, but I don't think that's a punishment.
Audi's ambition is to become the biggest premium-car maker in the world.
And to put their money where their mouth is, they're introducing the new A8.
The A8 very competitively priced.
Compared to its closest competitors...
...it's 10 to 15 grand cheaper for a similar engine.
The entry-level A8 at the moment is the V6 diesel...
...it's scheduled for the second half of the year.
I guess that's going to be relatively basic...
...and if you take all the options it'll be much more expensive.
To get in the premium-mood we took the V8 petrol with us.
4.2 liter FSI engine.
372 hp, 400 and a bit Nm of torque.
It runs very smoothly...
...you can barely hear it. It's working hard in the front.
It's like it's not there, it runs that calmly.
I think the design is more distinctive than its predecessor's.
The grille is even more imposing...
...and the headlamps are very pronounced with a recognizable design.
Audi always use a very clear style throughout the whole range.
And if you see this one in the blink of an eye, it looks very much like the A4 to me.
Everything in the car, except the steering and the throttle...
...is controlled through the MMI.
With the MMI you can operate the radio and the DVD player.
You can change all the car's settings...
...and there are a lot of those. And it goes very far.
To do that there's the well-known joystick...
...but they've also added touchpad.
On which you can, for example, write the letters of the place you want to navigate to.
That's very clever.
It's much easier than finding letters with a button...
...here you just scribble something on it and it'll find the place.
Audi is very proud of the interior...
...and rightly so I've got to say. It's a typical Audi interior.
It's not really my taste, but the materials they used are of a very high quality.
The aluminium buttons give a very rich feeling. Beautiful leather.
The wood in the interior really looks like wood.
Most brands use wood veneer...
...or it's a tiny piece of wood that's been lacquered 300 times.
The handling feels a bit clinical, a bit sterile.
But for a car like this that's a good thing...
...cause I see this as a private jet without wings.
That's how you have to look at a car like this one.
It's even better if you can sit in the back and are being driven...
...but driving it yourself is also a treat.
Especially when driving it slowly it's not very exciting or spectacular...
...but when you step on it and take corners just a bit too quickly...
...the car will loosen up slightly.
It looks like this ubersedan puts Audi back in the premium top 3.
They handled it well.
I call this car clinical and modest...
...that might sound like criticism but it isn't of course.
Audi made the decision to make a modest car.
That modesty's been a very well thought through choice from Audi.
If you want to drive around comfortably in the premium segment...
...without raising too much eyebrows along the way...
...than this is an ideal car.