Audi‘s latest S8 luxury super-saloon came out last summer, powered by the carmaker’s popular twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 engine, producing 563 HP (571 PS) and 590 lb-ft (800 Nm) of torque.
The engine also utilizes a 48-volt mild hybrid system, and is mated to an eight-speed tiptronic gearbox and Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive system with a self-locking center differential. Any way you look at it, this is a fast car, as it can get you from zero to 60 mph (96 km/h) in just 3.8 seconds.
With an MSRP of $129,500, the 2020 S8 is currently Audi’s third most expensive model, after the R8 and R8 Spyder.
Read: 2020 Audi A8 L Security Is An S8-Powered Armored Limo That Costs Almost $750k
Is it worth that much money though? What about when compared to rivals like the S-Class, 7-Series or the Panamera? Doug DeMuro drove this one recently and came away pretty impressed, albeit not stunned.
According to him, the 2020 S8 is sufficiently fast, and has plenty of tech on-board for you to feel like you’re driving the very latest in automotive ingenuity. Besides, what can be more welcoming than the car standing on attention (raising up when you open the door) whenever you get in?
In the end, he rated it below a BMW M760i and over a Maybach S600 or a Lexus LS500h, which doesn’t really come as much of a surprise. Then there’s the fact that Audi didn’t exactly knock one out of the park with the design of their latest A8/S8, making it look perhaps too unassuming?
Let us know how you feel about Ingolstadt’s luxury saloon flagship and whether or not you’d have it over the equivalent 7-Series or S-Class.