Audi has released pricing information for its facelifted 2015 A8 and S8, which benefit from revised styling and a range of equipment upgrades.
The range starts off with the A8 3.0T, which now carries a base price of $78,295 (including destination). It continues to share a 333-horsepower supercharged 3.0-liter V6 with the long-wheelbase A8 L 3.0T, for which $82,295 is the starting MSRP.
Efficiency-minded buyers can opt for the $85,995 A8 L TDI and its 240 horsepower 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6.
Priced at $87,295 for the short-wheelbase variant and $91,295 for the extra-legroom edition, the A8 4.0T packs 15 horsepower more than it did last year, for a total of 435 ponies. The S8, powered by a 520 horsepower version of the 4.0T’s motor, commands $115,795, while $138,795 is the minimum required to drive home the A8 L W12 and its 500 horsepower, 6.3-liter twelve-cylinder.
Those prices reflect increases of $2,300 to $2,800 over the last year’s A8 and S8 lineup.
Charting the Changes
Outside, the design tweaks carried out to both flagships are relatively minor and largely limited to redesigned bumpers, new lights all around and a refreshed radiator grille. Additional paint colors and alloy wheel designs help differentiate the facelifted sedans from their predecessors.
In Germany, buyers with deep pockets are able to replace traditional high beams with Audi’s new Matrix-beam technology. Using several sensors and cameras to scope out the road ahead, the headlights automatically dim the individual LEDs that are aimed at the driver of an oncoming vehicle. The LEDs are turned back on immediately after the car has passed, eliminating the need to manually alternate between high beams and low beams. In the United States, a 45-year old law that requires headlights to be have both low and high beams makes Matrix-beam technology illegal.
The updated A8 also sports LED turn signals that illuminate timed “blocks” from the inside out. Audi says the A8 features a similar system for its taillight
Little has changed inside apart from a few new trim elements, meaning that buyers will be forced to make do with largely the same old sumptuous, world-class interior. Newly available safety features include active lane assist, a parking assistant which automatically steers the car into a spot and a heads-up display. The night vision camera has been updated to recognize large mammals in addition to pedestrians.
The options list now includes 22-way-adjustable front comfort seats with 5 massage functions and, for the S8, a sport exhaust system with quad oval tailpipes. Variable-ratio dynamic steering has been added to the sport package, and all models come standard with a new electromechanical steering column that is said to trim weight and improve fuel efficiency.
The 2015 A8 and S8 will hit the market this summer.
Leave a Reply