RE: Audi S8 (D3): Spotted
Thursday 11th February 2016
Oh joy, a chance to ponder fast Audis again. They're a funny bunch, aren't they? While fast TTs and A3s could be chastised for a general lack of involvement and overly light controls, as you move up the range those attributes become less of a concern. Who really cares about the last modicum of steering feel in a two-tonne luxobarge? Exactly. Arguably this is where the fast Audi formula really excels.
The view in other people's wing mirrorsTake one fairly ordinary looking saloon, keep it looking fairly ordinary, then stuff it full of enough power to escape the four horsemen; that's been the recipe for a while and it continues to produce some quite desirable cars. See the latest S8 Plus, a saloon capable of 190mph while looking like one of those premier taxi service 3.0 TDIs.
A lap of luxuryIn this car, it makes 450hp at a glorious 7,000rpm and 398lb ft at 3,500rpm. Perhaps not as low as you might have expected. Moreover, a decade later with everything turbocharged it's a really intriguing engine. There won't be another one like it, will there?
Audi S8 (D3): Spotted
Well we're not going to see another V10 super saloon, so get in there now!
The view in other people's wing mirrors
Beyond the speed and the looks of a big fast Audi though, it's the ferocious way they depreciate that makes them so enticing. One of the current generation twin-turbo V8 S8s could be yours for £46,995 at just two years old with 19,000 miles.
Here we're focusing on the previous generation D3 S8, simply because it has a V10. That's nothing against the current car - it's a superb engine in fact - but V10s are rare and therefore quite interesting. This isn't some wild, shrieking V10, or a direct Lamborghini transplant as some like to think, yet it's not without considerable appeal.
A lap of luxury
It's still a very smart looking car, with an interior not a million miles from the latest techno wonder Audis. It's in black with black leather and has a full service history to back up its 70,000 miles. It's for sale at just £15K. Nobody mention running costs now. Long live the horrific depreciation of big, powerful saloons!
Of course the S8 isn't the only one so afflicted. There are Jaguar XJs and AMG S-Classes at similar money, plus of course the original D2 S8 if you want to act out some Ronin fantasies on holiday in the south of France. None will have a V10 though; unless it's an M5 of course...
AUDI S8 (D3)
Engine: 5,204cc V10
Transmission: 6-speed automatic, four-wheel drive
Power (hp): 450@7,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 398@3,500rpm
MPG: 20.9 (NEDC combined)
CO2: 321g/km
First registered: 2007
Recorded mileage: 72,000
Price new: £70,825
Yours for: £15,930
See the original advert here.
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Discussion
I have a D3 4.2 FSI V8 having gotten rid of my C6 RS6.
If I'm being honest the A8 has a much nicer sound to it, partly due to not being turbo, partly due to the removal of the standard cross flow pipe and a lot to do with being able to enjoy the note without being in jailtime numbers!
Running costs really aren't as bad on the V8 as you'd think and I doubt the running costs of the V10 will be much greater day to day. I'd expect 12-15mpg on a short commute such as mine to work and on a run I reckon it'll crack 25mpg without too much fuss. My V8 does 31mpg on a run and the TTV10 did 24 so 25 for the S8 feels about right.
Main thing is to test everything and ensure it's got a decent service history. I picked up my 07 plate with 108k with full audi service history for less than £5,500 (amazing bargain!) and it came with the reassurance of audi extended warranty until 4 months prior to my purchase!
It has had all the horror stories replaced with the two biggest being:
1. Air suspension compressor and other at fault parts all replaced less than a year ago.
2. MMI mechanism replaced with metal cogs etc rather than the fragile plastic ones.
Won't go over the list of the extras mine has but lets say I'm wanting for nothing!!
Only gripe I have is with the MASSIVE boot, you just can't fit anything in there! Won't fit a bike, most boxes I've tried to put in on a tip run are too tall due to the bose sound system on parcel shelf and rear seats (like all luxo barges) won't fold down.
If I'm being honest the A8 has a much nicer sound to it, partly due to not being turbo, partly due to the removal of the standard cross flow pipe and a lot to do with being able to enjoy the note without being in jailtime numbers!
Running costs really aren't as bad on the V8 as you'd think and I doubt the running costs of the V10 will be much greater day to day. I'd expect 12-15mpg on a short commute such as mine to work and on a run I reckon it'll crack 25mpg without too much fuss. My V8 does 31mpg on a run and the TTV10 did 24 so 25 for the S8 feels about right.
