2007 Audi S8

2007 Audi S8 - And so it came to pass that Audi’s aluminum A8 model got a Lamborghini-derived V-10. To pay homage to the marriage of the trophy V-10 to the old-guy A8, Audi calls the more powerful car an S8. In addition, it has a firmer suspension with 20-inch wheels instead of the standard 18- or 19-inch wheels on other A8s; and there are space-shuttle-grade brakes borrowed from the A8L W-12 model. Does this sportiest of A8s have a leg up on the BMW and Mercedes-Benz competition?

You’d think a Lambo engine under the hood of the S8 would be a bragging point, something the marketers could really use to earn their keep, but Audi insists the 5.2-liter V-10 in its S8 sports sedan is a completely different animal from the 5.0-liter V-10 in the Lamborghini Gallardo. Well, we can understand why Saturn didn’t want to call attention to the Honda V-6 in its Vue model, but Lamborghini and Audi are part of the same car company. It’s strange that Audi wouldn’t want to play up the Lambo engine, as the bragging rights of having Lambo firepower are probably second only to having a Ferrari engine under the hood. Perhaps Audi worried that an “Engine by Lamborghini” emblem would draw the same mocking snickers as Isuzu’s “Handling by Lotus” badge or, even worse, Chrysler’s TC by Maserati.

In straight-line testing, the S8’s 0-to-60 time proved to be a couple of ticks slower than the more expensive, torquier, and 157-pounds-heavier 450-hp A8L W-12 (5.1 seconds versus 5.3). Our very green S8 had only 769 miles on the odometer and could not authenticate Audi’s claim of 4.9 seconds to 60; a test vehicle with more mileage might have posted better numbers. Compared with a standard-issue $75,695 BMW 750i or an $86,825 Mercedes-Benz S550, the S8 is only 0.1 second quicker to 60 than the big Bimmer and 0.3 better than the last S550 we tested. In acceleration, the Audi has a slight advantage over its peers, but considering the trouble and cost of putting the V-10 into the S8, we had hoped the margin would be greater.

It seems Audi’s priority with the revised V-10 was to build up a flatter and more-bottom-heavy torque curve. Displacement was bumped to 5.2 liters by enlarging the bore. Audi’s direct fuel injection replaces Lamborghini’s less-precise port fuel injection to allow for a high compression ratio of 12.5:1. The result is 450 horsepower at 7000 rpm and 398 pound-feet of torque at 3500 rpm. Although the V-10 in this Audi sedan makes 62 fewer horses than the one powering the Gallardo, the tweaks yield 22 more pound-feet of torque, 1000 rpm sooner.

Coupled to the six-speed automatic transmission that performs gentle full-throttle shifts, the S8 seems to be more about not disturbing passengers than making the driver smile. The exhaust keeps the volume from going much past three, and when driven with restraint, the S8 feels much like its A8 brother. On the plus side, the automatic, which offers a gate for manual shifting, does perform seamless rev-matching downshifts on demand.

Some sedans, like the 750i, seem to shrink the harder one pushes them, but the S8 never feels smaller than its 199.3-inch length. There’s also the matter of the front-drive-like feel and the 58/42 weight distribution, constant reminders that the S8 has its powerplant mounted ahead of the front wheels.

Interior comfort and design remain some of Audi’s strongest suits, and the S8 doesn’t disappoint. Our test car wore the extraordinary “leather appointment upgrade” that covers nearly every piece of plastic and almost seems worth the $4900.

This latest S8, like its predecessor, is a handsome and unique choice in a market crammed with cushy S-classes and strident 7-series. Plus, unlike that S-class and 7-series, the S8 will be a rare bird, as Audi is only planning on exporting about 500 to the U.S. this year. Having driven the Lamborghini version of the V-10, we do wish Audi had let the engine crack more of a smile in the S8. Had that been the case, we might have found ourselves cracking more of a smile.