Audi A8L Mild Hybrid 4.0 TFSI qu Tip (A) Facelift Review

Measuring 5.3 metres long and around 2 metres wide, the Audi A8L is the definition of a land yacht. Much like the luxurious yachts, the A8L is packed to the brim with luxurious features and trimmed with enough leather that a cow will probably be confused if you managed to get one inside. Considering the amount of space within the A8L, that isn't even an entirely preposterous idea.

But sheer size isn't going to cut it for an Audi flagship. And after driving the A8L for the past couple of days, I can assure you that it isn't just a well-decorated, oversized sedan with plenty of space. For starters, this 4.0-litre variant does the century sprint in just 4.5 seconds...

A large ride with an equally large heart

While it is comparable to a luxurious yacht in many ways, the A8L sure doesn't move like one.

Despite weighing in at 2 tonnes, this luxo-barge manages to accelerate with an urgency that's way more racing speedboat than yacht. Experiencing a car of this size accelerating with such haste is a rather surreal feeling.

Though, this is not entirely unexpected. After all, this Audi A8L is powered by a 4.0-litre TFSI turbocharged V8 engine that puts out 453bhp and 660Nm of torque to all four wheels, propelling the long-wheelbase limousine off the line with incredible poise.

Its straight line performance is easily explained by the strong engine, but the fact that it manages to handle with the agility of a much smaller car can only be chalked up to Audi's engineering prowess.

Cruising over uneven surfaces, bumps and turns effortlessly

And the same engineering wonders allowed the car to do what it does best - cruising over uneven surfaces without fuss.

Audi built more than half of the body of the A8L with lightweight aluminium and supplemented the stiff steel components of the passenger compartment with even stronger carbon-fibre reinforced polymer.

There are even magnesium strut-tower bars to add rigidity with little compromise on weight.

Body rigidity is crucial for handling, but what many of us would overlook is its important role in comfort and the management of Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH). Well, not Audi.

Its excellent body rigidity not only creates a tranquil and well-isolated cabin, it also allows the adaptive air-suspension to work perfectly, ensuring a premium ride quality over all surfaces.

Despite the fact that this A8L isn't fitted with the optional and highly-praised predictive active suspension, driving over potholes, patches of uneven road, and even acutely-shaped speed bumps introduce not much more than muted judders. In fact, I found myself driving on pockmarked roads just to put the ride quality to test, and got totally impressed every single time.

Yacht-sized, speedboat performance and a cruise liner-esque comfort

Being inside the A8L is a well-insulated experience. Whether you are driving on poor road surfaces, or cruising along at highway speeds, noises from the environment, wind or other vehicles are kept out of the cabin and reduced to a murmur.

Audi has made a serious effort in ensuring such an experience - acoustic glass has been used to keep distracting noises at bay.

Between the excellent insulation and the retractable blinds on the rear windows, you'll hardly notice what's going on outside of the cabin.

And it isn't like you'll require the sights to entertain you during the ride - Audi has made sure of that with a slew of features to shower you in luxury.

All four seats are heated and ventilated, offers plenty of adjustability, including four-way pneumatic lumbar support, and massage function.

The seats and most of the panels that you touch are all encased with Audi's signature soft and plush Valcona leather.

Meanwhile, the pillars and headliner are wrapped in a light coloured suede-like material, working perfectly with the panoramic glass roof to create an airy and exuberant environment to be in.

As expected of a flagship sedan, the infotainment system does not disappoint.

With two screens in the centre console, one of them is dedicated the infotainment system while the other for quick adjustments to the climate control and other features. The rear passengers get a pair of screens, which mainly serves as displays to mirror devices to.

The familiar, accomplished flagship with a fresh new face

The A8L is well thought out from top to bottom. While a limousine is arguably best enjoyed as a rear passenger, Audi hasn't forgotten about the driver either.

Apart from a slew of driver assist features, the long-wheelbase A8L also comes with a god-sent all-wheel-steering system that makes driving it in tight spaces less daunting and cumbersome - it's tight turning radius is comparable to an executive sedan.

This was my first time with an A8L, and I am totally taken away by just how refined the drive is.

But avid readers and those who have experienced the A8L before would probably find most parts of the car rather familiar.

And you aren't wrong, with this latest facelift, the major update lies in the front end - the A8L now has a new face with redesigned head lights, an updated Singleframe grille that is now wider at the base, along with newly-designed side intakes. At the rear, the taillights now have a new signature.

Yes, Audi didn't change much of the A8L with this latest refresh, but with everything that it already offers, I wouldn't change much of this excellent flagship luxury sedan either.

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