Main thing is to test everything and ensure it's got a decent service history. I picked up my 07 plate with 108k with full audi service history for less than £5,500 (amazing bargain!) and it came with the reassurance of audi extended warranty until 4 months prior to my purchase!
It has had all the horror stories replaced with the two biggest being:
1. Air suspension compressor and other at fault parts all replaced less than a year ago.
2. MMI mechanism replaced with metal cogs etc rather than the fragile plastic ones.
Won't go over the list of the extras mine has but lets say I'm wanting for nothing!!
Only gripe I have is with the MASSIVE boot, you just can't fit anything in there! Won't fit a bike, most boxes I've tried to put in on a tip run are too tall due to the bose sound system on parcel shelf and rear seats (like all luxo barges) won't fold down.
I like the idea of one of these although the thought of running a V10 does worry me. In the same way I lust over an E39 M5, yet I have no desire to own the later E60 V10.
Instead I plumped for the earlier (and much cheaper) D2 S8. Cost me £4,800 a year ago which I thought was perhaps toppy although based on the pricing of the Santorini Blue one perhaps wasn’t such a bad purchase…
Still a hell of a lot of car for the money. Personally at that money I think I’d go for a C6 RS6 Avant. Admittedly more dated interior but would prefer my 450bhp turbocharged.
Instead I plumped for the earlier (and much cheaper) D2 S8. Cost me £4,800 a year ago which I thought was perhaps toppy although based on the pricing of the Santorini Blue one perhaps wasn’t such a bad purchase…
Still a hell of a lot of car for the money. Personally at that money I think I’d go for a C6 RS6 Avant. Admittedly more dated interior but would prefer my 450bhp turbocharged.
QuattroDave said:
I have a D3 4.2 FSI V8 having gotten rid of my C6 RS6.
If I'm being honest the A8 has a much nicer sound to it, partly due to not being turbo, partly due to the removal of the standard cross flow pipe and a lot to do with being able to enjoy the note without being in jailtime numbers!
Running costs really aren't as bad on the V8 as you'd think and I doubt the running costs of the V10 will be much greater day to day. I'd expect 12-15mpg on a short commute such as mine to work and on a run I reckon it'll crack 25mpg without too much fuss. My V8 does 31mpg on a run and the TTV10 did 24 so 25 for the S8 feels about right.
Main thing is to test everything and ensure it's got a decent service history. I picked up my 07 plate with 108k with full audi service history for less than £5,500 (amazing bargain!) and it came with the reassurance of audi extended warranty until 4 months prior to my purchase!
It has had all the horror stories replaced with the two biggest being:
1. Air suspension compressor and other at fault parts all replaced less than a year ago.
2. MMI mechanism replaced with metal cogs etc rather than the fragile plastic ones.
Won't go over the list of the extras mine has but lets say I'm wanting for nothing!!
Only gripe I have is with the MASSIVE boot, you just can't fit anything in there! Won't fit a bike, most boxes I've tried to put in on a tip run are too tall due to the bose sound system on parcel shelf and rear seats (like all luxo barges) won't fold down.
That sounds an absolute bargain. If I'm being honest the A8 has a much nicer sound to it, partly due to not being turbo, partly due to the removal of the standard cross flow pipe and a lot to do with being able to enjoy the note without being in jailtime numbers!
Running costs really aren't as bad on the V8 as you'd think and I doubt the running costs of the V10 will be much greater day to day. I'd expect 12-15mpg on a short commute such as mine to work and on a run I reckon it'll crack 25mpg without too much fuss. My V8 does 31mpg on a run and the TTV10 did 24 so 25 for the S8 feels about right.
Main thing is to test everything and ensure it's got a decent service history. I picked up my 07 plate with 108k with full audi service history for less than £5,500 (amazing bargain!) and it came with the reassurance of audi extended warranty until 4 months prior to my purchase!
It has had all the horror stories replaced with the two biggest being:
1. Air suspension compressor and other at fault parts all replaced less than a year ago.
2. MMI mechanism replaced with metal cogs etc rather than the fragile plastic ones.
Won't go over the list of the extras mine has but lets say I'm wanting for nothing!!
Only gripe I have is with the MASSIVE boot, you just can't fit anything in there! Won't fit a bike, most boxes I've tried to put in on a tip run are too tall due to the bose sound system on parcel shelf and rear seats (like all luxo barges) won't fold down.
