Audi S8 cuts a supremely athletic figure, but never looks aggressive. The most striking changes are to be found at its front end. The eye-catching single-frame grille bearing Audi S8 badge is in platinum grey, and its vertical struts have a chrome-look finish. Beneath the grille there are three low air inlets cut into the front apron. The two large air inlets beneath the headlights are filled with honeycomb grilles.

Down the sides, in addition to the 20-inch wheels and the special brakes, four details hint at the potential of the V10 engine: emblems on the wings and the front brake callipers, door handles with aluminium trim strips and the aluminium-look exterior mirror housings. At the rear, the S8 badge, an integrated rear spoiler, a subtle light-refracting edge in the apron and an exhaust system with four oval tailpipes complete the range of optical modifications. The S8 is the only model in Audi A8 range to be available in the exclusive colour Daytona Grey, pearl effect.



The interior
Attention to detail

In common with the exterior, the interior design of the Audi A8 reflects a character of dynamic elegance and high quality. This also applies to the lavish amount of space resulting from the saloon's 2,944 mm wheelbase, to the smoothly flowing line of the cockpit and to the MMI (Multi Media Interface) control interface. With its clear ergonomics and intuitive, logical operating principle, this Audi system is still unequalled by the competition.

Audi S8 adds various specific accents to this luxurious interior. The standard specification includes sports seats with Valcona leather upholstery, with electrical adjustment and memory function, heating and lumbar support. The seat surfaces can be extended via a rail that slides forwards, without producing the usual gap in the cushion.

Audi S8 sports seats, which have a wide range of adjustment features, have two-colour upholstery with stitching in a contrasting colour. The four possible colour combinations - silver/black, paranut brown/black, silver/light grey and light grey / paranut brown - underscore the ambience of luxurious sportiness; the colours for the seat centre sections are different from those of the side sections and head restraints. The headlining is black together with a range of interior colour combinations, but the characteristic "S" interior colour silver is also available. Almost all interior colour combinations offered for the Audi A8 can be ordered.

Further details of the interior distinguish the sporty top model from the Audi A8. The highly polished door sill trims are adorned with S8 logos, and the inlays are in brushed aluminium and carbon. The three-spoke leather multifunction sports steering wheel with the S logo features colour-contrasting stitching and aluminium-look shift paddles. Leather and aluminium-look trim are used for the selector lever knob; the parking brake and air vent surrounds also have an aluminium-look finish. The needles on the instrument dials are in white, their scales in light grey and their digits in the characteristic S italic script.



Safety
No compromises

quattro drive is one of Audi's core areas of expertise. It gives Audi drivers decisively more safety by assuring optimum traction in critical situations. The asymmetric / dynamic torque split that is possible on the new Audi S8 builds on this already significant advantage. The high-performance brake system, too, makes a substantial contribution towards active safety.

The S8 is equipped with a dynamic stability system that can be deactivated if required. The control strategy of the Bosch 5.7 is tailored specifically to the dynamics of Audi S8; it intervenes slightly later and more briefly. The system keeps the brake discs dry in wet conditions by lightly applying the pads to the discs at regular intervals - a process that goes unnoticed by the driver.

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