Do you not miss the RS6?
Agreed on the boot. The D2’s is equally huge yet massively impractical for bikes etc hence why I think I’d like either a B7 RS4 or C5 RS6 next…
QuattroDave said:
Only gripe I have is with the MASSIVE boot, you just can't fit anything in there! Won't fit a bike,
Oh yes it will!I can get my road bike frame in there (wheels off) easily. At a push I can get two frames in and one set - possibly 1.5 - of wheels.
It will also swallow our luggage for a family of four holiday with ease.
The Article said:
plus of course the original D2 S8 if you want to act out some Ronin fantasies on holiday in the south of France
The D3 V10 S8 has a cameo in Taken. Liam Neeson guns it along the Seine (same riverside path where the D2 S8 first appears in Ronin) trying to catch up with the boat that has his newly purchased daughter on board.MrHooky said:
That sounds an absolute bargain.
Do you not miss the RS6?
Agreed on the boot. The D2’s is equally huge yet massively impractical for bikes etc hence why I think I’d like either a B7 RS4 or C5 RS6 next…
Massive bargain, the guy completely undersold the car by not mentioning the exhaustive preventative maintenance that was done to it, but then you would have everything changed if you were paying audi £1,600 a year for comprehensive extended warranty.....!Do you not miss the RS6?
Agreed on the boot. The D2’s is equally huge yet massively impractical for bikes etc hence why I think I’d like either a B7 RS4 or C5 RS6 next…
Do I miss the RS6, yes and no. I miss the ability of 700bhp to tear a hole in space time and the sound on cold start up and when changing gear at high revs, oh and the practicality of a big estate! What I don't miss is the loan I had to get to buy it (hate having debt on a car!), the worry that I was going to lose my licence at any moment - bear in mind that it could crack 100 in less than 8 seconds it didn't give a lot of time to enjoy the acceleration. THe massive turbos mute the sound of the engine too much and I wasn't long enough into ownership to spend £1,600 on a decent exhaust to liberate the sound and the fact that, carbon engine trim aside, it was as poverty spec as the RS6 gets.
I will likely get another one, but it'll be a C7 with a decent spec.
But back on the A8, comfy seats, digital freeview with VIM so daughter can watch cbeebees on a drive, rear seat space is amazing but it's massive though so finding spaces physically wide enough is challenging and the only car park that I've found to have spaces long enough is costco! If only the rear seats folded I would keep the car until it died, but they don't so I'll keep it a year or so.
Absolute must though is to fettle with exhaust in some way, these things have five silencers (including the cross flow!) and you can only really hear that lovely V8 sound when you start reducing/removing the boxes. Cross flow is gone on mine which gives a lovely sound between 2-3,000 and next will be a 40-50% reduction in the rear silencers which should let more of the sound out but not drone on the motorway
Greg66 said:
Oh yes it will!
I can get my road bike frame in there (wheels off) easily. At a push I can get two frames in and one set - possibly 1.5 - of wheels.
It will also swallow our luggage for a family of four holiday with ease.
Should qualify, it won't fit my DH bike with 7" travel front and rear! Tried every angle and best I could manage was forks protruding from the boot by 3" - i.e. does not fitI can get my road bike frame in there (wheels off) easily. At a push I can get two frames in and one set - possibly 1.5 - of wheels.
It will also swallow our luggage for a family of four holiday with ease.
The child in me thinks that it would be great to get one of these, persuade MTM to add some of the RS6 V10 upgrades and take it hot hatch hunting. Then driving across Europe, anywhere.
Even just adding the MTM exhaust certainly makes it sound menacing enough.
Always prefer cars that are silly fast but do not announce it until you are a spec in their rear window. This must be one of the best. The dullness of Audi's design proving perfect in this case.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5VkPP9_xCk
Even just adding the MTM exhaust certainly makes it sound menacing enough.
Always prefer cars that are silly fast but do not announce it until you are a spec in their rear window. This must be one of the best. The dullness of Audi's design proving perfect in this case.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5VkPP9_xCk
j90gta said:
If you needed a V10 the VW Phaeton was also available as a diesel; or how about the W12 engined version! There is a W12 currently on A********r for only £5,995!
I think the V10 and W12 VAG diesels are fantastic things. They're like the answer to a question that no-one was asking, pure "engineering for the sake of it". The 12 especially, as it was more like 2 VR6,s which are a peculiar concept in their own right.
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